At the sound of rushing, Lilette whirled around. A dozen elite were charging toward her. With a groan full of pain, Han pushed past her and slid to his knees under a wild swing, his swords snapping up and into an elite’s body. Han rolled to the side and rose in a crouch, his blades flicking out, hitting the unarmored throat of one of the elite. He gurgled as he fell.
Han was no longer simply defending. He was killing his men. For her. An ember seemed to ignite in Lilette’s chest, and her song changed. She wasn’t even sure of the words she used. But the men cried out in pain and dropped their smoking swords before retreating.
Han turned toward her, someone else’s blood running down his face. Around them, the witches sang again once, twice, three times. But for Lilette there was only Han, the pain she knew was there, buried under his stony exterior.
She didn’t say she was sorry. The words would have seemed hollow. Instead, she simply turned sideways, making space for him to come back into the circle. After glancing behind him once more, he did.
A crack split the air. Through the plants, a fracture had appeared in the ramparts. More vines curled around rectangles of bricks, crushing them into rubble that tumbled down in little piles. Yellow dust billowed into Lilette’s face and coated her lungs, making her cough.
Sash marched in a circle in front of them. “Switch to pushing back the elite.” Her voice rose to a shout. “Guardians, on my mark!”
The witches’ songs shifted to stopping the elite. A wall of green rose up between elite and guardian, pushing the elite back.
“Guardians,” Sash called. “Inside the barrier!”
As soon as the last guardian was inside, the witches gripped hands and their song switched from pushing the elite back to forming the barrier. Without songs to hinder them, the elite surged forward.
“Now!” Sash cried.
Seconds before the charging elite would have hit them, there was a sound like a clap of thunder. The percussion pulsed around them, blasting a hole through the weakened section and knocking the elite to the ground.
The witch holding Lilette’s hand suddenly screamed. Lilette’s eyes widened in horror at the sword sticking out of the woman’s middle. Her eyes glazed over and she slowly toppled forward, revealing an elite behind her.
Lilette tensed to run, but the man was already dead. He slowly collapsed in two halves—the barrier had split him neatly in two.
A sob hitched in her throat, and the barrier flickered as if it would go out. The witch next to her stepped over the bodies and gripped her hand.
Lilette became aware of a voice in her head. Lilette! Lilette, look at me! With a start, she realized it was Sash. You must focus.
“How is this possible?” Lilette murmured, but Sash had already turned from her and issued a silent command that reverberated inside Lilette’s head.
A song took shape in Lilette’s mind. Somehow, she knew it because everyone else did—as if their minds were linked.
“That’s exactly what it is,” Jolin said beside her. “Now stop thinking so loud. It’s making it hard to concentrate.”
The witches sang. Belatedly, Lilette joined them. The air thickened before her sister shot into the sky.
“Retreat!” one of the Harshens cried. “Find shelter.”
As elite scrambled for cover, Sash climbed above the ramparts. With a change of song, the witches’ voices stirred up a vicious wind. Elite armed with bows toppled from the ramparts, their screams ending with a sudden silence.
Their next song twisted the wind down on the garden. It ripped trees from the ground, flinging them like sticks. Sash surveyed the damage, her mouth tight with something like indecision.
We have to bring down the city, said one of the witches in Lilette’s head. Others echoed her sentiment.
Sash held out her hand. I don’t know how, but Grove City has already done that. I won’t kill more innocent people than we already have.
The witches stopped singing. The barrier cracked and shattered into shimmering flecks that drifted like burning bits of light. Moments later, Sash touched down.
“Guardians, clear the way and cover the rear!” Geth called as he surged over the rubble toward the breach in the ramparts. Guardians moved to the front and back of the witches.
“Stay together and move!” Han followed them, one sword drawn as he watched for any elite coming up behind them.
Side by side with Jolin, Lilette scrambled over the rubble and through the shredded garden. After only a few minutes of running, her legs trembled and she gasped for breath. She was falling behind. “Just go without me,” she panted.
Growling in frustration, Han threw her over his shoulder. With his powerful strides, he quickly caught up with the others. Once they passed beneath the breach, he set Lilette down with her back against the ramparts. Sweat running down her face, she gasped for breath, relieved to have something solid between her and the elite.