Page 35 of The Uncrowned King (The Bastard Duology #2)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

She was conquering her rivals. It wasn’t the grand confrontation Miena had coveted, but she was still getting the upper hand against her sisters. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t hold true for long. She was burning through her magic too quickly, and Aksel had yet to return with another child. But there were other ways to win.

Miena teleported to Eurielle, her arms out. Magic exploded from her hands, wrapping around Eurielle’s face. Her sister cried out, half in surprise and half in pain. Once Miena had a hold of her, there was no way Eurielle could break free. Villette and Lotti tried to stop her, but they couldn’t throw their magic too close lest they strike Eurielle.

Miena dragged her sister to the edge of the balcony. She smiled as she leaned back and tumbled over the railing, taking Eurielle with her. Eurielle’s gray eyes narrowed in confusion. She waited until Eurielle attempted to teleport back up. The instant Miena felt her sister’s magic, she homed in on it. She knew from experience that she couldn’t siphon any, but that wasn’t what she wanted. All she needed was to keep Eurielle distracted long enough. The ground rose up quickly. Miena waited until she knew there was no escape for her sister. Then she released her, watching Eurielle collide with the mountainside.

Derek gradually moved around Kora, melting the ice, careful that his flames didn’t get close. The Kings remained at the shoreline, their fire stretching toward him and Kora as they kept the ice from reforming. Derek began sinking as the thick glacial mass around Kora started to liquefy. But it was taking far longer than he had foreseen.

Rhi kept the soldiers at bay by herself. The clang of swords, dings of armor, and shouts could be heard over the rumble of flames. Everyone in the chamber was acutely aware of Rhi facing an unknown number of foes on her own. Con’s gaze kept sliding to the door, waiting for his mate. He was concerned but not fearful. Because Con knew Rhi could handle it. Derek knew that same feeling. He glanced at Kora. He wanted to protect her and keep all harm from coming near her. But she was more than capable of taking care of herself—and taking on others.

Look what she had done for him.

His heart squeezed as a thread of fear spiked through him. How many more obstacles would they have to overcome before they could be together? He would never stop fighting for her. No matter who tried to come between them, they would find their way back to each other. Just as they had done several times already.

He silently begged her to lift her head. Derek needed to look into her eyes. He wanted her to know that he was there. But she remained unconscious, her blood continuing to drip dark red against the ice.

A mound took shape beneath Kora’s feet as the ice liquefied. Fury ripped through Derek when he saw additional restraints tightly wound around her ankles. He carefully directed his fire away from his mate as he reached for the chains at her feet. The sight of blood churning in the water sent a dagger straight to his heart. He channeled that violence and his magic into the shackles. They fell apart in his hands. Almost too easily. But he’d worry about that later.

He unwound the chains from her ankles. When he stood, Merrill walked to where her restraints were attached to the wall. Derek stopped his fire and lifted Kora into his arms, cradling her against him. Merrill broke the shackles. Her right arm fell heavily. Derek looked the other way and watched Brandr sever the links holding her left arm. Once she was free, Derek didn’t waste any time moving through the icy water to the shore.

The moment his feet touched the ground, the Kings ceased their fire. The water cracked and groaned as it refroze. Con, Merrill, and Brandr ran out ahead of them to aid Rhi. Derek carried Kora’s shivering form out of the chamber as Hector brought the chains. Derek gently laid Kora down. There was so much blood. It coated her face and dripped into her hair. It soaked her side and her front. He had even felt it on her back when he carried her.

“She’ll heal,” Derek said, more to himself than the others. He looked Kora over, taking in the other injuries he hadn’t seen. He touched her face. “Open your eyes, Kora. I need you to wake up.”

Her body jerked, and a moan fell from her lips. It soon turned into a scream of agony.

“Derek!” Hector shouted before flames erupted from him.

Derek looked over in horror as ice from Kora’s legs melded with more that had reached out from the room like a long finger. Hector severed it as Derek gathered Kora to him once more and moved her farther away from the chamber. If he hadn’t tossed the door out, they would have had something to lock in the ice. Rhi, Brandr, and Merrill blocked the way out, fighting a sea of soldiers. Con extricated himself from the battle and strode to them. He put his hand on Kora. Derek waited, but her wounds didn’t heal.

“What’s wrong? Why isn’t it working?” Derek asked.

Con shook his head, a deep frown forming. “I doona know.”

They both looked at the chains dangling from her wrists and saw more ice crawling up them. Con and Hector each grabbed the thick metal and broke it apart. The next time Con tried to heal her, Derek observed her injuries heal before his eyes. But she still didn’t wake.

“Time to go!” Rhi shouted over her shoulder.

