Page 25 of The Last Knight (The Cursed Kingdom #5)

Sterling turned to her, his expression hardening into that of a monarch, ruthless and absolute. His silver eyes, normally so cold and calm, now burned with urgency.

“Gunther is slipping beyond reach. You must accept it.”

But she couldn’t.

When Gunther stumbled out of the door, the writing mist rose higher, curling up Gunther’s waist like a noose tightening. Black veins etched up his throat, threading like spiderwebs beneath his skin. His features twisted, distorted into something monstrous and unfamiliar.

Still, Aubrey couldn’t look away. Neither it seemed could Sterling. They stood frozen, transfixed as the man they knew began to unravel before their eyes.

Then his gaze locked with hers.

Dark, tormented eyes full of agony andpleading. He wasn’t gone yet. Not completely. He was begging her.

Help me.

Her heart cracked. She wanted to run to him, to tear the darkness from his body with her bare hands. But she was helpless, just a girl with no power, no plan.

A guttural cry tore from Gunther’s chest, raw and inhuman. He dropped to his knees, shaking violently, fighting with everything he had left.

“We are supreme,”came the screeching chorus of multiple voices, layered and chilling, echoing from his mouth.“You cannot win against us.”

The air turned cold. A seductive apparition shimmered within the dark mist, a pull that twisted at something deep inside her. It whispered promises, offered comfort.

Aubrey swayed.

Sterling grabbed her by the shoulders, eyes blazing. “Look at me!” he demanded, shaking her hard enough to break the trance. “Do youreallywant to save him?”

Her breath hitched.

She nodded and then whispered, “More than anything.”

Aubrey looked over her shoulder at the now prostrate Gunther. Her chest tightened at what had to be done. “I think he prefers it,” she choked out the last word, tears now flowing freely. “He’d rather die than be overtaken by evil.”

Sterling held out his hand visibly swallowing. Her hand shook as she placed the jeweled dagger on the Prince’s palm.

“God forgive me,” she whispered turning to look at Gunther who was now fully engulfed in the dark mist.

Gunther’s hand stretched toward them, one final, trembling plea for salvation. His muscular frame shook with the effort, the weight of darkness pressing heavy upon him as he forced himself upright. Knees sinking into the earth, he lifted his quaking arms, palms facing them, as if begging for mercy.

Sterling’s voice cracked with emotion. “Goodbye, my friend.”

He hurled the dagger, the force behind it so great it cut through the air, the jeweled hilt leaving a ghostly trail of light in its wake. Time seemed to slow as the blade found its mark, burying itself deep in the center of Gunther’s chest.

Aubrey’s breath caught in her throat, her mouth open in a silent scream.

Gunther’s eyes widened, stunned more by release than pain. He met Sterling’s gaze, then turned to Aubrey, sorrow and gratitude flickering in his gaze. His lips moved, barely, almost imperceptibly into what might’ve been a final smile. Then, like a felled oak, he collapsed face-first into the dirt.

Aubrey’s scream finally tore through, raw and full of anguish. Her legs buckled, her body swaying as if the very ground beneath her had shifted.

And then the true horror began.

From Gunther’s corpse, thick plumes of oily smoke erupted, twisting and writhing like serpents loosed from hell. They screeched as they rose, high-pitched wails that clawed at the mind, forcing Aubrey to slap her hands over her ears as pain lanced through her skull.

The shadows writhed, hungry and untethered.

Sterling seized her hand, his voice a hoarse undertone of urgency. “Run. The darkness is unbound, and it needs a new host, and we’re the closest.”

Together they fled, hearts pounding, feet crashing through underbrush as the shrieking darkness continued.

They seemed to run for a mile before coming to a clearing. It was not far enough to get away from the sounds the darkness was making. Loud screams in voices that ranged from deep to almost childlike. Almost as if a thousand dark souls filled the air.

Suddenly, a strange, piercing caw shattered the silence above, shrill and otherworldly. Aubrey’s pulse leapt in her throat.

“Oh no,” she gasped, eyes scanning the sky. “It’s coming.”

Sterling caught her arm, pulling her into the clearing’s heart. “It is not the darkness,” he said, voice steady despite the tension in his jaw. “It’s Amai, my dragon.”

The wind shifted, and then she saw it, at first a speck, then a shadow growing rapidly, impossibly fast. The air trembled around them as the creature descended, immense wings slicing through clouds like sails.

Aubrey’s breath caught.

The dragon was enormous and terrifyingly beautiful, its body aglow with iridescent scales that shimmered in hues of violet, silver, and rose-gold.

Light rippled over it like sunlight on water, but the sheer size of it, bigger than some houses, eyes glowing like twin opals, made her hesitate.

This animal could swallow her in one bite or even roast her with a breath.

It landed in a gust of wind and sound, the earth shuddering beneath its massive weight.

Trees swayed, and her hair whipped around her face.

Claws the length of her legs sank into the dirt with a low, thunderous crunch.

Yet, despite its power, the dragon lowered its head gently and released a deep, melodic trill that sounded like an eerie, almost maternal sound that raised goosebumps on her arms.

“It’s calling to us,” Sterling said, tugging her forward.

Fear curled around her spine like a vine, tightening with every step. And yet…Amai was mesmerizing. Regal. Unfathomable.

The dragon lifted one colossal foot, holding it steady like a staircase of living armor. Sterling climbed it with practiced ease, then reached down to pull her up, his grip firm, grounding.

As they reached the dragon’s back, Aubrey stared at the silken rope Sterling handed her, unsure whether to trust the cloth or her instincts.

“Hold on to this,” he said, settling behind her, arms and legs encircling her like a shield. His warmth contrasted with the chill that clung to the air.

Then Amai moved.

Aubrey yelped as the dragon took several bounding strides, earth-quaking, heart-stopping, then launched into the sky. Massive wings unfurled, catching the wind with a deafening whoomph , and they soared.

The treetops shrank beneath them, the cottage now just a blur on the horizon, swallowed by the swirling black serpents.

Aubrey clung to the rope, her heart pounding so hard it hammered against her breast. She didn’t know what lay ahead, but whatever it was, there was no turning back now.

The wind blasted across her face, blowing her tears dry as soon as they spilled. Her body quaked with grief, a sensation she’d not felt since her grandmother’s passing.

Gunther was dead and she’d had a hand in killing him. She was responsible for bringing the dagger. The fact that it was what he preferred, dying over being possessed by evil, didn’t soften the overwhelming guilt. What had she done? Why had she been the one to bring the damn things to this realm?

It was hard to tell how long they’d flown before Amai began to descend. Aubrey slumped against Sterling, not caring if it was too intimate as exhaustion consumed her.

How long had she been here? It felt like days since she’d slept. Her head pounded, her limbs ached, and it was impossible to keep her eyes open.

“Relax,” Sterling said, his words penetrating her foggy mind. It felt as if he lifted her, moving her with a strange lightness.