Page 21 of A Monarch's Fall

Sasha approached me from behind and came to my side, ripping a section off from the bottom of her top to dab at my bloodied cheek.

“That better be the last of them!” Efstratios said as he threw his opponent’s limp body to the side, wiping blood from his lips.

“This is no time to dine.” I laughed.

He grinned his gapful grin.

“This is thirsty work,” he joked.

The crackle of a radio distracted us. We turned towards the harsh noise — a voice trying to break through the static.

“It’s not mine,” Efstratios informed, and he walked towards the source of the noise, crouching to roll over the body of a combatant.

The distorted voice grew louder, and Efstratios ripped the radio from the military-style vest of the body, twisting the dials until the voice became clear.

“Retreat. Repeat…Retreat, Retreat. All units, anyone left, retreat.”

Gunshots.

The voice stopped.

Another gummy grin from Efstratios, “Was victory ever really in doubt?” he asked, chucking the radio as he stood and rubbed dust and gore from his forearm.

“You thought it was the end?” Sasha asked me, nudging me with her shoulder, a slight tone of amusement in her voice.

“Never,” I lied with a smile, pleased I hadn’t lost any of my teeth.

“Mhh-hmm,” Sasha hummed, taking hold of my shirt, which was once a deep red but was now closer to the grey of the rubble and ash that surrounded us.

I allowed her to pull me closer, and I tilted her chin upwards so that I could kiss her.

Efstratios coughed behind us.

“Sorry,” Sasha laughed as I released her from our brief kiss. I wanted more of her taste.

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” he grinned, “But I suspect, despite the call to retreat from our enemies, that this battle is far from over.”

I nodded.

“I need to regain contact with The Ardens’ Guard. We need to cull the stragglers fleeing, or those still wishing for death, and assess the real damage to our men and the estate,” he continued.

“Lydia’s venom has afflicted Selene, and Percy is in the maze,” Sasha supplied hastily as if only just remembering.

“Selene? Lydia’s venom? How?” I questioned. Lydia was well, Lydia. She surely wasn’t capable of getting a bite on Selene.

“I’m more stuck on the maze,” Efstratios interjected.

“She went in of her own accord,” Sasha answered, and something about her was off — a lie? No. Guilt. “Don’t give me that look,” she warned me. “I didn’t suggest she go in alone,” Sasha defended.

I felt my eyebrows rise in surprise. Did my wife intend to enter the maze together with Percy?

Witches were known to be subversive, truly only loyal to their covens and sisterhood — Matriarchy at its finest. While men were capable of magic, it was often subdued. In witching lineage, there were no histories involving any prominent male coven members.

The maze was birthed from inter-coven magic; only inter-coven magic could theoretically control or destroy the maze.

Had Sasha planned to break the most sacred law among her witching kind to save her and Percy?

The guilty look she held was my answer.