I'll give it props, though, because it took a hell of a lot more magical energy to keep hold of him than any of the others. I gripped two scales with my tendrils and shoved them both through its eyes and into its brain until the dragon stopped fighting.
I let go of my powers, and the icedrake dropped over and hit the ground hard, sending more tremors through the land.
I shot a glance at my parents, who were both still staring at me with that disappointed look.
“Oh, come on. That was a cool kill!” I threw my hands up in irritation. “Wren was with me. She kept me grounded.”
My heart ached as I thought of her. Ineededthis war to be over so I could have her in my arms again.
“Look, we trust Wren to keep you sane, but next time, let us know. We are your parents, and we love you very much.” Mom came forward and wrapped me in her arms while Dad wrapped us both in his.
I noticed a few specimens rushing toward us and allowed my tendrils to slice their heads off and watched them roll on the ground. “We should probably get back to this.”
They sighed but nodded and pulled away.
Killing wasn’t as fun when we didn't take the time to enjoy it.
FORTY-FOUR
Thorn
Myfae,theicefae, and our new fae, the fire fae, blasted elemental magic at the humans and the specimens.
All the chaos faded from my ears as I concentrated on the basilisk circling me and five of my fae as the rest of the army battled the humans around us.
My gaze never left the basilisk that slithered around us. I waited for its telltale sign of attack, and it came less than a minute later. The slight narrow of its eyes told me it was about to charge, and it did.
“Ice fae, block now!” My magic flooded my hands as we blocked it with a huge wall of ice. “Fire fae, offense! Strike it!”
The fire fae threw their hands up and streams of fire hit the large snake as it hissed and writhed.
It shot forward, this time faking us out with a strike before going in with a real one.
“Don't let it touch you! If it touches you, youwilldie!”
Draining half of my magical energy, I created an ice sword large enough to chop the head off of the thing, but it slammed its tail into the ground, sending a shockwave through the earth.
Half of my fae fell to the ground and the other half stepped in front of the ones down as it charged again.
It coiled around itself before striking again, its fangs out, and its murderous thoughts sent chills down my spine.
“Now!” I hollered, and their magic interweaved with mine, reinforcing the ice as the fire fae made the blade flame, and we forcefully slammed the sword down on the basilisk, slicing through its scaly armor until its head separated from its body.
Relief swept through me as I sucked in a ragged breath. “Don't go near it! It can still be venomous!”
Sharp jets of rain needled my back. I took solace in it, tilting my head back as tiny cold daggers of water pelted my face in the middle of summer.
I knew my mate would’ve loved this rain as much as me.
Worry snaked through me, and I sent a plea to the Fates to keep her safe.
“Prince Thorn, what do we do now?” one of the soldiers shouted at me over the roar of thunder above us.
I created a new sword that fit perfectly in my hand and raised it in the air. “Kill all who oppose us!”
My mind buzzed with concern for Wren, and while I attempted to block it out, her safety would always be my first priority. But letting her go to finish her role in the war would probably be the hardest thing that I would ever have to do.
Yet, in my own role in the war, I realized that being king and sitting on a throne, delegating tasks was not something that suited me.
