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The king pushed his magic at me again, keeping a stream of lightning with one hand on his sword. I grunted against the impact but didn’t let my own magic falter.
The king smirked at me a moment before he used his other hand to shoot another big stream of magic at Weylyn. My heart skipped a beat as I gasped, even though I knew Wey’s amulet would protect him. A rush of relieved air escaped my lungs when the amulet did its job, and Weylyn didn’t miss a beat, continuing to fight with sword and fist against the griffin and guards.
The king screamed in frustration, and I winced as five men attacked Wey at once, the griffin off to the side licking its wounds. We needed the rest of our family to get here soon. We needed help.
The king turned his anger on me, doubling down with the lightning spell and using his other hand to push even more energy at me. Another grunt came out of me, but I held my ground.
With as much strength as I could, I formed my own energy ball in front of me while holding my shield, then I used that mass of energy to push the shield back against Teodric’s magic.
I took a step forward and smiled to myself. Icoulddo this. Iwasstrong enough.
A look of surprise crossed Teodric’s face before he put both hands back on the sword hilt, lifted it above his head again, and then swung it down. The sword hit the ground with a sonic boom, pushing everyone off their feet.
I fell on my ass but managed to keep my shield up and didn’t hesitate to scramble to my feet. Without missing a beat, I threw as much magic as I could at the king.
I flinched when an arrow hit the ground at my feet. The guards around us tried chipping away at my shield, shooting it with arrow after arrow after arrow. It wasn’t comfortable and was a bit of a distraction, but I could manage it well enough.
I was being attacked from all sides, but it didn’t matter. I just had to keep pushing back.
With another energy ball in front of me, I slammed it forward against Teodric’s magic, forcing it back so I could take another step closer to him. I did it again and again, ignoring the constant strain the arrows were causing.
The king raised his sword and sliced it through my magic stream, cutting it off at the end. I didn’t really understand how he was doing it, but obviously, his sword had some magical ability.
I came up with a new plan and dropped the full stream of magic. I began throwing small energy orbs at him, one from each hand, going back and forth over and over again as quickly as I could. The move put him on the defensive, which was exactly what I needed. He had to use his sword to knock my orbs out of the way, and I almost smiled when one got past him and hit him in the shoulder, burning through his tunic and making him hiss in pain.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wey and a big beefy guard fighting brutally with their swords, their moves quicker than I could follow. Despite the stranger’s bulk, it looked like Wey was holding his own, so I did my best to ignore the distraction. I had enough to worry about with the king.
Even with me throwing so much at him, the king began moving closer to me.
But that was what I wanted. I needed to get close. It was the only way I’d win.
Keeping my magic flowing out of one hand, I used the other to unsheathe my sword just in time to knock the king’s own sword out of the way.
I saw Resistance fighters rush over the stone walls and through the tower doors, overrunning the guards and taking the castle. I knew without searching that my other lovers were close and that they’d help Wey in his fight.
I parried the king’s blade and saw a tiger leap from the top of the stone wall, a flash of white-blond hair riding on his back. I swung my sword, and the king met my blow. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a half-orc pick up a guard and throw him into two others, knocking them to the ground.
I swung again, renewed with energy, the surge of love I felt for all four of my men giving me strength.
Both my and the king’s swords were glowing with our power—his an eerie red, and mine a soft blue. With every hit, our magics collided, and small pulses of energy flew outward, keeping everyone else back. We were locked in battle, and no one else was coming to help either of us.
My muscles were tiring, but I kept pushing. I wouldn’t give up. I wouldn’t let him win.
I wouldn’t let my lovers down.
With a scream, I pushed my magical energy into my swing and hit the king’s sword hard enough that it went flying out of his hand. I didn’t give him time to recover. I stepped closer, threw another energy orb at him to keep him off balance, swung my sword the other way, and let it come in contact with his arm. I held in a gasp when my sword went straight through his forearm, slicing it clean in half, his hand flying from his body.
The king wailed in pain, but again, I couldn’t let him recover. I hit him in the chest with another energy orb, making him fall on his back, then pulled out a rope Jedrek had given me. I threw it, watching as it transformed into a mage net and covered the king’s body. When I knew his magic was inaccessible, I stepped close enough to put my sword at his throat.
He was so absorbed in his own pain that it took him a moment to realize his life was in danger. His hand held onto his stump, blood pouring out over it and splashing onto his tunic and dirtying the grass he lay in. When he realized his position, he tried to hold still. His wails turned into softer sobs, and he didn’t try to fight back.
Nica rushed over, naked from shifting, and put his blade against the king’s throat, saying to me, “I’ve got it from here, little bird. You can relax now.”
It was then I realized I was trembling. I couldn’t tell if it was from fear, nerves, tired muscles, or maybe just from accidentally cutting someone’s hand off. All my emotions were too overwhelmed and jumbled up inside my chest, making it tight and uncomfortable.
I looked up, met Nica’s eyes, and took solace in them. He was alive, I was alive, and if Nica was here and calm, I knew the rest of our family was safe, too. His pretty green eyes softened as he stared at me, and I saw his love and adoration for me. It gave me a chance to take a breath and loosened thatsomethingin my chest.
Braz came over and pulled me into his chest, his large arms wrapping around me as he kissed my hair and murmured quietly, “You did it, angel. You took down the king and helped take the city. We saved so many people. You should be proud of yourself.”
