Zayn PoV
[Meanwhile in Taahid]
Me and a unit of eight janissaries flew in wide formation on our winged pegasi over the endless golden sands of northern Taahid. Within the shifting sands were barely visible stone columns, cracked colonnades, and half-buried amphitheaters jutted out from the desert floor like a graveyard of weathered bones.
But ruins weren't our biggest worry. Nor was it the harsh gales. Even hundreds of feet up in the sky, we could feel the subtle, violent vibration shuddering through the air.
The Matriarch of the Taeyang had sent a relay to the palace asking for backup before the connection got cut off. It sounded like the vortex they guarded had awakened.
I stared at my bag. Before leaving, I had taken the orb of light that Faisal told me to use to protect Taahid. It was a last resort, though. But given even the Taeyang were struggling, I might have to make use of it.
