Lyanna’s POV
The visions had been coming in waves—dark and scary. I’d seen this battle long before it arrived, the pieces falling into place, the danger coiling around us like a snake waiting to strike. But no vision had prepared me for this.
The air was thick with the stench of blood and fury, and the sounds of bodies coliding with each other filled my ear. I was at the edge of the battlefield, my senses tingling with the power I held. Magic pulsed in my veins, begging to be released, but I held it back, waiting for the right moment. Timing was everything.
In the distance, I saw Ian fighting Mike, lunging at each other, blow after blow. Ian was struggling, that much was clear. Mike was pushing him to his limits, and it took everything in Ian just to stay on his feet.
And then there was Sophia. I could feel her fear from here, her desperation. She was with Jacob, fighting off a swarm of rogue vampires, her body slower than usual. Her own power was wearing out. The pregnancy was taking its toll on her. She needed help, but I had to stay focused on the bigger picture. I had to be the one to end this.
I closed my eyes for a moment, grounding myself in the earth beneath me. I needed every ounce of strength I could gather, every scrap of magic I had left. I was about to unleash something I hadn’t used in years, something I’d promised myself I wouldn’t unless there was no other choice.
There was no other choice now.
“Lyanna!” Ian’s voice cut through the noise, pulling me back. He was calling for me, his voice filled with a mix of desperation and command.
I opened my eyes, and there it was—Mike’s forces closing in on Ian, on Sophia. They were swarming, overwhelming them. My heart clenched. This was it. It was time.
I raised my hands, feeling the magic surge up from deep within me, a power so old it had no name. The wind around me picked up, swirling as the earth itself responded to my call. My fingers tingled with the force of it, and I could feel the strain in my body already. This magic came at a price. A steep one.
“Lyanna, now!” Ian shouted again, his sword locked with Mike’s, their faces inches apart, both of them bracing for the next blow.
I let out a breath and released the magic.
The ground beneath the rogue vampires and werewolves began to shake. It was subtle at first, just a tremor, but it grew quickly, becoming a violent quake. The earth split open, cracks forming beneath their feet as they stumbled, trying to keep their balance. Roots shot up from the ground, thick and twisting, wrapping around their legs and pulling them down.
The rogues screamed, struggling to free themselves, but it was useless. The magic had them now.
I pushed harder, feeling the strain in every fiber of my being as I directed the roots to close in on Mike’s forces, binding them, pulling them into the ground. The rogue vampires thrashed, but one by one, they were swallowed by the earth.
I glanced at Ian. He was fighting harder now, gaining the upper hand as Mike faltered, distracted by the stunt I just pulled. But Mike was no fool. He had seen magic like this before, and he knew its cost.
“You think this will save them, Lyanna?” Mike sneered, his voice cutting through the battlefield as he fought Ian off with renewed strength. “You’re sacrificing yourself for them. I can see it on your face.”
I winced, the strain of the magic starting to take its toll. I felt weaker, as if the energy was being drained from me faster than I could control. But I kept pushing. I had to.
“Lyanna!” Sophia’s voice called out to me, panic lacing her words. She was struggling, barely holding off two vampires as Jacob fought beside her.
I couldn’t stop. Not yet.
The magic flared, and with a final surge of energy, I sent the remaining rogues crashing into the earth. The battlefield fell silent for a moment, the sound of the earth sealing itself over them the only thing that filled the air. The rogues were gone, trapped beneath the ground.
But it wasn’t enough. Mike was still standing.
I stumbled, my legs threatening to give out beneath me, but I caught myself, forcing myself to stay upright. I wasn’t done yet. I turned to Ian, who had Mike pinned, his hands tightly wrapped around Mike’s throat.
“Finish it!” I yelled, my voice hoarse from the effort. “End this, Ian!”
Ian glanced at me, his eyes dark with rage and something else. Fear. Fear that he would lose this fight. Fear that he would lose everything. But he listened. With a final roar, he shoved Mike back, his hand shoving into his chest.
But just as Ian pulled out his hand with Mike’s heart in it, Mike did something none of us expected.
He turned to me, his eyes gleaming with malice, and with a flick of his wrist, he sent a wave of dark energy straight at me.
I barely had time to react before it hit me. It felt like being struck by lightning, the force of it sending me flying backward. My body hit the ground with a sickening thud, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
Everything hurt. My vision blurred, and I could feel the magic slipping away from me, my control over it fading. I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn’t respond.
I was too late. I had given too much.
“Lyanna!” I heard Ian’s voice, frantic, desperate, but it sounded distant, as if he was speaking from far away. From another world maybe. I blinked, trying to clear the haze from my mind, but it was no use. My body was shutting down, the price of the magic too high for me to pay.
I coughed, tasting blood on my lips, and then I saw him—Mike, lying on the ground, defeated. Ian had done it. The battle was over.
But so was I.
I felt a hand on mine, and I looked up to see Sophia kneeling beside me, tears streaming down her face. “Lyanna,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Don’t… don’t leave us.”
I tried to smile, but it hurt too much. “I did what I had to do,” I rasped, my voice barely above a whisper. “I protected you. I protected your baby.”
Sophia shook her head, her grip tightening on my hand. “You can’t leave. We need you.”
I wanted to tell her that it was okay, that this was always how it was going to end. But I couldn’t. My strength was gone.
The world around me started to fade, the sounds of the battlefield growing distant. I felt my body growing lighter, the pain slipping away.
“Take care of each other,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “And take care of the realm.”
And then, with a final breath, I let the magic go.
The world went dark, and I was at peace.