Page 53

Chapter Fifty-Three

Jasce

Darkness envelops me as I weave through the Whispering Woods, the ancient trees muffling the sounds of my approach.

I glance back at my warriors following close behind me. We’re hunters tonight, and Asha has no idea we’re coming.

From the riverbank, a sudden uproar breaks the stillness of the night as shouts and the clash of swords echo through the air.

Jude’s decoy has begun.

“That’s our signal,” I say.

We burst out of the underbrush, descending upon Asha’s army and tearing into their ranks before they can mount a proper defense.

I engage with the first soldier to cross my path, parrying his panicked strike and running him through with a vicious thrust. He collapses without a sound, and I turn my attention to my next foe.

A Watcher attacks me, and we trade several blows. When he overreaches, I slam my blade through the weak point in his armor beneath his ribs.

As he collapses to the ground, I call on my magic, and crimson flames erupt from my palms, engulfing three of Asha’s warriors.

Their screams pierce the night as they collapse, and I engage another Watcher.

I feint left, then drive my knee into his gut.

He stumbles, and I slam my pommel into his face.

His mask cracks, blood spraying everywhere.

There will be no mercy tonight. Only justice. Only vengeance.

Two more soldiers charge at me, and I unleash a wave of flames that melts the ground beneath their feet. They sink into the molten earth, howling.

A spear thrust nearly catches my shoulder. I duck and roll, coming up with both sword and magic ready. The spearman backs away, but he’s too slow. My blade takes his hand at the wrist, and before he can scream, I engulf him in fire.

The battle continues, but all I see is Annora’s face. All I feel is the way she trembled in my arms.

I’ll burn everyone who ever tried to harm her. Kill anyone who made her sad.

Blood drips from my blade as another body falls at my feet—each death bringing me closer to avenging what they did to her.

They wanted war? I’ll give them war. I’ll burn everything that stands between us to ash.

For Annora. Always for her.

Through the chaos, I catch sight of Reeve locked in combat with two Watchers. His shadowfire pulses around him, but he relies on steel more than magic.

When a House of Silver warrior charges at me with an axe, I sidestep, letting his momentum carry him past. Then, with a quick slash, I open his throat.

Another takes his place. And another. I lose count of how many fall to my revenge.

I spot Jude in my peripheral vision, fighting back-to-back with one of our warriors. His sword work is clean—efficient, with no wasted movement. He trained for summers to achieve that level of control.

One of their warrior’s blade slices my arm, but I barely feel it as I respond with a blast of crimson fire that melts through his mask and into his face. His screams cut off as my sword finds his heart.

Three more soldiers surround me, and I spin between them, blade singing. The first loses his sword hand. The second loses his head. The third tries to retreat, but my flames catch him.

Across the field, I spot Asha, her eyes fierce. She raises a hand, signaling a retreat, and the Watchers close ranks around her, creating a barrier.

“No,” I shout as I cut down another enemy. “We can’t let them escape.”

Reeve’s shadowfire coalesces around a group of fleeing soldiers, but more take their place. For every warrior we cut down, two more appear to cover their escape.

I blast flames at the Watchers’ shield wall, but they absorb the impact, their armor enchanted against fire magic.

“Jude. From the left,” I command as I try to split their forces.

He leads the charge, but the Watchers pivot smoothly, maintaining their protective barrier around Asha.

I cut down another soldier who strays too close, but it’s pointless. For every step we take forward, they take two back, maintaining perfect formation as they disappear into the darkness of the Whispering Woods.

Frustration surges through me as I yell out. “Pull back and regroup.”

My brothers nod and order their warriors to regroup.

The sounds of battle fade, replaced by the moans of the dying and injured.

I scan the battlefield, where the bodies of House of Crimson and House of Silver warriors litter the ground, along with Watchers.

Reeve appears at my side, his face and armor splattered with blood. “What do you want me to do with their injured?”

“Show them no mercy,” I say, thinking of Annora, thinking of everything she suffered.

Never again!

Reeve stays silent for several moments before speaking. “Are you sure about this?”

I meet his stare without flinching. “They made their choice when they followed Asha and Aleksander. We can’t risk them regrouping.”

Asha and the Watchers showed us no mercy.

And they’ll find none here.