Page 53

Chapter Thirty Five

T here was so. Much. Blood.

It coated the ground, squishing under the hooves of my horse. It splattered through the air, warm and sticky as it struck my face. It dripped down my hands, staining my skin where my blade had sliced through enemies.

Everywhere I looked, the world was painted in red.

“Thea!” Iris’ voice cut through the chaos, sharp and unyielding.

I whipped around, heart pounding. She was already off her horse, her blade flashing with deadly precision as she cut her way toward the castle entrance.

I fumbled as I slid off my horse, nearly falling as my boots hit the blood-slicked ground.

My legs felt like lead, my body sluggish as I forced myself to move.

My vision tunneled, narrowing on the crimson coating my boots.

I was on the bridge. This fucking bridge would haunt me for the rest of my days.

I swayed, nausea clawing at my throat as I took in the carnage around me. The clash of steel. The roar of fire. The screams of the dying. It was too much—too fast.

A sudden shove from behind sent me sprawling forward.

“Move!” Rankor bellowed, his voice cutting through my haze .

I hit the ground hard, knees slamming into the stone. My palms scraped against the rough surface as I scrambled to push myself up, but my limbs felt weak, disconnected.

Above me, Rankor’s sword swung in a deadly arc.

A soldier fell, his blade clattering to the ground. His head hit the bridge with a sickening thud, rolling to a stop at my feet.

I couldn’t look away.

The body collapsed a moment later, fresh blood spattering across my chest. I was drenched in it now, soaked to the bone.

Rankor grabbed me roughly by the arm, hauling me to my feet with a strength that seemed effortless. “Get in the castle!”

He shoved me toward Iris, his movements quick and deliberate, already stepping into the next strike.

My legs faltered beneath me, but somehow, I found the strength to run. Duck. Leap. Dodge. My breath came in shallow gasps, my chest heaving as fear clawed at me.

Ahead, Iris hurled a blade over my head, the rush of air sharp against my cheek as it embedded itself in a soldier. She didn’t even pause to look back.

“Let’s go!” she shouted, her voice steady and commanding, as though death did not surround us.

We sprinted across the bridge, leaping over bodies and dodging swinging swords. Every step felt like a struggle against an invisible force pulling me back.

By the time we reached the grand entryway of the castle, my legs were trembling. My chest burned as I gasped for air, each breath tasting of blood and ash.

Members of the Order flanked us, their faces grim and unreadable as they wiped blood from their blades. They moved with precision, their focus unshaken.

Inside, the blood was just as bad .

Streaks of it marred the white marble floor, smears turning the once pristine hall into a grotesque canvas. The metallic tang was so thick I could taste it, bitter and suffocating.

“Thea!” Iris’ voice snapped me back to the present. She was calm, deliberate. “Where are they?”

I forced myself to close my eyes, to shut out the chaos around me. I reached deep into the untouched well of power inside me, sending it outward in waves. It stretched through the castle, searching, hunting, until—

“Grand ballroom,” I rasped, the words heavy on my tongue.

Iris nodded, her gaze sharp as it flicked to the Order members around us. “Let’s move.”

They surged forward with practiced ease, their movements a stark contrast to my faltering steps.

Enemies emerged from the shadows, their blades glinting in the dim light. The warriors around me dispatched each one swiftly, the clash of steel ringing through the air.

To my left, a soldier lunged, driving his sword into the belly of an Order member.

A scream tore through the air, high and raw.

I gasped, instinct taking over as I lunged forward, my blade finding his neck. The spray of blood was hot against my face as he fell, his weapon clattering to the ground.

There wasn’t time to check on the fallen ally. No time to grieve.

No one else even seemed to notice.

We kept moving, each step feeling heavier than the last as the weight of the battle pressed down on me.

Finally, we stopped outside the sweeping double doors of the grand ballroom.

My lungs burned, my chest heaving with every ragged breath. My fingers tightened around the hilt of my blade, the metal slick with blood .

“You’re up,” Iris said, her voice calm but firm. She adjusted her grip on her blade, poised to burst through the doors.

Right.

My turn.

W e burst into the grand ballroom, weapons raised and ready, prepared to face a onslaught of the kingdom’s most elite swordsmen. The heavy doors groaned on their hinges as they swung open, and we braced ourselves for the clash of steel.

But there was only silence.

