Page 24 of Where We Belong

Theron’s eyes widen as I draw in a slow breath. For a heartbeat, everything stills, then white fire bursts from my lips, tearing into the sky. The camp erupts into pure chaos. With Theron momentarily blinded, I roll toward one of the tents, dragging the two who had been restraining me into a tangled heap. They cry out as I snap their arms and knock their heads together, the life draining from their eyes at the same time.

Kaed’s heartbeat grows louder in my ears, as if he’s on the move. I army crawl to another tent and press my back against its fabric, using it for cover. In less than a second, Volker surge from the trees, weapons gleaming in the Corelight. The rebels scramble, their panicked shouts slicing through the air as steel tears through flesh. A chef from the palace lunges at me, blade raised, his face contorted with determination, but I duck and sweep his legs out from under him. Before he can recover, my dagger is twisted into his side. It’s astonishing these amateurs think they can take on seasoned warriors, but I suppose cowering under Vale’s protection and believing you’re on the right side of justice puts a little pep in your step.

My breath comes out slow and steady as I drown out the din of battle and search for Kaed’s heartbeat again. Tobian charges through a line of fighters with pure fire in his grey eyes, his Obsidian Chainsaw blade cleaves through flesh and shields like they’re nothing but tissue. I smile at Eira’s handiwork. She really is brilliant. Leander appears at my side, his face peppered with blood that isn’t his.

“The centre,” he pants. “There’s a trapdoor.”

Another attacker barrels toward us. Bless him, so driven and full of life, but not for long. I sidestep his blade and slam my fist into his temple, catching his falling body and shoving it into the path of a charging rebel. I incinerate them, and they collapse together in a heap of ash and limbs.

Leander grunts beside me, fending off two. One lands a shallow cut across his forearm, but he snarls and headbutts the offender, sending him tumbling into the brush. The other blocks my path as we force our way to the centre, her sword drawn, fire in her palm and teeth bared, but she pauses for half a second too long. Too bad. The number one rule of war: do not hesitate. I grab her wrist and send her spinning to the ground with a kick to the back of her knee, impaling her on her own weapon. Theron has done a piss poor job at raising an army. I haven’t even broken a sweat yet.

“Almost there!” Leander bellows.

A dagger shoots past me, I catch it mid-air just before it hits Leander’s temple and hurl it back, now that’s more like it. It lands with a sickening squelch in the rebel’s throat, pinning him to the wooden post of a half-collapsed tent. “You owe me one,” I shout to Leander, silently applauding the gurgling carnival worker. Excellent form.

We finally reach the middle of the camp, where the tents make a protective ring. Theron’s cloak billows dramatically as he descends through a trapdoor. We sprint towards him, only to be intercepted by another wave.

“Go.” Leander barks, barging me out of the way. His swords dance. “GO!”

I follow Theron down the stairs, and the stench of blood, vomit, and everything else one could leak is so strong, my eyes water. My gut churns as I catch sight of two figures at the bottom. A deafening roar cracks the air overhead. I jerk my gaze up just in time to see one of Eira’s family dragons dive through the trees, wings smashing branches to splinters. Lili is barely hanging on in the saddle, hair slapping her in the face. The dragon’s tail whips in outrage — clearly offended someone from Ashen Reach is on its back. Lili hurls a grenade toward the centre of the camp, but the beast bucks violently, and the arc veers straight at us.

BOOM!

Collapsing earth swallows me whole, and I tumble down the flight of steps, dirt and shattered stone raining over me like a storm.

When the dust finally settles, I’m sprawled across an unconscious Theron. My ears ring like struck metal and I shove myself upright, pushing up through a mountain of rubble. Kaed is tied to an old, wooden chair. His body battered, ruby red soaking his clothes. The bitter smell of the half-shattered wards that prevent his body from healing fills the air.

