I turn to see Mal standing there, his fist clamped around her arm. Behind him are ten golden soldiers.
Where the hell did they come from?
I force my shock to wait as they charge at us, hurling out their magic before they get close enough to strike a blow.
Cowards.
The moment I feel the pain, I crumple to the ground. Something sharp jabs at my chest over and over, leaving me breathless. I scan myself for the arrow or dagger I’m certain has pierced my heart. But there’s nothing there. That’s when I see one of the soldiers standing still, his arm cast out in my direction.
He’s using his affinity.
My magic kicks in, reflecting his power back at him in a jet stream of fury. He flies back, taken to the ground by the gift I’ve justdeflected. The second he’s up, I hit him with a line of fire and watch him dance around, desperate to extinguish the flames.
A flash of white whizzes past my head. I turn to see Zadyn leap through the air inOrCatform to take off the arm of the soldier whose sword is arcing toward my neck.
Mal materializes behind me, landing a stunning blow to my cheek.
Can’t say I’ve missed his punches.
A metallic tang fills my mouth as he reaches for me again, but a tidal wave shoves him backward.
Kai bends to help me up.
“I don’t know what gutter you crawled out of,” he calls to Mal, “but in these parts, traitors are generally disliked.”
Mal laughs, getting to his feet. “You’re the only traitor I see here,Prince. Your mother is worried sick.”
“I think you have her confused with some other cunt, which is surprising given how much time you’ve spent plowing hers. Too soon to start calling you ‘Daddy’?”
That does it. The rage on Mal’s face causes me to take a physical step back, pulling Kai with me as he sends out another powerful rush of water. Mal tosses his hands out at the same time, his fingers trembling and glowing white.
Mal’s gift is lightning.
Fuck.
“Kai, no!”
I shove him out of the way the moment the water and lightning meet, absorbing the full weight of the fallout. The electric current eats through me so fast and violently, I hit the ground, convulsing. It’s too overwhelming to even deflect. My vision darkens as I jerk and writhe, eating dirt and spitting blood.
I decide then that I want Mal to die first. Ilspeth can watch. Kylian won’t give a shit about either of them, so where he falls on the list is not really important as long as he’s dead.
Then it stops. The pain, the seizing. All of it. I can see again. Kai is leaning over me, a horrified expression on his face.
“I can only hold them for a minute. Think fast, people.”
In my periphery, Mar staggers back a step, nose leaking blue. The soldiers around us are frozen, even Mal. Suspended mid-stride. She’s siphoning.
Zadyn shifts back into fae form to pull me into his lap. I don’t have the voice to ask how bad my damage is. Not yet.
I can feel Furi rioting in my head, her rage flaring as if she’d been scorched herself. I wish I could tell her I’m alright, but I’m struggling to breathe, and that sucks up all my focus.
“Kai, I need you to make a pool,” Zadyn directs, his eyes never leaving mine.
“What?”
“A pool!” he bellows. “A small body of water. Make one right now.”
“Fuck.” Dover and Eaton pop into view, blotting out the sun.
