“You’re the genius here, General,” Ilyas panted, finally swatting Lex’s hands away. “What is the plan?”
I sighed, running a dirty hand over my equally soiled face as I tried to think. Exhaustion, fatigue, and a general sense of worry ate at my mind, making it difficult to think clearly.
“We can’t continue like this,” Lex hedged. “We’ll all die if we do.”
His statement, while heavy, was packed with truth.
We had to pivot—or sacrifice not just our lives, but that of the rest of Elyria as well.
“We pivot,” I said finally. “Find Solace. Cut the head off the snake and?—”
“It dies,” Torin finished, nodding to himself.
A softthunksounded behind us, but none of us turned to look. If an enemy soldier approached from the rear, we’d dispatch them together. When no one emerged, we all relaxed incrementally.
“You and Ellowyn stay out of it for the time being,” I continued, looking at Torin. The godling opened his mouth to protest, but I held up a tired hand to still his tirade. “You have no access to magic. Let Lex, Ilyas, and me do the heavy lifting for now. See if we can distract her enough that you and Ellowyn can come from behind and end it all.”
“It’s risky, General. If you fail, ifwefail?—”
“Then Elyria falls,” Lex finished Torin’s statement grimly.
I grimaced and pushed to a stand before helping Torin to his feet.
“What other option do we truly have?” Ilyas asked with a shake of his head. “It’s theonlyoption. If we wait any longer, we’ll be too exhausted to even attempt it.”
I grunted my agreement, gripping my bloodied sword once more.
My muscles screamed in protest, shouting at me to stop, to rest. But I couldn’t.
Ihadto do this—had to save Elyria, my friends, Faylinn.
Or die trying.
Chapter One Hundred Ten
Faylinn
Ididn’t think, I ran.
As soon as the words were out of Rohak’s mouth, I slid from my perch in the tree, uncaring if anyone heard thethumpas I fell.
Anyone else attacking Solace would be a suicide mission. They were all tired, bone-deep exhaustion carved into their bloodied faces, and Solace would kill them before they could even come close to her.
I couldn’t let that happen. Couldn’t watch as Lex or Torin, or Fate forbidRohak,marched straight into death’s embrace when I was still fresh, still hidden, my presence completely unknown.
No, it had to be me.
Besides, only a god could kill another god.
Chapter One Hundred Eleven
Ben
“Ah, fuck!” I roared a curse as a stream of fire caught my bicep, singeing straight through my tunic and melting it to the skin beneath. My agony flared down the Bond to Asha, her face tightening into a grimace as she bit back her own cry of pain.
Fuck, this was the worst part of the Bond, I thought, clutching my arm even as I placed my other hand against the soil, loosening a thunderclap deep within the dirt that had the earth roiling and shaking above.
Friend and foe halted their attacks in an attempt to gain their footing, a few succumbing to the quaking of the ground. I pulled back on my power, just enough to stabilize the area where a few of our Mages stood, allowing them to strike their opponents unimpeded.
