Page 18 of Lady of Starfire (Lady of Darkness #5)
She felt the air shift behind her before the warning came from Razik.
Her sword was already lifted at her back, her arms trembling with the force of the hit she blocked.
Eliza spun, fire flaring from her palm as she did.
The flames slammed into the seraph that had appeared, forcing him back.
Not just one seraph, but a small unit of them. They were surrounded.
“They Traveled in somehow,” Razik supplied from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder. Azrael had one seraph wrapped tightly in vines, a dagger poised at the male’s throat. Callan was keeping close to the Earth Prince. Rayner had a shield of ashes around him and Tula, who had—
Who had shifted into a small black snake. She was coiled tightly around Rayner’s bicep, her blue eyes glowing faintly.
“The seraphs cannot Travel,” Eliza gritted out, flames igniting down her sword. “Only the Maraans can.”
“I don’t know what to tell you,” Razik retorted. “They appeared out of the air just like how I Travel.”
She was still looking at Razik when she moved her sword to block the arrow that came straight for her. Razik’s eyes widened slightly, and Eliza smirked darkly. “We will worry about where they came from later. Can we just kill them right now?”
“So bloodthirsty, mai dragocen ,” he said, his own dark smile appearing. “I get the one that just fired an arrow at you.” His wings appeared. “Try not to get stabbed this time.”
“I’m going to stab you if you don’t fuck off,” she snarled, turning her back on him to engage with the next seraph that was coming for her.
She heard his dark chuckle as he shot into the sky.
Irritation coursed through her, and she channeled it into each swing of her sword.
She left Callan to Azrael, knowing they’d fought together at the Necropolis.
Rayner wouldn’t let anyone within ten feet of Tula, so it was just her and the song of death that she’d missed so greatly these last weeks.
Until her sword met two scimitars.
“Fuck,” Eliza cursed, immediately recognizing the weapons.
“What kind of greeting is that?” came a voice of silk and honey. “I just came to talk.”
“With a unit of seraphs? I somehow doubt that,” Eliza gritted out, striking out with her sword. Nuri ducked with a laugh, meeting the sword with a scimitar again, before the two broke apart.
“The seraphs weren’t my idea,” she replied. Then she reached up, pulling down the cloth that covered her face, and let out a shrill whistle. All the seraphs stopped, heads turning to her.
“Neat trick,” Eliza said, keeping her eyes trained on Death’s Shadow. She wore all black, as usual. She blended in with the shadows, her honey-colored eyes dancing with mania and violence.
Nuri shrugged. “They listen like the trained dogs they are.” Her gaze skipped over their company, a pointed grin curving on her lips when she said, “Pretty plant prince, good to see you again.”
“Insufferable Daughter of Night,” Azrael replied, a seraph still wrapped in vines before him. “I was hoping you were dead by now.”
Nuri’s grin turned into a pout. “Rude when I just stopped an attack on you and have information on your water friends.” Her eyes slid to his right, and the grin returned.
“The wanna-be king.” She made a big show of appearing to search for someone else.
“The Toreall Heir has not joined this escapade? Pity.”
“You spoke of Briar and Sawyer, but what of Drake and Tava?” Callan called out to her.
“This is why I assumed the final mortal king would be with you. You sent Drake back. Now Callan is here. The next obvious foolish move is to deliver the final mortal heir into their hands,” Nuri drawled. Her gaze moved over Rayner, pausing on the snake.
“We are not delivering Callan to anyone,” Eliza gritted out.
Nuri only hummed, still studying Tula. Eliza glanced quickly at Rayner, his eyes swirling violently. They didn’t need him expelling his magic unless absolutely necessary. It took him months to replenish it.
Eliza slid between Nuri and Rayner. “I would stop looking at him like that.”
“Alaric will be upset to learn he has lost a Power Shifter,” Nuri replied, apparently having overheard their conversations from the cover of the surrounding foliage.
“So don’t tell him.”
Nuri dragged her eyes to Eliza, looking at her as if she were indeed a moron. “I cannot keep something like this from him.” Her eyes flicked up, and a moment later, Eliza felt Razik land behind her. “I was wondering when you were going to stop fluttering around up there.”
Eliza choked on a laugh, glancing up at Razik, who was glaring at the Contessa, but Nuri was already focused back on Eliza. “Right then, I guess I deal with you. I always liked you. You are an actual challenge when we fight, almost as if you trained in the Black Syndicate.”
“Trained in the Black Syndicate?” Eliza scoffed. “I picked up Scarlett’s training where it had been left lacking. I am the one who trained her in the Fire Court.”
