The sun set over Radia, the fading rays of light casting long shadows over the rugged mountain peaks like creeping fingers. The air was cool and crisp, whistling with a weak autumn breeze. The red and oranges of the trees lost their luster as the light retreated, entire mountainsides dulling in seconds.

I wished to be among those trees, the rustling leaves in my ears, and my feet solidly on the ground. But, instead, I was gazing out over the region from a mile in the sky, nestled between Borealis’s massive shoulders. Every pump of his wings caused us to gain a few dozen feet of altitude, and then plunge again, bobbing like a ship cresting swells.

At least I wasn’t alone. My friends relaxed beside me, chatting idly as we slowly circled Amberhold Keep. Even Grace was there, sitting back on her hands, staring at the sunset. I crawled across Borealis’s crystalline feathers, sitting beside her with my knees tucked under my chin.

"What do you want?" she asked, turning to me. Her irises crackled with lightning, cool and intimidating.

"What’s Verity like?"

She blinked, taken aback by the question. "Hmm, she’s perky, that one. only seventh level last I heard, but never one to back down from a challenge. She got really depressed there, at the end, before those bastards snapped those collars around our necks."

She absently touched her chest. I swallowed, looking away.

"But she was brave," she continued. "She always stood up for what she thought was right. It seems weird to me, being bound by something so arbitrary. Why would you stake everything on a single conviction? Beliefs change all the time, as volatile as the weather. Better to focus on weathering the storm, no matter where or how it comes." She shook her head. "None of that matters. Right now, she’s an enemy, and we’re going to take her down with the rest of them."

A gust of wind flowed over Borealis’s shoulder, tugging at my hair. I smoothed it behind a pointed ear. "What of Soltair?"

Her face darkened. "Now that bastard, I’m all too familiar with. Even before they cursed me, he was always making me lose to him in show matches and tournaments. I’ll admit he’s strong, but they fixed the matches. At least let me have a fair fight!"

"How familiar," I murmured, resting my chin on my knees. "The church always gets what they want."

I smiled faintly, remembering the battle Soltair and I fought against Ronin at the Divine Throne.

"What? I didn’t know you did that," Grace said, nodding at me. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

I touched my lips. "I-I smile!"

"Not in the sky, you don’t."

My tail curled slightly. "It’s not so bad. Borealis is safer than a skyship."

She gave me a flat look, and my face colored.

"I’ve only fallen off him once. That’s only half as many times as a skyship," I mumbled.

She burst into laughter, patting my back with enough force that I sprawled forward, catching myself on my knees.

"H-hey!" I protested, scrabbling away to her, finding the center of Borealis’s back again.

"Grace! I told you to be careful," Korra said, glaring at the storm hero with her hands on her hips. "You can’t touch her!"

"Oh, relax. She’s fine," Grace said, rolling her eyes. "It’s the church you need to worry about. How long until we strike?"

Korra let out a sigh. "Just a few more minutes till the sun’s gone. Were you even paying attention in there?"

"It’s not my fault the meetings are so boring. They should hold them in the Colosseum if they want people to pay attention," she muttered.

The two bickered more, but I tuned them out as R’lissae sat beside me, resting her hand on my knee. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah."

I forced a tight smile, staring down at the city below. The lights glittered in the gathering twilight like stars in the night sky. Formations of soldiers moved across the open valley, preparing for the infernal horde’s arrival, but none of their cannons aimed up, nor did their skyships take to the sky to intercept us. Borealis is likely much higher than their long-ranged detection magic. If any of them caught a twinkle of gold overhead, they would simply report it as yet another demon scouting their defenses.

"There’s nothing to be worried about. Once we take the skydocs, our part in the battle will be over. This will be a good chance to see how the other heroes fight."

Her gaze lingered on Grace, and I nodded. The church had mustered every available force, but it was clear we had them outnumbered. But I couldn’t help but follow the valley away from the city, toward a seething mass of darkness that smothered the land to the horizon. The infernal horde had begun to move, marching on Emberhold.

"He’s going to be alright, too," she said, guessing my thoughts.

"How can you be so sure? This is his first battle at the ninth level. What if something goes wrong? What if Soltair manages to--"

"You’re getting way ahead of yourself again, Xiv. Just because you haven’t been able to see this battle doesn’t mean it’s going to end in disaster. Remember, the church is going into this blind, too."

