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“Diana!” It was Warrick’s voice that roared from behind me.

I had no time to turn towards him. Another soldier was already upon me. This one was much smaller and faster than the first. He swung his blade, and it hit mine with a reverberating shock, but this time I had been expecting it. I pushed back with all my might, and he stepped back. I swung the blade down in the same moment, finding the sliver of skin exposed between his arm cuffs and hand. The hand holding his sword severed easily, falling to the throne room floor with a grotesque thump.

I had to stop myself from gagging as blood pooled around the stump, the soldier screaming out and grasping his now severed hand.

“Diana, I never meant for any of this to happen, but you brought this on yourself by coming here!” Warrick cried.

I turned to see him still locked in battle with Puck, and from the looks of it, they were evenly matched. Puck had never been able to defeat Warrick in our one-on-one training sessions, but Warrick was Noctani now. He was faster and stronger. He also had bruising across the back of his neck, the skin around his eye blackened. He had taken a beating—from who I wasn’t sure—but if his fresh injuries were any indication, this wasn’t his first battle of the day.

Another soldier stood between us, a smile on his lips. His lip was split open, blood coating his teeth as he peered down at me. He didn’t swing first but rather came at me with his shoulder, trying to throw me off balance. I stepped back reluctantly, trying my best to keep my footing.

I swung my sword first, and he parried, holding off my blade. I hadn’t had a chance to wipe it off, and it was still coated in the blood of the last two soldiers I had killed. The soldier let out a gruff moan as he pushed back, bringing his sword down again and again.

Each time I met his blows, surprise flitted over his expression. My fingers gripped Stormslayer, and I pulled the blade free from its sheath once more, gripping it tightly in my nondominant hand. When our blades clashed together once more, I used less power in my sword arm, allowing the soldier to fall towards me. Surprise flashed across his expression right before I plunged Stormslayer into his neck. Blood dripped from his mouth, coating his busted lip with fresh crimson.

He fell to his knees, gurgling.

I slid Stormslayer free and turned towards Warrick once more.

“He’s mine,” I ground out between my teeth.

Puck shot a glance at me over his shoulder as he watched me step up to them. He seamlessly backed away from Warrick, allowing me to step in.

“I didn’t want it to come to this, Diana.” Warrick’s voice was strained.

“Too bad,” I said, bringing my sword in an arc towards him. “I thought you weredead.”

He easily batted it away. Warrick was the one who had trained me, after all. After Nik. He knew my moves, and I knew his.

“I was,” he ground out. “Diana, please. I need you to listen to me.” His voice was pleading, and my brow creased in confusion.

“The time for talking has long past,” I replied, my sword clashing powerfully with his.

His face was coated in blood and grime. Any light that had once been in his green eyes had been swallowed by darkness.

“How dare you wear her brand,” I said, motioning towards the breastplate. “How dare you fight against us!”

I ducked low, swinging against the back of his knees. He quickly jumped out of the way before I could sever the back of his legs.

“I never wanted for any of this to happen,” he cried, pushing towards me.

I shook my head as the level of emotion in his voice shocked me. I stepped back, mirroring his steps. “It doesn’t matter what youwanted.”

He stifled a sob as it tried to escape his throat. “I only wanted to save my family.”

“Wewere your family. We could have helped them. There was never a chance in hell Donika would have given them back to you after you betrayed us. You are afool. And now you are simply one of her monsters.” My voice dripped venom as I let the sword fall to my side.

Warrick shook his head. “I didn’t want any of you to risk yourselves to save them. Risk the resistance. I thought I was thinking about the bigger picture.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Didn’t want us to risk ourselves? But you were just as happy to turn us over to save them?”

He could see that I was backing him into a corner and his footsteps turned to the side, bringing us back towards the center of the throne room.

“That was never the plan. I wasn’t going to turn you over to her. I wouldn’t do that.”

I raised a brow at him. “What do you think happened back there?” I asked. “You led her straight to us. And now? Now that you areunder her spell?”

He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I never wanted that. Shetorturedme!”