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Swallowing my nerves, I keep my eyes forward, and when we reach the open doors at the end, Cora turns us until we face them. She keeps hold of my hand as her voice echoes around the hall.
A war cry of a queen.
“All children are to be taken to the cellars for safety. Any woman or man who wishes to fight is free to do so. I will not demand it of you. You are free to do as you wish but know this. They will come, and if we lose, they will kill every monster, slaughtering women, men, and children. They are soullesskillers, and in their eyes, we are monsters, so let us show them what monsters are capable of!”
The echoing cry is caught up by hundreds, maybe even thousands.
It soon quiets, though, when the ground below us begins to rumble and shake. I glance behind me to the open door, knowing it is from their approaching army. They are prepared to destroy all that we are.
So it begins.
Chapter
Fifty-Nine
KAI
We wait at the top of a small hill on the field beyond the castle, backed by its glistening structure. The flames burn brightly behind the approaching army, which covers the ground on the other side of the field, heading toward us, their hateful chants brought to us on the wind.
“Kill the monsters! End the darkness! Kill them all! Kill them all!”
I stand beside Cora, our men at our sides. Monsters spread out behind us, and more spill from the walls. Half-breeds poured from the sewers as we marched through the Gilded Lands, and monsters spilled from every dark shadow. Even some humans emerged with handmade weapons. They stand behind us now, bristling and waiting.
The scent of fear and anticipation chokes me as I try to take deep breaths, and my heart thunders more than the sound of approaching footsteps.
“There are so many of them,” I whisper, eyeing their ranks. Most are from the Shadow Lands, and some are from the Gilded Lands, but all are angry and holding weapons, ready to spill blood.
“It is not the number. It is the determination,” Cora murmurs. “I am determined to win.” She glances at me. “I will not let our freedom be taken again. I will bleed for it.” She pulls her sword out then, and flames lick along its edges. “Prepare!” she calls.
I pull my own sword, my hand shaking as I hold it before me. I hear some cries behind us, but when I glance back, I see sure, blank faces of monsters ready to fight. Wings flap above us as Razcorr commands the winged monsters. They will attack from above, while we fight from the front. Relying on our monstrous strength is our only hope of winning.
Magic pours through our ranks, seeming to seep up from the earth and into us. It’s a comforting promise from this land to help us where it can.
The hunters stop across from us, and the world is silent for a moment as we peer at each other. For a second, I think one of them will make a grand speech and condemn us all with their words, until they raise their hands and a cry follows.
They charge right at us.
“To the end! For our freedom!” Cora cries, and then without waiting another moment, she races to meet them head-on.
I follow her. I can’t do anything but.
I glance back as the earth shakes with a roar and see the monsters chasing after us. My eyes glance up as wind blows through us, almost knocking me over as our monsters blot out the sun and dive straight toward the hunters.
I hope it’s enough.
When our two armies meet, there is an audible clash. Screams fill the air within seconds, and I lose sight of Cora. Onlyflashes of gold between bodies let me know she is still alive. Rook’s shadows crawl along the ground, turning the golden sunlight dark before wrapping around hunters. Their screams can be heard from within.
Weyland howls and rips people to shreds with claws and teeth, blood matting his fur. Kaito stays at my side and rips off the heads of anyone who gets too close. Dade has transformed, his hooves burning the ground as he lowers his head and charges at those who approach us, spiking them on his horn until blood runs down his face.
I turn, horrified, but quickly duck as a hunter’s arrow whizzes over my head. Turning back, I bring up my sword with a shout as a human charges me. Our eyes meet, both wide and horrified as I fall to my back.
He’s speared on my sword, his mouth moving as blood bubbles from his lips, and as he falls, he impales on it farther, coughing blood all over me. With a cry, I kick him away and jump back to my feet, staring at his unmoving body.
I killed someone.
I don’t have time to process that as something sharp cuts my cheek, making me hiss as my magic lashes out in response. It throws a group of hunters away, the lightning crackling over them, and as I watch, their eyes burst, the sockets blacken, and their mouths open on silent screams of horror as they burn from the inside out.
A hand grips my hair, yanking me back, and I scream. The pressure disappears, and I whirl to find Rook’s hand bursting through the man’s chest, his heart in his hand. As he yanks it back, Rook tosses the heart into the shadows swirling around us, and he blows me a kiss before fading into mist with screams following him.
