The Valley of Lies (Lightkeepers #1)

Chapter FIFTY-ONE: Liss

"Dev, please!"

Liss' dress clung to her sweat-soaked skin. Although her magic couldn't burn her, it was brutally hot. Her arms wobbled from exertion, palms tingling where the invisible tether held her flaming orbs. The one angled behind her head was as big as the fireball she'd conjured in Rockblossom, and she'd been holding it far too long.

An inferno with nothing to consume was an unpredictable threat, but Dev and the Fexes crowded her, anyway.

"I don't think he wants to talk to you, sweetcheeks." Domira leaned over her knees from a chair at the front of the stage. Her chains and trinkets obscured the gaping neckline of her dress, but the garment also split at the hip, draping on either side of her long, shapely legs.

"I don't want to hurt you," Liss murmured, unsure if her message would reach Dev—the real Dev.

"Too late." He growled, stepping closer. The Fexes followed him, the four of them circling her like synchronized dancers... or assassins.

Hona help her. Where was Zan? His sister lingered beside the warlock on the far side of the stage. Not a great sign. If Zan had found Ayer's stolen magic, he likely hadn't returned it to her yet. But he'd gotten away from Foswida, and that had to count for something.

Claws and fire. Claws and fire. The mental chant wasn't as encouraging when the claws were unaccounted for.

"AYER'LORA!"

Liss tried to focus on her assailants, rather than Domira's incessant screeching, but the stage kept drawing her attention. This time, a radiant flash erupted around Ayer, brighter than luniya and shimmering with iridescent motes. When the haze cleared, the Yansu princess was gone. A magnificent creature of legend stood in her place, many hands long and covered in pearlescent scales and downy, white feathers. A pale mist fluttered the ribbon-like whiskers streaming away from its narrow muzzle.

The beast's golden eyes scanned the room, fixing on the dance floor.

It was like stepping into a dream, or one of the old stories. If Dev had slipped his blade across her throat at that moment, Liss wouldn't have noticed. But like everyone else, he was staring at the dragon, too. The violet light in his eyes flared, flashing soft gold, and he swayed on his feet. It only lasted a moment, but the strobing color stole her focus for long enough.

Was Domira losing control over him?

He turned and lunged at her, a knowing smile twisting his lips. His blade glanced off her shoulder, leaving a sharp sting and a blooming red stain on her dress. She barely had time to look down at the damage before he was on her again, slicing shallow cuts across her torso.

Noa continued circling her, while Dev teased an unending volley of flesh wounds, his cocked eyebrow daring her to fight back. Brisa and Reis kept a distance with their weapons, watching and waiting for Liss' tired muscles to collapse, and her magic to burn out. No one had explained how the Fexes ended up the witch's prisoners, but if Liss was right about Edril's connection to the entity they called the Eternal, it probably had something to do with the warlock.

A thunderous roar shook the walls and leaded windows, crushing the silence Ayer's transformation had imposed upon the room. Not a dragon's roar, though it was equally fearsome. Liss recognized the enormous black cat bounding through the shadows, now so large he veered into the realm of legends, like his sister. His eyes and tufted ears were charmingly familiar, his thick black pelt catching warm tones from her orbs as he approached her.

When Zan had promised to show his claws, she hadn't expected them to be so big.

"Where did that godforsaken monster come from?!" Domira turned to Edril. "Is this your doing?"