THIS CHAPTER IS TOLD FROM KENDRICK'S POV

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The forest springs alive.

Breathing. Priming. Organizing for battle.

Leaves whisper in the wind, tree tops whip back and forth, even the grass appears to sharpen its blades.

"Asther has grown in strength," Gideon says.

Sazith's gaze flicks to him. "Is that gonna be a problem?"

Gideon snorts; whoever this Asther person is, he doesn't take her all that seriously. Whether that stems from self-confidence or arrogance will likely not matter—both are bound to make him a weaker fighter.

Man, I really hate his guts.

He's a disgrace for a father. Raelyn didn't lose out growing up without him.

I squeeze her hand. "You okay?"

She doesn't respond, her stare fixed on the moon. A pink triangle bleeds across its surface, signaling that it's not too far out until the full lunar eclipse. When her lips move, I strain to hear the words, but her whisper is no louder than a breath.

I nudge her. "Hey, all good?"

With a gasp, she turns her head. Her eyes are unfocused and only regain their shine after a couple of blinks. "Did you say something?"

"I asked whether you are all right."

"Why shouldn't I?"

Lip chewed bloody.

Eyes hollow with dark circles underneath them.

Nails torn to the skin.

Well, you look a mess, female.

I don't dare say the words out aloud, afraid to faze her even more. Fear sticks to her sweat. "Did you ask Sazith whether you can die by ordinary means?"

"He said the blood oath didn't change anything. As a hybrid, the cloak of near-immortality doesn't attach to me."

So she will also age normally. Selfish or not, it's a relief. If we survive the night, our carved-out future together will include me growing gray without her looking down on me with youthful eyes.

She steps closer to the bushes that give us coverage and bends a few branches down to catch a glimpse of the clearing. "You should probably shift. The other Sentinels are near."

"And you are sure this whole fighting in a clearing thing is a good idea?"

"Positive."

Open space equals an opportunity to leverage their full warlock powers, or at least that's what Gideon claimed. The whole strategy sounds ludicrous to me. Considering that Marush is the strongest of them, it would make much more sense to lay in wait and attack from a position he least expects, but hey, who am I to question a warlock? I'm reduced to a sidekick these days; my only purpose is to provide an army.

When an owl hoots, I flinch. Hand shaking, I rub over my coarse hair.

Calm down.

To distract myself, I step next to Raelyn and peek through the leaves. The figure of a man materializes at the other end of the clearing. The moon reflects off his blond warrior bun like a halo; he looks about mid-twenties, Marush's age, meaning he could be thousands of years old. At least as tall as me with broad shoulders, he instills fear in any opponent. As he juggles one of those Sentinel daggers together with a bunch of flames, his overbearing smirk is typical warlock-style.

Raelyn tenses next to me. "That's Izikey. He's the Sentinel of Fire."

She can't be serious. "That's the guy you are meant to take on?"

"He's one of them."

"You do realize he has at least a foot on you?" And a hundred pounds.

"Don't worry. In a duel, height and body structure are irrelevant."

I wish I had her confidence.

Another guy and an older teen join Izikey at the edge of the clearing. From afar, they appear to be attached at the shoulders, even though their looks couldn't be more different. The moonlight gives her pale skin a translucent glow; he is as dark as tar. Silver-white curls frame her soft face while he's shaven to the skin with hard, uncouth features.

"Remember, Oldor is mine," Andrenior says.

Gideon nods. "And I take Asther first, so I can secure her dagger."

Which leaves Marush to Delsandra. She stands tall with her arms folded; her dagger is strapped to her pants in a scabbard. The little girl Tessa shivers next to her; her eyes are glazed over with mortal fear and her whole face is layered with sweat. If our future is riding on her, I'd say we are already extinct. She is close to losing her shit.

Shadows of other warlocks fall long into the clearing as their owners step out from under the protection of the trees. They join the Sentinels. I count just under thirty in total. If we can somehow break them up, or better yet, lure them into the woods, the fighters will have a chance to disable them the way Andrenior and Gideon taught us. Toss them to the ground before a good smash to the head will knock them out. Tearing off their hands and arms, then their legs. Even though they can't die, they won't be much good at performing magic. The only wobbly part in the equation is the damage they'll inflict before a hunter pack can take them off their feet and split their skulls with a rock.

Another teen steps next to Izikey and for a second, she has me gasp. She looks so much like Cassum, it's not even funny. Her skin glistens in the moonlight from the warrior marks she has scribbled all over her body. Eyes the color of liquid gold scan the clearing.

Andrenior leans in and mumbles to Raelyn under his breath, although my pricked ears still pick up the words. "That's Enigma, Nalco's sister. Watch out for her."

Raelyn nods. Worry cuts across her face and I can't shake the feeling that they are expecting her to take on more than she can handle.

Marush is the last to emerge from the darkness. On cue, our side abandons our hiding place. I shift before settling next to Raelyn. A warm breeze and the scent of honeysuckle lingers in the night air, but the pleasant vibes are countered by an eerie quiet that settles over the forest.

"Tessa, come and join us," Marush calls out. "Your place is with your Sentinel masters and not with those traitors who have poisoned your mind."

Tessa shakes her head and takes a step back.

Gideon's hand stops her from making a run for it. "Don't show him weakness."

Marush chuckles. "I can sense your fear. You don't seriously think you can beat me?"

Tessa tightens her grip around the dagger.

