The Catalyst

Chapter 64

When Jaden, Liandris, and the other archers stiffened and cursed, Noah went to stand with them. While maintaining his calm energy into a light-generating flow, he rested his hand against the cold stone of the crenel and gazed down.

His stomach lurched as he got why the archers were suddenly uneasy. The Azurian soldiers had stopped trying to cross the bridge, probably deciding it was suicide considering the growing body count in the moat. Instead, dark mages had come forward. Noah counted roughly forty black cloaks standing next to the sturdy towers of the barbican. And some of their demons were out - the winged creatures. Noah faltered as he recognized a bald eagle that belonged to Vivien's kid. What was it doing here? But his attention was jerked away when one of the men in black raised his hands up high, revealing pale fingers that ended in sharp claws.

"That's Seraph," Jaden said quietly.

Then Noah sensed a shift in the sky, and looked up. Thick, dark clouds moved unnaturally fast, gathering directly above the moat.

"What's happening?" Liandris asked anxiously.

Noah exchanged a glance with Jaden and knew he'd figured it out too.

"He's going to fill up the moat with rainwater," Jaden said.

The archers standing nearby all gazed at the sky. A few tense seconds passed, and the downpour began. It slammed into the moat in eerie curtains of water, blurring their sight of the other side.

"How's this possible?" Liandris whispered.

Another archer answered, "Dark magic."

"The gods help us," another said.

Noah's light pulsated then shrank a few paces as he felt Seraph's powers permeating the air. He realized his hands were trembling as he struggled to stay in control. The threat of Seraph's energy overwhelmed him, it was something alive, angry, and mocking. It taunted and capered about, as if to show off or intimidate. As rain kept spilling hard into the moat, Noah's light shrank back to the middle of the bridge. Nervous whispers rose from the archers. Noah curled his shaky hands into fists, until he felt a light touch on his wrist.

Jaden had inched closer, and there was no need for words as Noah unclenched his hand to let him take it. Instantly, the light shone stronger and reached farther, possibly encompassing the entire castle grounds. Noah could breathe again, and he squeezed Jaden's hand lightly to thank him. Jaden gave a slight nod in response.

When the rain abruptly stopped, they both turned back to face the bridge.

"By the gods, what now?" Liandris breathed fearfully, and seemed to shiver.

He wasn't the only one; the temperature was dropping fast. Even with the catalyst's energy flowing through him, Noah's toes were going numb in his boots and his teeth wanted to chatter. He clenched his jaw tight.

Jaden said, "He's turning it to ice. Archers, stand ready!" He looked at Noah and lowered his voice. "Will you be all right?"

Noah focused on the light, on being one with it, and his control felt more solid. "Yeah, don't worry about me. Do your thing."

He stepped back to give the archers more space, watching as Jaden notched and aimed at Seraph, his arrow threaded with a fine, shimmering substance that only Noah could see. Still, as he released it, everyone held their breath.

The man next to Seraph caught the arrow before it could strike, then tossed it aside like it was only a small hindrance. With two dragon demons flanking his sides, the guy's identity was pretty obvious. The Dragon – the man who'd nearly killed Jaden by cursing him, the man who'd schemed with Seraph behind Mikael's back to ultimately betray him. Hot anger swarmed Noah's chest, strong enough to overpower his unease as he observed the tall black dragons.