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My heart stilled. Gods, he was coherent. It could . . . it could fade. “Egil?”

His desperation shifted faster than I could catch a breath. Those bloody lips twisted into a wretched kind of grin. When he spoke again I could nearly hear the battle lord’s voice. “Queen of Choice.”

Egil made a swipe for my middle. I was swifter. The point of my sword slid through the back of his neck. He coughed and tilted forward, then went still.

I scrambled back, dazed, and desperate to focus. The fight wasn’t over. Behind Egil’s body another woman lunged for me.

“The hall! Get to the damn hall!” My heart stilled. Valen. They were coming.

A little longer. Hold them off a little longer.

Metta caught sight of Aesir battling with a Timoran boy, no older than himself, but the boy was trying to tear at Aesir with his bare fingernails.

Herja’s daughter picked up a jagged piece of splintered wood.

“Metta, no!” Lilianna screamed at her granddaughter.

The girl was already rushing toward the cursed boy, unaware a lanky man had her in his sights. Blade lifted, the cursed Timoran aimed to take the princess down, but he jolted when a blade rammed through the center of his chest.

Next to the man, Lilianna was small, humorously so, but she pushed against him. Blood soaked her wrists, her arms. He struggled to keep upright. When she tried to yank her sword free of his chest, it caught.

“Lili!” I screamed. “Get back!”

Lilianna released the sword, she tried to dodge, but the dying Timoran man grabbed her arm. He bit her wrist, shredding her flesh with his teeth. Lilianna screamed and pounded her fist against his skull.

I came behind the bastard and thrust my sword in his ribs. He roared his pain, but took another bite from Lilianna’s shoulder, drawing blood.

It felt greater than an eternity before the cursed man stumbled over, eyes dead and pointed at the rafters.

The door shoved against a few fallen bodies.

“Elise!” Valen shoved. “Elise, answer me. Livia!”

“We’re here.” My voice cracked.

I heard Valen let out a breathless, “Thank the gods.”

In the next breath, Valen burst through, blood soaked, and followed by Halvar, Tor, and Arvad. At long last, Aleksi broke when he saw one of his fathers. The boy lunged for Tor and cried against his chest. Livia wrapped her arms around Valen’s waist. He kissed her head, but his dark, midnight eyes found me across the hall.

For a moment, a simple, fleeting moment, we could be at peace knowing we all breathed.

But Valen’s eyes widened. “Maj?”

All gods. I whirled around. Lilianna was on the ground, gasping. Kari was gently holding her arm.

“G-Go,” Lili rasped, trying to shove Kari away.

“No!” I went to Lilianna’s side. Already her eyes were shading to a deep crimson. Her skin was pallid, almost a sickly gray.

She sneered at me, fighting whatever was happening in her blood.

“Lili.” Arvad slid to his knees, clutching her shoulders.

She shuddered, face contorted in pain. Then, she lashed. At her own husband.

“Night Folk.”

Arvad was a taller build than even his sons. Next to Lilianna he seemed double her size. Still, he dodged, and maneuvered his body behind her, arms fiercely coiled around her waist, pinning her thrashing body to his chest.