Raelyn rests a hand on Tessa's shoulder and the stance of the young girl relaxes. Raelyn's voice carries across the field. "My sister will stand with her family, and I will stand with the werewolves. This is your last chance, Marush. Turn around and go back to the Highlands."

Mocking colors Marush's loud laughter. "Sister? Marvelous—another warlock child born under the dark mark of the malediction. Now I don't even need to justify myself for killing you or her."

"Enough. Let's end this imbalance of nature." Gideon steps into the clearing and raises his fist to the reddish moon. Opening his hand, the sounds of a deep horn fill the silence of the night.

The signal that the battle has begun.

Andrenior disappears with a low pop, just to reappear right next to the dark man. With a bow of his head, he challenges him to a duel.

Man, these warlocks are way too polite to each other.

Gideon is taking on the pale teen while Marush and most of the others steer in our direction.

Raelyn pads the top of my head. "Go now, Kendrick."

I gaze up at her. Even though I can't speak in my wolf form, I hope my eyes convey my love for her. I nudge her one final time.

Be careful.

With a few long leaps, I rush through the clearing toward the woods to draw the enemy into a trap. In between the trees, groups of scattered wolves prepare for the attack. I don't need to see their faces to know they are tense. My own neck muscles are as hard as a rock. A couple of warlocks fall for the trick and chase after me. More wolves run through the battlefield to drag the enemy with them. Just as my pursuers are about to catch up to me, a pack of fighters dives out of the underbrush. A good handful falls victim to flying nails and fireballs before a heap of fast-moving wolves crushes the two warlocks underneath them.

I howl at the moon, the battle signal for the troops around the clearing. Turning on my heel, I head back the way I came. The forest has awoken and I duck under swinging branches, rolling out of the way when a tree trunk tries to crush me. Out of breath, I reach the edge of the clearing. Most of the remaining warlocks are engaged in duels; Raelyn is tossing a large fire spike at Izikey, which he fists in his hand with little effort.

He stretches out his arms, his lips curled in a tempting smile. "You need much more oomph if you want to hurt me. Try again."

Fuck, he's toying with her.

The Cassum-looking teen leans against a tree with her arms folded. Her face is bored, as if she couldn't care less about the fight, or maybe she's just waiting her turn. Letting her chase me through the woods will ease the pressure on Raelyn.

I'm about to cross the clearing to challenge her when my breath gets stuck in my throat. A circle made up of trees has captured a small group of wolves and takes turns swinging their branches at them. One of the trunks leaps at an opponent—Kenna.

A surreal buzzing spreads in my ears. I want to yell to watch out, rush across the clearing, jump in the way, but anything I do will be a wasted effort. I'll never reach her in time.

She cowers to the ground. Blood sizzles under my skull as the tree winds up to crush her. The trunk comes down like a hammer, just as a fighter in his skins pushes her out of the way.

Moose.

The crunch of shattering bones drives bile up my throat.

One sister taken from me, one sister saved.

My relief for Kenna is short lived. The tree trunk gets ready for another strike.

This ain't happening, not on my watch.

With long jumps, I'm prepared to take on the enemy headfirst when the whole forest stills. A whaling groan shudders the leaves of the trees. I turn my head. The pale teen hangs limp by her hair in Gideon's grip; her neck is exposed. Raising his arm, he rams a dagger in the small hollow of her throat. Ruby red blood spills to the ground.

Without one look at his kill, he drops the corpse. Dagger in hand, he carves a sign in his wrist. I'm too far away to see what it is.

"I, Gideon, reclaim my rights as Sentinel of Wood!"

The trees sway from left to right as if in disagreement.

He sprawls his hands. "Life of the forest, you are under my command. Do not hurt the werewolves and seize your fight."

Grunting and creaking, the army of trees edge away from the battlefield, leaving Kenna to cradle Moose's broken body. Tears smudge her war paint. I'm tempted to comfort her when an explosion draws my attention back to Raelyn's fight.

Izikey laughs. "You have to do better than that."

The scorn in his voice boils my blood. I want to kill him.

Raelyn bends over to catch her breath. Her clothes stick to her like a second skin and her hair is drenched in sweat. Eyes unfocused, she barely manages to stay on her feet.

"I guess we should end this." Izikey pulls the dagger from the sheath. "You fought well, young warlock, but unfortunately, you'll never be a match for a Sentinel."

Fangs bared, I take off across the field. He moves behind her. When he reaches for her hair, Raelyn is so weak that she barely resists. One jerk has her throat exposed. Pushing myself to run faster, I fight the burning muscles in all four legs, but she still seems to be at an unattainable distance.

In one fluent movement, the Cassum-looking teen leaps from her spectator position. She takes the Sentinel off his feet with a well-positioned kick to his groin.

Damn, girl.

Despite the sense of urgency to get to Raelyn, a sympathy shudder runs through my lower extremities. Izikey is down, his hands cupped around his precious body parts. He groans. The dagger lies next to him in the grass.

Almost lazily, the girl picks up the weapon and smirks at her master. She tosses it in the air to get a downward grip. The stab right between the Sentinel's shoulder blades is quick; his groan turns into a wheeze. The whole time, a smile plays on her lips; watching the life dwindle out of him is pure pleasure for her. Whatever he did to stir her hate, it must've been something she carried around for many years.

With one last shudder, Izikey's body stills. The girl pulls the dagger out of his back and carves a symbol into her wrist the way Gideon did earlier.

A pentagram.

"I, Enigma, claim my rights as Sentinel of Fire!"

And then, with a small bow of her head toward Marush, she disappears into thin air.

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© Sally Mason 2018

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