I exchanged a wary glance with Iris as the stillness pressed down on us, thick and suffocating.

Slowly, I stepped forward, every nerve taut, every muscle coiled to strike.

The Grand Ballroom had always been a marvel—ornate crystal chandeliers, vivid banners cascading from the high ceiling, and flowers that seemed to bloom perpetually in defiance of the seasons.

But today, it was nothing more than a hollow shell. Overturned chairs and shattered tables lay strewn across the floor, their splintered remains darkened with smears of blood. The space felt cavernous, every footstep echoing as though the room itself were holding its breath.

At the far end of the room, slumped on the great throne of the castle, sat the Dragon.

My breath caught, my stomach knotting with dread.

He was barely recognizable. His dark hair hung in matted, tangled waves, as though he’d been tearing at it.

Dried blood caked his hands, streaking down his forearms and staining the open collar of his shirt.

But it was his eyes—his eyes —that stopped me cold.

Their golden glow, once fierce and commanding, now burned wild and unhinged, more beast than man.

“There!” he screamed when he saw me, his voice shattering the stillness. He lurched forward on his seat, pointing a trembling, bloodstained finger directly at me. “You’ve come!”

His words were a ragged snarl, laced with frenzied triumph. My throat tightened as he leapt to his feet, his movements jerky and erratic.

“Where’s Pasnia?” I demanded, forcing my voice to stay steady. The Dragon only laughed—a deep, guttural sound that sent chills racing down my spine. I wasn't sure he even understood what I was saying. I glanced to Iris but she only shrugged, just as confused as I was.

"Vyncent," I said his name tentatively, holding my hands up in mock surrender, not wanting to upset him further. "Is anyone else here with you?

He only tilted his head at me, chest heaving as he panted. " You ruined everything. You poisoned my son against me. This is all your fault."

He snarled, the sound a violent roar that echoed around us.

Then he launched himself into the air.

Oily black wings erupted from his back, tearing through the fabric of his shirt with a sickening rip.

They were grotesque, uneven, dripping with some foul substance that might have been his blood as they flapped erratically, propelling him forward in spasmodic bursts.

The rest of his body refused the shift, leaving him a twisted, mangled figure as he careened toward us.

“Move!” Iris shouted, her blade already drawn.

He was too fast for that.

The Dragon’s weight slammed into me, driving me to the ground with bone-crushing force. Pain exploded in my skull as my head struck the marble, the impact reverberating through my entire body. The world swam, my vision darkening at the edges as I gasped for breath .

“Thea!” Iris’ voice rang out, sharp and panicked.

The Dragon roared, his wings flaring as he scrambled to his feet, his movements animalistic and uncontrolled. “Guards!” he bellowed, his voice raw and savage. “Arrest them! Kill them! Kill them all!”

The doors to the ballroom burst open, and a flood of guards poured in. Their eyes glinted with unnatural madness, their movements jagged and fevered. Pasnia’s influence twisted them, bending their wills into something barely human.

The Dragon only stared down at me with rage and disgust as I struggled to steady my vision. "I'll take care of you once and for all."

Iris and her Order moved like lightning, their blades flashing as they met the onslaught of guards. I watched wide eyes as their blades met in thunderous crashes, but I couldn’t move. I was still sprawled on the floor, my lungs fighting for air, my vision blurred.

The Dragon moved towards me.

Get up , I told myself, planting my hands against the cold marble. Get up .

His fingers finally extended into talons, too long and crooked to be correct, but sharp enough to slice me in half.

No. This man was not going to kill me.

He was not going to force Clay through another heartbreak.

Power surged within me, sharp and relentless.

Golden threads of magic lashed out, snapping through the air like a whip.

The guards fell to their knees, their bodies trembling as my power wrapped around them, holding them in place.

I knocked the Dragon from his feet, sending him careening across the room before forming my connection with him.

Their life forces quivered beneath my grasp, delicate and fragile.

If I wanted to, I could send them all to the Underworld in an instant. For a moment, the thought was tempting. It would be so easy to seize control and end them.

But I wouldn’t.

The Veil had been raised because a God had been too reckless with the lives of Mortals. I would not make the same mistake.

“Where is Pasnia?” I demanded, my voice ringing out like steel.

The Dragon rolled on the floor, looking up absently at the ceiling as a twisted grin split his bloodied face. His laughter was low and jagged, spilling from his lips like broken glass.