Mela scrabbled frantically at the collar of her armor, unzipping it. "We need to hold them off until help arrives!"

I frowned, shouting to be heard against the clamorous sound of battle raging all around us. "Help?!"

Who the hells was there left to help us?

A rushing noise razored through the smoky air.

Hellsgate!

We jerked around just as a volley of cursed bolts hit their mark.

A thunderous BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Forked lightning erupted through the darkness—

Chased quickly by the horrific noise of popping—

Waves of attacking scarabs, churning through the cavern in glistening black swirls, exploded like fireworks. Destroyed by the Children of the Harbinger in a swift, clever move.

Coughing and squinting against the roiling smoke, I hastily surveyed the cavern. Heat washed out on scorching winds stirred by battle and the godsawful smell of burning flesh sickened my guts. My heart slammed against my ribs at the fraught fighting the Crowthers were engaged in as they fended off the masked warriors. More and more Văduvas fell to the might of the gathering army.

Dread doused all the hope from my chest.

Gods, this cavern was going to be our tomb.

Sheathing my swords quickly, I shoved at Yezekael to move faster, anxious to get him and Mela to a place of protection, while my mind sped along differing strategies as to how the fuck we were going to get out of this mess. The lesser creature winced as he limped along, the rattle of chains barely discernible above the deafening noise of warfare. Mela hurried by my side, her forearm brushing up against my own when she pulled the long gold necklace she'd worn free of her jacket. A small pendant dangled from the end of the loop. "When we fail to show up our runners will come find us."

My eyes flared wide. Shit, I'd forgotten about the runners stretched along the tunnels to the subway maintenance corridors. Jiao led the team tending to the wounded from the fight in Yezekael's nest, and they might still be in the catacombs too. But still, even their numbers joining ours wouldn't be enough, not against the growing tide of warriors.

Mela yanked hard on the chain around her neck, snapping it. The necklace's broken length slithered like an asp to the ground.

I stilled. Yezekael too, while war seethed around us.

Crossbow bolts slashed through the cavern, loaded with cursed thunder—

The crashing clank of swords fumed between fighters—

Exploding weaponry struck rock and sent a spray of stones wide.

But our attention was bewitched by Mela's swollen and bloodied fingers pinched around the smooth triple-twisted pendant. The shape of it reminded me of a tiny egg. In the corner of my eye, I caught the change in Yezekael's expression to surprise and eagerness as he leaned closer, his eyes fixed greedily upon the pendant clasped between Mela's fingers.

Just what the fuck was it?

Mela's words rushed together as she jerked her arm back. "This will head straight to my family and alert them to our plight!" Her eyes were bright with confidence when she leveled a determined look at me. "I know they'll contact yours too. Our families will come fast!"

Unease and despair tangled in the pit of my stomach. I didn't want to tell Mela by the time our families arrived we'd be dead. I preferred to let her cling to a shred of hope.

She hurled the pendant against the craggy ground beside her dusty boots. The pendant obliterated into a puff of dust that glittered like gold. The dust drifted apart, beaten back by tiny wings pummeling the air. A small bird emerged, fluttering in front of us, its feathery body formed of fire.

I sucked in a startled breath at the splendor of the otherworldly creature.

It was Yezekael who spoke its name aloud, his sandy-metallic voice thick with astonishment. "A phynx."

Mela lifted a hand and the tiny creature flew around her fingertips, chirruping as it hovered above her cupped palm. Its sweet song was as magnificent as its fiery plumage.

"Home," was all Mela ordered the tiny creature.

The phynx gave a single chirp, twirled mid-air, its long feathery tail swirling in the gloom, and then it was gone—a streak of golden hope cutting through the darkness and turmoil. It soared through the cavern as fast as a shooting arrow, leaving a gauzy trail of glittering light in its wake.

I turned a stunned expression on Mela. I had no fucking idea that the Văduvas possessed a phynx. They were so fucking rare they were almost a myth within our world. But then my gaze was pulled over her shoulder to the fighting, and raw panic chilled my bones. Nearby, the air rang with the feverish clang of adamere striking off steel. Jiao suddenly appeared out of the swirling smoke, grunting as he stumbled awkwardly, striving to drive off a masked warrior.

