Moving faster than a shadow fleeing the light, he reclaimed his father’s sword and its sheath. Their eyes swung toward him as he lifted the sword, but it was only a couple of inches off the ground before it vanished too. He slid the sword into the sheath and swung it onto his back.
With the stealth of a spirit slipping through the night, he came up behind one of the rebels and plunged the blade straight through his heart. As the man went down, Cole caught the sword he’d been holding and turned it over.
The flames caught and reflected off the pristine metal forged by the hands of a dark fae. And the dark fae were the best weapons makers in all the realms. They were also the only ones who melded dark fae metal, which was exactly what this man held.
Allof the rebels were wielding fae metal.
The betrayal of that was a worse sting than the rebellion. Even if it infuriated him, he could understand this uprising. Powerful men and women, who sought revenge for the death of their brother and who believed they should be the ones to lead, engineered it.
But using the only weapon that could kill a dark fae against their kind—this breaking of the unwritten rule—was something far worse.
And he would make them pay for it.
They couldn’t see him, but the rebels saw the fae going down as blood spread across his chest. They spun and started coming toward him, but he darted to the side and away from them before they could arrive.
The rebels stopped moving and exchanged uneasy looks. Even if he weren’t completely silent in his movements, the screams of the dying and the crackle of the flames would hide them. He sliced the head from one of the fae before driving the dagger through the heart of another.
“Unleash the arrows!” Durin commanded and pointed at the fae he’d just slain.
He didn’t have enough time to get out of the way of a volley of arrows as many of the rebels pulled crossbows free from their sides and lifted them. Wrapping his arm around the throat of a rebel, Cole jerked his body around to use as a shield.
The twang of the arrows releasing was barely audible over the sounds of the battle, but they rang in Cole’s ears. The fae struggled in his hold, but as the arrows pummeled his body, his resistance faded until he went limp in Cole’s arms.
Continuing to hold the limp body, Cole ran at the men with the crossbows. From behind them, Niall and a group of the king’s army came into view. Bloody and battered, they still released a bellow as they charged toward the rebels, Durin, and Nissa.
“The arrows are fae metal!” Cole shouted.
He threw down the dead dark fae and spun to wave his hand at the circle of fire that originally imprisoned him. Now that his enemies had become distracted and given up their control of the fire, he could seize it.
When the flames jumped out of the way, they created an opening that allowed more of his men to spill free. As soon as they emerged, Cole released the shadows to reveal himself.
It washimthese traitorous bastards wanted most, and he would not let his men suffer and die while he remained hidden.
Chapter Five
“No,”Lexi whispered when the shadows peeled away to reveal Cole.
She couldn’t take much more of this uncertainty. She couldn’t stand to see him out there, surrounded by so many enemies and exposed to them again. Her fingers dug into the stone of the windowsill as she chewed on her bottom lip.
She’d hated not being able to see Cole, but she hated seeing him more.
“Miss,” Amaris said. “I mean, Lexi. Please, come away from the window. It will be better for you.”
When Amaris grasped her arm, Lexi pulled it away. “I have to go down there.”
Lexi spun away from the window and ran from the room. Her booted feet barely hit the floor as she raced down the hallway. She had no idea what to do; she couldn’t go onto the battlefield. She’d never survive and would probably get Cole killed if she did something foolish, but she couldn’t stand there and watch anymore either.
Once on the stairs, she moved so fast she tripped over her feet and only managed to keep herself from plummeting to the bottom by throwing herself against the wall. Catching her balance, she paused for only a second before continuing down the stairs.
When she made it to the hall, she ran for the door as something outside released one of the most awful shrieks she’d ever heard. Lexi’s head shot up as the sound came from all around them, but of course, she couldn’t see through the ceiling to whatever lay beyond these walls.
A dragon hadn’t made that noise; she’d become accustomed to their roars. This was something she’d never heard before; it was high-pitched, angry, andhungry.
The noise slowed her enough that Amaris caught up to her. The fae woman held her side as she panted for air.
“What was that?” Lexi breathed.
“There are many ravenous things in this land,” Amaris said.