Derek reached for his cuff, muttered a curse, and followed Con and Hector. Rhi, Brandr, and Merrill were suddenly there. Someone grabbed his arm. The sounds of battle were replaced by the peace of nature. Derek gazed at the tall trees and night sky beyond them. He would know Ferdon Woods anywhere.

“Now what?” Hector asked.

The King of Kings slid his gaze to Brandr. “It’s your decision, son. You rule here.”

To Derek’s surprise, Brandr turned to him and asked, “What do you think?”

Derek looked at the faces around him before laying Kora on the ground and calling up a blanket to cover her. Then he stood and faced the group. “We should work on the thing we all want. Miena dead.”

Lotti kept looking for Eurielle, but she hadn’t returned since she’d gone over the side with Miena. Lotti tried to get to the railing to look over, but Miena kept her and Villette away. And while she might be slowing, Villette and Miena didn’t seem to be. The hatred between the two was evident in their strikes. Lotti saw the damage Villette took and couldn’t imagine how Kora was faring.

She had hoped Alasdair and the other Kings would have arrived by now. Where were they?

Footsteps sounded behind her. She spun to see the same, red-robed priest as before yanking a screaming girl behind him. Lotti glanced at Miena and saw anticipation flare in her eyes. After what Villette had shared about Miena stealing magic, and what Lotti had witnessed with the infant, there was no way Lotti would allow her anywhere near the child.

Lotti stepped between the priest and Miena. “Leave. Now.”

“I don’t answer to you,” he said, contempt dripping from his words.

She leveled her gaze at him. “I wasn’t asking.”

The priest looked from the girl, trying to pull out of his bruising hold, tears coursing down her face, to Miena, who was shouting for him. Lotti knew the moment he decided to chance it.

She closed the short distance between them and grabbed the girl, turning the child away as Lotti shoved magic into his chest, stopping his heart. Miena’s screamed her displeasure. Villette shouted something to Lotti, but she couldn’t make it out. She moved the girl so she couldn’t see around her as magic seared her lower back.

Lotti smiled through the pain. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Right now, I need you to get at least three floors down. Can you do that?”

The girl stared at her with wide, blue eyes, her dark lashes spiked from her tears. She nodded before attempting to look around Lotti when the floor shook.

Lotti moved with her. The child was already traumatized. She didn’t need to see any more. “Go now. I’ll come for you soon.”

She turned the girl around and gave her a soft shove. Lotti didn’t budge until the child was out of sight. Then she whirled around and rejoined the battle with renewed fury.

Kora opened her eyes to see stars blinking between thick tree limbs. Voices reached her then. The moment she heard Derek’s, something inside her loosened. The ice prison felt like a distant nightmare, but it wasn’t. Tremors still racked her body.

Her clothes were sticky. She moved the blanket, and pain exploded on her right thigh. She likely would’ve been brought to the ground had she been standing. She must have made a sound because Derek was suddenly leaning over her. It was too dark to see his face clearly, but she didn’t need to. She knew every curve and contour by heart.

“You found me,” she said.

There was a smile in his voice as he replied, “Always.”

“Welcome back,” Rhi told her as she stood on Kora’s other side.

Derek ran a hand down her face. “Can you stand?”

“I don’t know,” Kora admitted. Her leg throbbed.

Someone touched her shoulder. She tilted her head back and saw their outline. Her pain suddenly diminished and then left altogether.

“That should do it,” Con said.

Kora smiled in gratitude. “Thank you.”

Derek took her hand and helped her to her feet. “We’re planning our attack on Miena.”

“First, let’s get you cleaned up.” Rhi snapped her fingers.

Kora’s clothes were replaced. She touched her hair and face to find both free of blood. “That feels better.”

“I always go into battle looking my best,” the Fae stated with a grin.

Merrill cleared his throat. “Miena will expect us to come from the sky. She’ll see us, but I still think that’s our best advantage.”

“Some of us should come from the palace,” Hector said.

Alasdair shifted from one foot to the other, his body taut. “Whatever we’re doing, we need to do it now.”

“All right. Let’s split up,” Brandr said.

“Nay.” Kora’s voice rang out in the forest, halting everyone. They turned to look at her, but she focused on Derek. “She can be hurt, but we want to do more than injure her. My fire will kill her.”

Derek’s brow furrowed. “You aren’t going after her alone.”

“I realized something when I was in the ice. She’s alone. Completely. And she’s scared.”

Con motioned to her. “What do you propose?”

“Something none of you will like.” Kora took a deep breath. “Merrill’s right. There needs to be an attack from the air, but one she won’t see coming.”

Rhi grinned. “You.”

Kora nodded and met the Fae’s eyes. “I’m going to need you, though.” Then she looked at Derek. “And you.”

“You shouldna be in the skies alone,” Con said.

Kora looked at the faces around her. “I won’t be.”