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The fireball between my palms grew large enough to buoy on its own and I thrust it forward. It picked up momentum as it flew, scarfing down oxygen to grow into the size of a monstrous boulder.
It ate up the ground between us and Almanera’s men, and each one scurried aside to avoid the fireball’s lashing tongue.
They were quick, but not quick enough.
I snapped my fingers, and the boulder exploded into a thousand fireswirls, shattering into the air like tiny, painful mites. A shower of sparks lit the pre-dusk air—the colorful display bringing forth gasps and agonized groans.
Almanera’s Alphas couldn’t duck, couldn’t escape. Fireswirls pelted their skin, clothes, and hair, leaving behind gaping holes in their uniforms and dark marks on their bodies.
Flames blasted from my fingertips, spearing across the distance between us.
But I needed to be careful. Offense could turn into defense at any given moment.
I heard a faint whooshing rush past my ears, and a hoarse groan from behind. A small silver dagger had narrowly missed my head, but someone else was clearly suffering for it.
As the skirmish progressed, it became glaringly obvious that not all of Almanera’s men possessed powers. It was generous to estimate that perhapshalfwere laymen who relied on weapons instead.
Almanera himself seemed to be struggling to call upon his powers, pelted by flames every way he turned.
The fucker deserved this and more. If he’d had his way, I would’ve been dead, and Olympia would’ve been implicated for my assassination, causing the downfall of two illustrious clans and kingdoms.
The thought only made me angrier, and fireswirls left my fingertips with renewed passion.
A warning yell pierced my veil of concentration. Olympia’s voice cut through the grunts of effort that rose from the soldiers at my back. I turned just in time to see a flash of movement, and an assailant crashed into me with dizzying speed.
My lungs seized as I fell, the dead leaves on the forest floor providing little cushion for both our weights. The distinct scent of Alpha intensified the assault.
On instinct, I grasped their neck in the crook of my arm, squeezing as hard as I could. They struggled for a moment, before pulling back the lower half of their body and slamming into me.
My vision sheeted white.
The air turned thick, stopping short of my throat.
Their fingers dug into the open wound, pressing into the bleeding flesh with a viciousness that was unprecedented. I writhed beneath them, gritting my teeth against the agony that threatened my consciousness.
My fingertips sparked once, twice, trying fruitlessly to light the assailant on fire. But I could hardly concentrate on gathering enough power when the wound on my thigh was gaping open and seeping blood into the ground below.
I bucked, tipping them over onto the forest floor. Before either of us could catch a breath, the soil shifted below, creating a shallow hole before deepening into a large pit. The assailant fell, weapons and all, and soil filled the top, closing the grave and obscuring their screams.
Gratitude filled my being as I attempted to stand, favoring the wound that was now exposed to the elements. Although I couldn’t see her, I knew Olympia was near, staying away from the line of fire but watching out for us just the same.
When I glanced up again, breath gusting from my lungs, Almanera was close.Too close.
Another dagger flew past my ear, and I heard a dull thud and a sharp curse as it hit someone behind my left shoulder.
Sweat poured into my eyes. Strands of wet hair fell into my face. I swiped them all aside with my forearm, smearing dirt and blood on my skin.
Almanera’s band of Alphas was getting smaller. Only ten of them remained.
I hesitated to turn and take stock of how many soldiers I had left.
But I had Olympia. She had saved me twice, and I knew she would do her utmost to save me again, should I need her help.
“Charge!”
Almanera’s voice rose above the sound of our battle, and my heart leapt to my throat as his Alphas raised their weapons, rushing forward with a war cry on their lips.
“Hold your ground,” I advised my soldiers.
