Page 374 of Elemental Becoming

And I trust Calryx.

And she trusts me.

I keep my eyes closed, letting Calryx guide our flight while the magics guides my hand. When I move, it is with purpose. Wind gathers and begins to spin outward in a tightening spiral. It builds faster than anything I have ever summoned before, and with a single sweeping gesture, I unleash it.

A tornado forms in the sky, wide and wild, ripping through the path of the oncoming Kethraki.

They don’t stand a chance.

The first wave is caught immediately and hurled upward like leaves in a storm. Bodies collide. Wings tear. Screeches fill the air as the creatures slam into one another.

Havoc erupts around us.

But I’m not done.

I reach deeper, drawing moisture from the clouds, the mist, and the very air around us. I shape it and pull it into formation around me. Dozens of long, slender spears of water rise into the sky, suspended around Calryx like a crown of liquid glass.

They catch the light as they turn. Then the temperature drops. Water becomes ice, and each spear sharpens into something lethal.

I open my eyes and send them flying.

Thirty-six spears.

Thirty-six targets.

Thirty-six kills.

Each strike lands cleanly, punching through Kethraki with bone-shattering force. Their shrieks cut off as they spiral from the sky, trailing ice and blood in their wake.

I sit panting atop Calryx, the magics still alive beneath my skin. For a moment, I fold over her neck and lean into her strength, drained by the effort of channeling that much power.

Her pride surges through the bond.

“Now that is how you command the sky. Rest for a moment. I have you. Your strength will return.”

“We’re moving lower,”Thane says through the bond, his voice calm but edged with urgency.

“Garrick and three others will stay in the air to keep the skies clear. The rest of us are shifting to support the soldiers on the ground.”

A brief pause follows.

“Well done taking down that second wave, love.”

He flies closer and catches sight of me bent over Calryx’s neck. Concern immediately ripples through the bond between us.

“Are you hurt?!”

“Just tired,”I answer.“Clearing the fog and summoning thirty-six spears took more out of me than I expected, but I can already feel my strength returning.”

Even from this distance, I can see the strain in his posture.

“Calryx has me. I’ll be fine. Now go lead us.”

I push myself upright despite the protest in my arms. The concern lingering in the bond eases the moment he sees me sitting tall in the saddle. Ignoring the fatigue, I allow myself to feel the pride beneath it.

Calryx rumbles beneath me.“Whatever he said, it pleased you.”

The amusement in her voice is unmistakable.