She does not have much time to wait.
She had known that they would likely retaliate. She had known that they wouldn’t let her warning shot go unanswered—but, again, she underestimates the violence that they will fight back with. She feels them as they dive into her home and the hairs down her spine practically stand up end. Her golden eyes burn bright but even she knows she is tired, that she is exhausted. She is powerful but she is just one woman.
And they come breathing one of her biggest weaknesses.
If she was capable of it, she would feel fear but all she feels is the burning star in her chest. She feels that magma flow of fury at their continued insistence to hold onto their cruelty. So she pushes past the fatigue that settles so deeply into her bones and takes flight, her massive red wings carrying her to the center of her home. Her head tips back and her teeth clench as she anchors herself into the power of Tephra.
Her magic releases itself and she cries out—the sound raw and visceral. Shockwaves come out from her in a flash. They ripple throughout Tephra and then arc above her into a golden shield.
But she isn’t strong enough to protect everything.
She isn’t strong enough to keep them completely at bay.
The shield comes between herself and the trio of fire breathing stallions. She does her best to wrap it around every innocent soul within her home, to reach out with her gift to find them all, but it’s too much.
All she can do is shield what she can. All she can do is keep as many of her residents and countrymen safe and as much of Tephra protected from the fire that rains down around them all.
But she can’t save it all.
In the end, she can’t even save herself. The shield in front of her is the thinnest point and she feels the fire lick through it. Her magic curls away from the source of it and she waivers. Her shield splits open before it and she feels it the fire roar through, curling around her legs and up her chest.
She cries out again, but she doesn’t withdraw her power to focus on that.
She lets herself burn.