Page 23 of Legacy of the Heirs (The Lost Kingdom Saga #2)

Nyzaia

B lood oozed from Nyzaia’s hand as she tried to rise from the floor.

She clenched her fist and winced at the shards of glass slicing her skin and shredding them further.

Ringing sounded in her ears as she rose onto all fours.

Yet, through the sensation, she heard growls and wondered if Soren’s wolves were nearby.

Carefully, Nyzaia crawled to the wall at the base of the steps.

She did not remember walking down them. The last thing she remembered was a disagreement with Tajana after questioning where she was headed as she tried to leave the hall.

“Why are you suddenly concerned about my movements?” Tajana had asked. Nyzaia was about to snap about Farid following Tajana in Khami before the glass ceiling shattered.

Nyzaia’s ribs roared in pain. The force of whatever crashed through the rooftop must have sent her flying.

She turned and used the wall to prop herself up.

That’s when she saw them. The ringing eased, replaced with screams as creatures she had never seen descended on the citizens.

If Elisara and Kazaar had not described these creatures before, she would have convinced herself this was a dream, but no description would have prepared Nyzaia for the horrid reality.

The creatures bore torn black wings threaded with thick veins that knocked people to the floor with ease.

Growling, they roamed the hall, alternating between murderous methods: wrapping their wings around their prey before snapping their bones or using their dagger-like teeth to tear heads from shoulders, splattering blood across their faces and into the empty pits where their eyes should be .

Double the height of a normal person, the creatures appeared like disfigured humans coated in black leather skin, except they switched between walking on hind legs to using their front claws to crouch and tear at the faces of those in the room.

A flip inside Nyzaia switched. Her role as queen of Keres dropped like a mask, and adrenaline rushed through her blood.

The queen of the Red Stones narrowed her eyes to survey the room.

Chaos filled the hall. No one appeared to know what was happening, and no one fought back.

But who was left to fight? Garridon soldiers lay scattered along the walls where they were stationed, most of them ripped to shreds; many were unrecognisable as the creatures feasted on their remains before prowling again.

Nyzaia paused on some bodies who did not fit that pattern, victims who lay with their eyes open and limbs still intact, except for a simple slash across their necks.

A pale blue uniform passed Nyzaia and ascended the steps. She grabbed his ankle.

“You cannot abandon!” she shouted over the noise.

“I am not!” It was Vlad, the captain of Elisara’s Queen’s Guard.

He reached for Nyzaia and pulled her up, steadying her against the wall.

A dull throbbing ached in her side from where she had fallen, but besides that, and the glass pinching her skin, she was stable, her mind focused.

She snatched a knife from Vlad’s thigh and cut at the skirts of her lehenga, freeing her feet and legs.

“Elisara and Kazaar need a sword. It is in her chambers,” he explained. The Sword of Sonos.

“Go! Quickly!” she said. The only method of defeating these creatures was not even in the room. Foolish. They should have been prepared. They were na?ve to not expect the creature to return for the sword, and it appeared it brought friends.

Nyzaia counted five creatures: four hunched over bodies, intent on feasting before moving to the next victim, but one prowled the room, disinterested in the bloodshed.

It crawled on all fours, sniffing the air and scanning its surroundings.

Nyzaia followed its eyeline to where it landed on the crowd that had gathered by the music.

She glimpsed a dark braid and raised hands clutching knives.

Tajana . Nyzaia’s heart raced until she realised it was not her.

Elisara’s friend, Talia, battled her way through falling people, intent on reaching her queen.

Nyzaia could not see Elisara as the imposing size of the creatures blocked her view, jumping between victims.

One raised its head and gave a high-pitched shriek, forcing everyone still standing to cover their ears.

The screech could pierce eardrums and reverberated across the floor, flinging people back.

Nyzaia summoned fire and aimed it at the creature’s wings, though it did little but singe them before dissipating.

The creature was at the edge of the dancefloor, clambering over broken tables when it turned its head to search for its attacker.

Nyzaia stared at the dark sockets where its eyes once were, and it turned towards her while the other creatures spread throughout the room.

It screamed as someone slid beneath its legs, slicing at its feet with two long blades.

The signature red uniform came into view as Farid rose and ran towards her.

“Are you okay?” He passed her two long daggers and retrieved the two sickle blades from his back. Nodding, she discarded Vlad’s dagger and positioned herself at Farid’s side.

“The others?” she asked. While the other creatures feasted, the lone beast circled the hall.

Nyzaia narrowed her eyes. Were the other four merely a distraction?

She lost sight of it behind another set of large wings as a flurry of people tried to flee into the castle or out towards the gardens.

Nyzaia searched for Caellum and Sadira; after all, it was their home.

What if they were the targets? A flash of blonde hair slid past a creature, but it was Soren who rose, not her sister.

The king and his betrothed were nowhere to be seen amongst the chaos, yet it was difficult to focus on anything for long enough before something—or someone—captured her attention.

“Somewhere over there,” he said, gesturing to where her syndicate attacked two creatures.

A dark braid flashed again, ducking under mighty wings.

She hoped Tajana was okay. Issam cupped and lowered his hands as Rafik, the slightest of the men, ran towards him, wedging his foot in Isaam’s palms, who threw him into the air to land on the creature.

As Rafik plunged a dagger into the creature’s back to offer a distraction, Jabir sliced its legs.

Nyzaia gave a sigh of relief. They were okay.

