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She frowned, knowing her action would hurt him, but this wasn’t the time to worry about it. She could ask for forgiveness, but she couldn’t ask for him to bring Aunt Evalyn back from the dead if she hadn’t taken action. Aunt Evalyn’s toes hit a rock and she stumbled. Layala caught her with her other arm. The pounding of hundreds of horse hooves charging their way kept her from answering aloud.

A lone black horse rode out ahead of the others and turned their way. Layala smiled at the white star on his forehead and the thick black mane—Midnight. And it turned out he wasn’t alone. Tif rode in the saddle. She looked horrified to be here, but that little creature was braver than she ever thought. Shooting out heavy breath, Midnight stopped before them, and Tif said. “Thought you could use some help.”

“You’re the best, Tifapine.” Layala pushed Aunt Evalyn up until she swung her leg over the other side of Midnight. “Now go. Get far away from here. Both of you.”

Tears welled in Tif’s eyes. “Be safe.”

“And take off Tenebris’s head,” Aunt Evalyn said. “Too long has he been afforded breath after what he’s done.”

“I will,” Layala vowed to them both. The thundering of feet drew her gaze. Both sides charged now with only moments before they clashed. Layala gave one last look. “If I don’t survive this, know I love you both, and tell Thane I loved him and I will find him in the next life. Take my ashes to Briar Hollow and bury me next to my parents.” Before she could let a tear fall, she turned and ran. Because it wasn’t just a battlefield she must survive, it was the Black Mage when she woke him.

Her feet flew over the uneven grass, pushing her legs harder with each breath. Thane was out in front of his soldiers by several yards, alone. Maker, he was a bullheaded fool sometimes. He couldn’t even wait for his Ravens to catch up with him? Her heart thudded hard against her ribs.

She searched the enemy’s side for Tenebris. She didn’t know if she could trust Thane to kill his father when it came down to it, so she’d do it for him. Then they could sneak inside the Void and follow their plan. The line of soldiers rushed forward on foot, deep voices roaring and bellowing the way males did before they clashed in battle. Tenebris’s soldiers wore silver armor, easily distinguishable from the Raven coal.

There the tyrant king was, sitting atop his horse in the back with Aldrich beside him. They would have to fight through hundreds of soldiers to get to him. Thane was seconds from colliding with the first soldiers. Legs and arms pumped faster. Her heart lurched; he swung both swords, blocking a blow and shoving the tip of his other blade straight through chest armor as if it wasn’t even there.

“Fightbringer!”

Layala looked left, one of the Ravens pointed up.

Dax swooped down. His shiny pearl scales glinted in the light like a sword. He dropped low enough she threw out her magic to hook it like a lasso on his back horn and up and up they went. “Tenebris!” was all she could manage to say through heavy breathing. She gripped her magical stalk, and in seconds she flew over the heads of the soldiers, ready to spring when she was close to Tenebris. She glanced over to Vaper plowing into a row of the enemy, bowling them over, slashing her massive claws. The screams of terror and pain were horrid.

When she finally killed Tenebris, she hoped the soldiers would surrender and turn to Thane. He was once their king, the rightful heir.

When the Ravens’ horses collided with the line of Palenor soldiers, a sick crunch of hooves on armor and screams of agony made her want to gag. They were elves, not cursed, not mindless beasts who wanted them dead, but high elves like her, following orders of their king. If she could end Tenebris quickly, it might save them too.

Arrows soared past her head and bounced off Dax. Tenebris was close now, but a swarm of soldiers moved in to block him. Concentrated arrows came down like rain. One deflected off her shoulder. She’d never make it without more protection and Layala had asked Dax not to burn the soldiers down unless it was necessary. It was too gruesome of a way to die. Now if they were pale ones, she’d say burn them all.

Layala held out her hand, summoning that power she once used against the dragon prince. It was in her somewhere, even if she hadn’t mastered it.

A warm pulse left her palm and the arrows stuck into a shimmering wall. It formed around her like a bubble. Tenebris had turned his horse and was making a run toward the Void. Coward. Even if he went inside, it wouldn’t stop her. Dax barked out a roaring dragon call and swung her around cutting off, Tenebris’s escape. She sprang off her vine, landing gracefully on her feet and jerked out her father’s sword. She held it out in front of her and Lightbringer’s blade caught the sunlight. Tenebris shielded his eyes from the glare. Good. It was only fitting she ended his life with it.

Tenebris’s horse reared up, and the fear leaching out of him gave her a level of satisfaction she thought only killing him could bring. Every footstep she took brought her closer to the one thing she’d wanted almost more than anything.

Dax let out another throaty call, and with great whooshes soared back to the main fight.

“Your father cried, you know,” Tenebris said, pulling back on his horse’s reins in her advance. Layala’s vines wrapped around the horse’s legs. He wouldn’t be running. “Cried like a little girl before his head fell to the floor. It made the strangest sound, like a watermelon being split in half. I’ll never forget it.”

The hairs on the back of her neck rose along with the flood of heated anger. “Looks like you don’t have Mathekis to save you this time.”

Somewhere in the distance she heard Thane calling out to her. He was too far away to stop her, if that’s what he wanted. He wouldn’t take this moment.

“Layala!” Thane’s voice grew louder, more frantic, closer. Dragons roared and screeched. Elves screamed and weapons collided but none of that mattered right then.

She continued with determination. It was only then that she noticed a dark cloud had amassed at her feet and followed her steps. She paused a moment, but whatever it was, didn’t stop her. She stood a few feet from Tenebris and raised her chin. “Get off your horse and fight me.”

Body visibly shaking, he took out his sword. She was surprised he even had one. After he slid down, all she could think about was how pathetic he looked standing there with his sword awkward in both hands. It was limp to the left side and his stance was all wrong. His armor didn’t have a scratch, too shiny, unused.

One hard swing clacked against his sword, and he sucked in sharply, face scrunching in horror. She nailed him again and sent him stumbling to the ground. “That’s it? You’re the great King Tenebris, the one I feared for so long?”

He rolled onto his back and reached up with one arm to shield himself. “No, please don’t.” She strode forward and kicked him hard in the face and heard the sickening crack of metal on bone. His head snapped to the side and his temple split from the impact of her armor-toed boots. She stomped down on his hand like he once had to her. “Stop,” he choked.

“Stop?” Layala shook with built-up rage, pressing her weight harder onto his hand, grinding her toes back and forth.She hoped every single one of the bones snapped.

He whimpered, trying to pull his hand away, and slammed his other fist into her armor-covered calf. She barely even noticed the hit.

“Why would I do that?” She dropped down and her fist collided with his cheek, cracking bone. “You’re not so tough now that you don’t have others to fight for you. You created an assassin the day you took my parents, and a monster the day you took my mate from me. Oh, you may have put me down for a minute, but it only made me stronger.” She hit him again and again, letting the fury flow through her. He curled into himself on his side. She stood over him, shaking her head. Maker, he was pathetic.