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I swallowed and shook my head. “That’s not love. You don’t understand what love is.”
She scoffed. “Your men are about to die, Lia. Love won’t save them.” She paused. “Love will only bring you heartache and pain.”
I locked my jaw and glared at her. “No,” I said, my voice low. “It’s what’s going to get me through this. I’m going to get out of here with Bayleon and Bastian by my side and Iwillbreak the curse.”
Diawen cocked her head to the side. “So, you’re going to kill me, is that it? That’s the only way to release your men.”
“I’m not an idiot, Diawen,” I snapped. “You knew very well I wouldn’t risk Bayleon and Bastian’s lives. But unfortunately, you’re the only one who can free them. One way or another, I’ll get the information from you.”
Diawen stepped closer, a menacing gleam in her swirling blue eyes. “Is that so? How are you going to do that when you’re dead?”
“I thought you didn’t want to start a war with the fae?”
She traced a finger down my cheek, her nail razor sharp. “Oh, I’m not going to start a war. I’m just going to kill you.” She smiled and stepped back. “When your men lose against Rogan, that’s Tyvar business. Your people have no right to intervene. But what your people will know is you were so heartbroken over losing your lovers that you decided to spend some time alone, away from your court.” She gave me a mock frown. “It’s just a shame you won’t ever be going back. I can’t risk you finding the cure and ruining everything for me.” Diawen tapped the box. “I have a gift for you when it’s time.”
A rage burned in my veins like wildfire, searing through my body and threatening to consume me. I could feel my magic thrumming beneath the surface, waiting to be released.
“You’re going to die for this, Diawen. It may not be today, but it will be soon.”
Diawen tilted her head back and laughed cruelly before striding toward the circular pit where Rogan practiced and prepped for the upcoming fight.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and attempted to summon the water in the lake, hoping it would heed my command. Suddenly, wild cries from the camp diverted my attention, and everyone turned toward something on my left.
A few moments later, Bayleon and Bastian appeared, their faces bruised and beaten and their wrists bound together. Surrounding each of them were four guards, all were Rogan’s men and new to the Tyvar. It made me wonder where all the others were, the older Tyvar who were loyal to Bayleon and Bastian.
Bayleon and Bastian glanced over at me at the same time and their eyes glowed with anger. They needed it; they needed that fuel for the fire just like I did.
The fight was about to begin.
* * *
My pulse racedas the Tyvar army crowded around the pit, most had eager expressions but some of them had blank faces. I had to hope the stoic ones were men still loyal to Bayleon and Bastian. Lerissa had changed out of the green leathers I gave her into a red gown, and she took her place beside Diawen. I searched for her gaze, but she never looked my way. Before, when it was just us and Aidan, I sensed something good in her, but Diawen’s influence would soon erase it.
Rogan stepped proudly into the middle of the pit, ready to fight, and then Bayleon’s ropes were cut and he was pushed in. My stomach dropped; a chill of dread ran through me.
“Concentrate, Lia. You can do this,” I muttered to myself.
Rogan and Bayleon sprinted toward each other, their feet scraping against the dirt and grass. Bayleon reared back and his fist came forward, impacting Rogan’s jaw with a loud crack. Rogan stumbled backward, and Bayleon followed with a flurry of punches. Rogan blocked them, but Bayleon kept coming as though he had no fear of the pain he was enduring. Bayleon was weakened, but he was still a formidable opponent.
They moved so fast that it was hard to follow, and when they were still enough for me to focus on them, I watched in horror as Rogan’s fist connected with Bayleon’s ribs, and I heard the sickening sound of bones breaking. Bayleon collapsed and Rogan kicked him in the face, sending him flying across the pit.
Bayleon laid on the ground, struggling for air, his chest heaving. Time seemed to stand still as I watched Rogan raise his blade, ready to plunge it into Bayleon’s back.
Without thinking, I screamed out, “No!”
A deep, guttural roar from Bastian filled the air around me and my heart felt like it had stopped. I closed my eyes and reached out with my magic, the rage within me finally summoning enough to flow through my body and to the lake. My skin burned against the iron, but I could feel the water rise in response to my call. The ground beneath me began to shake as the lake rumbled, ready to do my bidding. When I opened my eyes, my entire body was trembling with the amount of energy inside me. The iron was not going to hold me back any longer. Rogan hesitated, his muscles tensed, ready to strike.
As I unleashed my magic, hoping it would send an alert to Aidan, Bayleon rolled away and jumped up, just in time for the blade to miss him. It plunged into the ground instead. Rogan stumbled back as Bayleon’s newfound strength caused him to lurch forward. His eyes widened in terror as he realized that his demise was near. Even Diawen looked on in fear, a stark contrast from the strong, confident bitch she was before.
Amid the chaos, it became clear who remained loyal to Rogan and who believed in Bayleon and Bastian. Fists flew between the Tyvar, and Bayleon had the upper hand on Rogan as his powerful blows left him battered and bruised. Meanwhile, Bastian’s ropes had been cut and he was fighting off the four men who had been restraining him, taking punches to the stomach but never ceasing in his fight. But unfortunately, the odds were not in their favor; there were too many of Rogan’s men in the crowd.
Bayleon’s eyes were wild with rage as he advanced on Rogan with a loud battle cry. Another Tyvar lunged at Bayleon, but with a single movement, Bayleon seized the sword from the warrior’s grip and brought it down with a vicious slice across the man’s back. His lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
Bayleon turned his wrathful gaze back to Rogan, who had struggled to his feet, one arm outstretched in a feeble attempt to defend himself. With a final roar of determination, Bayleon swung his sword in an arc of power, slicing through Rogan’s neck and finally ending the violent conflict. Sadly, it was far from over. Bayleon and Bastian were surrounded by about a hundred Tyvar, with the odds seemingly insurmountable.
Everything was still and silent until Diawen locked eyes with me and began to move closer, her steps measured and purposeful. Lerissa’s gaze met mine and all I could see was dread as she surveyed the Tyvar, then me, then the box in Diawen’s grasp. Whatever was inside it, I knew it wouldn’t be anything good.
The force within me resonated outward and my magic connected with the lake once again. The earth rumbled beneath us like an earthquake and Diawen stopped, scanning around to locate where it was coming from.
