Page 3 of Into the Dawn (The Arcadians #4)

Dominic cursed viciously as he felt the echo of his brother’s pain.

He was angry that Ronan had to take on a dozen rogues on his own, but he was even more furious with himself for not being there to help him. If he could slip past the rogues near him without being seen, he could find a way to help his brother.

“Spread out and search,” one of the rogues suddenly demanded. “The other prince has to be close since my brother’s team is fighting one of them.”

Well, fuck.

That meant he didn’t have much time. He wasn’t in a very good hiding spot.

If things didn’t go his way and the rogues conducted a thorough search, he would end up being seen.

He would try to wait it out, or he could launch a surprise attack of his own.

He prepared to move but froze again when Ronan’s harsh reprimand reached him.

“What in bloody hellfire do you think you are doing? Remain hidden and do not give away your location. Contact our fathers for reinforcements. I can handle this until they get here.”

Not wanting to distract his brother by arguing, Dominic reached out to one of his fathers, King Sonin. “Father, Ronan and I have encountered two groups of rogues, and we need aid. We need you to send out warriors to the west, near the waterfalls.”

Even though they mostly ran their kingdom from the comfort of their thrones now, Kings Teje, Sonin, and Auro were still warriors at heart.

Sonin was the one who still retained the closest relationship with all the warriors since he often trained with them for his own amusement.

Because of that, he would have a better idea of who he could trust to send out as reinforcements.

“Tell us what happened,” Sonin demanded immediately.

Since all of his fathers were now listening, Dominic gave them a quick, concise recap.

“I will lead a few of the guards to collect the younglings,” Sonin stated. “Some of our warriors are clearly compromised, but we need time to investigate and sort them out.”

“I will check on the Dalkis brothers to make sure they are indeed ill,” Auro said, mentioning Axis, Bastion, and Keo’s regular guards. “ They might have been targeted to ensure the younglings would be without protection today. We must remain cautious if there are traitors in our midst.”

“If there are, I will rip their throats out when we find them,” Teje growled. “Do not worry, son. We are on our way.”

“Nay,” Dominic countered frantically. “This may be a trap to lure all of the Karos males out of the palace. You should stay and protect Mother and our kingdom.”

“He is right,” Sonin admitted. “The two of you should remain in the palace while I go fetch our sons.”

“That is not—” Auro began but was cut off.

“We cannot waste any more time arguing,” Teje snapped .

“Bastion just reported that there is another group of intruders searching for them by the caverns. They are safe for now, but the rogues seemed to be aware that the trio is in the area. Go, Sonin. Take a group and collect our younglings. Dom, we are sending aid to you and Ronan now. Good hunting.”

Dominic cut the connection before they could demand he promise to stay hidden since he had no intention to do so.

While that would have been a lot smarter, he wouldn’t risk his brother’s well-being by waiting.

They were warriors, born and bred to fight.

More than that, as princes, they had a responsibility to defend their kingdom.

The weight of that duty was a reminder of the legacy they were meant to uphold.

Every decision they made was influenced by the need to safeguard their kingdom and their people, but their first priority was—and always would be—each other.

The bond between the brothers was unbreakable, forged through their intrinsic connection and shared experiences.

They were a vital extension of one another, and after the loss of their other brother Eron, Dominic and Ronan understood one undeniable truth.

They would live or die together.

Even though Ronan was blocking him from feeling his pain, Dominic could still feel an echo of it through their bond. He didn’t want to distract him so he didn’t reach out to speak to him. Still, he tried to monitor his brother to assess just how bad the situation was.

There was unmistakably a coup unfolding within their kingdom, but the mechanics of the power struggle were beyond his immediate concern. He trusted that his fathers and mother, with their wisdom and experience, would figure that out.

At the moment, his sole focus was on survival.

He debated trying to slip past the rogues unnoticed but quickly realized that would be impossible.

And since they were thoroughly searching the area rather than moving on, it wouldn’t take them long to discover where he was hiding either.

Pulling a knife from the sheath on his vest, he rose up behind the closest rogue and covered his mouth as he slit his throat.

The surprise attack went unnoticed as Dominic carefully lowered the body to the ground without making a sound.

The wind shifted and gave him a subtle warning.

Spinning around, he flung the knife in his hand at the male who had been sneaking up behind him.

The rogue let out a gargling sound as he gripped the hilt of the blade buried deep in his chest, then he collapsed on the ground.

Alerted by the sound, the remaining rogues raced toward him.

Dominic brandished his sword and prepared himself for battle.

He’d wanted to make quick work of defeating his foes, but that was turning out to be more difficult than he’d first believed.

The males he faced were highly skilled. There was no doubt about that.

But the way they moved was familiar.

Too familiar.

He’d never seen the males before, but the way they fought was in the style that all the warriors of the Western Forest used.

That indicated they undeniably had traitors within their ranks.

His blood boiled at the thought of that, and he used the rage he was feeling to strike out with renewed fervor. The fight was relentless, a whirlwind of chaos and violence. He managed to kill a few more, but his victory had taken too damn long.

He hated to admit it, but his energy was depleting fast. While he hadn’t been severely wounded, blood seeped from the cuts on his exposed flesh. He also felt the brutal punch of the bruises left behind on his body.

His friends had created the leather vest and pants he was wearing using their magic.

The impenetrable clothing helped protect all of his vital organs, but it couldn’t shield him from everything.

