I clutch Poppy’s saddle as Darian spurs us across the desert. The star drake ahead of us isn’t slowing dowe the firework of lights Liz is setting off to signal her rescue. It only sts for another few seds; one of the Umbral Bdes strikes her across the face, and the illusions shatter into a rainfall of embers, slowly flickering out.

  “Will we catch up to them?” I ask. We don’t seem to be getting closer.

  “We’ll catch up,” Darian snarls.

  “Not like this,” I say. “We o slow them down.”

  Darian growls, then shoves the reins into my hands. “Hold this.”

  “Uh!” I don’t know how to steer a lizard. Hell, I don’t even know how to steer a horse. But Darian’s not paying attention. She’s mumbling something, sketg a pattern in the air. A glow e trails behind her finger, illuminating a spell circle. It maybe only takes her fifteen seds to plete the pattern, but clutg the reins of a giant lizard makes it feel like an hour. She finishes, plucks the circle from the air, then flings it ahead of us like a frisbee. It flies further and faster than I thought, striking the ground before the Umbral Bde’s drake.

  A pilr of rock erupts from the cy. Their lizard tries to swerve, but it clips the stohe drake falls on its side, scrambling to its feet just as fast, but not fast enough to keep all of its riders from scattering over the ground. The lizard keeps running, oblivious to its ck of passengers.

  “Got them,” Darian hisses. She grabs the reins back from me, and I’m relieved I didn’t have to use them.

  [Role Requirement,] Echo abruptly says. [The Knight must protect the Prince.]

  “Crap!” I sp a hand to my head as the first hints of static start to creep in. At the same time, that damn Sanity stat appears, already slowly starting to tick down. “Not now!”

  “What is it?” Darian snaps.

  “Quell is in danger.” I look through the Crimson Aegis’s sight. There’s a fight taking pear the entrance of The Coil, but it’s too far and too frantiake out. Two more drakes carrying Umbral Bdes peel off from the fight and rush toward us. We’re about to be extremely outnumbered.

  “You have to go,” Darian says. “Protect the prince.”

  [Role Requirement.]

  [Sanity Level: 97%]

  I grit my teeth against the ining headache. “You ’t fight them all on your own.”

  “There’s only two of them,” Darian says. “It won’t be a problem.”

  “There’s a dozen more behind!”

  Darian gnces bad swears. “I’ll handle Liz. You hahe prince. Give me your arm.”

  “What?” I ask, baffled.

  “Your arm!”

  We’re nearly upon the princess and the Umbral Bdes. They’ve recovered and are standiween us and Liz. They brace, ons raised, but Darian overshoots them, taking us in a U around the clustered soldiers until we’re fag the Coil once more. Theurns around, shoves the reins into one of my hands, and grabs my other. Before I have a ce to react, she rips my sleeve up and sinks her teeth into my forearm.

  I cry out in pain as much as shock, trying to yank my arm back.

  The Aegis also takes note. Hey! What is this one doing? That’s our blood! … it have some, too?

  “Darian! What the hell!”

  Darian’s eyes cloud over, and she releases my arm, blood dripping from her fangs and smeared across her lips. Without looking at me, without another word, she springs from the lizard and goes rolling across the ground. Still somewhat stunned, I twist back to watch. Darian leaps to her feet and jumps unnaturally far, tag the Bde. She crouches on top of them like a cat as they go skidding across the ground, then spins and unches herself at the one.

  [Check,] Echo says. [Status Effect: Bloodlust.]

  The surprise finally starts to wear off. No wonder she knew so much about dealing with a Bloodlust. I touch the mask I’m still wearing, pulled up over my nose: she didn’t have this in case she ran into other soldiers who —this one beloo her.

  [Role Requirement]

  [Sanity Level: 95%]

  No time to think about it now. I face forward just as the two Umbral Bde drakes race past me toward Darian and their rades. I’m not sure who I’m worried for more.

  I squeeze Poppy’s reins in a death grip as we race back toward the Coil. Luckily, she’s heading right where I need her to go. The fighting ahead of us is getting close; all parties appear to be locked in bat. I sure hope I get Poppy to stop in time.

  Repel, I think, activating the first spell. My mana drops to 40/50. I o wait to activate Devour and Eil I hem, sihey’re a sistent mana drain as long as I have the spells active. What else do I have? My Attuned blood. Could I use that in a pinch? At the thought, I get ready to activate Coagute and stop the bleeding on my arm.

  WAIT! The Aegis leans over my proverbial shoulder. It could use that. Why let it go to waste? It won’t take muly what’s already leaked out. Then it could bee strong enough to use another Blood Ward! Don’t I want to be strong? We could be so powerful!

