Page 156 of The Ashborn

Rage roared through her, scorching the terror. She let it consume her, a raw scream tearing free as flames erupted from her palm. She hurled the fire at him, every secret and lie burning in her veins. He barely twitched. His hand shot out, catching the inferno mid-flight. The flames twisted like ribbons around his wrist. King Vaerin inhaled the power with a shudder of delight before flinging it back with crushing force.

Ruva whimpered and growled.

The impact ripped through Kienna’s chest. The world spun in a blur of light and stone before her body slammed into the ruined archway. Stone exploded on impact, and Danek went down with her in the storm of dust and rubble.

Kienna gasped for breath. The king’s magic buzzed in the air, looming over her as he shook his head. “Foolish. You always were. Be sure to remember that the river doesn’t care which way you swim, my child. Only how long you last.”

Kienna jerked her head as Danek pulled her up. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” she nodded, grateful for the reminder that he was there. “We need a better plan.” She gripped her blade until her knuckles ached, stepping forward with Danek at her side. There was no time to think anymore. All she knew was that Vaerin needed to fall. If she couldn’t kill him, then fuck! She’d rip the power from his hands. But not alone. She needed Connak.

Please, she called out across the tether. We don’t have to kill him, but you can’t pull away.

I don’t know how to stop him otherwise, Connak said. He was already circling toward the broken archways like a predator choosing his angle. He didn’t look nearly as scared as Kienna felt. None of them should have been. They didn’t pose any threat to each other aside from the overarching desire for control over Kienna’s magic.

That frightened her enough.

Broan shifted to her right, rolling his massive shoulders, fists curling like stone ready to strike. Earth hummed beneath his boots. Behind him, Baila fell in line, vines whispering at her heels like restless serpents. Kienna cut her a glance, fire licking her teeth. She was ready to fight her, too, if she had to, but Danek’s hand clamped on her arm. His eyes burned golden-green, like tempered steel, a silent reminder to stay focused. Baila was not the enemy. With her in line, the power swirling in the air increased. It was surreal but enough to give Kienna the confidence. She could defeat King Vaerin. With all of them standing together, they could pull the power from his veins.

“Ah,” King Vaerin said, his voice dull and cold as a blade against her throat. “If only little Moira were here. Then we’d have a proper family reunion. All of my wayward children, standing against the only man who sheltered you.”

Stand with me, Kienna demanded to Connak, voice cracking like a whip across the space.

Ruva padded to Broan’s side, shoulders low, lips peeling back over her teeth. Connak exhaled once through his nose and stepped in, closing the space between Kienna and the king.

Kienna lifted her chin, fire threading her veins. “You stand alone,” she told Vaerin. “You will always stand alone.”

Danek’s hand found Kienna’s shoulder, slid down her arm, and laced with her fingers. Heat steadied in her palm as she realized she had him—his love, his promise to stand with her, to fight with her forever. He laced his own power through her, steadying the part of her magic Vaerin controlled. It brought her comfort.

He could ground her.

He could save her from the king.

Broan planted himself to her left with Ruva bristling at his knee. Baila came up behind them, raising her blade. Connak fell in near the right with a tired, measured look, then nodded once. Around them, steel lifted. For a breath, they were a single line.

They were hers.

A blast of red exploded between them. Kienna gasped as Broan and Connak were flung to the sides, crashing hard into the stone around them. Without warning, a gust of energy ripped through the air. As the torrent erupted, Vaerin’s form flickered violently before he grabbed hold of Baila with his power. In a single, swift motion, he threw her forward, and as he did, Baila’s blade plunged into Danek’s chest.

The cracking of bone froze Kienna’s blood. She ran for Danek as Baila blew backward. Kienna’s scream shattered the air. “No! No, no, no!” She grabbed for Danek as his body crumbled to the ground. She pressed her hands to the wound, but the warmth of his blood seeped through her fingers. Crimson stained his tunic. His breathing was shallow.

No matter. They had a healer.

Kienna stood, gripping for her blade again. Through the growl between her teeth, she looked at Connak. “Heal him.”

Then she turned to the king and stepped in his direction. Amusement danced in his eyes.

Connak motioned forward, then stopped. “I can’t get through.”

“What do you—” Realization dawned on Kienna. She pushed her hand forward and found she couldn’t get through an impenetrable barrier. “No!” She slapped her hand against it again as if that would tear it down. She threw flames into it, only searing the air around them.

Ruva whimpered desperately, gnawing at the barrier between them.

Kienna turned back to Danek, his blood spilling against the stone. A sob tore free as she dropped to her knees and crawled to him, hands shaking as they pressed uselessly against the wound. King Vaerin had done this on purpose. He wanted to break her.

A frantic part of her wondered if she could force her fire into something else, draw it out of herself, out of the air, burn the damage away, or seal him shut, but the thought curdled as soon as it formed. Vaerin would twist it. He always did. Whatever she tried would only kill Danek faster. Without Connak, there was nothing left to reach for.

She had to watch him die.