Page 15

K ian

I jump to my feet, drawing my sword, although it is of no use against a conjurer.

A conjurer and a powerful one, at that, judging by the thickness of the black veins visible on his pale skin.

The others shake their heads to clear them, picking up their swords, hate in their eyes as they come for us.

The conjurer steps to the side, a smile toying with his lips. The fae rush at us, screaming a battle cry. McColl steps up beside me, her hands held high and glowing. At least she still has her magic, which is good since we are surrounded.

“Back-to-back,” I shout, and we step in together in a tight formation.

I hear a crack, followed by a sizzle and a cry of pain. The scent of magic is thick in the air. There is another crackle from behind me as my sword clashes with the first fae to attack.

The battle is frenzied, with fae coming at us from all sides.

McColl’s magic continues to crackle in the air as she fends off attackers, her power a bright beacon in the semi-darkness at the edge of the forest. I fight with all my might, parrying blows and striking back whenever I see an opening.

I wound a fae and kill another. They keep coming. There are so many of them.

The conjurer circles around us, his dark eyes gleaming as he watches the chaos unfold.

He still has that evil smile plastered on his face.

It’s eerie. He is using the fae to weaken us before he steps in to finish it.

To finish us. Right now, it feels like his plan is going to work, which irritates the hell out of me.

I injure another fae, who falls back, clutching his arm. It won’t be long before he is back.

“Give up now!” Ondine shouts as he rushes at me.

“Never!” I snarl, sounding far more confident than I am.

I block Ondine’s strike with a swift parry, our swords clashing in a shower of sparks. The fae around us continue to press forward, their attacks relentless. McColl’s magic lashes out, knocking down several of our assailants. Only one stays down; the rest leap back to their feet.

The conjurer remains untouched, his dark energy sizzling in the air. As the battle rages on, I can feel my strength waning. The weight of my sword feels heavier with each swing. I glance over at McColl; concern is etched on her face as she fights off multiple foes at once.

She waves her hands, chanting words I don’t understand, and Ondine’s sword clashes against the magical shield. When he is struck by one of her lightning bolts, he falls back, clasping his arm, his sword falling to the churned-up ground below.

The others strike against the same shield, sparks flying as their swords clang uselessly.

“It’s weakening,” McColl says between gritted teeth. “The shield.” She’s struggling. That much is clear.

I make a decision to use my power. By now, Snow will know exactly where I am. It is said that she can see through the eyes of the fae…all of them. Not my eyes, it would seem.

I touch my chest. My mark is beneath the fabric of my tunic. There are runes hidden within an elaborate design. Perhaps they have something to do with it.

The time has come to fight fire with fire. I only hope that McColl and I together will be enough to stand against the conjurer.

I pull my magic to the fore. It feels strange. Unlike McColl, I have only used it once or twice. I have never been taught how to wield magic. I have no idea what I am doing. I will need to rely on instinct like I did before.

I keep pulling it to the fore and am shocked when there is even more than before. My veins burn with it. It rushes through me. The hair all over my body stands on end as I break out in gooseflesh. I’m powerful.

Good!

We need it. All of it.

I’m sure we won’t be able to kill the conjurer, but if we could just incapacitate him for a short while, we might be able to get away.

I’m hoping it will work.

I drop the sword as a fae comes at me and lift my hand, sending a bolt his way.

It misses. I try again using both hands, and a lightning bolt blows him into pieces.

His chest explodes, blood spattering, pieces of smoldering flesh flying.

I stagger back from the force of my power. Kakara’s cat! The fae is obliterated.

My mouth falls open. It worked.

It’s not exactly what I had in mind, but it worked. I can kill more of them.

Three more guards rush me, and I strike, using my magic.

I don’t have huge amounts of control and no finesse to speak of, but thankfully, it isn’t needed right now.

Fae come at me, and they fall to the ground, lifeless, smoke curling from their broken bodies.

The fae behind them exchange looks and turn tail and run.

I look down at my hands. I’m powerful. Clumsy but strong.

I turn my attention to the conjurer. His eyes widen in surprise as I focus my magic on him, a blast of energy hurtling toward him. He raises his hands, a grin forming on his face as he turns my own magic back on me.

