Chapter Sixty-Six: Essiya

At dawn before Nuzret Kamel, Essiya keeps vigil over Sirauk Bridge while the Jasadis stir in the ruined Janub Aya. Haunted by frequent hallucinations and an urge to flee, she resists, knowing her kitmers report Nizahl recruits are near. Sefa wakes and challenges Essiya’s denial about who she is becoming, prompting a tense exchange about identity and the soul. The moment breaks when tremors and sentry shouts announce approaching soldiers.

Panic ripples through the camp as Jasadis arm themselves. Essiya orders Sefa and Marek to hide or surrender if overrun, but they refuse to abandon her. She moves to the front line, coordinating with her circling kitmers while sending Maia to high ground to warn others. Boats cut through the fog toward Janub Aya as hundreds of Nizahl soldiers land and advance, their boots muddying the sacred ground.

As the soldiers close in, Essiya runs to meet them, synchronizing with her last, largest kitmer. When the troops realize too late the threat is above them, the kitmer dives; Essiya and the creature erupt in tandem, their shared magic turning the impact into a firestorm. The blast hurls some soldiers away and incinerates those beneath, triggering a chaotic rout toward the river.

Sefa and Marek reach Essiya, stunned that she burned with the kitmer. Essiya explains the creature is of her magic and therefore of her. Their reunion is cut short as another regiment arrives from Ahr il Uboor, forcing Sefa and Marek back while Essiya reasserts command.

The Jasadis surge: riders are unhorsed by allied magic, sahirs forge and distribute weapons, and even the less-gifted fight with uncanny speed. Essiya sends the remaining kitmers to flatten their wings and ignite, mirroring her earlier strike against the fresh wave of black-and-violet uniforms as the full battle for Janub Aya begins.