Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
“No, no, don’t land,” Nessa shouted to the ones above. She pointed ahead of them. “Go to that meadow over there. Hollace needs space to land. We don’t want to break him. Let’s lead him there, and we can run back.”
She looked down, caught Sebastian looking up at her, and put out a thumbs-up. Her smile was radiant. Nessa found delight and joy in everything, which was probably good, considering the horrible life she’d found herself in. They shouldn’t call her his gal pal—they should call her his silver lining. Or his crutch.
Niamh shook herself as Dave and his mom emerged from the trees, breathing heavily. The shifters were winded, too, their furry sides expanding and contracting. Niamh shook again, and Sebastian took the cue to get off as the other fliers landed.
Jessie was last, watching to make sure Hollace made it okay. A beautiful swirl of color trailed her flapping wings. She shifted immediately, and Austin followed suit. No one else did. The goal for everyone else was to conserve energy.
“Basajaun—Dave, sorry.” Jessie closed the distance to Austin, but her attention was in the trees. “What’s the status? Can you feel them through the wood?”
“Yes.” Dave vibrated with aggression. “There is a large host to the south, three miles or so. They must’ve seen you in the air because they sped up when you flew in this direction.”
“That’s what I figured.” She shook her head and braced her hands on her hips. Sebastian could tell she was swearing under her breath. “Ivy House never does things by halves. Fine. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.” She looked at the basandere. “You need to get out of here. There’s no time for anything else. Thanks for the offer to help, and thanks for all you’ve done for us. Hopefully, we’ll meet again.”
The basandere studied her silently. “Your creature is the most beautiful one I have ever seen. But you are not allowing it to be the deadliest. I can feel it lurking within you, even now, kept on a tight leash. You need to free that part of yourself.”
Sebastian couldn’t help thinking that the basandere should follow her own advice and join the battle. But then, it was often easier to give advice than to take it, even if it was one’s own.
Jessie flinched as though struck, however. Her brow furrowed. “So I’ve heard. But it’s new to me. I’m just trying to…get used to it.”
The basandere shook her head slowly. Sebastian could tell Jessie felt tense about the time all this was taking, made worse when Dave said, “They are coming at some speed. Dirt bikes.”
“It isn’t new to you,” the basandere said, and then touched her hairy chest. “It has always been there. Basajaunak can be fierce, but we must embrace that part of ourselves. Shifters, too. Humans. We must embrace it. Your magic just adds to you—it didn’t create you. Everything it needs to thrive was already there. Don’t think of it as a separate entity; think of it as a dormant part of you, rarely used. Now, when you are protecting your family, is your time to use it. Use all you have. Their lives depend on it.”
An emotion Sebastian couldn’t identify moved in Jessie’s eyes. He half wished he could’ve forged that connection that her gargoyle kept extending. But he couldn’t allow her to keep tabs on him. Not if he wanted to stay the course he and Nessa had agreed on. Still, Jessie seemed able to read him after a fashion, even though he couldn’t reciprocate, and that would have to be enough.
She nodded once. That was it. And then she turned away.
“Let’s get ready. They’re coming,” Jessie barked, the commander side of her taking over. Her magic throbbed through the natural place. “Hide within the trees around that clearing. Let them get into their formations. Then we attack as planned.”
He watched the basandere place a hand on Dave’s shoulder and then move off into the trees. Dave watched for a moment, but he quickly snapped out of it. The hair on his body bristled and puffed out, making the big creature look that much bigger. There was no way to make him look more terrifying—it simply wasn’t possible.
“It is time to shine, weird mage,” Dave said as he passed Sebastian. “We’re in our element now.”
Sebastian took a deep breath. Jessie had to embrace the part of her that was distinctly violent. So did he. They all had to pull their weight.
He felt his emotions drain away. He let the worry and apprehension for what was to come seep down into the center of his being, and then he imagined covering it with a lead blanket. This wasn’t a time for reflection and contemplation—it was a time for action.
It was a time for Elliot Graves.