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“Lyr,” Rhyan hissed. “Let’s go.” He squeezed my hand, leading us forward, rushing past the overturned tables and chairs and the wreckage of food, plates, cups, and…more bodies. More bodies.
Please…please let them be alive.
Even though I knew they had to be gone by now, that Aemon was on top of it, I still searched the hall for any sign of my sisters, of my father, of Eathan, Arianna, and Tristan…but all that seemed to remain now were the Emperor’s soturi. He was gone, of course, as was his consort.
The red ray’s hall came into view, and Rhyan led me through the door. We stepped outside into a blackened night sky and snow-covered ground. Our seraphim waited a few yards away. Two port attendants kept their staves pointed at her, trying to keep her down, but she was clearly agitated, cold and unhappy in the snow and sensing the danger nearby. Her golden wings struggled violently against the port mages’ spells, and her feathers glowed under the sparsely lit torches outside the temple. She opened her beak, releasing a high-pitched shriek of fear.
I swallowed hard, my hand squeezing Rhyan’s. The last time we’d ridden a distressed seraphim, it hadn’t gone well.
Several Soturi of Ka Batavia stood guard on the outer perimeter. Snow fell in thick clumps as screams continued to sound from the fields.
“Ready?” Rhyan asked, his grip on me firm. “We’re going to make a run for it.”
He stepped forward as I prepared to run at his speed, my boots already sinking into the snow. I could feel him tensing, ready to sprint, when he froze, releasing my hand. His entire body moved before mine as I saw past his shoulder, in the shadows of torchlight, an akadim approaching.
The demon had to be at least ten feet tall, growling and naked save for the scraps of clothing around its waist that barely covered its male organs. Red lines cut across the akadim’s pale skin. Its muscles flexed as it extended its elongated arms, claws out, eyes reddening, and sharpened teeth bared into a snarl that turned my stomach.
The soturion nearest the monster charged forward, his sword out. I recognized him as one of the soturi from Brenna’s legion, Hector. After he managed one swipe at the akadim’s arm, its claws sliced through Hector’s face. He stumbled back, blood gushing as the akadim wrapped its hand around his waist, picking him up and hurling him at the two soturi coming to his aid. Hector’s body hit them both with such impact that all three soturi fell unconscious in the snow.
I bit back a scream as the akadim lunged, picking up Hector’s limp body, his face barely recognizable. The akadim ripped through his armor in one simple, motion, tearing away his cloak and shirt.
Myself to fucking Moriel. It was going to eat Hector’s soul. Turn him forsaken.
Hector’s armor landed in the snow, useless now. The akadim’s clawed hand hovered over his bared and convulsing body before the monster leaned forward, licking the blood from his face.
“In the carriage,” Rhyan ordered. “Now.”
Two more soturi charged at the akadim, trying to distract it, as a third came from behind and jumped on the beast’s back. It roared, blood dripping down its chin as it wrapped its hands around Hector’s legs. The monster swung him about like a club, swatting him at the third soturion—Caius. Caius was Hector’s cousin, and both were Ka Corra like Brenna. With another swing, Hector’s body smashed into Caius’s, and the cousins fell into the snow.
I ran, heading straight for the seraphim, keeping my eyes ahead, my feet moving. I saw myself on the carriage. I saw myself closing the door, flying to safety. But I hesitated. I couldn’t fly off by myself. I couldn’t leave Rhyan behind.
My seraphim’s feathers were now standing on edge, the tips sharpened from her fear. She turned her head violently from side to side, squawking wildly, her beak opening and closing ready to bite anyone who approached.
Then she stood, suddenly freed from the spell that had kept her frozen. I realized the port mages had taken off the moment the akadim had appeared. I was nearly at the carriage, only a few feet from the stairs to climb aboard, when she stood, pushing gusts of freezing snow into my face. Her wings flapped powerfully, creating a cyclone-like effect as she took off, vanishing faster than I’d ever seen a seraphim fly.
“No!” Rhyan yelled, his eyes finally betraying his fear.
The soturi who remained had encircled the akadim, attacking the way we’d been taught in a five. But each one failed, the akadim too strong, too violent, tearing through their cloaks, their armor, their arms. The pristine white snow that had fallen all day was now littered in blood…and evidence that another soturion had lost control of his bowels in the fight.
Suddenly, it was just Rhyan and me against the akadim.
Its red eyes were on us as it kicked the fallen soturi and blood-and-fecal-matter-stained snow out of its way as it charged forward.
“Mine,” it roared, red eyes fixed on me as it extended its claws again.
“Stay back,” Rhyan said. “Lyr. Dagger ready.”
Rhyan charged, racing for the akadim. He leapt forward, brandishing his sword and slicing the akadim’s arm. Blood spurted from its arm. Rhyan landed behind it, his boots crashing into the snow only a few feet away from the fallen soturi. He turned and raced back at the akadim, this time running past it while his blade cut through the akadim’s thigh.
Rhyan spun and charged at the beast again. It roared in anger but was clearly distracted by Rhyan’s movements—a tactic I realized he was using to take the akadim’s attention off me. He was refocusing it, turning it around with every hit, retreat, and charge. Each time he came at the akadim, he switched up the side he attacked from, sometimes jumping and hitting its arm while other times staying low to attack its leg.
The akadim growled, losing interest in Rhyan and moving its attention back to me.
Its lips vibrated as it roared, charging foward.
I held up my dagger, wishing I’d brought my sword.
Rhyan slid under the beast, his sword slicing between its legs. The akadim fell to its knees, as Rhyan leapt to his feet, spinning back and swinging his sword at the akadim’s neck. He hacked again and again as the akadim screamed in agony—until it stopped screaming, and its head hit the snow, a bloody heap of gore amidst the remaining white flakes.