My Second was off-balance, unguarded.

"Jiao!" I burst into a motion, hurtling forward, my hand tearing for Leviathan Spinebender slung over a shoulder.

He righted himself.

But it was too late to defend himself against the next blow.

The ivory robes of the brutal warrior snapped around its gigantic physique as it whirled to deliver a killing blow.

I slung the whip's handle back. The braided lash trailed through the air—

Whiplashing forward with a loud crack—

And the lash's tip flicked around the warrior's wrist. I hauled hard, digging my heels into the pitted ground and leaning back to keep the arm outstretched.

Jiao bellowed a war cry as he leaped and drove his Dao down in a wild, furious arc, chopping the warrior's arm right off. Spinning around and ducking low, with a furious slash his sword cut cleanly through the warrior's opposite leg.

Without wasting any more energy on the felled swordsman, Jiao ran toward me, breathing hard, his blade slick with gunky, black blood. I blew out a relieved breath, flicking the whip free from the enemy's wrist, just as the cleaved hand started fading with the gathering swifting winds, readying to disappear.

"Hells, thank you," Jiao puffed out as we clapped each other on the back. I grinned—he would have done the same for me. Stone scuffed beneath my boots as we dashed to Mela, who'd gotten Yezekael back to the cluster of wounded hunters. Jiao glanced over his shoulder and my gaze followed the whirling figures locked in combat. "We're not going to last long out here," he rasped.

The warband was faltering. It was a sea of gigantic, masked warriors clothed in ivory that was stained in red—blood, our blood. They were merciless and intent on slaughtering us all.

Fuck, what are we going to do?

I rounded on Mela, coiling up Leviathan's braided lash quickly and slinging the whip back over my shoulder, throwing my only desperate idea at both her and Jiao. "We need to form a shield wall and hold them off until help arrives."

Mela had drawn her sword, and firelight burnished the graceful curve of the saber as she spun a fast full circle, taking in the fighting and the number of wounded. Doubt filled her eyes when they met mine once more. "We'll need every single shield and person able to stand to pull it off."

Petra was squatting beside a hunter drenched in blood and shivering uncontrollably. She deftly screwed a tourniquet around a hunter's upper thigh to stop the blood from pumping out from the deep gash in their leg. A medic rushed to her side, taking over. Straightening, Petra swiveled our way. I almost flinched. I'd never seen her look so beaten and exhausted before. She'd overheard my idea and threw up a frustrated hand, sticky with blood. "What's the use? They'll simply swift in."

Despair rose once more. She was right.

"No. No, they won't. We have this," Jiao puffed, gasping for air as if he'd sprinted a marathon. And perhaps he had, it would be quite a distance between here and Yezekael's nest where we'd left him with the wounded. He pulled a small black device from his bandoleer and held it up. It had a mottled-green stone set into its round center.

Jiao's gaze slid sideways to mine. "That's why I needed to get to you. Your brother has been busy this past week tinkering with one of House Simonis's devices. He wanted me to carry it...just in case."

My eyebrows shot up, but I shouldn't have been surprised, Caidan was always pulling apart devices to see how they worked. What had he said when he'd been working on his latest project in the library this past week?

Now that we have a fucking army of dead warriors that are able to swift, it'd be good if I could figure out a way to create an anti-swifting device we can carry on us.

"He got it working?"

Of course, my brilliant brother would have.

Before Jiao could reply, Mela asked, "What is it?"

My Second spoke fast. "It's a miniature form of the monolith towers that keep anything from swifting onto our estates. It has a short range of protection. It won't stop them from physically entering the zoned area, but it will stop them from swifting." His mouth pulled into a tight grimace. "Caidan hasn't been able to fully test. But it's our best shot."

Our only fucking shot.

I looked at Petra, wanting to see what she thought. Her face was splattered with blood and set in a grim line. She glanced briefly at Mela, both of them exchanging a silent conversation before Mela gave her approval with a nod. Petra's fierce gaze slashed to mine. "Do it."

