Nothing moved. Not a whisper or a single exhale. Even the crows had gone quiet, like the whole fucking forest was waiting with bated breath.
The silence didn’t last, though.
Without warning, a low, guttural growl pierced the vale, and a chorus of roars quickly followed. The earth shook as a stampedeof footfalls descended from the hills, a thunderous rhythm that rattled my bones.
But I didn’t move.
Instead, a slow smile curved my lips as I tightened my grip on the pommel of my sword.
I was ready, eager.
Those who had plotted against me and my kingdom were about to find out why that was a fatal mistake.
Inhaling deeply, I let the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves fill my lungs, closing my eyes so I could savor the moment.
The impending bloodshed.
Retribution.
Victory.
It was already mine.
I allowed the darkness to expand inside me, and in the next moment, chaos erupted in the ravine.
Crossbow bolts tore from the shadows of the forest, slamming into the wagon and splintering wood. A cacophony of shouts and grinding steel met my ears, and my body moved without conscious thought as the first enemy broke through the tree line.
He raised his sword, already swinging at my head. Threads of darkness lashed out, slicing through his ankles and severing the tendons that stretched tight across his heels.
A blood-curdling scream left his lips as he toppled forward, where he met my blade. I watched his eyes go wide as the tip of my sword sank into the wet meat beneath his jaw.
I grinned, baring my teeth. “Traitors will find no mercy in the Kingdom of the Unseelie.”
With a tug on the hilt, I pulled my weapon free, just as an onslaught of bolts rained down on me from above. I dove behind a mossy boulder as three more projectiles flew past my ear.
Nearby, one of my men screamed, the sound turning into a bloody gurgle as the shaft punched through his throat. Blood gushed down his armor in thick, crimson rivulets, and I could feel the shadows leaching into my eyes as my gaze turned obsidian with my rage.
I was done playing.
A sense of calm washed over me. The air tasted of iron and carnage, and I drank it in, letting it ground me.
All around us, bodies barreled forward, arms outstretched, intent on delivering our demise. A faint breeze moved through the valley, tousling my hair and whipping the loose strands about my face.
I inhaled a deep breath, my shadows spilling from my palms, sinking into the earth, ready to do my bidding. The first line of assailants faltered, watching transfixed as black tendrils ensnared one of their comrades.
My shadows ripped through his chest, and I relished the resistance that met me as I forced them farther past his ribs, through his heart, and out through his spine. The man before me gasped, his mouth forming a perfect circle before I jerked my shadows free, spraying hot, sticky blood across my face.
Turning toward the stunned onlookers, I snarled. “Who’s next?”
Ragged, half-starved faces peered at me, looking nothing like the image I had conjured in my head. Dressed in oversized armor and tattered clothing that was little more than rags, they looked almost feral.
They didn’t care about formation or tactics. They were here for blood, my blood, and nothing would hold them back.
A keening wail shattered the stunned silence, and the rebels advanced.
One went for my throat, teeth bared like a savage animal. I gripped his hair and slammed his head into a stone. His skullcaved in with a satisfying crack, right before his friend tried to gut me with a curved blade. I let my shadows coil around his legs, pulling him to the ground before they crashed into his chest, crushing him.
Then my shadows surged forward, hungry and wild. They collided with the first line of attackers, knocking them off their feet and tearing at exposed flesh. Screams echoed through the ravine, sharp and piercing, but more bodies kept coming. The guards behind me held the line, swords raised and shields braced.