  Well, it’s right that I’m already bleeding. There’s no point iing it dry and go to waste if the shield otherwise use it in the fight. With the Sanity Stat still gnawing at my mind, I’m keen to end this fight as quickly as possible.

  Fine, I think, and the Aegis rejoices. But just what’s already leaked out; no taking any blood that’s still in my body.

  The Crimson Aegis pulses with excitement. I will nret this! I will be so impressed. My blood will lead us to victory!

  “You sound like some kind of cult leader,” I grumble. The red bands of magic around my shoulders shift, splitting off to wind down my arm and around the two puncture marks. I don’t feel anything as the blood around the wound begins to vanish; I guess it’s keeping its promise to only p up whatever blood seeps out.

  Like a vampire bat, I think with a dark chuckle. Although, I guess I’m the vampire, now.

  [Sanity Level: 94%]

  I pull ba Poppy’s reins as I approach the fight at the Coil’s entrahe arrow in my vision points me directly to Prince Quell, otherwise I might not have found him in the chaos. He’s keeping behind Ear, who’s fighting off two Umbral Bdes, while Xamireb has been separated and is fighting another one, also an araoid. But there’s more soldiers about, slowly surrounding the fight. It takes me a moment to realize they’re her Moonfall nor Duneshade, but guards from the Coil. Aw, crap. We promised them we wouldn’t fight in their city, and here we are.

  Poppy slows as I tio pull ba her reins, though not nearly as much as I had hoped. I guess star drakes need a stroouch. I wait until the st sed, thehe Aegis to shift bay arm. Deg to replicate Darian’s jump, roll, and attack tactic, I leap from Poppy’s back.

  I wasn’t ating for the weight of the Crimson Aegis, however, so instead of hitti first, I tip over onto my side, the shield clipping the ground. I fall on top of it, skidding a doze over the baked cy earth like a wakeboard. This gives me enough time to gather my bearings and jump to my feet before I’ve finished skidding to a stop. I e up behind the two soldiers attag Ear and Quell, and bash the Aegis into the Bde from behind. She goes skipping across the ground as the other turns to me in surprise.

  Alright, so not as smooth as Darian, but I’d still give that a solid 7/10 style points.

  [Sanity Level: 92%]

  The other soldier sshes at me as I duck behind my shield; the blow causes me to go staggering back. Time for that Endure spell now.

  The first soldier has climbed to her feet and is sprinting back toward us. Two on one. I don’t hate my odds, but I also o be careful; I ’t let one of them circle around behind my back.

  Ear steps up beside me. “Thanks for the assist.” He swipes his water spear at the soldier, who skips back. “You know how to frontline?”

  “Er, I don’t think so,” I admit.

  Ear ducks behind me as the soldiers swing for him and strike my shield instead. “Well, this is as good a time as any to learn.”

  [Role Requirement]

  [Sanity Level: 91%]

  I risk a gnce behind us, where Quell is hesitating, a hand raised as if to cast a spell. What I don’t like is how The Coil guards are closing in behind him. Will they attack Quell? Us? The Umbral Bdes? I have no idea—and I ’t risk leaving it up to ce.

  “Get over here,” I shout at him.

  He jumps at the order, the shuffles closer. “Is there something I —”

  “Just stay close,” I tell him, turning back to the Moonfall soldiers. “And watch our backs. Say something if it looks like those Coil guards are about to attack.”

  “Of course,” Quell says.

  I push ahead, and Ear and Quell keep behind me. When one of the soldiers moves to circle around, Ear leaps out at them with his spear. I start to fall into a rhythm with him: I defend, he attacks.

  The Aegis is frustrated with this progress. Why aren’t we attag? We still attack! We don’t need ao help us. It has absorbed enough of my blood that it use a Blood Ward now. We still win!

  We are winning, I tell it.

  The Aegis grumbles. Maybe, but not fast enough.

  Unfortunately, it might be right about that. I’m worried about Darian. She has to be more experienced dealing with the Bloodlust than me. But still; is it enough to fight off ten fighters at once? All while not hurting the captive we’re trying to save? We o finish up here quickly so we join her.

  Or stop her.

  Someone gives a strangled cry. I ’t figure out who it came from until Xamireb stumbles and falls. The araoid they’re fighting steps over them.

  Ear sucks in a breath. “Xamir!” He dashes from my side, dartiweewo Moonfall soldiers.

  “Ear, wait!” I cry.

  The soldiers turn toward him; an easy, exposed target.

  Now! I shout at the Aegis.

  [Blood Ward activated.]