McColl steps in front of me, whispering a spell. She manages to erect a shield, but it isn’t strong enough. We are both thrown back by the sheer force of the bolt.

The conjurer laughs. “Give up. You don’t stand a chance against me.” He folds his arms.

The remaining fae guards circle us. There are still too many of them. I spot several of the wounded among them and curse our superior healing ability.

“What now?” McColl whispers as we jump to our feet. Her hands are glowing. Her brow is beaded with sweat. I’m sure that she is fortifying a shield spell.

“We can’t keep this up for much longer.” She glances at the conjurer, who looks bemused. He takes a step back, letting his arms relax at his sides. Content to let the guards have at us again.

“Stand down,” Ondine begs. He is cradling one of his arms; blood drips between his fingers, spattering on the ground at his feet. He limps toward us, stopping. “Please.”

I shake my head.

“We need the fae alive,” he tells the conjurer. “By order of the queen.”

“And the witch?” The conjurer narrows his eyes on McColl.

“The witch is mine,” one of the bigger fae guards sneers. He’s a brute of a male. I can guess who he is. “I’m willing to give anything to have her.”

“Anything?” the conjurer says, cocking his head. “Interesting. I will give it some thought.”

I press the handle of a dagger into her hand. “Take this. They want me…not you. Let’s split up.”

She shakes her head. “It’s too danger—”

“Most of them will come after me, including the conjurer. You will be able to handle the few who follow you.”

She shakes her head, her eyes on the big guard.

“Him, too,” I say. “While you still have the energy to fight. Remember to take his heart or his head…make sure you kill him this time.” At this rate, it won’t be long before we are exhausted. We can’t go on like this.

“You can’t escape him,” she whispers.

“I’ll find a way.” It isn’t a great plan, but at least McColl will be out of harm’s way.

The way I see it, we’ll have a fighting chance.

“If you get away…and I am captured, go back to your people. Tell them that they need to fight against her . That—” I start to say, but I’m interrupted by a screech from above.

In the next breath, a great dragon swoops down from out of the haze. Fire rains down, burning everything below.

The heat sears my skin, my hair, even my eyes.

I grab McColl and cover her body with mine.

I do my best to shield us with my magic, but I don’t think I am very successful.

My magic has now grown beyond my capabilities.

From the way McColl is glowing beneath me, I would say that she is the one holding the spell more than I am. I only pray that it is enough.

The fae guards who are not engulfed in flames scatter, their cries mixing with the roar of the dragon as it circles above us.

The bridge is consumed in flames, the wood crackling and splintering under the intense heat.

The forest behind us is burning, too, despite everything being wet from the relentless rain.

Everywhere is fire and smoke and ash.

I can hear the panicked whinnies of our horses in the distance, their fear palpable even over the roar of the inferno.

McColl coughs, her hand reaching out for mine in the swirling smoke and ash. The air is thick with acrid smoke, making it difficult to see or breathe. We need to move, to find a way out of this fiery nightmare.

“Come on,” I cough out, pulling her up to her feet. “We need to get—” I gasp when I see it.

“He’s gone,” McColl whispers, her gaze tracking mine.

There is a hole in the blackened earth where the conjurer used to be.

His magic was no match for a dragon. There are more blackened mounds where other fae guards have fallen.

The few left are running as fast as their legs will carry them.

There is no chance to celebrate our good fortune.

We need to get out of here before we are burned to a crisp as well.

“We need to go,” I say.

The dragon swoops back down directly above us, its fiery breath illuminating the carnage around us.

I pull McColl toward the cover of a nearby copse of trees.

Her gaze is on the great beast. The heat is intense, burning my skin and making it difficult to breathe.

We stumble forward, our eyes stinging as we try to find a path out of the blazing inferno.

McColl’s magic flickers around us, creating a shimmering barrier that offers some protection from the flames.

My own power runs through my veins, but I am not proficient at actually wielding it. I could end up doing more harm than good, so I don’t even try to use it.

The dragon roars, landing beside us, its claws digging into the ground. There is a rider on its back.

I stop, holding fast to McColl, who is forced to stop, too.

She tugs at my hand. “What are you doing?” she shrieks. “We need to run. To get away.”