He had long-sleeved tunics made of the same material, but he hated the feeling of his arms being restricted, which was why he rarely wore them.

He was deeply regretting that now.

One of the last remaining males was a big brute with arms the size of tree trunks.

He tried to grab hold of Dominic from behind, but he was able to evade him.

His muscles strained and burned with the exertion of the fight, but he pushed through the pain and fatigue, determined to finish it as quickly as possible.

His brother was depending on him, and failure was not an option.

Before he could deliver a fatal blow, he had to spin away to block a vicious swipe to his side from the other rogue.

He dove into a tumbling roll, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike.

As he regained his feet, he swiftly countered and killed his opponent.

With an enraged shout, the big brute attacked again.

The clash of steel rang out as they faced off.

Each time he blocked another sword strike, his arms vibrated from the sheer force of the blows.

Dominic was finally able to defeat him with a vicious swipe across his opponent’s belly.

When the rogue fell, the silence that followed was almost deafening, a stark contrast to the cacophony of the battle he’d won.

Not sparing his fallen foe another glance, he broke into a run, determined to reach his brother.

As he raced through the dense forest, the rhythmic pounding of his heart echoed in his ears. Every step he took felt like an eternity, and the distance seemed to stretch on endlessly. He desperately wanted to reach out to Ronan and push past the block, but he didn’t want to distract him.

It was enough to know that his brother was still breathing.

As the distant sounds of fighting grew louder, he pushed himself harder, summoning every ounce of strength he had to run faster. His legs burned, and his sword felt heavy in his hand, but he ignored that discomfort.

The forest was usually a place of solace and comfort for him, but now it felt like a labyrinth of doom. As he raced toward the fight, he was so focused on getting to his brother that he almost missed the attack coming at him from the side.

He reacted just in time to block the arrow that had been aimed at his head, then he swatted away several more using his sword.

Another group of attackers had been waiting for him to arrive.

When the males raced out of the shadows toward him, he mentally cursed.

Despite their ragged attire, these males were clean, fit, and ready to fight.

Most of them were wearing masks over the lower half of their faces, which told him they must be people he knew or was familiar with.

That enraged him even as it broke his heart a little.

To borrow a phrase from his friends from the Sands, this was turning out to be a clusterfuck of epic proportions.

The attack was proof that their kingdom had been infiltrated by the enemy.

After the events of the day, he wasn’t surprised by that revelation.

However, now that all the pieces were finally coming together to give him a clearer picture, he realized just how foolish they had been.

The attacks hadn’t been random. It was a war of attrition, designed to wear them down individually. Their adversaries had meticulously planned their moves to trap all of the Karos males, and it had worked. While they had been caught unaware, they would not go down without a fight.

“Glad you could join me,” Ronan said through their bond. “These bastards are like bloody insects. Every time I put one down, two more seem to pop up.”

Relief swept through Dominic when he heard his brother’s voice. “There was another group lying in wait, waiting to ambush me. Our fathers are sending help. They should be here soon.”

“Good, since I do not know how much longer I can last.”

The brutal honesty in his tone worried Dominic more than anything. As the fighting continued, he had to face the reality that both he and his brother were approaching their limits, but they would never willingly give up, so they had no choice but to continue to fight until help arrived.

A powerful kick to the belly sent Dominic flying backward against a thick tree trunk, and he grunted with pain at the hard impact.

It was a fledgling mistake, but fatigue, blood loss, and sheer exhaustion were making it nearly impossible to function properly.

He tried to shake off the blow, but his efforts were abruptly halted by the cold, unyielding point of a sword pressed against his neck.

Another male came up behind him, stepping on Dominic’s sword to prevent him from lifting it. The second rogue grabbed hold of his long hair, wrapping it around his fist and using it to jerk his head up, exposing his throat.

He had fucked up, and now there was no escape.

Faced with the real likelihood of death, he couldn’t help but reflect on his mistakes.

However, the aches and pain in his body were nothing compared to the anguish he felt knowing that he had let everyone down.

His family and his kingdom had been counting on him, but he had failed his mission to protect them.

“Stop it,” Ronan snapped through their bond. “Do not think like that. The fight is not over until we are no longer breathing.”

That reminder was enough to harden Dominic’s resolve. His brother was right. He wasn’t dead yet. As the sword’s edge bit into his skin, he pushed aside the fear and doubt, letting his instincts take over.

“Death to the Karos Kingdom. It is time for a new reign,” the rogue hissed.

Before the sword could cut any deeper, Dominic surprised his attackers by jerking his head to the side and throwing himself forward.

Rather than his neck, the sword sliced through his long hair, leaving it falling around his shoulders in thick, wavy strands.

Most warriors kept their hair long as a sign of status and prestige, but he wouldn’t miss it.

Not if it meant surviving.

He collided with the male’s legs in front of him, catching him off guard, so he tumbled to the ground. In a fluid motion, he rolled across the ground and pulled another knife out of the sheath on his vest. Rising onto his feet, he rounded on the other rogue, prepared to take him out.

Before he could stab his opponent, the rogue’s body disintegrated into a cloud of bloody dust that was carried off on the breeze.

The sudden transformation left him momentarily stunned, his knife still poised in mid-air.

The dust swirled around him in a macabre flurry of crimson particles before disappearing altogether.

What in hellfire just happened?

He was a warrior with years of experience, but in all his days, Dominic had never witnessed such an unsettling sight. He couldn’t let himself get distracted, though. He might have won this fight, but the battle was far from over.