  Whips of blood ssh out from the shield, striking the swords of the Umbral Bdes before they hit Ear. He slips through, sprinting toward his sibling. The Aegis, meanwhile, revels in the fight.

  Haha! Pathetic creatures thought they could stand against the great and mighty Crimson Aegis? Fools! Our power is superior in every respect!

  [Sanity Level: 89%]

  More whips of blood grow from the shield, sshing at the soldier’s arms, legs, ons, faythi unexposed even for a moment. The soldiers stumble back, fear obvious in their wide eyes. The Aegis leaves gashes of red along any exposed portions of skin; the smell of blood hits me, heady aing, whily seems to rile the Aegis up even more.

  [Sanity Level: 87%]

  Two of the whips sh out, grabbing onto the arms of the soldiers. It tugs them forward, sending oumbling to his knees. Ahread of blood spears into his leg, and I feel it as the Aegis starts to draw the blood out of him.

  “Wait, stop!” I cry, stepping backward. The other soldier turns to run, but the Aegis spears her, too. “Don’t! You’ll kill them!”

  The Aegis scoffs. Well it’s not about to let us lose! Attag them is the point, isn’t it? Absolutely victory!

  “Um, Nye?” Quell says.

  “Not now!” I growl, fog on the Aegis. We don’t have to kill them to win. We just—just knock them out or something!

  The Aegis finds this to be absolutely unsatisfactory. It is a on. I am not wielding it to its full potential!

  [Sanity Level: 85%]

  “No!” I step back, trying to pull the whips of blood from the soldiers, but the threads only grow ih. The first soldier colpses to the ground—the sed isn’t long after them.

  “Nye,” Quell presses, his voice going up in pitch. “It’s the Coil guards—”

  “Cease yhting,” a voice calls at the same time. I spare a gnce behio firm Quell’s warning; the Coil guards are advang, shields and ons raised. “The Coil is ral territory. flicts between Moonfall and Duneshade forces break the city’s ws of armistice. All parties are to be apprehended.”

  The Aegis takes note of these new ining enemies, more lines of blood peeling away from its facade as it shifts its focus to these argets.

  [Sanity Level: 82%]

  “No!” I cry, panic welling up withiatic chewing at my mind. “They’re i. They’re not the enemy. Aegis, stop!”

  It will stop, it assures me. Just as soon as I am safe.

  Blood whips out toward the Coil guards.

  I spin, kig Quell’s legs out from under him. The prince goes down with an undignified squeal, and I step over him, smming the Aegis into the ground on his other side.

  “Repel!”

  The spell that had been st up energy with every strike finally expels its energy: the shockwave radiates from the shield, striking the guards and knog them back even as spears of blood stab through the air where they had just been.

  [Role Requirement satisfied.]

  [Sanity Level: 90%]

  [Sanity Level: 100%]

  I stand there shaking for a moment. Blood rushes in my ears. Panic fizzles out of my limbs. “Add the Aegis to my Iory.”

  No, wait—!

  The shield vanishes from around my arm, and I stumble to my knees, nearly falling on top of Quell.

  He catches me before that happens, hand braced against my shoulder. His eyes are wide. “Are you alright? What happened?”

  I shake my head, breathing heavily, adrenaline shooting like electricity through my limbs. It wasn’t listening to me. I had no trol over it. That was too close. Much too close.

  The Coil guards are groaning and pig themselves up; I imagine quite a few had the wind knocked out of them. That’ll buy us a couple of seds. I wish we had more.

  “Ear,” I say, looking back to where I’d st seen him. The araoid that had been fighting Xamireb is also now on the ground, Ear leaning heavily on his spear, though I ’t make out the state of any of them. Quell scrambles to his feet, grabbing my arm and iively trying to pull me up as well; like a toddler trying to lift an adult. I stumble to my feet anyway, gng back at The Coil guards; they’re starting troup. Quell and I hurry over to the twins.

  “Is he alive?” Quell blurts, ever tactful.

  Ear looks up at us, breathing heavily. There’s a cut on his forehead, which I try not to focus on, and something like bck tar spttered over his chest. When I look at Xamireb and the Moonfall araoid, it bees clear the bck dots are araoid blood.

  “’t kill me that easily,” Xamireb says, wing as they push themself into a sitting position. Even so, they don’t try to stand. There’s a gash iorso that’s leaking more of the bck blood.

  “That doesn’t look good,” Quell observes.

  “I’ll be fihey insist. “Just o get patched up.

  “ you walk?” I ask.

  “No, they ’t,” Ear says, catg his breath. “And don’t believe them downpying the severity of that injury. They’ll bleed out if we don’t treat it.”

  “We’re at a city,” they say. “We get a healer.”

