“Seers speak precisely. If she told Alaina to stay until I summoned her, then that is what needs to happen. Anything different will alter fate, and while I like to think highly of myself, cousin, I won’t pretend to have more wisdom than fate herself.”
Surprisingly humble.
Marco stared off into the distance. “Might be better looking, though.” He flashed a crooked smile, but his expression turned grim as he gazed south. “This won’t last much longer.”
Far off in the distance, color leached from the vibrant green forest. Windguard would soon look like Argora Vale. The enemy had been clever in their ambush, but while they may have eradicated the portion of Windguard’s army that had been sent with us, a portion of Highcrest and Duski remained, locked in battle, putting up a worthy fight.
From what I could tell, our numbers were dwindling. But at the same time, so were theirs.
“Losing hope is just as dangerous as surrender, cousin,” I repeated his words back to him. He had said he’d seen men live or die based on the hope they held onto. He turned to me with that classic, charming smile.
“Whoever said that must be pretty wise.”
“And handsome,” I added.
He chuckled softly, taking the moment to regain his will. “Alright, let’s go win a war.”
76
Nora
With that corrupted freak distracted by Dae’s ghastly form, the curse laid dormant on the ground. Melody and I concentrated on the two regular wielders tucked in the trees, one remaining behind the safety of the curse that allowed him passage as he moved, the other too enthralled casting his magic upon a dozen of our soldiers to notice he’d stepped far beyond it. Which gave me access.
Melody covered me, sending strikes of lightning as close to both of them as she could, but never hitting. It kept them distracted as I weaved through trees, inching ever closer to my target. With so many bodies, they hadn’t figured out the attacks were from Mel, and I was selfishly grateful they targeted others.
The cocky elemental wielder combined wind and earth, sending a sandstorm of debris made from leaves and sharp twigs over our line of defense. Vines slithered, wrapping around ankles and legs, trapping our fighters in place, or yanking them to the ground before covering their bodies with more growth.
He wore a sadistic smile, faltering only when Melody sent a bolt of lightning that severed his molesting vegetation. The other that remained safely embedded behind the living shadows wielded kinetics in a sharply precise fashion. As I moved, our soldiers were strangled by their own collars, sliced with their own swords, and punched and pummeled by nothing but their own armor.
A current of Melody’s invisible force threw the elemental wielder off his feet before he tangled more of our fighters. He hit the ground with a thud, unfortunately falling short of touching that necrotic darkness. Realization fell over his features when he beheld Melody’s stance as she reared her arms back to gather more power. But that was his death wish.
Before he fully recovered, my dagger cut through the air. It sank deep into his shoulder. He stumbled and swore, searching for his attacker, exactly what I wanted him to do. Another dagger was already flying in its wake. It hit its target, lodging right between his eyes.
Beholding his fallen comrade, the kinetics wielder redirected his focus to me. He was too far away, I knew my aim wouldn’t be exact. A safe option didn’t exist now that he’d set his sights on me, but a moving target is harder to hit than a still one.
I bolted, threading through the forest. Branches snapped above my head, no doubt ready to spear me. Invisible forces clashed above, Melody saving my ass no doubt. I ducked, swerving violently in another direction, leaping over a fallen tree. Instinct told me to use it as a barrier while I caught my breath, so I did. Flecks of bark flew off the top, but the girth of the trunk kept me from his view. Keeping low, I crept along the length, moving a few feet away from where he’d seen me hop over.
I was glad I had when stray branches rained from the sky, stabbing into the ground where he’d seen me hide. My drythroat caught on the lump that formed as I choked down ragged breaths. It was hard to hear past the roaring drumbeat in my ears.
To my right, Dae still went toe-to-toe with the dark wielder. Why hadn’t he killed him yet? I supposed the distraction was better than nothing. That fucking magic had us herded like animals. They may not have had anywhere close to our numbers, but we were fucking fish in a barrel.
Still, I’d taken one down. I took heart, knowing even without magic I could help turn the tides in this fight. Remaining hidden, tucked behind the safe barrier of the fallen tree started to feel shameful as the dying screams of my army clouded the forest. I had only been there for a handful of seconds, but I couldn’t sit back and do nothing.
Maybe if I ran back to Melody, she and I could find another open opportunity down the line to take out their men. I’d never felt closer to her. Sisters not by blood, but by heart and soul and spirit. Nicholas had taken off with Marco to sustain our forces, and my heart skipped a beat, dreaming of how we would eventually come together and fight side by side. Something he and I did well.
My feet slammed into the earth, propelling me forward. Toward my people, toward potential victory. I headed for Melody, the earth loose and covered with tree shrapnel from the dragons earlier.
It unfolded in slow motion, the way her blue eyes locked with mine. How they honed onto something behind me. How her face fell, and she screamed my name.
I blinked, spinning around, reaching for one of the five remaining daggers strapped to my body. I’d really upped the ante since the days I only wielded two. By the time I turned to face my opponent, I had angled myself in a way that allowed the flying dagger to lodge into my gut.
Time still slow, I peered down at the pommel sunk all the way to the hilt. One slow, drawn out thump of my heart sounded in my ears. I felt no pain. I looked at the metal with curiosity, not thinking as my hands wrapped around and withdrew it.
The red sheen coating the blade was so vibrant. I couldn’t recall one item at the castle that had this rich of color. Warm wetness gathered down my front. It wasn’t until I watched the river flowing from me to the ground that I grasped what was happening, what this meant.
A flash of light blinded the world for a moment, and Melody’s dull voice called to me. I turned around to see her racing toward me, her usually delicate and poised features drowned in concern as her feet ate the space between us.
“Nick,” I whispered the instruction I couldn’t finish, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. My knees gave out, but she reached me the moment they did, catching me as we lowered to the ground. I think she repeated assurances in my ear, but my focus was elsewhere.