“Princess,” I whisper. She trembles, standing between us, her clothes filthy and torn. I raise my hands to show I mean no harm, taking a cautious step forward. “I’m here to help—”

Her eyes widen, darting past me in terror. I whirl around just as Theron’s voice rasps from behind me. He throws a vial of that damned elixir at Kaed’s chair, and the glass explodes at his feet.

“Captain, kill them all and take her to the safehouse. Hide and await my instruction. Do not kiss her. Resist the bond.”

“No!” I shout, but the word barely leaves my lips before Kaed obeys.

It’s unnatural. His head jerks upright, and his broken body rises from the chair like he’s being pulled by invisible strings. Smoke curls around him, twisting into violent lashes that bind the Princess to his back. She screams, struggling against the dark ropes. He lets out a guttural snarl, launching himself at me. There’s barely time to react before his shoulder rams into my chest, knocking the wind from my lungs. I hit the ground. Heavy hands close around my throat and a sharp hiss escapes me as my skin bubbles under the heat of his fingers.

“Kaed.” I choke out. “It’s me, Nyk. Brother, fight it.”

His grip only tightens, but hesitation flickers across his face, though it’s gone as quickly as it came. Twisting my body, I manage to shove him off and roll to my feet. I throw a wall of flames around Theron before he escapes and pull my focus back to Kaed, drawing my blade but keeping it low. I won’t hurt him. But he is trying to kill me, and he is strong. So, if he loses an arm, it isn’t my fucking fault. He lunges again, his fist falling like a sledgehammer against my jaw. Pain bursts through my cheek, and whisps of hardened smoke lash out at my feet. I’m getting pissed off now. I can’t stand it when he does that. I leap and dodge, ducking under a wild swing, but his knee catches my ribs, sending a bolt of agony coursing through my side.

“For fuck’s sake!” I growl above the hoarse cries of the Princess being thrown every which way on his back.

“We need to hold him off a little longer!” Leander thunders down the steps and hurls a blast of pressurised steam in Kaed’s direction. The air hisses as it explodes across them, collapsing into a sheet of water, plastering their clothes to their bodies. Kaed pauses and shakes his hair out like a wet dog, snarling like one too.

“Get Theron.” I choke out, using the distraction to land a blow to the side of Kaed’s head. Theron had already doused my flames with his own magic, but Leander catches the hood of his cloak before knocking him out the old-fashioned way. With the back of his axe. Kaed snaps his palms open, and smoke surges. It wraps me in a straitjacket, squeezing the air from my lungs. Cold lightning threads through my torso, and golden fire erupts beneath my skin, shooting through the bindings and cracking them apart like light tearing through a dark curtain. Tobian appears from the trapdoor, his chainsaw sparking as he lunges, aiming for the smoke binding the Princess. Kaed drives his boot into his chest, sending him crashing into the rubble. The leather sizzles where Tobian’s blood touches it. A trap. Bravo Tobian. Kaed snarls like a beast caught in a snare. He grapples with the shoe before the acidic blood can burn his skin, but Leander’s axe meets Kaed’s smoke in a shower of sparks.

“Fight it!” He barks, “I know you hear me!”

Kaed roars, throwing Leander off him.

“Lili!” I shout, “Where are you!”

“Hold him steady!” She yells from somewhere.

“We’re—fucking—trying!” Leander growls through clenched teeth and lunges again for his legs. Tobian and I crash into Kaed with him. Grabbing his arms in unison, we throw him against the wall. A cracking sound rings through the tunnel as the Princess’s head is slammed against it. She goes limp. Shit. I strain my ears. Shit. Her heart is slowing down.

A shimmering golden arrow whistles through the air, striking Kaed in his heart. He lets out a strangled roar when the magic takes hold, the antidote in the arrowhead Eira made exploding into his body, flooding his veins. The glaze over his eyes dissipates, leaving behind his usual hazel hue. He staggers when we release him, his smoke fading. The Princess’s unconscious body hits the ground and Lili’s chants to strip the remaining wards echo through the tunnel.