As I lowered it, a ragged shout snapped my head to the side. Agrulhad a guard on his knees, its mouth inches from the guard’s already bloody throat.
Sprinting across the narrow street, I drove my sword through the back of thegrul’s…small head.
The guard grunted and fell forward onto his hands. “Thank—” His thick locs swayed as he rocked back, his amber eyes widening as blood coursed down his throat to run under his armor. “My Queen.”
“Hi,” I murmured, eyeing the wound. His pain distracted me, scalding my skin as I took in the torn skin, a jagged pale pink against his darker flesh. Exposed muscle gleamed, quivering as it clung to the ruined skin. It was bad. If he’d been mortal, he would’ve been dead instead of bleeding out like he was. Eather swelled in me, fueling a different type of instinct that was the complete opposite of what had pumped through me moments before. I glanced around, finding Casteel a block or so up the street. He spun gracefully, a movement a trained dancer would have been envious of.
“Hold on,” I told the guard, keeping an eye on the street as I placed my bare hand against his cheek.
He jerked in surprise. “My Queen.”
I crouched beside him, maintaining our eye contact as I summoned the essence. “What’s your name?”
“J-Jaeden,” he said as my palms warmed. “J-Jaeden Va’Leir.”
“Jaeden,” I said, tingly heat rushing down my arm and spreading across my fingers. “I don’t believe we have met before.”
“We h-haven’t. I arrived with General…” Jaeden shuddered, his eyes drifting shut.
I lowered my gaze to his throat and manifested my will. Gold light sparked like embers as it washed across the wound. The golden pinpricks pulsed with energy as they sped up the healing process, coaxing Jaeden’s body to repair severed veins and muscle fibers. New skin grew within seconds, covering the wound with taut, slightly ashen skin that quickly flushed from a pinkish-brown to a deeper hue.
Jaeden inhaled, his eyes flaring wide.
I smiled and lifted my hand. “Be careful.”
His lips parted as he lifted his hand to his throat. His fingers trembled. “But be brave.”
My smile grew as I rose and looked down the street. My heart dropped when I turned and saw Setti about half a block away, tossing his head and stomping. Threegrulswere getting close. Setti wasn’t a normal horse, but he could feel pain—so would the Primal he was an extension of. Attes. My breath snagged in a way I really didn’t have time to dwell on.
I took off and plunged my sword into the base of one’s neck. There was no time to give thegrulthe respect of being laid down as a large man leapt toward Setti. I let thegrulfall onto its face with a smack that made me wince and shot forward faster than intended. I bumped into the back of thegruland realized I had shadowstepped. I bounced off the man’s large frame, luckily catching myself before I fell.
“Nice,” I muttered.
Thegrulspun, too close for me to catch him under the chin. Jaw clenching, I swung, arcing the blade up. The bloodstone cut through thegrul’s neck with the smoothness of a hot blade through wax. Blood sprayed, smelling sickly sweet like stale lilacs. The head fell as the body crumpled—
Sharp, fiery pain erupted down my forearm, startling me. “Fuck.”
I twisted to see the top of a snowy white head latched onto my arm. I swung the sword—
The older woman—thegrul—lurched back, its milky-white eyes wide as blood trickled from the corners of its mouth. My blood. Gritting my teeth at the pain, I stepped toward it.
Thegrulspun and darted across the street, leaving me standing with my sword half-raised and my arm burning.
I frowned. “Okay, then.”
Setti nudged me from behind, causing me to stumble. I turned, shaking my arm as if it could somehow lessen the pain. “Go back to the castle.”
Setti’s ears flicked.
“It’s not safe for you here.”
He snorted and slammed a hoof down.
He definitely understood.
“Go.” I patted his side, ignoring the fiery pain. It was already beginning to fade. “Go, Setti.” I met his stare, letting the eather rise to the surface. “Now.”
Tossing his mane and snorting, he turned and took off in a trot.
