all busy—especially Taeral. My muscles were tense. I exchanged glances with Varga first, then with the rest of our crew. We were all scared, knowing that this had to be the last time we ever crossed paths with Brendel, or with any other Hermessi, for that matter.
I'd had enough. Too many hurdles. Too many interruptions. Too much hatred and violence and mindless obsession. We'd come so far. There was no way in hell we'd let Brendel pull the plug on us. Not after everything we'd sacrificed. After everything Taeral had sacrificed. This was it. The end of the line, either for us or for Brendel.
"And what is it you intend to accomplish together?" Phantom asked, gliding forward, her bare feet barely touching the hard, cold ground.
A storm boiled above, as black clouds gathered, thick and dark and filled with flashes of lightning. The winds blew with renewed strength. I could almost taste the rain on the tip of my serpentine tongue, which I let flick between my lips. There was a sense of death and doom swelling between us. All we had to do was make sure it wasn't ours to bear, that it was only ours to inflict upon the enemy.
"We're teaching Death a valuable lesson," Brendel said. "For too long she has looked down upon us, the Hermessi, as inferior entities, when we are some of the most powerful forces of the universe. We help life grow and flourish, after all."
"Is that why you plan to burn everything down? Because you want to help life?" Taeral replied dryly.
"It's part of the process. All must die in order for everything to be reborn," Brendel declared. "Death does not accept our cycle of existence. It's time she's made to understand that not everything works as she pleases."
"Tae," I blurted. "She's here because the Spirit Bender has Death. She's stalling!"
"I know," Taeral replied. "I was hoping she'd have a better explanation as to why she's still so hellbent on doing all this."
Brendel took another step forward. "I gave you the option to stand down, in return for mercy. It's still on the table, Taeral. Do nothing, let us finish our sacred work, and your home planet may be allowed to live. All of your home planets may be allowed to live—"
"Provided they all worship you as gods and supreme forces of the universe," Kabbah said. "How delusional are you to think people will choose oppression instead of death?"
Brendel shrugged. "Death is final."
"Surrendering to your demands is worse than Death," Raphael said. "We would never bow before you. The five million fae you're about to kill would never forgive us. And neither could we."
Taeral raised Thieron over his head. The handle's engraved text glowed white, brimming with energy. The blade's sharp and curved edge glistened in the growing darkness. The round gemstone continued its slow spin, casting flakes of light all around Taeral. They spread out like wisps of moonlight. Some reached us, absorbed into our clothes.
One of them touched my face, and a peculiar warmth spread through my skin. This wasn't ordinary light that Phyla was exuding. It was something else, something powerful and intense enough to get me riled up and ready for the most dangerous battle of my life.
"Then you will all die. Each and every single one of you will burn, until nothing is left but the ashes upon which we will build new worlds," Brendel said.
Taeral exhaled, a smile trying his lips. "Then it's time we put you back into your place before we find Death and stop your ritual."
That was it. The declaration of war she'd been waiting for. We were all in her crosshairs now, and we were all ready to give it everything we had. For ourselves. For our loved ones. For our families and friends.
For every single living creature that dwelled in even the darkest corners of this universe. The gift of life was not the Hermessi's to take. Only Death could end us, and she was currently indisposed.
Taeral
I had my sights set on Brendel.
The crew and I had already discussed this. Considering my track record with this flaming monster, my odds of defeating her were significantly higher. Everyone else had to focus on the other Hermessi, and I could only hope the ensuing battle would end with all of us reunited and very much alive. Brendel and her machinations had killed too many of our people.
"Let's see how long before you realize you're at a dead end," Brendel said.
Not waiting for a