Kyla leaped off her elk and ran to the girl’s side. Then she yelled something that made Kyla’s essence freeze and her blood turn to ice.
“Avery! Avery!” the girl shouted in a faint, raspy voice.
Chapter fifty-nine
Avery
“You bitch! I will eviscerate you!” Jasper gasped in agony as a Nepheli guard ran to his side to pull the knife out with gloved hands. As he drew out the weapon, blood spurted out with a hiss. The iron was doing its work better than Avery realized. Jasper screamed in pain as his blood boiled forth. A guard pressed a napkin to the wound, but it was doing nothing to stop the bleeding.
Guards rushed Avery on all sides. She whispered an incantation that burned through her entire being before blasting from her fingertips. Everything in her shook as the power—so much power—shot out of her, illuminating the room in a neon green light before knocking down half a dozen fae warriors.
Rylo motioned for the guards to stand down as he continued to relax at the table. What a prick. He couldn’t even be bothered to lift a finger to help. And where in the hell was Savine? He and the others should be here by now. The Nepheli guards obeyed without question, but that didn’t stop the few Latians from running toward Jasper.
“Do not let them near their king. I want to see what she can do,” Rylo drawled. His guards jumped into action, drawing swords. The Nepheli guards lifted their swords in preparation for attack.
Raikin, still dressed as a server, stood between Avery and the guards. His disguise melted away, and the Latians gasped in surprise. Avery felta shift in the room as Raikin released some sort of sticky liquid from his hands.
Was that sap?
Rakin hit three Latian guards with shocking precision. The targets of his sap screamed as the hot, sticky liquid spread across their bodies and faces. Avery watched in horror as the victims flopped to the polished stone floor, pinned in an amber viscous liquid as they writhed for breath.
Magic hummed in the air as other fae guests prepared to wield their essence against Avery. Being in a room filled with hundreds of powerful fae gave her little chance of getting out of here alive. She thought of the protective bubble she’d created during the Hylax attack. Nobody was going to take her out before she had a chance to kill Jasper. She’d trap them together until one of them died.
Just as she was about to create a ward around them, Avery heard the tremble of the doors as thorny vines burst through the room.
Savine. Savine was here!
Screams filled the chamber, but Avery smiled. Savine ran into the room, and she’d never seen such a beautiful sight. His hair was pulled back in a bun. In one strong arm, he wielded his sword, while thorns blasted out his other hand at anyone who stepped in his path. On his head sat the gilded boughs.
A king triumphant. That’s what he was. A king conquering what was rightfully his.
Behind him ran Jay. She’d never seen him move so quickly, so fluidly. Avery hadn’t seen him in battle and never realized that he could transport himself across a room, like stepping through the folds of space and time. As he worked his way forward into the room, he made swift work of the Latian warriors that stood in his way. Avery flinched. He was killing his own people without a second thought. How didkind, cheerful Jay deal with the guilt associated with taking lives with such ease?
A wave of cool water hit the remaining loyalists, flushing them across the room. Susan. If Susan could make it to her, they may be able to stop this together. Avery shouted for her friend, and Susan made eye contact as she ran at a typical human pace through the chaotic room.
Jasper bounded over the table—heading straight for Avery with his sword drawn. His injured left arm continued to bleed, but that wasn’t stopping him from exerting his fae speed as he raced toward Avery.
She had to actnow. If not now, then she’d never have another chance. Avery spoke the words in her heart as she heard Savine shout her name. Just one last look at him. That’s all she needed before she let her magic ripple out of her.
As she turned her head, she saw Savine’s brilliant blue eyes sparkle. He was right there by her side, bloodied sword lifted and ready to take out his own father. His essence rippled under his skin as she took her eyes from her soulmate.
With a flick of her wrist, she released all she had in her.
The green light flowed out of her like lightning, forming a dome around the three rulers and Avery. For a moment, it stunned Avery. This was coming fromher.She was the conductor of all that power. All that light. She didn’t know she had this much in her, especially without tapping into the deep magic. It rippled through her, a never-ending flow of pure magic until it hit her target true and strong.
Jasper collapsed on the floor and shuddered before he stilled. Everything around Avery rang. Her vision blurred as she tried to focus on the heap on the floor. Avery fell toward the floor like a feather drifting down. But there he was. Savine. She was in his arms and would never leavethem, ever.
“Avery!” Savine shouted. “Avery, answer me. Sweet powerful witch.” Words were beyond her as she tried her hardest to return his caress.
“Well, that was disappointingly easy,” Rylo said. Although her eyes were closed, she heard his voice close by. It was over. How had killing one of the most powerful fae been that simple?
Just as she thought that, she felt a constriction in her throat. She couldn’t get a breath in. Her eyes flew open as Savine tightened his arms around her. His pupils darkened so much that the blue all but disappeared from Savine’s eyes. A mixture of shock and pain was etched on his face.
Jasper wasn’t dead after all.
“You think you can kill me with a bit of green light, girl?” Jasper roared. “Me? The most powerful fae in the land. And you, my traitorous son. I cannot kill you myself, but I will ensure all the rest of your life is spent in agony. Rylo, you are just as traitorous. I will delight in watching your downfall. Then this little sky kingdom will be mine for the taking.”
Power rippled off Jasper as he cast out his essence, wrapping around Avery’s body. The dome she’d created dissolved into nothing. She was being yanked away from Savine, and she couldn’t hang on. Her body and his were no longer under their control. Avery tumbled forward before being set on her feet. She was so lightheaded. There was no way she was going to last much longer. Beside her stood Savine and Rylo. Both of them were also losing their oxygen supply.
