Avaris sat unmoving in his throne, his granite eye narrowing. His fingers drummed absently on the armrests, the faint clink of metal against stone barely audible over the sound of grinding gears and the distant clash of battle. The bodies of the slain fae lay still on his command room floor, ignored by his golems rushing to their stations.

  The Factory, his Factory, once a symbol of unrelenting power, now felt like a hollow shell. It was stuck, immobile, as the wheels had been damaged beyond repair. His once mighty golems, his creations, were down to half strength, their power flickering in the face of the fae’s relentless charge.

  This was not part of the plan.

  Avaris ground his teeth. The fae had adapted faster than he had expected, and now their forces were surging forward with the kind of determination that could only come from desperation.

  Then, without warning, something flickered in the corner of his vision. Blue lights. They began to appear in the command room, streaks of energy crackling through the air, one after another, like flashes of lightning in the dark.

  The wisps, Kael’s wisp, sparked the crystals that gave life to his creations and those fallen rose again. Avaris’s single eye widened.

  This is good news for me, he thought. Bad news for Kael.

  ******

  Lira flew low to the ground, her wings still weak. The weight of her massive mace seemed to pull at her shoulders, but she gritted her teeth and held it steady. Her thoughts were on Kael’s plan, the strategy secretly told to her through wisp communication. She had trusted him, and now, she had to see it through.

  Twinkle, with her blue hue, flew beside her, her form flickering with urgency. The wisp was a silent companion, giving her wings an occasional spark to keep flying.

  Above them, the battle between the fae and golem continued with increased fervor. High in the sky, the forces clashed but Lira kept her gaze forward. Her gaze to Highhaven.

  Kael told her not to focus on the fight above. Their fight was from below. No one watched the ground, no one would notice her. The two forces were too busy with their war in heaven to look at their movements on the ground.

  She slowed her descent, her damaged wing barely keeping her aloft but steady enough for her to approach Highhaven’s defense. She had seen the hexagonal shield stop giant weapons and as she neared the shield, she saw a faint shimmering wall, forming a boundary around Highhaven.

  She knew what to do when she got here.

  Wait for it.

  She didn’t have to wait long. From the Factory, a rod flew around the sky, intending on bringing destruction to Highhaven.

  But the shield, as expected, flared bright with energy and blocked the rod’s progress, sending it crashing into the magical barrier. The shockwave rippled through the air, and for a moment, Lira felt the weight of the power that had been exerted against it.

  Lira looked for it, the faint boundary of the defenses became fainter, the shield started to waver and she acted.

  With a great flap of her mechanical wings, Lira shot forward, passing the dissipating shield and slipped past Highhaven’s defenses. She soared upwards, with Twinkle by her side, the mission on her mind.

  The first part of the plan worked.

  Her wings beat against the air, clicking with every flap. Highhaven stretched out before her, the wooden tower city seemingly endless. But it was in the heart of the city, where she could find the source of the fae’s magic.

  As she flew higher, higher than all the chaos, her eyes searched for any space the destructive fae beam could have fired from, any opening. There were countless windows but none grand or intricate enough for the magic of the fae to be kept.

  And then Lira saw it.

  A balcony just above her, nestled against the grand tower that branched from the city. The walls were lined with small crystals, shimmering in the light. She landed silently, her feet barely making a sound as she touched down on the stone floor. The room before her was large and brightly lit, carvings of winged fae in battle adorned the walls. In the center, stood a floating crystal, larger than her mace, pulsing in time with the heartbeat of the city.

  Her hand tightened around her mace. She raised it and swung.

  The blow landed with a sharp crack, the force resonating through her mace, the room and beyond. A fierce pulse of energy rippled out, its force throwing Lira against the wall. She gasped for air, her body in agony. The sound was deafening, the feedback tremendous. It was destroyed, Lira thought. But the magic swirled within, still contained. The crystal, despite her greatest efforts, remained undamaged.