I clapped Jiao on the upper arm. "Raise a wall. Let's build a fucking fortress!" We had no choice but to give it a go. Spinning around, I bellowed to the battling Crowthers. "FALL BACK!" I kept roaring until I could see the warband had heard the order, and that though they still fought, they were indeed retreating.

Swiveling around, I grabbed hold of Yezekael, only to thrust him at Mela. "Keep him alive for Sirro." If anything came out of this mess, I needed that creature alive for the Horned God to glean the vital information about my mother's abductors. That was if Sirro was alive. Mela braced her stance as the lesser creature stumbled against her. She snatched hold of his arm, ignoring the creature's hiss of pain. "Will do," she grinned with menace.

Yezekael swallowed.

Mela quickly kicked his legs out from beneath him. He fell onto his ass and her fingers were flying, fast and efficiently binding his ankles together with the chains, tugging to ensure it was a tight lock. Petra sprinted along the line of hunters. Her gruff voice punctuated the air and clashed against the ringing of swords and the thudding of bolts. "SHIELDS UP! FORM A WALL!"

My swords whined as I unsheathed them. Twirling them both in whirring arcs, I took a bouncy step toward the chaos. Only to come to an abrupt halt when Jiao threw his mass in front of me blocking my way. He cocked his head. Dark brows drew forward and shadowed his thin eyes. "What are you doing?"

I scowled, taken aback. "Giving you time to create the fortress." We could only do this if the Children of the Harbinger were distracted. And I was going to be the distraction—they were after all, here for me.

He dropped a hand on my shoulder. Pain spiderwebbed outward as he squeezed hard in one of those masculine don't-you-fucking-dare moves His voice was pitched low so no one could hear us. "You're not going anywhere. We need to get you out of here. You've got the speed to get yourself free of this."

Anger stormed through my veins to be ordered to leave everyone behind, and besides, it wouldn't work. "They'll simply swift and catch—"

Jiao cut me off, hissing, "They'll be distracted by our attempt to build a shield wall. The warband will keep their attention pinned on us so you can get out." At my fearsome glare, he let go of my shoulder to stab a finger into my upper chest, poking me several times. "Your family's orders, Graysen."

I stepped closer and tilted my head down so we were eye to eye. "I know. I get it." They were all willing to sacrifice themselves to save my neck. "But I'm not going anywhere."

If I die here, I die here.

I actually couldn't fucking afford to die. Dying wasn't an option for me.

We stared each other down, our fierce glares fighting for victory over the other. One of us had to break and like hells it was going to be me. However, I figured it was best to try a different tactic and I loosened a weary sigh. Softening my biting tone, I reminded Jiao of what kind of family we were. "We're not the kind of House that leaves anyone behind. Your father knows that only too well." 12 years ago, my mother and I had tended to Wes's life-threatening injuries, stealing his pain, and keeping him alive until help arrived. Besides Ferne and myself, Wes Zhang, was the only other survivor that night.

Jiao's nostril flared and a muscle ticked in his jaw as he mentally bucked up against my elder brother's orders. A moment later, his stiff posture relaxed and he gave a sharp nod of agreement.

I grinned in delight and relief.

His returning smile was tight and somber, but his eyes sparked with pride. He tapped me on the chest with his finger, a little gentler this time. "Don't die on me. My Dad will kick my ass. Kenton too. And I don't want to be the one who drags your corpse back to your father."

"Don't intend to," I shot back, minutely adjusting my hold on the hilts of my swords.

Jiao took a quick sideways step away, turning his attention back to the House Simonis device that Caidan had tampered with. He pressed a small button on the anti-swifter and the box-like shape altered. A long pole with a spike at its tip shot out from the bottom, while the bottled-green stone was set at its apex. He raised the device over his head and then slammed the spike down into the rocky floor—hard. Small chunks of gritty stone flew out of the gouged ground. A grinding sound whirred loudly, irritating my senses as the spike rotated like a screw to embed itself further into the rock.