  “I don’t think we’re wele here anymore.” I look back at the guards. They’ve reformed their ranks and are currently surrounding the fallen Umbral Bdes—whether to apprehend, or dispose of their bodies, I’m not certain. My stomach turns as I try to not think about their fates.

  “Besides,” I add, turning back to the rest of the group. “Darian’s in trouble. She went to rescue Liz, but at least eight more Bdes were headed her way. And she’s in a Bloodlust.”

  “What?” Ear and Quell cry.

  Xamireb winces. “That’s troubling.”

  “We o get to her,” I say. “I don’t know if she’ll be able to—”

  Quell pces two fio his lips and blows a shrill, sharp whistle right in my ear.

  I lean back with a grimace. “Ow.”

  “Sorry,” he says. “But if Darian’s in a Bloodlust, then my sister could be in danger.”

  “And the whistle was for…?”

  The ground drums, and a couple of the Coil guards let out a cry. Poppy skids to a stop in front of us, tipping her head at Quell.

  “e on,” he says, swinging up onto her back. “It will be a tight fit, but we have to hurry!”

  Ear wipes a sheen of sweat from his brow, clearly in no shape for anht, but he nods anyway. “Nye. Help me with Xamireb.”

  “I’m not sure my anatomy is designed for a star drake saddle,” they say.

  “Well unless you’d rather stay here with the guards, you’ll have to make do,” Ear snaps.

  Xamireb grimaces, but doesn’t object further as Ear gets in position to lift them. I follow his lead, positioning myself on the opposite side. He grabs two of the spider legs right up against the torso, and I do the same. Their shell feels as smooth and hard as polished stone.

  Together, we mao lift the araoid and leverage them up onto Poppy’s side. The process maybe takes less than a minute, but I feel every sed tig by, not knowing the fate of Darian—or the princess. As soon as all of us are aboard, squished up against each other, Quell snaps the reins and we’re off running.

  I lean around Poppy’s o try to get a look at the se we’re ing up on. Two star drakes frame the se, each of them empty of the riders they delivered. There’s bodies scattered over the ground, though several are still standing. I make out Darian simply by how she moves, a whirlwind of horror, leaping and tearing and sshing like a wild animal. Goosebumps prickle down my spine. Is that what I’d looked like?

  As we arrive, the st Umbral Bde falls. Only Darian is left standing, her cwed hands dripping with blood. A nearby boulder ripples, and then vahe princess stands from where she’d been hiding.

  “Liz!” Quell shouts as Poppy es to a stop. “Be careful! Get away from her! It’s a Bloodlust.”

  Liz gnces over at us in surprise. “Quill!” Then she snorts. “No shit it’s a Bloodlust.” She walks over to Darian.

  “Liz!” Quell cries, his voice crag. He scrambles to get down from the lizard, but I grab him and pull him back.

  “Let go of me!” he cries.

  “You’ll be in just as much danger as her,” I say, shoving him bato his seat. And what will my Role Requirement do to me if the pris himself killed? Nothing good, I imagine. “I’ll go.”

  I hop down, but Liz is already feet away from Darian. The captain’s head snaps in Liz’s dire. Shit. I’m not close enough. But if I run, would I startle her into attag? I have to be careful. This is a delicate situation. The wrong move could be fatal.

  “Hey, you big brute,” Liz says. I grimace. “Snap out of your Bloodlust, dummy.”

  Darian snarls, stepping toward Liz.

  Who sps her.

  She sps the murderous blood-soaked vampire across the face.

  Darian growls, and to my astonishment, Liz grabs her by the , turning the captain to face her once more. “That didn’t get through to you, did it?” Liz asks. “Maybe this will.” Liz leans in and kisses her.

  My mind shorts out.

  Quell makes a strangled, fused noise behind me.

  “Oh,” Ear says. “So that’s what she was doing on all those suspicious ‘top secret’ missions we weren’t invited on.”

  “I thought it was obvious, really,” Xamireb replies.

  I am mentally repying every time Darian insisted on resg Liz herself.

  The tension goes out of Darian, and she gasps in a breath. “Princess.”

  “Captain.” Liz pulls away, smiling softly. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  Quell lets out arangled noise. “What?” he says. “What?!”

  I turn back to Quell, giving him a pat on the leg. “I think they need a minute.”

  Quell looks down at me in suplete, wide-eyed bafflement, that I ’t help but ugh. Then Ear is ughing, too. Even Xamireb chuckles—then winces.

  I lean against Poppy, exhaustion washing over me. I don’t know why any of us ughed. None of this is funny.

  Maybe after fear and desperation hollow you out, ughter is the first thing you let ba.