  As the dust settled, her eyes met a figure turning to face her, his white cloak resting after the shockwave from the attack. The figure looked calm, yet Lira felt the power of the Guardian of Highhaven.

  “Begone, you evil,” he said, casting Sound Break.

  The Guardian did not move, there was no need for hand waving or incantations. A loud crack rang out from everywhere, the sound reverberating in Lira’s head like a blacksmith slamming a hammer on an anvil. The noise was intense, so overwhelming, that she staggered, dropping to the floor as blood seeped from her ears. The world around her was muted, silenced by Oluru, the greatest of Highhaven’s defenders.

  While Lira stumbled around the grand chamber, a blue flame flickered in his hand, preparing to incinerate the blasphemous Master.

  Just then, another violent tremor shook Highhaven. A rod fired from the Factory, its trajectory aimed at the city. The rod crashed into the wooden city with a resounding force, the trembling floor dropping Oluru to the floor.

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  Oluru’s gaze had faltered for only a moment, but even the smallest lapse was seized by Highhaven’s enemies. His shield that was once steadfast had been breached today, not once but three times. He would not allow a fourth.

  Lira took her chance when the guardian was distracted. She raised her mace and swung again, hoping to strike Oluru before he could react. But the Platinum level adventurer was too quick, a hexagonal shield formed between him and the mace, like the rod and Highhaven.

  Without even fully turning to her, he only needed a flick of his wrist and Lira was pushed back by a gush of powerful wind. She tried to fight against the spell, her wings desperately trying, but it was no us. She crashed again to the wall, the back colliding the fae carvings.

  Oluru kept his eyes on the Factory, wary of any further attacks. He had led himself to be distracted by these pests and failed his duty. A duty to protect, a duty to guard.

  Staring right back at him, miles away, was Kael. Twinkle was his eyes to Lira and all that was occurring in Highhaven. He saw the power of Oluru and Lira was clearly outmatched. He planned for a surprise attack but the fae and their magic were resilient. He had no time to waste. Lira’s life was in his hands for any spell from the Guardian could vaporize her. He needed a plan.

  Think Kael, think!

  His eyes scanned the room, looking for a solution and that was when he got it. The solution was from above.

  “Lorran!” Kael shouted. “Readjust the rods. Aim for a bright blue light at Highhaven!”

  The command he gave was clear, but he knew this would draw the wrath of Avaris. But he had to do something. Kael looked at Highhaven once again, Twinkle flickering brighter and brighter, the target clearer and clearer. The wisp was not giving up, nor was Lira, and Kael was not going to let them down.

  Kael’s order rang through the command room, its inhabitants tense. Lorran, with his many flexible arms, paused as he considered the order. He had always been obedient, a loyal soldier and Master, but the authority in Kael’s plan made him pause.

  “Do not follow that,” Avaris said, through his orb. “Kael, stop messing with my plans.”

  This was his final gambit, a desperate plan to save Lira. Kael turned, ready to push his plan further against Avaris when Three Arms ran past him, up the stairs with his three arms waving in the air.

  Three Arms reached the controls, his arms moving quickly, with the precision of a construct, the speed of a golem. He pulled various levers and pushed several buttons and Kael felt the weapon moved, angling higher.

  But just as Kael thought they were in the clear, Borota, half-flesh, half-machine moved forward, his massive frame towering over Three Arms. His steps were heavy, the steel floor creaking at its weight.

  Three Arms paused, his mechanical limbs stalling as Borota approached. The two exchanged a brief look, but there was no question in their movements. Borota had no time for insubordination, and Kael had no time to spare.

  “You’ll have to go through me first,” Gerry said, appearing in the command room and walked up to Borota, metal pipe in his hand.

  Borota hesitated, not obviously clear from the challenge or from Gerry’s confidence.

  The rod weapon slowly creaked and rotated but it finally aimed at Twinkle's position, locked in on the wisp’s flashing light.

  All Kael needed was a distraction.

  It took all the strength for Lira to stand but she pushed through. She raised her massive mace, her knuckles white as she brought it downwards. The swing had the strength to shatter stone, but each blow was absorbed by Oluru’s shield, a hexagonal barrier of pure magic.