“Orion?” I yell. “Is that you?” I narrow my eyes. It’s hard to see through all the smoke and ash, but I’m sure I recognize him.

More so, now that I am really looking. I think I recognize his dragon, too. Her scales are black like tar, with sprinkles of gold along her horns and ridges. I can’t remember her name. Not for the life of me, but I’m sure it’s her.

“Hello, old friend,” his voice booms through the crackles of the fire.

McColl screams, and for a moment, I think it’s because of her fear of the dragon. I turn and realize that it isn’t that at all. Ice fills my veins as I see a fae holding McColl with a blade to her throat.

“Drop the knife,” I tell the fae guard.

“No,” he shouts. One side of his face is burned and blistered. The other is smeared with grime and soot. “Fix me, witch, or so help me, I will slit your throat,” the fae screams. It’s the one who attacked her.

“Fine. I’ll do as you ask, but I need to turn around,” she says. “I need to chant a spell. I can’t…um…I can’t do that with a knife at my throat.” A drop of blood tracks down her throat from where the blade is pressed against her skin.

“No. Do it now! I know you can. Fix me, and I’ll let you go.” I can tell from the look in his eye that it isn’t going to happen. He’s going to kill her as soon as she casts the spell.

The dragon screeches, and the bastard whimpers, lifting the blade as he raises his gaze to where the dragon is crouched.

As soon as he gives her the gap, McColl acts quickly. She elbows the fae while lifting a magic shield and ducking out from under him. The fae swipes at her, sparks flying when the blade hits the shield.

McColl throws a bolt at him, and he falls onto his back. He’s groaning and writhing, clutching a wound on his belly.

“You’re dead,” he shouts. “You’re dead, bitch!”

I pick up a nearby discarded sword and, with one sweep, I remove his head from his shoulders. The fae screams profanities until his head rolls.

“No, you’re dead! What a waste of air,” I mutter.

Then I drop the bloody sword and close the distance between us, putting my hands on McColl’s waist. Her eyes are wide, and she’s panting. Her face is white beneath the streaks of dirt and blood. She’s panicking a little, and I can’t say I blame her.

“Are you okay?”

She chokes out a laugh. “I am now.” She swallows thickly. “Thank you.”

“You did all the hard work. Once again, I’m impressed.”

“I hate to break this up, but we need to go,” Orion shouts from behind me.

I push out a heavy breath. “It’s fine,” I tell McColl, letting her go. “We can trust him.”

She nods once, even though her lip trembles in fear. The whites of her eyes are still overly large. “And the dragon? It’s him I’m worried about.”

“We’re safe,” I tell her, giving her hand a squeeze. “And the dragon is a her.”

Orion slides down his dragon’s leg. He is dressed in riding leathers.

“Kian,” he says. “You’re back.” He is grinning broadly as he walks up to us. He pulls me into a bear hug, smacking me once on the back. “Looks like I got here just in time. Delphine and I saved your ass.”

“You sure did.” I laugh as we let go of each other. “It’s good to see you, old friend.”

Orion’s gaze lands on McColl. “Who is your lady friend?” He sniffs the air. “That was nice work. You can wield magic?”

I ignore the question. “This is McColl. She helped me escape. McColl, this is my friend Orion.”

“Hi…um…” Her eyes are firmly on the dragon, who stands quite still except for the occasional blink of an eye. “It’s nice to meet you.” She still doesn’t take her eyes off the beast. “I’m sorry; I’ve never seen a dragon before. I’ve only ever read about them.”

“You are quite safe,” Orion says. “We are tethered…ahhh…bonded, I suppose you could say. Delphine does my bidding.”

The dragon turns her great head, looking at Orion. She snorts in clear disgust, a plume of smoke rising from her nostrils.

“Okay…okay…girl. We understand each other?” He lifts his brows. “Is that better?”

The dragon huffs, looking away.

“I suggest we get going before more guards arrive. I saw several groups of them headed this way and from different directions. It would seem that you are wanted.” He grins.

“Our horses are gone.” McColl looks longingly into the distance.

“No.” Orion shakes his head. “Horses will not get you past all the fae closing in. We’re all going to have to ride my dragon.” He turns and pets his beast’s neck. “Who wants to mount up first?”