Theroom exploded.IfeltAbraxas’ power surge, and the dagger inHadeon’shand flew free, into the neck of the nearest soldier.Hadeonflew back behind me, andIstumbled forward intoAbraxas’ arms.
“Run!” he yelled as he used his power to push back the tide of oncoming soldiers.LikehellIwould.ButIneeded a weapon,Iwas defenseless, at least for now.Iheard the crashing of swords all around me, as theDragonArmyclashed withHadeon’ssoldiers.Onthe dais,Pallashad thrown herself overJun, sheltering them behind the throne.
Idashed back toAvlyn, asAbraxasrounded on the emperor. “Sword!”
Avlynswung their sword high, cutting down brutally through the arm of the nearest soldier.Theycollapsed, holding the bleeding stump, andAvlynfinished them by sending their sword through the back of their neck.
“It’smy job to get you out of here,Princess,” they yelled as they pulled the bloody sword from their opponent.Iheard armor clashing as another man ran at me, butIdodged his blow at the last second, ducking down so he tripped over my body and flew ontoAvlyn’snow outstretched blade.
“Iwon’t leave him!”IsworeIsaw them roll their eyes, as they engaged another opponent.Butthen, a great wave, like the shock of an explosion, ripped through the room, along with a blinding light.Everyonefell to their knees, andIturned back, squinting against the onslaught that blinded me, to seeAbraxasandHadeonsurrounded by a ball of pure light, laced with purple lightning and emerald-green flames.
“Runningout of time here,Avlyn.”Icrawled toward the downed soldier's sword, the power of the magic still pressing me to the floor.
Avlynkicked the sword towards me, and as my hand landed on the hilt, they swore, “Ifucking told him.”
Soldiersaround me were starting to push up against the weight of the magic that swept through the room, andIpushed into my hands.Myleft arm buckled.Notfucking now.Ipushed myself again, snapping to my feet, and lifted my sword just in time to block the blade of the closest soldier.Weengaged, asIcarefully turned us, my feet sweeping the floor to avoid tripping over any dead soldiers or rubble.Iturned us so he was facing into the light that flooded from the dais, and when he squinted to recover,Ilunged, sending my sword at the joint of his armor at the hip, slicing him open.Bloodflooded, and he staggered, soIswept the sword again and removed the leg.
“Dramatic.”Avlynnow had their back to me, and we circled, facing our opponents in tandem.
Ourbodies moved as one, months of training coming down to this one moment.Bloodspewed and swords sparked as we continued to down our opponents.Butwe were outnumbered, and theDragonArmy’ssoldiers were falling all around us.Aftertaking down more men thanIcould count,AvlynandIwere wearing thin and making mistakes.Oneparticularly large brute managed to sliceAvlynacross the shoulder and then nicked their thigh.Asthey fell to their knee,Iswung my sword back and over their head, blocking the next attack as they recovered.Itleft me open long enough for another warrior to land a blow on my bad arm, and pain radiated up through my shoulders and neck.
Agreat knock came at the double doors of the throne room, and more ofHadeon’ssoldiers flooded in.Icouldn’t see any friendly faces around us as the soldiers enveloped us.
“Shit, the north cohort must have gone down.”Moreand more men in the deep gold of theCourtofFlamesspilled into the room.Wewere truly surrounded now, but the soldiers weren’t engaging us, just forming a barrier to prevent escape.Atrap.
“It’sover,Abraxas!”Somewherewithin the radiating ball of light,IheardHadeonshout, “Surrenderand the girl can go free.”Ifelt the great pressure recede.
“No, he’ll never let me go.Abraxas,No!”
Butit continued, his magic fading.Inan instantHadeonwas on him, lightning laced around his neck, choking him.Hefell to his knees, andHadeonslid him across the floor, facing the room— facing me.Iran to him, butHadeonswept his hand, andIwas shoved to the ground.Icrawled, fighting that great force, desperate for him.
“Anylast words, old friend, beforeIhave her watch the light leave your eyes?”
“Tori,” his eyes were so softInearly broke, “Iwaited over a thousand years for you andIhad never truly lived until you burned me with that fire in you.Thesemonths together have given me enough joy for a lifetime, and if that’s allI’mto have with you, thenIcan die a happy man.”
Tearsstreamed from my eyes, my lips unable to form the words to beg him to stop, to beg him not to leave me.Ireached for him, willing the space between the stars closer together so thatImight touch him, feel him within my grasp one last time.Icrawled up the dais, my hand so close to his jaw, and the electricity of magic ran through me.Hehit me with that devastating smile that broke my heart. “Well, maybe not a man.”Andthen my world shattered.
Chapter67
Tori
Iwas thrown backward, my back colliding with the floor at the foot of the dais, cracking my spine horribly.Thewhite light that had filled the hall duringAbraxasandHadeon’sbattle vanished and was replaced by a flame made of light the color of malachite.Itcast shadows on the walls that spoke of ancient battles, strong winds, and a reborn god.
Theroom grew smaller, or no…it was no longer big enough to contain what lay within.Acreature of nightmares, something from my dreams, unveiled itself above us all, descending from the shadows.Itlanded, its onyx claws scraping grooves longer than a man was tall into the stone floor.Thoseclaws led into obsidian scales, each blacker than the night our world was born from, shining with an internal golden sheen.Hislong neck and back were covered in more onyx spikes, each following the next like the waves of the ocean.Hisgreat wings covered the ceiling of the entire room, and the torches cast shadows through them so they glowed red, andIcould see the veins that ran through them— a spiderweb of life.Hislong neck led to a horned head, and his great maw fell open to reveal fangs longer than swords.
Istood and the dragon lowered his head to me.Hisnostrils emitted heat that rolled over my skin like that of the inside of a forge, dry and unforgiving.Hiseyes glowed golden like the sun, his internal flames filling them.Butthe edges were rimmed in green— green that spoke of open fields, ancient forests, and gemstones.
“Abraxas?”Itseemed time had stopped, andIreached out my hand, laying it on the scaled snout of the creature before me.Iran my hand over the slit that was his nose, and he inhaled.AndIsaw his eyes shift, into that mischievous lookIwould have known in any life.
“Itcan’t be.”IheardHadeonrise up behind me.Hisface was white, his elegant robes singed and torn, and his hands shook.Thenthe spell that had held time was broken, and theDragonAbraxaslunged at the emperor.Awall of lightning erupted before him, but the dragon slammed into it, like two planets colliding.Heswept me under him with the side of his claw, andIcrouched underneath his massive belly.
Thesoldiers in the back of the room rushed at him, but he swept his tail from side to side, and they flew in every direction.Icrawled under him to whereAvlynstill lay, blood trickling down their leg, their face a deathly grey.
“Well, this is unexpected.”
“Understatementof the age,Avlyn.”Idragged them under the thrashing body of the dragon.Hewas so large he couldn’t move from his spot in the center of the room without a wing or limb running into the wall.Moresoldiers poured in, andAbraxascontinued to fling them about.Histail collided with the outer wall of the castle, and debris rained from the ceiling, wood planks and full stone bricks.Hesmashed again, and the wall came down, crushing numerous soldiers below.
“Jun!”Iscreamed, looking for my brother.Asmore dust rained down andIwas deafened by the repeating crashes of claws meeting steel and magic,Isaw him.Pallasstill held him, but she had dragged him under an arched window in the corner of the room.
