Caelan's POV
I'm falling after her.
The moment the god-mark forces my hands to push Sera off Shadowmere's back, I throw myself after her. I don't think. I just jump.
The god-mark screams in rage, burning my chest like someone's pressed hot iron against my skin. Kyros roars above us, his golden form blazing with fury.
FOOLISH BOY! YOU DEFY ME FOR A MORTAL GIRL?
I don't answer. I'm diving through the air, arms stretched out, desperately reaching for Sera.
She's below me, tumbling through the sky, her white robes billowing around her. Her eyes are closed. She thinks she's going to die.
Not on my watch.
I push my body harder, faster, using every bit of god-blessed strength I have. The wind tears at my face. The ground rushes up at impossible speed.
My fingers close around her wrist.
Got you! I yell, pulling her against my chest.
Her eyes fly open. Caelan?!
Hold on! I twist in the air, positioning my body beneath hers. If we hit the ground, I'll take the impact. Maybe my god-blessed body can survive it. Maybe.
SHADOWMERE! I roar.
My gryphon screeches and dives after us, wings tucked tight. She's fast faster than anything alive but we're falling so fast, and the ground is so close
Shadowmere slams into us from the side, talons grabbing my shoulders. The sudden stop almost rips my arms from their sockets, but I don't let go of Sera.
We hang there for a moment, suspended in the air by Shadowmere's powerful wings. Then she beats upward, carrying us away from the ground that was seconds from killing us both.
Sera is shaking in my arms. You jumped after me. You actually jumped.
Of course I did. My voice comes out rougher than I intended. Did you really think I'd let you fall?
Above us, Kyros bellows in rage. YOU DARE CONTINUE TO DEFY ME?
The god-mark on my chest explodes with pain. I scream and nearly drop Sera.
Caelan! She grabs my face with both hands. Look at me! Fight it!
Where her hands touch my skin, the pain lessens. Her nullifying power works even now, dampening the god-mark's control.
Fly north! I gasp to Shadowmere. As far as you can!
The gryphon screeches acknowledgment and beats her powerful wings harder.
Behind us, Kyros rises higher into the sky. IF YOU WILL NOT RETURN WILLINGLY, I WILL BRING YOU BACK BY FORCE!
Golden light erupts from his form. The air itself seems to catch fire.
He's going to attack us! Sera yells.
A bolt of divine lightning shoots past us, so close I can feel the heat. Shadowmere dodges left, then right, but Kyros fires again and again.
We can't outrun a god! Sera shouts over the wind.
She's right. Even Shadowmere's incredible speed won't save us from divine wrath.
Then I remember something my grandfather once told me. A secret he whispered on his deathbed, when he thought I was old enough to understand.
There's a place the gods can't reach, I yell to Sera. The Veilwilds! The wild magic there blocks divine power!
That's two days' flight from here!
Then we fly for two days!
Another lightning bolt strikes Shadowmere's wing. She screeches in pain but keeps flying.
She's hurt! Sera cries. She can't fly for two days like this!
I look down at my faithful companion. Blood streams from her wounded wing. She's still flying, but I can feel her struggling.
We need help. We need a miracle.
As if in answer, the sky ahead of us suddenly splits open.
Not with divine light with darkness.
A portal tears through reality itself, swirling with shadows and stars. And standing in front of it, hovering in mid-air like it's the most natural thing in the world, is a man.
He's tall and elegant, dressed in dark robes covered with strange symbols. His eyes glow with an eerie golden light.
Well, well, the man says, his voice carrying over the wind somehow. The God touched Prince and the Sacrificial Maiden, fleeing from the War God himself. How delightfully dramatic.
Who are you? I demand.
Corvus Night whisper, former High Priest, current heretic, and your only chance at survival. He gestures to the portal. Through there, if you please. Unless you'd prefer to fight a god?
Another lightning bolt shoots toward us. Corvus waves his hand lazily, and the bolt dissolves into nothing.
I'd decide quickly, Corvus says. I can't hold Kyros off forever.
Sera and I look at each other. We're being offered help by a stranger who can somehow block divine attacks and tear holes in reality. Every instinct screams this is a trap.
But Kyros fires another attack, and Shadowmere's other wing takes damage. She's falling now, struggling to stay airborne.
Do it! Sera yells.
I direct Shadowmere toward the portal. She dives through the swirling darkness, and reality twists around us.
For a moment, everything is black and spinning and wrong.
Then we burst out the other side.
We're in a forest. Massive trees surround us, their trunks wider than houses. Strange lights drift between the branches like fireflies made of starlight. The air hums with wild magic.
Shadowmere lands hard, her legs giving out. She collapses to the forest floor, breathing heavily.
You're safe now, Corvus says, stepping through the portal behind us. It seals shut with a whisper. Welcome to the Veilwilds. The gods can't see you here. Can't reach you. Can't control you.
