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This time … If we had to be responsible for bloody slaughter anyway, at least there’d be two of us.

Chapter 23

Wewerestillgatheringweapons and clearing the deck when the surviving fae rose from their ships, gathering in a long, triangular formation between us and the shores of Tolya.

Against the stark blue sky, the remainder of Iorgas’s army resembled a swarm of crows flocking towards the smell of death – every single one of them dressed in black, their weapons reflecting the bright sunlight. No sound of their approach reached us yet, distant as we were. The creaking and groaning of our ship grew twice as loud to my ears in that unreal, ominous silence, and as I threw the last sword onto the small heap I’d built by the mast, it took an effort not to flinch at the obnoxiously loud clattering of steel against steel.

Creon, of course, didn’t move. He leaned against the taffrail where he’d just chucked the last corpse overboard, watching the steady approach of Iorgas and his warriors with nothing but the faintest smile on his lips. An invitation of the most menacing sort, reminding me faintly of a spider spinning a pretty, glittery web for its prey.

‘How many of them would you guess there are?’ I muttered as I positioned myself beside him, planting my elbows on the polished wood of the railing.

He cocked his head.A little over a hundred.

‘Fuck,’ I said.

Creon chuckled.

It wasn’t even fear, the sharp-toothed emotion in my lower belly – not exactly. Rather … I rubbed my eyes and added, ‘How in hell did I become the sort of person taking on fifty fae at once?’

I’ve been told once or twice I’m a horrible influence, Creon dryly signed.

I laughed despite myself. He straightened, tucked a long, fluttering lock at his temple behind his pointed ear, and casually flicked a spark of yellow magic at my dress. The soft surface I’d used to shove some dead fae into the sea restored itself, turning my dress back into a lush, if terribly unflattering, velvet.

‘Alright.’ I straightened my back as well, not daring to look away from the approaching force. They were close enough now for us to hear the shouts of their commanders and the whooshing slaps of their wings against the briny sea air. Was that as close as Zera’s temple wall had been when I threw my blanket into it with soft magic? No, that had been a slightly shorter distance. ‘I’m ready.’

Creon just smiled – a smile that said,You always are.

I swallowed something dry and painful. I’d damn well prove him right.

Closer and closer our attackers flew – an impenetrable wall of wings and blades, near enough for us to distinguish their faces, to recognise gritted jaws and furious eyes. Pulse thumping in my throat, I waited.Justa little closer …

This was still too far for most magic attacks. The distance would water down the force of my red, and most of them would not even wield enough power to reach this far. But a sharp edge of steel would do as much damage as a burst of red magic could, and we had blades in abundance after our scavenging of the past minutes.

I could see their knuckles now, tensed white around the hilts of their weapons.

With a quick step back, I turned towards my first pile of blades, lowered my left hand to my plush dress, and let the magic flow through me. A sound like a whiplash cracked through the air. My carefully sorted swords and knives launched themselves from the deck with no regard for flesh or gravity, flinging themselves at the tightly-knit formation of fae with a force that turned my dress into bland, flat cloth. Voices cried out in pain and surprise, blood splattered in the corners of my sight, and Creon’s magic flashed over me, restoring the soft black velvet once again.

I didn’t give our opponents time to realise what in hell had happened before I flung the next armful of weapons at them.

A few dark shapes tumbled into the waves when I dared to glance their way. Most of them were luckier, and the first blasts of blue magic were already restoring some of the damage I’d done … But their advance had slowed, and their neat formation had scattered as fae ducked away and dove after injured friends. Only a handful of individuals had not yet realised this was the moment to slow down, and before they could turn around and join the rest of the group again, Creon’s red flashed, cutting through their wings like a hot knife through butter.

Their screams as they went down did not seem to boost the morale among their friends. At the most vulnerable ends of the line, fae hesitated with the shock of small predators who’d abruptly figured out they weren’t at the top of the food chain at all.

I gave them my most witless smile, that giggle-adjacent expression that had worked so well to placate the Mother.

The fae closest to me swerved another few feet back.

Creon casually cut a few others from the air, then turned a quarter turn towards me as fae dashed back and their commanders bellowed loud orders to restore the formation.Em?

‘What is it?’ My heart was a loud drum in my ears. I barely dared to look at his signs, gaze clinging to the army as it hurried back in line, ready to wash over us once again.

My magic is giving me trouble for some of them. Guessing it’s the ones she likes most.

He didn’t need to elaborate. The Mother’s preferences – strong enough for the death of some of these fae to cause her indirect harm and invoke the bindings, even here, miles and miles away from her throne. We’d predicted it, and yet I felt like cursing at the confirmation.

‘Which of them do you expect will be problematic?’ I muttered, scanning their lines with watchful eyes.

Purple wings at the back. Blond one with the absurd helmet. The one who’s shouting – that’s Iorgas.He paused for a moment, then added with hurried gestures,Can handle the rest.