Nuri tipped her head back in a laugh. “Well met, General.”
“Can you explain to me why we are listening to you two chatter like females at high tea instead of killing the Fae and taking the mortal and Shifter to our prince?” one of the seraphs groused.
“I do not owe you any explanations,” Nuri replied without bothering to look at him.
“We do not, in fact, answer to you, you know,” he snarled.
Nuri went completely still, and Eliza found herself stepping back into Razik at the look that had come over the Night Child’s face. Nuri slowly turned her head to look at the seraph.
“Say that again,” she hissed.
The seraph turned, squaring off with her. “I said we do not answer to you,” he repeated with a sneer, his lip curling up. “It is only a courtesy to our Commander that we stopped at your—”
But he was cut off by the fangs that were in his throat.
Nuri had moved so fast, Eliza hadn’t seen her go from one spot to the next.
One moment she had been standing in front of her and Razik, the next blink she had been at the male’s throat.
It had been quite some time since she’d seen the speed of the Night Children this close.
Nuri didn’t stop at just biting the male though. She ripped his entire throat out with her fangs, spitting it onto the ground. Blood was dripping down her chin when her manic eyes swiveled back to Eliza. “A little fire help here, General?”
Eliza didn’t have the words to say anything as she tossed flames atop the now still seraph. Razik’s wing was wrapped loosely around her, shielding her from Nuri.
“Anyone else want to question why you answer to me?” Nuri purred darkly to the other seraphs.
“Are we going to do anything about this?” Eliza muttered to Razik.
“Why would we?” he replied in a hushed tone. She looked up at him. “We want the seraphs dead. She’s doing the job for us,” he continued, his sapphire eyes fixed on Nuri.
He made a valid point.
“Sorry about that,” Nuri said, walking back to Eliza as she adjusted her gloves. Blood was smeared across her cheek where she’d wiped it off her chin. The remaining seraphs had taken to the sky, leaving them alone with Death’s Shadow. “Sometimes the dogs need to be reminded who’s in charge.”
“You cannot have Callan or Tula,” Eliza said, getting right to the point. She shoved at Razik’s wing to get it out of her way, ignoring the soft growl that emanated from him when she did.
Nuri rolled her eyes. “Clearly. Anyway, we were sent to ambush the Water Prince and his brother before the appointed meeting time, but they appear to have figured out our plan and left.”
“How inconvenient for you.”
“Quite,” Nuri agreed. “But then you lot showed up. Tell me, is Scarlett getting dumber across the sea?”
“Watch it,” Eliza snarled.
“She must be, because why the fuck is Callan here?” She took a step closer to Eliza, and the general felt Razik tense behind her. But he didn’t move, didn’t try to come between them.
“Callan is a king ,” Eliza retorted. “Scarlett cannot tell him what to do.”
“So he is the foolish one?” Nuri asked, a brow arching as her focus shifted to the mortal king. “That fits. He was sharing a bed with an assassin for a year. Finally moved on then, your Majesty ?”
“Is Tava with Prince Drayce?” Callan asked through gritted teeth.
“Why would I know that?” Nuri questioned, her head tilting.
“Because you know where Briar and Sawyer are.”
“I never said that. I said they are not here. One would guess they are hiding in another territory.”
“In the south, by chance?” Azrael drawled.
Nuri shrugged. “They are not as foolish as you all appear to be. I doubt they would hide in a Fae Court or in the mortal lands.”
“When is the exchange to take place?” Rayner cut in.
“At sundown. They are to meet at the Windonelle Castle. The Water Prince and the Rydeon heirs for the Wind Princess and the babes,” Nuri answered.
In the next blink, she was standing in front of Azrael and Callan, unconcerned with the thorny vines the Earth Prince had winding around her legs.
“The unborn younglings are not the only innocents being used right now, Mortal King.”
“Do you always speak in riddles? You are like a godsdamn Oracle,” Azrael muttered.
“Hush, plant prince. The king and I are speaking,” Nuri chastised. Azrael bristled, but she ignored him, her focus once again on Callan. “She took his readily available innocents across the Edria, so he has found a new source.”
“The Fae Courts?” Callan asked, shifting to see more clearly around Azrael.
Nuri shook her head. “He tried, but they are too protective, which leaves …”
“Mortals?” Callan said, lurching forward a step. “From Windonelle?”
Nuri took a few slow steps back. “I believe your betrothed often visited them.”
“You speak of the slums,” Callan said. “He is taking innocents from there and …doing what he did to the Black Syndicate orphans?”