The air itself had changed. Pressure was building, like a storm approaching at impossible speed. And from above, growing louder with each second, came a sound.
Wing beats.
Massive wing beats, each one powerful enough to shake the trees.
The refugees looked up, and through gaps in the forest canopy, they saw it.
Ba'narussa descended through the trees, her divine presence making the demons recoil instinctively. Seven heads, each one focusing on different sections of the demon formation. Wings that seemed to fill the entire sky. Scales that shimmered purple, silver, and gold.
And standing on her back, power radiating from him in visible waves of golden-red energy—
Jaenor Arkwright.
He leaped from Ba'narussa's back while she was still twenty feet above the ground, his merged power cushioning the landing. He hit the forest floor with an impact that cracked the earth, creating a small crater, and straightened slowly.