Knowing the three were skilled enough to deal with this alone, she switched her attention to the creature beside them.

The beast was distracted as blonde braids ran circles around it. Soren’s furious screams attracted a third creature, the one Nyzaia had targeted. It took a step towards her and another.

“You take its legs, and I’ll go for the wings,” Nyzaia commanded Farid, who nodded. As they approached, Soren roared as a claw sliced her face, and the creature moved towards them.

“Protect the queen!” called a voice Nyzaia yearned for.

Tajana was okay. She was calling for her syndicate to assist Nyzaia and Farid.

As a Garridon soldier lunged at the creature before them, Nyzaia scanned for Tajana, preparing a formation in her mind.

Her staple black leather and dark braid emerged from the chaos, and Nyzaia breathed a sigh of relief, one that left her winded with a blow of betrayal when Tajana screamed again. “Protect the queen!”

Instead of running to Nyzaia, Tajana rallied to Soren’s aid and braced an arm around her shoulder.

Nyzaia stumbled, and Farid caught her elbow.

A second tanned-skinned beauty with matching dark hair assisted Tajana, defending her and Soren from the creature.

She was not from her syndicate. When Nyzaia finally locked eyes with Elisara across the room, they wore matching expressions as they watched Talia fight for the fallen queen.

“Nice of you to join me, sister!” Tajana shouted to Talia, who grinned and sliced her sword through the creature’s wing, buying the women time to reform before the stump grew back.

The fighting in the room seemed to slow as Nyzaia stepped forward, watching the person she had shared everything with—her life, her love, her soul—check Soren’s wounds before throwing themselves back into the fight.

She did not even glance in Nyzaia’s direction or bother to find her whereabouts.

Anger consumed her, and flames flooded her arms as she strode forward.

How dare she? How dare she betray Nyzaia after all they had gone through?

Furious questions rushed through Nyzaia’s mind as her flames burned, running rampant along her arms and igniting across the floor.

She did not need to focus on it as it weaved amongst bodies towards Tajana.

How long had Tajana known Soren? Was her story ever true?

Had she ever been an orphan, or was Tajana from Doltas Island, too?

Nyzaia blinked, watching as the flames reached Tajana, whose back was turned, checking Soren’s wounds again while Talia shielded them. Did Nyzaia know Tajana at all?

A firm hand grabbed Nyzaia’s wrist, extinguishing the flames on their warpath. She spun her head, and sparks ignited in her hair. Farid gripped Nyzaia’s wrist, unflinching against her flames.

“Later,” said Farid. “She is not the priority.”

“I want to see her alight in flames,” hissed Nyzaia, but Farid stepped closer, tightening his grip.

“And you will.” Farid’s gaze was intense as he stared into Nyzaia’s eyes. “If there is anything left of Tajana once I get my hands on her.” Farid’s menacing promise was a testament to his loyalty, which burned in his pale blue eyes. She believed him. “What can we do right now to turn this battle?”

Nyzaia whirled to analyse, implementing the skills she had acquired as a Red Stone.

She avoided looking in Tajana’s direction but focused on the right instead.

Garridon soldiers formed a line to shield Sadira, while Caellum drew his sword alongside them, protecting her from another prowling creature.

In the centre of the room, Elisara and Kazaar stood back-to-back: Elisara with a dagger, and him with a sword, each facing a creature of their own.

The rest of Nyzaia’s syndicate approached the creatures from behind to distract them.

Relief settled in her heart as she realised they had not followed Tajana’s call but remained loyal to Nyzaia.

Still, the fifth creature still stalked the edge of the room, batting off soldiers attempting to reach it .

Pale blue appeared in her vision again as Vlad ran down the steps, crunching on glass underfoot. He held two swords.

“Cover him!” Nyzaia pointed to Vlad. She and Farid took off in a run until they reached Vlad, standing on either side of him. He panted, sweat dripping from his forehead.

“There were two; I didn’t know which,” Vlad said between gulps for air.

“They need the gold one, but Elisara doesn’t currently have a sword.

Give her the dull one.” When Nyzaia stepped forward, someone screamed.

She stood on someone’s hand, belonging to a mauled victim, who stared up at her, his features obscured by five claw marks so deep she glimpsed bone. His other hand reached for her ankle.

“Help me,” he groaned, dark blood spewing from his lips. Someone lodged a dagger in his mouth. Farid removed the blade and wiped it clean against his leg.

“It was the only way to help,” he said, and though Nyzaia agreed, Vlad turned green. She analysed the position of the creatures again; the safest route to Kazaar was along the left wall, which looped around the back. It meant going past Tajana, Talia, and Soren. Nyzaia narrowed her eyes.

“Ready?” Farid asked from Vlad’s other side.

“Ready.” Nyzaia nodded, and the three took off at a run along the wall, jumping over body parts and debris.

Nyzaia ignored the fresh slices in her feet as glass crunched underfoot.

She was fixated only on Tajana, who swung repeatedly at the creature, synchronising with Soren and Talia.

The three women moved like extended parts of one another like they had known each other for years.

Tajana spun low, slicing off the creature’s foot, but paused upon spotting Nyzaia.

Tajana rose with wide eyes and stepped towards Nyzaia, opening her mouth to speak.

“Tajana!” called Talia. A flash of indecision crossed Tajana’s features. I’m sorry , she mouthed before joining Talia. Nyzaia buried her pain beneath the flames burning within and continued her run, intent on reaching Elisara and Kazaar.