All the fine hair at the back of my neck rose as dark magic, powerful and sinister, blazed through the air, radiating from the stone set into the device. It speared wide, covering the small area we'd chosen to make our last stand upon. A mottled-green glow leaked from the stone, illuminating the darkness and casting morbid shadows over us all. The waves of strumming magic intensified as the device began to thump, thump, thump like a ponderous heartbeat.

Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I rolled my shoulders and neck and loosened my limbs once more. "I'll take point while Petra raises the wall!" I shouted to Jiao. "Take a team and keep guard as the warband falls back and joins in with their shields!"

I launched into a run just as Jiao curled his fingers into his mouth and blew a long, loud whistle. His bellowing orders to the warband fell away as I entered the fray.

I hurtled through the retreating ranks of Crowthers, dodging rocky outcrops and bodies, until I was right in the middle of enemy territory. The Children of the Harbinger's attention swung my way as I barrelled across the cavern, carving a path through smoky air that was scorching hot from the flames engulfing corpses. My boots thundered against the rocky ground. Fiery heat raked against my sweaty skin and armor. Adrenaline and bloodlust mixed into a potent poison and detonated through my veins with a mighty kick. Thirst for blood and death pounded inside my ears like a war drum, my heartbeat matching its dark rhythm as I fell under the sway of slaying.

The Children of the Harbinger attacked in waves.

It was a collision of wills. A clash of blades and bolts.

They were fast.

But I was faster—

A whirlwind of speed and aggression—

My wyrmblade and its twin bastard rang like chimes in the hot, humid air.

I swung my swords as fast as I could, striking out at crossbow bolts hurtling toward me, chopping them up into matchsticks, faster-faster-faster.

My body and footwork were as fluid as a ribbon.

I used everything that was within range to my advantage.

Kicking sprays of jagged rock—

A sharp knock to a bolt with the tip of my boot sent it off course and into one of their own—

Hurtling up a boulder to spring up into a somersault, to flip over the enemy.

To land behind them and drive a blade through their neck—

To lop off an arm—

To hew off a leg.

Driving my shoulders back, and rolling my upper body to push myself beneath the deadly slash of a blade cutting through the air—

Warriors swifted in right behind me before I swung around and attacked.

My arms slashed in a flurry of counter moves and parries.

I thrust—

Whirled and sliced—

And hacked at their limbs.

Hands that held weapons spun through the air.

Feet encased in leather-plated boots bounced across the ground.

Warriors toppled over, flailing and flapping like fish on the stoney floor. Without a leg to support themselves or a hand to grasp a sword, they were useless, and a moment later they swifted, vanishing along with their weapons from the cavern.

My world narrowed down to hammering heartbeats and rasping breaths, my sharpened mind rapidly calculating strategies. I became as wild and turbulent as a maelstrom, pulling everything within my reach into a vortex of death.

Like a searing desert storm, I worked my way up and down the line, protecting those at my back as Petra and the Văduvas frantically worked to create a shield wall. A few masked warriors swifted in front of their ranks, but they were anticipated by Jiao and driven off. The warband retreated in small teams, and fell into place within the curved line of Văduvas, igniting their shields and locking them into place beside the others.

The expanding wall of hardened air hummed loudly against the clash of blades, the rain of bolts and swirl of smoke, the steady thump-thump-thump of the anti-swifting device.

But then an eerie change came upon those brutal warriors.

Their attacks lessened as their movement slowed, slowed right down until they were at a complete standstill, their swords lowering to their sides. All that stirred in the air was the ruffling robes as the fabric settled around the warriors' gigantic figures.

I skidded to a halt, sending stones flying. My chest rose and fell with my panting breath, my lungs and chest on fire as sweat trickled down my forehead. I remained as deathly still at the enemy, until...

...as one, the Children of the Harbinger stepped back, drawing aside like the Houses would do for Sirro.

Before I realized what I was doing, I was angling myself in the same direction.

Someone had arrived.

And a change fell upon me too.

My nostrils flared as a ridgeline of thorny temper hackled down my spine. That thing arose from the dark depths of my being, clawing its way through my body, snarling and snapping. Savagery slashed through my veins like an animal threatened. A bearing of fangs. A vicious growl of warning roaring through my bloodstream.

And wrath sank its blade into my bones.