Page 37 of The Path of Blood and Betrayals

Watching the advisor kill doesn’t change my mind. She’s different— special. I need to protect her.

Zeke nods and commands the rest of our guards into action as I continue on, not bothering to check. He’ll make sure they do their job and I can focus on doing mine.Ending the threat.

At the front gates, sword in hand, I growl at the fucking mess before me.

How has the king stayed in power for this long, if his grounds are in such disarray?

The high banks of Griffin’s moat are filled with freshly killed bodies. The murky water below, red and tacky has bits of charred flesh bobbing onto the surface. The field is muddy, vast, with no clear leader giving commands. In a word: anarchy.

The Dark Army would never react this way to an attack.

But this is Griffin’s arrogance showing—he thought he was invincible, untouchable by the Red Plague. Unfortunately, he’s learning the hard way that they come for us all.

Inhaling, I smell the fear of the soldiers, watch as their swords miss targets and the raiders take full advantage. They’re obliterated, bodies discarded like trash.

I’d feel something close to pity if they weren’t my enemy.

There’s movement to my side, a raider coming to take a quick kill but I react. My sword jabs out quickly, body honed from combat as I slice the man from neck to middle. Hot blood rushes out into the cool night, spraying my face and hands.

My cursed beast preens, grinning in my mind’s eye, begging for a taste of the carnage. He’s a savage thing, manifested inside my mind like a raging monster, chained so I may remain as I am—a Fae, and not some beast that kills without abandon.

Fee swings her sword, a long cut that connects with a different guard. He lands one single blow—knuckles to her chin—and herhead snaps back. Smirking, I watch as her control breaks, that savagery she holds deep inside coming out as she yells. Flailing wildly, her rage drives her forward, sword moving too quick for the Human to watch.

Soon, he’s nothing but chunks on the bloody ground. I’m proud.

“Feel better?” I ask, a river of red running between our boots.

Exhaling, she glares at me. “Not yet.”

More raiders come to us and she grins. “But I will be.”

We make quick work of the ill-prepared soldiers. We’ve had years, decades of training, fighting in combat with more vicious threats than this. The guards don’t stand a chance.

“What’s the plan, big brother?” Reid asks, wiping the back of his mouth. I see his daggers are stained red, two dead raiders at his feet.

Pride warms my belly. Reid doesn’t like battle, but he’s good.

“Take the right. Fee, the left. Don’t do anything that will cause you harm.” I glare at Fee; I might be the cursed one, but she’s the one I worry about.

Reid laughs, lips quirking, offering a weak salute. “So no jumping from the castle walls, got it.”

I glare at him, even as Fee snorts, running away.Siblings.

Scanning the grounds again, I try to locate any innocents caught in the battle.

The guards knew what they signed up for when they wore their uniform, but the courtiers, the servants, need someone to fight for them. I’ve seen the carnage these raiders can leave behind, what they will do to those weaker than them. I will not let innocent people be hurt becausetheirking does not fight for them.

Thankfully, they’ve gone. It just leaves this bloody mess.

More men break out over the bridge, boots pounding against the flimsy wooden boards. My chest tightens as the welcomed surge of fear, anticipation, and rage fills my limbs.

They hone my skills, allowing me to see allweaknesses when in battle. My mind, a sharpened tool that runs constantly when not fighting, focuses during these moments. There is a quiet peace that only comes with a sword in my hand.

My hits are sure, powerful. Swords block and strike, the sounds of scraping metal dulled by the howling of the beast in my ears as he enjoys the bloodshed. Twisting into the air, a raider misses a tackle. Flipping, I adjust the sword in my grip, slicing into his spine as he cuts into two. Squelches of ripping flesh and popping cartilage have me grinning in triumph.

Three soldiers fall at my feet in quick succession as the battle draws on and I step on their backs as I go.

Smoke hovers into the air, fires breaking out from missed arrows and more guards fall. I block a few hits, expert swordsmanship cutting down those who rush me without thought.