Page 27 of The Uncrowned King (The Bastard Duology #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Kora hurried outside to watch Derek fly away but couldn’t do it for long. It was too painful to have him leave again. Roars reverberated through the air, drowning out all other sounds and dragging her back to the present. She swiveled her head to the six dragons locked in battle.

The sight of Rhi lobbing large, iridescent orbs from atop Con’s back was mesmerizing. She remained seated, no matter how Con dove, twisted, or whipped around. They worked seamlessly together, as did the other Kings alongside them. The group knew battle. Understood it on a level she could only imagine. There was a real chance of success with them on her side.

Kora turned her head to where Lotti, Villette, and Eurielle stood. They were in a semi-circle, their hands held out before them, touching. Their eyes were open, staring at the dragons—Gordon in particular. Kora had seen him die, so she didn’t get her hopes up, even when he faltered against the five Kings, Rhi, and the sisters.

She was useless against a dragon. Her flames did nothing to them, so she didn’t bother to join in. She had no other magic to make up for it, either. But she was here for Miena. Kora eyed Villette. Perhaps her, as well. But not now.

Kora looked just in time to see a tail coming toward her. She dove to the side before rolling to a squat out of the way, then looked up to find the Kings attempting to keep Gordon from flying away. It caused them to move back and forth and up and down in the air. Gordon tumbled from the sky with a thunderous roar. He desperately tried to flap his wings, but both were ripped and hung uselessly. Kora shot to her feet and turned to run. A shadow fell over her. She wasn’t going to make it.

Suddenly, she was on the opposite side of the village from where she had been. When she looked over, she found herself staring into Villette’s face. Villette said nothing as she walked away. Kora could only stand in shock as she watched her rejoin Lotti and Eurielle.

Kora drew in a deep breath and caught a whiff of evil from Villette. It wasn’t as strong as before, but it was still there. Remembering that Villette hadn’t changed helped to center Kora. She had likely only helped because of the binding vow, though Lotti or Eurielle could’ve helped. It caused confusing emotions that Kora didn’t have the time or wherewithal to contemplate at the moment. Not when the Kings were decimating Gordon.

Kora almost felt sorry for the Amethyst, but she understood what Derek had been through. Perhaps Gordon was being manipulated like Derek had been. Then again, he could also be like Bryok and welcome Miena’s actions. It was difficult to tell.

The Kings abruptly launched into the air again. Gordon lay unmoving. She held out hope that he wouldn’t rise again—there wasn’t much of him left to rise—but she was living proof that it took certain ways to end someone’s life for good.

“Kora, hide!” Villette shouted.

Kora looked over her shoulder and saw a familiar black and silver dragon approaching quickly. A fist gripped her heart and squeezed. While none of them had said it aloud, everyone knew Miena might wipe Derek’s mind again. Maybe he had convinced her of his loyalty. Or perhaps she would demand that he prove it now.

Villette shouted her name again, and Kora looked around for a hiding place. The logical spot would be in one of the building’s ruins, but she chose a small grove of trees instead. It was easier to see what was going on around her.

Kora’s heart thumped painfully against her chest. She gripped the bark of two trees and peered between them to watch Derek draw closer, the silence broken only by the flapping of wings. Her breath was loud in her ears. She felt her flames just beneath the surface of her skin, begging to be released. She didn’t understand why until Derek drew close enough that she saw something white on his back.

But it wasn’t something. It was some one .

Miena. In armor.

The reek of evil slammed into her. She had to tuck her mouth into the crook of her elbow to hide the sound of her gag. There was no way for Kora to know if Derek had fooled Miena or if she had taken control of him. And she probably wouldn’t. It was tough to accept after all they had been through to bring Derek back.

But she had to trust him. He had endured the worst of it already. He had willingly gone to face Miena, knowing the dangers. Being in his arms once more, even for the brief period they’d had, let Kora see how relieved he was to be himself again. He was a warrior, and he would fight with everything he had. Just as she would.

Kora glanced at the Kings. They remained close, flying in a tight formation as if they had done it before. Her gaze moved to the trio of Star People standing serenely as they waited for Miena to make a move.

As for Miena and Derek, she straddled him as he flew in wide circles. Kora peeled her lips back in a hiss when Miena leaned over Derek and patted his scales like he was her pet. Flames shot up around Kora’s hand. She hastily doused them and scowled at the burn mark on the bark where her palm had rested.

“Emotion drives us and our fire. You cannot let it control you, or you’ll lose before a fight even begins.”

Her knees went weak as the memory resurfaced. She replayed her brother’s voice, savoring the deep timbre while remembering her training. It wouldn’t be easy to keep control of her emotions. The man she loved was out there. But if he could do it, so would she.

“Good hiding spot,” Rhi said as she appeared beside her.

Kora jumped in surprise. “Is Derek still Derek?”

“I don’t know. I could tell Con was trying to reach him, and I think the others were, too, but I can’t tell if he heard them. Villette kept Merrill and the Kings from communicating with each other, so it’s possible Miena is doing that, too.”

The air was thick with tension and hostility.

“This is the worst part before a battle,” Rhi murmured.

Kora shot the Fae a glance. “Battle is better?”

“Not in the least,” Rhi said with a soft chuckle. “But there’s no time to think about it. You’re in it.”

