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Zerek joined her other side. “She needs rest. But we won’t find that here. We have to get her down the mountain.”
Herrath nodded. “I’ll stay with Xadrian and we’ll meet up with Haemir’s forces. And I’ll keep your dad safe for you.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “You did good, Kael.”
I managed to open one eye and give him a nod. “Thanks, Herrath. Mirijana has better taste than I thought.”
He chuckled, his grin crooked and charming. “Lucky for me.” He stood, shouldering his shield before clasping forearms with Zerek. “Good luck.”
I watched them move off into the dust cloud, the air so thick with swirling particles it looked as if night had fallen early. We stayed there for a few moments longer, taking in the destruction we’d wreaked before Zerek spoke again. “It’s time for us to go,” he said with false brightness. Fuck, I must look bad. “You need to get back to camp, Kael.”
I nodded reluctantly, knowing he was right, but still, a tug of regret filled me at having to move so soon. All I wanted to do was sleep. Each blink was like an eternity.
But I forced myself to stand, and after a few wobbly steps, we started down the mountain. We were halfway when the sound of metal clanged against the rocks. Zerek put his hand up in warning and pulled us into the shadows of a nearby boulder.
My heart raced as I scanned the area for whatever had made that noise, but I couldn’t see anything. Just as Zerek opened his mouth to speak, a dozen figures came out from behind a hidden tunnel in the rock.
Zerek held his finger to his lips, and we watched them mill about at the entrance. He motioned for us to follow him, staying low. There was a lot of rubble to use as cover, but it wouldn’t be quiet. I watched him move first, following behind him with Roza bringing up the rear. The elves milled by the entrance, and a sinking sensation hit my stomach.
Something wasn’t right.
“Zerek,” I whispered as a battle cry sounded behind us. I whirled around, drawing my sword in one quick motion as they appeared out of nowhere. Fuck.
“Run!” Zerek shouted, pushing me toward Roza. “Both of you get out of here!”
But there was no escape. The milling soldiers had already encircled us. Roza attacked with her pair of daggers, a cornered animal, fighting with everything she had. Fear gripped my chest like an icy fist and my limbs were like lead weights as I swung my sword.
I stepped forward, willing my body to move faster no matter how exhausted it was right now. The sound of clashing steel echoed around us, and I saw the scorpion sigil on their armor. What was that? Lazan?
“Don’t let them touch you with their blades!” Zerek shouted, even as we fought to keep them back.
But it was too late.
One soldier broke through our defenses and came at me with a curved blade, swinging it with deadly precision. I ducked and rolled out of range, but something stung my arm as I moved away. Glancing down, I saw a thin line of red seeping from the cut on my forearm. I turned towards Roza, watching as if in slow motion as she fell. A pike lodged in her stomach fell to the ground, her short hair fluttering in the breeze.
Zerek screamed in horror, his voice tearing as he moved toward her. My vision blurred, and I tried to run to them, only to find I couldn’t move.
The poison had already taken hold, and every inch of my body went numb. I thought of Theron, wishing I had seen him one more time before falling into the darkness.
Chapter 27
Theron
Thegroundquivered,theair vibrating with the force of unleashed power. My heart leapt, my senses screaming in recognition. Kael. My mate. My heart.She’d done it.The thought pierced the chaos, a beacon of hope in the tumultuous sea.
The world seemed to shimmer as a wave of energy rippled from the mountain, the very fabric of reality itself seeming to tear. Dust rose in a cloud, obscuring the mountain from view. The walls and towers shivered, chunks of stone breaking free from their moorings and flying in all directions. I watched as the stones were ripped away from each other, pulled apart by an unseen force, with Kael at its center.
Archers screamed as they fell from the walls, their bodies broken by the shards of rock raining down upon them. The enemy was shocked—their cries ringing out through the clouds of dust in tandem with those of our own warriors who’d been caught in the rain of rubble.
The earthen waves rolled on; a turbulent sea of stone and debris. With each heartbeat, time stretched out, morphing into a slow, cruel waltz. I could feel the tremors underfoot as Kael’s energy raged, reshaping the very earth. I halted our advance, holding a raised hand as a signal to the vanguard to stop. The torrent of stone, though magnificent, was also unpredictable and deadly.
My gaze darted to the left and right, assessing the safety of my troops. The vanguard was safe enough, far from the reach of the crushing onslaught. But our flank...a knot tightened in my stomach. Caelia’s regiment was dangerously close to the falling debris.
“Pull back! Caelia! Get your company out of there!” I yelled, urging my vanira forward, her chittering shriek causing the soldiers near me to scatter. Osiel looked up from the map as I rode away, his face shocked as he noticed the slide of rubble down the side of the mountain. “Stay here,” I shouted at him. The wind whipped past, carrying my shouts to the company, mixing them with the cries of pain and fear from the toppled archers.
Every second felt like an eternity as I raced towards Caelia’s position. I didn’t know what was between her and Raenisa, but I knew it would break Rae to lose her.
I wouldn’t let it happen.
The scene in front of me was a blur of motion, warriors scattering, attempting to avoid the path of the descending destruction. Caelia, with her golden armor, didn’t seem to notice that she’d be crushed. Her focus was entirely on getting her warriors out, refusing to leave one behind.
