Page 62 of Queen of the Crimson Throne (Queen of Blood and Stardust #2)

62

LENNOX

We saddled our horses and took off towards the city. Declan led the charge on his black steed, the rest of us trailing behind him as we whipped through the woods.

My head snapped to the left as a roar broke through the stomping of hooves. Before I could shout out a warning, the Dhampir came crashing through the woods. I called Odin to a stop, clamping my thighs tight around him as his front legs reared off the ground to avoid the Dhampir.

The Dhampir in front of us pivoted, leaping over Caspian’s horse, swiping at the duke with his claws and slamming him to the ground. Caspian’s horse reared back before taking off into the dark woods. Red blood seeped through the duke’s clothes where the Dhampir’s claws had met their mark. He lay motionless on the ground gasping for breath.

Yells rang out from the group ahead of me, I couldn’t see too far in the darkness, but the growls reverberating through the air told me enough.

“Odin stay!” I leapt from my horse, sword in hand as I ran toward Caspian. The beast’s teeth ripped through his leg with its back to me.

I wasted no time burying my sword in the Dhampir’s back .

Its shriek echoed in my ears as its claws clamored for the sword, attempting to pull the steel from its chest. Had I missed its heart? I removed my sword as the Dhampir continued to shriek, its red eyes burning. Before I could strike, the Dhampir ran toward me. I stumbled back, my foot catching on a rock.

I landed on the forest floor with a grunt, a curse slipping from my lips as the Dhampir leapt for me. I gripped my sword in my hand as I rolled out of its path, moving to stand before the Dhampir could track where I had gone.

It turned toward me, a growl slipping from its unnatural jaw as it swiped out with its claws. Blood was seeping from the wound I had inflicted on its chest, but it didn’t appear to be slowing. The other Dhampirs we had encountered died easily, this one was a different story.

A chill found its way down its spine.

Was whoever was creating these abominations making them stronger somehow?

I blocked the Dhampir’s claws, the sound of their scratch against the steel of my blade causing me to wince. I swiveled, the Dhampir following me as I danced around it, paying no attention to the person approaching from behind.

Luka’s sword was cutting across its neck before the Dhampir could even turn.

The Dhampir’s severed head fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

“The only way to kill them is to behead them,” Luka panted.

“Fuck!” I scanned the woods around us, bringing a ball of fire to my palms as I scanned for the rest of our group. Decapitating these beasts was a lot harder task than a sword to the chest. Dozens of Dhampirs swarmed the woods.

Nico was in his wolf form, as was Zienna, her coat the same dark chestnut as her hair. The two worked back to back, ripping the heads from the Dhampirs as they came for them in a constant stream .

Declan stood alone, piles of dead Dhampirs surrounding him as he pressed his boot into a still-living Dhampir’s chest before thrusting his sword through the beast’s neck.

Where was everyone else? My gaze landed on the Aquatic Kings fighting side by side, Ceto’s hand was pressed to his side, as he struggled to fight one-handed, Alon kept one eye on him as he continued to keep a Dhampir at bay.

Behind them, laid two mutilated fae bodies.

Three we had lost three already.

And where was Luce?

I could feel my panic rising as more Dhampirs broke through the trees. Too many, there were too many, we couldn’t take them.

The pressure in my chest increased. These people had followed me out here and they were dying. I had to stop this. I closed my eyes, a plan forming in my mind. My magic pushed and pulled against my skin to the point of pain.

I opened my eyes, twitching my fingers before closing my hand into fists. My nails bit into the skin of my palm as the ground beneath me shook. A fissure in the ground formed at the tip of my boot, spreading out further until it reached the first Dhampir. I threw out my magic, opening my palms in a burst of magic as the ground opened up, swallowing the Dhampir whole.

Slow, this was too slow.

Fuck. I couldn’t do this quickly without risking the lives of everyone else.

“SHIELD YOURSELVES!” I screamed into the forest. Declan whipped his head in my direction, his brows pulling together. “NOW!”

I felt out with my magic, sensing for other magic in the darkness around me. I could feel it, six or seven different imprints of magic. Not everyone, but enough. I felt Luka’s magic wrapping around me as he shielded the both of us.

Now. I had to do this now.

“I’m here.” He stood behind me. “You can do this. ”

I dipped my chin. I didn’t have a choice. I searched for my magic, pulling it together inside my chest as I inhaled. It rushed for my fingertips as I exhaled, but I didn’t let it out, not yet.

I let the world around me disappear as I closed my eyes.

The sound of fighting, screaming, and roars dissipated.

The trees fell away one by one. Everything faded to white until there was nothing.

The Dhampirs. I only wanted the Dhampirs.

As I inhaled, each of them appeared, one by one frozen in time. My magic snaked out toward each of the beasts, I could see it, thin luminescent golden threads slithered out from the ground I was standing on, breaking off as I felt for each of the Dhampirs, wrapping itself around each beast.

Once each thread was connected, I slowly let the world back in, I could still only see the Dhampir, but they moved, no longer frozen in time.

My magic pushed against my fingers.

Now . It demanded.

A scream tore from my throat as I opened my palms, throwing out my magic in a burst.

My palms burned at the heat of my magic as the world around me shook.

The ground cracked and fissured, swallowing some of the Dhampirs whole as others erupted into balls of flames.

I pushed out another wave of magic, gritting my teeth at the force. I stumbled back, falling into Luka’s firm hold.

His hands braced on my hips and I continued to push out my magic. The Dhampirs surrounding the Aquatic Kings erupted into shards of ice, the pieces ricocheted off the barriers surrounding them as the shrieks of the Dhampirs echoed through the forest.

More, there were still more, I could feel them. With Luka grounding me from behind I let out one last burst of magic, pulling from everything I had, using every drop of magic I could muster .

My throat ripped raw from the scream that tore through it as I let out the magic.

The forest blurred as my magic crested over it like a wave.

I released more and more magic until there was nothing left.

My chest heaved, it was the only sound in my ears as the roar of my magic ceased.

Slowly I opened my eyes.

The Dhampirs were gone.

All evidence of them and the havoc my magic had caused was gone. Not a trace of the Dhampirs remained. Everyone stared at me, seemingly frozen in place.

“Holy fuck.” I turned at the sound of Luce’s voice from behind me.

“Luce.” Some of the pressure in my chest released at the sight of her. “You’re okay.”

She smiled tightly. “I can’t say the same for Vivienne though,” she added softly as she glanced over her shoulder.

Four. Four deaths.

“It could have been more,” Declan argued.

But it was still four too many.