  Lira swung again and again, yet there were no cracks to be seen. Her mace struck like thunder but would never reach the mark, it would never reach him. Oluru’s face was calm, his belief in his shield unwavering. This fight, a mere distraction from his real task.

  Lira’s breath came in sharp gasps as she swung again, but the shield held. Sweat poured down her face, her body in pain. She couldn’t give up. Kael wouldn’t give up. And then, in the midst of her struggle, she saw it. The beacon outside that shone so brightly entered the room. If she blinked, she would have missed it.

  Twinkle.

  The little wisp floated nearby towards Oluru, like a whisper. It was faint but just enough to distract him.

  Lira saw her opening, she swung her mace downward with all her might, the blow meant to destroy Oluru’s defenses.

  But Oluru was quick. His feet slid beneath him and he dodged the attack, rolling away from the mace. Lira’s mace struck nothing but air, the cracks and carter on the floor the only sign of her attack.

  I wasn’t fast enough, Lira thought. I wasn’t strong enough.

  Then, she heard the unmistakable sound. The sound she heard seven times today. The sound of Avaris’s colossal rod weapon firing. A rod, destined to be her death, shot through the air, straight at them.

  Kael had fired the rod. It was coming for them.

  Time seemed to slow for Oluru as he could see the tip of the rod, its tip aimed directly at the heart of Highhaven, his charge, the Mother Crystal. His calm composure shattered as the grim realization settled on him. He had failed. Mother Crystal will be no more.

  With the rod’s impact imminent, Lira knew this was the end.

  Twinkle, however, shot towards Lira, its glow brighter than ever. It gave Lira a powerful charge, sparks coursing through the wings and together they jumped from the balcony just as the rod crashed through Highhaven. Through Mother Crystal.

  Mother Crystal cracked on impact, a violent sound like a thunderclap ringing in the air. The fae, near and far, trembled, as if the very being of their souls was cast asunder.

  Lyanna trembled too, her wings barely keeping her aloft. Her hands were shaking, her twin swords heavier. The sounds of battle had muffled, her energy sapped.

  She took a glance back at Highhaven, her home now destroyed. The great wooden city had traces of ethereal colors rising into the sky, drifting upwards like an aurora, fragile and fleeting. The essence of the fae was fading into the heavens, her magic ripped away.

  Lyanna raised her hand instinctively, searching for a spark or flame that had been her birthright, power she always had and relied on since her first breath. Her fingers tingled with nothingness. Her magic was gone, stolen.

  The fae around her, too, were frozen. Their faces were filled with confusion and disbelief. The bond all fae had with Mother Crystal was severed. No one could call upon magic anymore. No sparks, no spells, no protection.

  And then, it hit Lyanna.

  She could no longer feel the magical connection to her brother. The link between them, a magical spell cast by Oluru, had snapped. She screamed his name into the silence, but there was no answer. She couldn’t hear his voice, couldn’t sense his presence, and the absence was deafening.

  She had failed. Oluru had failed. The fae had failed. The Mother Crystal was gone. Highhaven would soon fall. But, her overwhelming loss sparked a fire in Lyanna’s chest.

  This is not the end of the fae, she thought. This is not how I will go down.

  Lyanna drew her swords and raised them high.

  “We could not protect the Mother Crystal but we will kill those who destroyed it.”

  The battle cry carried over the sky, her words cutting the despair of the fae. Her allies, deep in grief, stirred. She shared their pain, their loss but she also felt a flicker of anger. Vengeance. Avaris and his machines would pay for what he had done.

  With a forceful movement, Lyanna hovered above her people, her eyes sweeping across her army.

  “We will take back what they have stolen.”

  The fae rallied behind her, their eyes blazing with the same fire that had ignited in her heart. With her leadership, they would fight with every ounce of their strength. Their magic may have gone, Mother Crystal may have fallen, but their spirit was far from broken.

  ******