Orion yanked me back against his chest a heartbeat before three Nymphs came barrelling through the crowd, knocking several Fae down beneath them and driving their probes into their chests.
A snarl escaped me and I raised my hands, releasing an inferno on the closest one while Orion moved to intercept another. The rebels all looked to me for orders, and I was more than willing to give them as I called out for them to cut down our enemies.
“Close ranks, don’t let them get to The Burrows!” I shouted.
“Yes, My Queen!” the rebels yelled, diving into battle with no fear in their eyes and my heart swelled as I witnessed the ferocity of my people.
Washer was riding on a wave of water, his body covered in the light blue scales of his Order and his clothes discarded. He cast whips of water which carried his Phoenix sword, sending it blasting into the chests of Nymphs before recalling it to him.
“Take a teenie weenie bit of that – and that!” he cried as he stabbed them, his skill and accuracy something to be admired.
The rebels took down the third Nymph with cries of my name on their lips, and when we’d laid out our enemies, Orion and I forged on.
Fae raced past us in countless Order forms, and it was hard to know who was with us and who was against us as a clash of fur and horns and magic collided everywhere.
Orion cast an air shield around us as we left the rattle of the Nymphs behind and I offered my own power to the shield to keep us safe as we picked up our pace and ran towards Lavinia, taking down any enemies we could along the way as I shouted out encouragements to the rebels.
I hunted for Tory as we went and saw her flying up over the head of a huge Nymph, battling to take it down and relief filled me to see her fighting like the warrior Queen Avalon had taught her to be.
I swore as a tide of rebels pushed back against us, slowing our movements as a row of Nymphs blocked their way forward and I looked to Orion, an idea forming in my mind.
“We can tunnel to Lavinia,” I said. “If we can get beyond her, I can come at her from behind.”
“I’ll move us fast,” Orion agreed, but before we went anywhere, I raised my hands and cast a tornado with my air magic, the monstrous vortex descending from the sky and slamming into the Nymphs who were attacking the rebels before us.
They were sucked into my power, the spinning grey storm making my hair fly around me as I poured my strength into it. The Nymphs shrieked as they were thrown to the ground, leaving them vulnerable as our allies fell on them, using the weapons we’d blessed with our fire to destroy them, my name carrying to the sky again as they shouted it in praise.
I disbanded the huge tornado with a breath of exertion leaving me and Orion gazed at me like I was a goddess of hell brought here to eradicate our opponents. And that was just what I planned to do.
I turned my hands towards the ground, carving a tunnel beneath our feet and racing down into it while Orion followed, and I closed it up behind us. I cast a Faelight as the muffled sound of the battle echoed around us through the dirt, and I took in the blood speckles on my mate’s cheeks as he waited for my next command.
“Let’s hurry,” I urged and Orion picked me up as I scored a path beneath the earth and he carried me along it at a furious pace.
The rumble of a thousand footfalls and the clash of the battle made the earth tremble around us, and my heart dipped with fear for my friends. But they were strong, I’d seen them fighting and had watched as they felled their enemies time and again. They could handle this battle, we’d been training for it for months and though it had been sprung on us, it didn’t mean we weren’t ready. We can do this.
When I was sure we had to be beyond Lavinia, Orion came to a halt and I turned my hands towards the dirt roof above us as he placed me down on my feet.
“Wait,” Orion growled, yanking me into a kiss that stole away every inch of fear in my body. It was barely a couple of seconds, but offered me endless courage as we broke apart, my lips burning from the contact of his. “Give her hell, Blue.”
“For Clara,” I swore and his eyes blazed with emotion at his sister’s name as he nodded.
I gave him a fierce look that swore I could do this, not letting myself dwell in dread about what might await us above ground as I turned my hands to the dirt and blasted it apart.
Orion lifted us out on a gust of air and I spread my wings as I raised my hands higher, finding us behind the towering darkness that Lavinia stood upon.
I didn’t hesitate for a single moment. I flew upwards with fire swirling along my limbs, burning in my very soul as I built a blaze of Phoenix fire in my hands which could level a fucking town.