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“Finally,” Demos muttered. “Some exercise.”
Asinia sent him an incredulous look. Cavis snorted, and I positioned myself next to Prisca. “Try to conserve your power,” I ordered our people.
One of the men sneered. His eyes met mine, and his face slowly drained of color. His sword was too long for him—a bad choice in a confined space such as this.
A long-haired man charged. Demos launched forward to meet the sword aimed at his head. He moved like the fae, incredibly fast. The others attacked as one, and I slammed the pommel of my sword into the next guard’s temple. The guard crumpled, and I kicked him in the face for good measure.
I risked a glance at the others. Prisca whirled, slashing out with her knife as another guard swung at Asinia. Dropping, Prisca sliced his hamstrings. Pride rumbled in my chest. I’d taught her that move.
My distraction almost cost me. I swung my head back, the next sword singing within an inch of my throat. My back hit someone, and I palmed my dagger with my other hand, only to find Thol backing toward me, dodging a giant of a man.
“Faster,” I snapped at him. There was no fucking room to move in this cavern. If I wasn’t careful, I’d slice into one of our people.
Regner’s guard laughed. “Worry about yourself.” A bearded human gave up on his attempts to slice through me. He gestured with his other hand.
“Duck,” I roared. Ice slashed over my head, sharp enough to take a man’s head off.
I launched myself to my feet and reached for Asinia, who’d dropped to her knees next to me. My hand found her tunic, and I hauled her to her feet.
Panic stabbed into my chest. Where was my wildcat?
I caught one glimpse of her, fighting back-to-back with Demos, and then the ice-wielder made that same gesture. Powerful, but he clearly had issues channeling it if he relied on his hand movements.
With a roar, I barreled toward him before he could finish summoning his power. My knife slid into his throat like it was butter, and by the time I got to my feet, Cavis was removing the final man’s head from his shoulders.
The head bounced on the dirt floor. Asinia leaned over and threw up.
* * *
I’d only used a hint of my power during the attack—mostly because it was all I could summon. And I was still as tired as if I’d been using it all day. My nose dripped blood, and Lorian reached into his pack, pulled out a shirt, and ripped off a piece, handing it to me. He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me just outside the cave. His huge hand stroked my cheek, his gaze searching mine. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
I’d barely been able to concentrate during that attack—with all of us surrounded. And I’d watched as he’d roared at Thol, keeping him safe. Lorian considered Thol a threat, and yet he’d saved him anyway.
Sliding my hand up, I urged him to lean down to meet me. His mouth found mine, and I sighed against his lips.
“We should get back,” I murmured against his mouth.
In the cavern, Demos and Cavis searched the bodies. Asinia apologized profusely for vomiting, while Thol stared at the bloody remains on the ground.
“We have their food and weapons.” Demos lifted his head. “Is everyone ready to continue?”
“It’s going to get worse from here,” Lorian said. “These attacks are designed to tire us. Regner may weaken us physically, but he can’t weaken our resolve. Stay together and think smart.”
“You should save what little power you have until after Prisca has the hourglass,” Demos said.
It was a good idea. “We don’t know what else will be waiting for us on the way out,” I said, and Lorian nodded. But I could see the frustration in his eyes. None of us had expected the fae iron in these caves.
The next attack came a few hours later. I received a long, shallow cut down my forearm. Lorian took itverypersonally. By the time he’d finished with Regner’s guard, his face had been unrecognizable.
We all needed to rest. Demos nodded at us to stay put, and he and Lorian split up, searching for the best cavern for us to get a few hours of sleep. On the other side of the cave, Thol murmured quietly to Cavis.
“Your prince seems wound tightly,” Asinia whispered, handing me a bandage from Demos’s satchel. I sighed, and Asinia turned, giving methe look. “What did you do?”
“Made him promise that as soon as I have the hourglass, he’ll go find the second amulet.”
“What?”