I help Sera down from Shadowmere's back, then kneel beside my injured companion. Easy, girl. You did so well.
Shadowmere makes a weak purring sound and closes her eyes.
Sera drops to her knees, shaking. We're alive. We're actually alive.
Thanks to our mysterious rescuer. I stand and face Corvus. Why did you help us?
Because I've been waiting for someone like Sera to appear. Corvus studies her with fascination. A girl born without magic who can nullify divine power. A Fateweaver. You're the key to everything.
The key to what? Sera asks.
To ending the gods' tyranny. Corvus smiles, but it's not a comforting expression. To rewriting the prophecy system itself. To setting everyone free from divine control.
The god-mark on my chest suddenly flares with heat. Not painful just warm. Warning me.
I step protectively in front of Sera. What do you want with her?
To train her, of course. To help her unlock her full potential. Corvus spreads his hands. But that's for tomorrow. Tonight, you both need rest. And you need to tend to your gryphon's wounds.
He's right about that. Shadowmere needs care immediately.
There's a camp not far from here, Corvus continues. Others who've defied their prophecies and fled to the Veilwilds. You'll be safe there.
Others? Sera stands up. How many?
Dozens. Maybe hundreds by now. Corvus turns and starts walking into the forest. Follow me. Unless you'd prefer to wander the Veilwilds alone in the dark? I should warn you there are things in this forest that even I fear.
As if on cue, something howls in the distance. It doesn't sound like any animal I've ever heard.
Sera moves closer to me. I put my arm around her shoulders without thinking.
We follow him, I say quietly. But stay alert.
We help Shadowmere to her feet and follow Corvus deeper into the glowing forest.
After about twenty minutes of walking, we see lights ahead. Campfires. Voices. The smell of cooking food.
We emerge into a clearing filled with people. Tents scattered everywhere. Children playing. Adults cooking, talking, laughing.
They all stop and stare when they see us.
Everyone, Corvus announces. Meet our newest arrivals. Prince Caelan Valorian, the God touched warrior who defied the War God himself. And Sera Ashford, the Sacrificial Maiden who refused to die.
Whispers ripple through the camp. Then, slowly, people start to smile. To cheer.
A man steps forward rough-looking, with storm-gray eyes and wild dark hair. Lightning crackles faintly around his fingers.
I'm Kael Storm wind, he says, looking directly at Sera. Ten years ago, my sister was chosen as the Sacrificial Maiden. I tried to save her, but I failed. His jaw tightens. I've been waiting a long time for someone brave enough to run. Someone strong enough to survive.
He kneels in front of Sera, and the entire camp follows his example. Dozens of people, all kneeling.
We've been hoping for a symbol, Kael says. Someone to prove that defying the gods is possible. That we don't have to accept the destinies they force on us.
Sera looks overwhelmed. I'm not a symbol. I'm just a girl who doesn't want to die.
That's exactly what makes you perfect, Kael says with a fierce smile.
Something about the way he looks at Sera makes my chest tighten with an emotion I don't want to name.
Before I can say anything, a woman pushes through the crowd older, with kind eyes.
Let the poor girl breathe, she scolds. Can't you see she's exhausted? And that gryphon needs healing immediately!
This is Mara, Corvus explains. Our healer. She'll take care of Shadowmere.
Mara examines Shadowmere's wings with gentle hands. Burns from divine lightning. Nasty, but I can treat them.
While Mara works on Shadowmere, Kael offers Sera his hand. You must be starving. We have food, water, warm blankets
She needs rest more than anything, I interrupt, not liking how close Kael is standing to her.
Kael looks at me coolly. And you are?
The person who saved her life tonight.
After being ordered to kill her in the first place, Kael shoots back.
The tension between us is instant and sharp.
Sera steps between us. Stop. Both of you. I'm too tired for whatever this is.
Corvus claps his hands. Wonderful idea. Sera, there's an empty tent at the edge of camp. Prince Caelan can sleep nearby to protect you, if that makes you comfortable.
As we walk toward the tent, Sera stumbles with exhaustion. I catch her before she falls.
I've got you, I murmur.
She looks up at me, and in the firelight, her eyes seem to glow. You keep saving me.
I'll keep saving you for as long as you'll let me.
Something passes between us something warm and terrifying and inevitable.
Then Sera's eyes widen, looking past me. Caelan your god-mark!
I look down at my chest.
The mark is changing. The bright blue glow is fading, replaced by something else. Something silver. The same color as Sera's eyes.
What's happening? I breathe.
Corvus appears beside us, studying the mark with fascination. Impossible. The god-mark is breaking its connection to Kyros. He looks at Sera. It's bonding to her instead.
What does that mean? Sera asks.
Corvus's smile is unsettling. It means, my dear, that you've just claimed the kingdom's most powerful warrior as your own.