Chapter 55

Diem and Enness move cell to cell, freeing Descended prisoners whose loyalties Enness vouches for and whose promises Diem verifies with Umbros magic. She heals wounds and burns out flameroot despite growing fatigue. Rejoining the mortals, Diem defuses distrust; her mother pointedly thanks Enness, aligning the groups behind Diem’s escape plan.

They climb to the surface and discover hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Fortos soldiers encircling the exit. Diem taunts the Fortos High General to buy time while Sorae strafes the lines with dragonfyre and Luther shields evacuating mortals. Diem erects shadow walls and an overhead dome, then drops them to bait more attacks. She absorbs Descended magic to recharge, but the High General recognizes the ruse and orders mortals forward, forcing Diem to choose between slaughtering innocents or losing the field.

Cornered, Diem reveals the crown—claiming Lumnos and Fortos—to command obedience. Some soldiers waver, but the High General rejects her authority and murders a mortal recruit to coerce the others. Diem fights to disable rather than kill, but exhaustion mounts. When cavalry moves to pursue the escaping groups, she topples riders with Faunos magic; the General wounds her and continues executing mortals, snapping her restraint.

Diem compels the High General to end himself, then expends her last magic to blast mortals back. With no power or weapons left and soldiers surging in, she braces for death as the High General lifts a knife to his throat. A gryvern swoops overhead; a familiar voice seizes Diem, pulls her aloft, and cages her safely as the field drops away. Below, the High General stands bleeding, the mortal ranks stunned into momentary halt.