“I’ve not really been in one.”

Rhi met her gaze and nodded once. “Trust your instincts.”

Their conversation ended when Miena suddenly stood before her sisters. Lotti, Villette, and Eurielle stayed shoulder to shoulder—Villette in her armored gown and both Lotti and Eurielle in tunics and trousers. Across from them was Miena in her white and silver armor.

“How close do you need to be?” Rhi whispered.

“Close. I can throw fire, but not this far.”

Rhi made an indistinct sound. “Good luck.”

“You, too.”

Rhi touched her arm and was gone. Kora didn’t know if she had veiled herself or teleported back to Con.

“This is ridiculous,” Miena stated. “You can’t honestly expect to win.”

Eurielle threw a quick look at the other two. “It’s three against one.”

“I’ve seen those odds before,” Miena said, indicating Derek flying above her. “And I have him.”

Lotti cleared her throat and motioned to the Kings. “Five to one there.”

Miena laughed. “A babe walking with the adults. You know nothing.”

“But I do,” Villette said.

Miena’s green gaze slid to her as she smirked. “I know what you really are, little sister. Scared of being alone, of being left out, of not being good enough. Because you never were.”

Kora expected Villette to react, but Eurielle threw up her hand. Miena stumbled back before bracing with one foot forward as she was dragged back. The look she directed at Eurielle made Kora swallow nervously.

“When this is finished, and I stand over your bodies, you’ll wish you’d made a different choice,” Miena stated as she straightened.

Villette took a step away from the other two. “You always did talk too much.”

The moment the words left her mouth, a rush of magic that even Kora felt came. Then the battle was in full swing. Lotti, Eurielle, and Villette took turns attacking Miena. To Kora’s shock, Miena deftly dodged and blocked them all. A flurry of color in the sky pulled her attention from the Star People to the dragons. She saw a ball of scales twisting in the sky as the air filled with snarls and roars once more as the Kings—and Derek—fought.

Kora wanted to be out there with the others. When Miena had her back to her, she saw an opportunity to attack, but as she was about to rush out, Miena turned around. Had Kora gone then, she would have come face-to-face with Miena.

But staying hidden was worse than being in the middle of it all. From her spot, Kora saw everything. Every missed strike, every hit against her friends. She heard Derek’s pain-filled roar permeating the air. Her heart lurched, and fear snaked around her.

“Keep calm.” Kayden’s voice was in her head again. How could she have forgotten all the times her brother had told her that when they were growing up?

Kora tucked away the fear and locked her gaze back on the battle at hand. Something snagged her attention. She did a double take when she found Gordon rising to his feet. He was in the air before she could alert anyone and crashed into the ball of dragons.

Another startled cry rose, this one human, and pulled her attention. Eurielle was on the ground, holding her arm as Villette and Lotti closed in on her. Villette suddenly winced as her magic bounced off her left hand. Almost immediately, Kora’s left hand throbbed, and every bone felt as if it had shattered. The pain made her double over. She squeezed her eyes closed and clamped her lips shut. She wouldn’t cry out and draw attention to herself.

There wasn’t time for this. Kora leaned against a tree, sweat running down her face. She looked up at Villette, but it didn’t appear as if she even had a wound on her hand. Kora then looked at Miena, who sported a few injuries, though not nearly enough in Kora’s mind. She had to get closer if she wanted to trap Miena. That meant she had to move.

Kora needed to come up behind and around Miena. It was the only way. She scanned the area, noting two places she could reach. Her gaze lowered to her hand cradled against her body. Even looking at it hurt. Running would be agony.

She swung her gaze back to the Star People and found Villette pulling herself off the ground as she looked at her. Kora pointed to the bush she needed to reach. Villette nodded and sent a blast of magic at Miena’s right shoulder, spinning her away. Kora burst from the grove, moving as fast as she could. She slid behind the bush before Miena launched her next strike.

Just as she’d expected, the movement had been pure torture. She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. All she needed was one hand to throw her fire. She had that. Now, she just needed to get a little closer.

Kora glanced at the battle in time to see Miena send a blast straight at Villette. Kora held her breath. If Miena struck Villette again, Kora wouldn’t be able to move. Thankfully, Lotti blocked the magic before it reached Villette. That forced Kora to move from behind the bush to a tree. She plastered her back against it and waited. The pain had dimmed a bit. Or maybe she was becoming numb to it. Regardless, she would take it. Her mind needed to be focused, not split.

She peered around the tree. Two more moves, and she would be behind Miena. The problem was, there were no good hiding spots.

“I’m done hiding, remember?” she told herself.

Kora watched Miena. The way she dodged and sidestepped and how she shifted forward on one foot when she flung her magic. She was quick, fluid. She adapted rapidly. But all of that dimmed in comparison to the force of her magic. The smile on her lips told anyone watching that she expected to win.

Kora moved from behind the tree. She locked her gaze on Miena, and everything else fell away. She didn’t know how she got from the tree to her enemy. Flames exploded around her hand as a ball of fire formed. Kora pulled back her arm, ready to launch it, when Miena spun to face her.

The impact of Miena’s magic smashed into Kora, doubling her over. Her breath left her in a whoosh, and she slammed into the ground. She saw a blinding white light…

Then, nothing but darkness.