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We moved deeper into the forest, one of the trees to our left engulfed in flames like someone had set it ablaze intentionally.Dead bodies were on the sides of the paths, elves clad in regular clothes like they’d been ambushed quicker than they could flee.

We entered the clearing, the sun almost gone from the sky and the battle illuminated by the flames from the trees that surrounded us. It was chaos, monsters in heavy armor that I assumed were orcs, past the height of my father with thick muscles and big teeth protruding from their ugly faces. The men who fought alongside them were different from us—because they hid their faces. A golden plate covered their features, pronounced cheekbones and jawlines molded into the metal with a ring of spikes along the side. The rest of their heads and necks were covered by a dark garment, almost like a scarf. Their armor was black with hints of maroon. The color and design made it clear they were from a faraway place.

I knew it was the same people who had killed my crew because of the accents of gold they wore. Even their swords were made of gold. I’d seen gold with my own eyes, but it was a rare element, rarely used for decoration or armor because it was too precious to be squandered. But they had a bounty of it.

I snapped out of my stare when one of the orcs slayed an elf then turned on me.

“Lily.”

Instinct kicked in, and I caught his blade with my own before I spun it down then kicked him in the knee. The orc clearly underestimated me because I was a woman. He probably would have moved faster otherwise. While he was momentarily distracted by his knee, I stabbed my blade into the small pocket at the front of his armor near his neck. I inserted it clean inside, severing his spine underneath.

He collapsed, another corpse on the battlefield.

“Your feet.”

“I killed him?—”

“But you could have killed him quicker,” Wrath snapped. “And every drop of energy counts in a battle.”

The two lieutenants stayed with me, but they were too busy fighting their own opponents to notice me speaking to someone who wasn’t there. We remained a trio, our backs facing one another as we felled the orcs and Barbarians who came for us.

When the first Barbarian came for me, I immediately learned he was a more difficult opponent. Smarter. Faster. And he didn’t underestimate me like the orcs did. The fact that I was a woman made no difference to him, and he moved for my throat like he wanted me dead quicker than a roach.

Wrath guided my sight when I needed it. “Block. And block again.” He watched the Barbarian and analyzed his habits quickly before reporting his findings to me. “You won’t be able to find an opening with your sword. You’ll need your dagger at the first opportunity.”

I continued to battle the Barbarian with my sword, the two of us locked in a dance that moved back and forth. When the Barbarian realized my power, he seemed to take my defeat as a challenge and came at me harder and faster, determined to squash me and humiliate me for bothering to fight.

“Wait for him to tire. Block his sword and stab your dagger under his arm when it’s raised.”

The exchange happened the way he said it would, and when that opening came, I continued to block his sword with mine as Iquickly reached for my dagger and stabbed it into the opening between his armor and his shoulder. I stabbed deep, sideways toward his heart.

He screamed before he stumbled.

“Finish him.”

I gripped my sword with both hands and sliced it clean through his neck.

“Yes,Xivin.”

When I looked around, I saw that one of the lieutenants had died. He bled out on the grass a few feet away.

“Your side is outnumbered.” Wrath surveyed the battle like he could see beyond our position. “If you don’t kill more of their kind, you’ll be overrun. Your men may have the power of dragons, but there are just too many of them.”

“Is my father okay?”

He stared into the throng again. “He’s felled more enemies than anyone.”

“Of course he has.”

Wrath came back to me. “I know you’re weary, but you need to fight harder. Fight more efficiently.”

“I’m not tired.” I lied through my teeth, lied so well, I believed it to be true.

Wrath didn’t question me. “Then fight on.”

After what felt like an eternity, I felt the fatigue scream in my muscles. I’d defeated orcs and Barbarians, more than I could count, and the other lieutenant who was supposed to protect me had either died or become separated from me.

I lowered my sword to my side because everyone else was engaged in battle. I had a moment of reprieve, and rather than help a comrade, I needed to take it.