Across Borealis’s back, Korra suddenly stood, her aura igniting. "It’s time."

"Finally!" Gayron said, drawing his sword. "I thought the sun would never go down."

Grace reached out and grasped empty air. A crackling bolt of lightning appeared in her grip, forming into a spear. "Let’s go!"

I had a moment’s warning before Borealis tucked his wings, dropping into a dive. The wind whistled in my air, buffeting my wards with hurricane force. My heart rose in my throat, beating a thousand miles an hour. R’lissea grabbed me around the waist, holding me steady.

Flashes of light, accompanied by distant booms, lit up the dark expanse beneath us. Explosions, I dimly realized. The battle had begun.

The city grew in size until it dominated my field of view. Just when it seemed we were going to slam into the upper towers, Borealis flared his wings, and we leveled off. With a swift flap, he carried the momentum of our dive into a glide, passing over the lord’s mansion and curving up again, headed for the mountain serving as the city’s backdrop.

Shouts rang out beneath us, but the wind swallowed them. In seconds, alarms began to ring, frantic and urgent, informing everyone of our presence. Mana cannons turned to face us, sending searing lances of light in our direction. Borealis wove through them with practiced ease, but every shot made me flinch, squeezing my hands so tightly my nails bit into my palms. The last time I’d had mana cannons fired at Borealis while I’d ridden him, we’d ended up crashing into hostile enemy territory. I wasn’t going to let that happen again.

"Now!" Korra yelled.

I gasped as the three of them dove forward, vanishing over Borealis’s side. As they plummeted in freefall, their auras ignited, slamming against us hard. It knocked the breath from my lungs, but the effect faded as we left them behind. Their mission was to silence the mana cannons. I pitied any soldier or inquisitor standing in their way. And, secretly, I prayed that if there were a hero on their back lines, they would be the ones to run into it.

Borealis shrieked as we closed in on a massive fortified complex clustered on the slopes of the mountain. Multiple piers rose from the rugged cairns and cliffs, three of which hosted skuships. Their crews buzzed around them, initiating the final procedures before launch.

As the first skyship rose from the pier, the skydock’s defenses targeted us. Blinding streaks of white sliced the sky apart, filling the air around us with enough mana that it made my horns itch. I raised my hand, projecting my aura around Borealis. He took the next volley head-on, and I stiffened, temporarily overwhelmed by the sudden mass of mana flooding Adaptive resistance. I diverted it into my soul, summoning my staff as I began to cast.

"Grand Aegis!" I cried.

A shimmering barrier appeared around the fate demon, coating each of his feathers in a sparkling halo of stars. Spells, ballistae bolts, and mana cannon fire erupted across his enormous body, but it all faded harmlessly into my ward.

Letting out a triumphant cry, Borealis wheeled about and lunged at the airborne skyship. It banked hard, struggling to line up a shot with its eight-level mana cannons, but the demon was faster. His claws slashed across the hull as we whipped by. Shards of ice-like golden crystal erupted in the gaping holes, expanding until they exploded, blasting the interior of the ship with shrapnel deadlier than any sword. Screams rang out as slivers of ice the size of trees erupted from beneath the deck, impaling soldiers, destroying equipment, and throwing off the balance of the ship.

"My turn," R’lisesa said. She raised her own staff, soul casting. "Wind Spirit!"

It wasn’t just one sixth-level spell. Three resolved at once, forming a trio of colossal humanoid figures formed from twisting clouds, flashing lightning, and howling wind. They dove at the ship, sending crackling lightning bolts exploding across the deck.

The ship listed to the side, rapidly losing altitude. Borealis let out a victorious shriek and pounced on it again, slamming his claws into the main deck. It shattered beneath his weight, and with a snarl, he dug his talons in. His muscles bulged, and his soul surged with power. With one final cry, Borealis ripped the sky ship in half, sending soldiers, sailors, and crumbling wreckage crashing into the skydocks below.

Just when I began to relax, certain we could eliminate the other two ships with similar ease, an aura rose from within the fort. My heart sank as I recognized its power. At the same time, R’lisesa gasped, her grip on her staff tightening, and she looked at me with wide eyes.

"That’s Ronin’s aura. He’s here!"