I hung back within their protective circle as I drew deeply on my well of power that settled in Ilyas’ soul.
With a breath, I released it, a thin coating of golden Pleasure Magic sparkling in the rising sun as it sought out our soldiers, injecting their veins with hope and reassurance. Bolstering their resolve and renewing their energy once more.
There were sighs of pleasure and contentment before I pulled my power back, saving enough for one more energizing blast. I had no doubt we would need it at some point.
I opened my eyes to see our people fighting with renewed vigor, emboldened by the emotions I’d fed them. My breaths were choppy as I swayed on my feet; expending that much power was exhausting at the best of times, but coupling it with a hard ride from Vespera meant I was woozier than normal.
“Lex!” Rohak’s voice cut through my fatigue, forcing me to be steady on my feet once more. Ilyas held my waist, a short sword in the other hand as he prepared to ward off any attacks that should come our way.
“General,” I returned weakly, my muscles shaking with exhaustion.
“Lex, why aren’t you in Vespera?” Rohak shouted over the cacophony of battle, his emerald eyes hard and wild, his lips set in a thin line.
I shook my head.
“Vespera is . . . Vespera is lost, Rohak. Sasori—” I choked on my own tongue at the horror on Rohak’s expression. He’d left his Bonded to die just as I’d abandoned Sol and anyone else who chose to stay.
I grabbed his arm, holding him in place in case he thought about fleeing back to the city.
“We cannot help them there,” I said, voice hard and firm. Rohak’s bicep tensed in my grip, but he stayed firmly planted in the soil. “They are lost,” I reiterated as Rohak flinched. “But Elyria is not. If you leave, if we disband, then wewilllose. Solace will conquer Elyria. Is that what you want, Rohak? For all of this to be for fucking nothing?”
Rohak gritted his teeth before shaking his head once.
“Good,” I said, blood boiling and anger rising once more. “Because I, for one, feel the need to repay these bastards in kind for what they’ve done to our people, to us. What do you think, brother?”
A private war raged behind Rohak’s eyes as he fought every instinct to flee back to Vespera and find Faylinn.
“Agreed,” he finally gritted through clenched teeth. “Let’s end this, Lex. For them,” he added softly before turning back to the battle, a savage look on his face.
I extracted my own sword before nodding to Ilyas, both of us following in the General’s wake as he hacked and struck with a fury I’d never seen.
Hopefully, it was all enough.
Chapter One Hundred Six
Torin
“Where. The.Fuck.Is she?” I roared, swinging wildly at a soldier’s head. An ill-timed block left her throat exposed. My blade met harsh resistance for a moment before it cleaved her head completely from her neck.
Blood spurted in macabre jets from the open wound, splattering those nearest as her head hit the wet ground with asplash. Blood and mud mired my once-clean clothes and boots, the fabrics nearly undeterminable beneath the grime.
Finally, the rest of her corpse realized its head was no longer attached, and it fell in a heap to the ground, coming to final rest atop another soldier I’d felled minutes earlier.
“Where is who?” Lex called as he and Ilyas battled in a similar way to Rohak and me. Though while Rohak and I moved with a synchrony that was impressive given our lack of practice, Lex and Ilyas moved as if in a dance only they knew the steps to. One would block while the other reached with deadly precision before they’d twirl around together, facing opposite opponents. Nearly every time their swords lashed out, they met skin and bone, felling more enemy soldiers than I thought possible in such a short time.
It was beautiful to watch, really, though I had little time to observe.
“Solace,” I shouted, engaging with yet another enemy soldier.
They came like this for hours, the fire in the night sky waxing and waning as the sun rose to bathe the battlefield in a golden glow. The heat was nearly unbearable, the day uncharacteristically warm for the season, and already, flies and other animals were flocking to the densest areasof death.
Solace was here—I couldfeelher—but was hiding somewhere, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. The lack of my powers was beyond annoying—it was a harsh detriment. Without them, I severely doubted our ability to overpower the goddess.
Yet I fought anyway, holding onto whatever minuscule scrap of hope remained in my worn-out and sluggish body.
“Fuck,” I hissed as metal scratched across my skin, tearing at the fabric of my tunic and slicing deep into my ribcage.
Hot blood poured down my chest and onto the top of my pants, and I faltered away, free hand clutching the wound.
