Rise of the Gryphon (Belador #4)(109)

Pain throbbed, cutting off everything but her desire to stop the hurt. She reached inside herself and drew upon her beast. Healing energy flooded through her. Bones shifted, mending. Nerves around raw places and deep wounds stopped screaming. Her vision cleared.

She sucked in one deep breath after another, feeling amazingly better in just seconds.

With no infection.

With a grunt, she folded her wings and rolled over, pushing to rise on her hind legs. Stretching, she tested her wings. Wow, that was fast.

But where was the buzz of energy? That connection to Kizira? Evalle called to her. Kizira? Are you okay?

No answer.

She didn’t want to risk calling any other gryphon in case they’d been infected. Trey was so powerful that he could push into any mind receptive to telepathy.

Evalle stopped, hit by a bad feeling. What if something had happened to Kizira? She didn’t want to consider that, but if Kizira wasn’t answering, she was no longer in control of the gryphons.

Leading the group would fall to the next most powerful gryphon.

Boomer had died twice, the second time only moments ago when Kizira had called out that he was down and being attacked.

A niggle of suspicion climbed Evalle’s neck. Would Boomer intentionally go through his third death to reach his highest level of power?

Of course he would.

Where was he?

With a push, Evalle took to the air, flying high enough that she couldn’t be attacked from the ground. Below her, a string of Gryphons spaced out like quarter marks on a clock were burning the outer circle as instructed. There had to be five thousand Beladors defending the island, but with the other nine gryphons backed up by two thousand warlocks and witches, the Medb would gain the upper hand.

Flying faster, Evalle searched closer to the castle.

She found the gryphon she searched for. Hard to miss Boomer’s size. He fought off Beladors attacking him, but he was staggering. She watched as he fell.

While facing an enemy that would certainly kill at least one warrior, Beladors wouldn’t link and risk ending all lives bound together by that link. Even if Boomer was infected, he should be able to fight off that small group . . .

Unless he was trying to die a third time on purpose. But Kizira wouldn’t allow that if he was still under her control.

He knew the Medb goal was to bring Flaevynn to the river. With Boomer no longer under anyone’s control, he’d go for that river himself.

That’s why he was willing to use up his third death and revival.

Everything was falling apart.

Kizira had sworn she’d compel Tristan to find a place to hide Petrina and stay there with his sister until Evalle called to him. She hoped he hadn’t figured out that he was no longer under Kizira’s orders and tried to leave on his own.

Banking hard to her right, Evalle headed for the castle. Had Lanna and Conlan made it there?

Two golden-headed gryphons landed in the open field in front of the castle, looking like strange airplanes touching down in an area as large as Hartsfield-Jackson airport back in Atlanta.

An army of Beladors surged to block them from getting near the castle.

Evalle swooped low, heading for the castle doors that were behind that line of warriors but barred by fifty more Beladors.

Tzader stood at the front.

She hated to do this, but she raised her front paws and sent a series of short kinetic blasts, swatting warriors aside like bowling pins. Even Tzader. They might be banged up and knocked out for a bit due to getting hit with kinetics like they’d never felt before, but none would die.

Tzader, however, would never forgive her for taking him out when he was standing between the enemy and Brina. She would lose a friend, but she’d save the Beladors.

Pulling up at the last minute, Evalle’s momentum sent her plowing into the tall wooden doors that burst into the castle. Black iron hinges ripped from the walls. Chunks of wood flew like shrapnel.

The pressure of her explosive entrance and flying debris knocked out the guards inside the massive three-story hall.

From the top of the stairs, Brina raced down, a sword sizzling with power in hand.

Evalle called to her. Go back! Hide!

At the bottom landing, Brina paused. Evalle?

Yes. Get out of here.

Taking a look around at bodies sprawled everywhere, Brina looked up in shock. Is that aqua thing you?

Yes. I’m a gryphon. Where’s Macha?

She’s using all her power to hold a ward against . . . you and the others.

How had Evalle gotten past? What kind of ward? Nothing even slowed me down.

We heard you were immortal. But you aren’t. That’s why you didn’t die crossing the threshold.

The stupid beast championship rumors.

Why, Evalle? Brina asked in a heartbroken voice. These are your people.

I didn’t kill them. They’re just knocked out. Evalle didn’t have time to explain further. Boomer would be coming, and she had only one hope of stopping him. First she had to force Brina to help her. Evalle said, I’m not here to kill you, Brina, but to protect you. I need your help. I’ve trusted you, now you trust me. A gryphon is coming that no warrior in human form can stop.

Brina hesitated only a minute, then she raised her sword, every bit the Belador warrior queen. What do you need?

You have to kill me.

Are you crazy?

I don’t have time to explain. Just do it and trust me.