Gratitude flickered in his gaze, but before he could speak, his body gave out. Sorcha held him tightly, tears mixing with the blood and ash staining her face as the echoes of battle raged on around them. She screamed to Kyron, who was fending off the creatures, preventing more from reaching her. Her cry tore through the chaos, loud and desperate.
Kyron turned at the sound, his gaze locking onto the tears in her eyes. He unleashed a deadly force. Withrenewed ferocity, he began slicing through the creatures, each strike more vicious than the last. Within moments, he was at her side. Sorcha’s voice trembled as she looked at him. “Help me move him inside that house,” she said, pointing to a small building nearby.
Without hesitation, Kyron lifted Commander Nethran, throwing him over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing. He kicked in the door, his boot splintering the wood, and carried the commander inside. Gently, he laid him down on the ground, the Commander let out a weak groan.
Sorcha knelt beside the commander, her voice soft and trembling as she whispered, “Stay with us.” For a moment, her hand lingered against his bloodied face before she forced herself to stand.
Without another word, Sorcha turned back to the battle outside. From the center of the fray came a roar, and Sorcha turned just in time to see Eirin charging into battle. His eyes were splattered with ruby as his brown tunic was streaked with more crimson then honey, the golden accentsglinting as he swung a massive cleave with deadly precision. The weapon cleared through the thick hide of a Fomorian, its jagged edges slicing effortlessly. His movements were calculated, the weight of the weapon seemingly nothing in his hands as he cut a path toward her.
Nearby, Emry and Riona fought back to back, their movements synchronized as if they had trained together their whole lives. His navy-blue tunic was slashed and bloodied, the silver embroidery dulled by grime, but his strikes were swift. Riona’s silver gown was torn as well and bloodied, her blade flashing as she tried to shield him from the creatures closing in around them.
“Emry, stay close!” Riona shouted, her voice ringing with urgency.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he called back, a faint smile flickering across his face despite the chaos. “You’d miss me too much.”
Riona’s gaze darted to him, her lips parting as if to respond, but her words were cut off by the scream of another Fomorian charging toward them. She movedinstinctively, slicing through its throat before it could reach Emry.
For a brief moment their movements were perfectly in sync. But the tide shifted as a hulking Fomorian, larger than the others, emerged from the smoke. Its jagged claws gleamed like obsidian, and its glowing red eyes locked onto Riona with terrifying intent.
“Riona!” Emry yelled, his voice breaking through the roar of the battle.
She turned just in time to see the creature leap.
Emry shoved her aside, taking the full force of the Fomorians blow. The creature’s claws tore into his chest, the sickening sound of flesh ripping filling the air.
Riona fell to her knees beside him, her hands trembling as she pressed against his wounds, trying to stop the flow of blood. “No, no, no. Emry, stay with me!” she begged, her voice breaking.
His gaze found hers, the usual spark of mischief in his eyes now soft and fading. “Riona,” he rasped, his voice barely audible. “You always… looked beautiful in silver.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she shook her head. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare leave me!”
Emry’s bloodied hand reached up, brushing lightly against her face. His lips curved into the faintest smile before his eyes closed, his hand falling limp in hers.
No!” Riona screamed, her voice raw as she held him tightly. The world around her blurred, the sounds of the battle fading beneath the weight of her grief.
“Riona, move!” Eirin’s shout snapped her back.
He towered above her, his glaive dripping with blood as he fought off another wave of creatures. “We have to go now!”
Sorcha arrived moments later, the sight before her came like a blow to the face. Riona held Emry’s lifeless body, her silver gown stained red.
“Riona…” Sorcha whispered, stepping closer. “Don’t!” Riona snapped, her tear streaked face twisting with fury. “You should have been here! You should have stopped this!”
Kyron looked at Sorcha, his gaze softening as he saw the anguish etched on her face. Riona’s words had cut deeper than anything Sorcha had just endured. The world seemed to stop around her. In that moment, all she could hear and see was Riona’s agony, the sheer, all-consuming pain that tore through her as she cradled Emry’s broken body. The weight of Riona’s accusation pressing down on her, suffocating her. “You should have been here. You should have stopped this.”
The words echoed endlessly, swirling through her mind, choking the air from her lungs. It all moved in slow motion, the chaos of the battlefield muted against the crushing grief. Riona clinging to Emry, her trembling hands stained with his blood, her sobs silent to Sorcha’s ears. The others fought desperately to finish off the remaining Fomorians, their weapons glinting with flashes of blood swirling around her. Kyron looked to Sorcha and began moving through the fray. His eyes lit like bottled lightning as he wielded the mist with deadly force, choking the life from the creatures that remained. He called for more as themist grew, skeleton-like hands snapped necks like twigs while others suffocated on gray matter that crept into their mouths.
As the last body fell, Kyron collapsed to the ground, the exhaustion of his efforts overtaking him. Sorcha began to sprint toward Kyron but he raised a hand and shook his head as he pointed to Riona.
Sorcha’s gaze drifted back to Riona, whose lips moved in frantic, anguished words. Sorcha could see her speaking, could feel the weight of her grief and fury, but she couldn’t hear her.
The battlefield blurred, yet one image remained seared into her mind Riona’s tear-streaked face, bent over Emry’s still form, the light in his eyes extinguished forever.
Sorcha fell to her knees beside Riona, her hands trembling as she reached out. Her voice was raw, breaking with every word. “Riona, I’m so sorry… I tried. I tried with everything I had to find you, to fight—”
Riona cut her off sharply, her voice trembling with fury and despair. “He’s gone, Sorcha. He’s gone. The only person in this world who loved me and he’s gone.”
Her words struck Sorcha again, stealing the breath from her lungs. Riona’s hands trembled as she cupped Emry’s face, pressing her forehead to his. Her lips brushed against his blood-streaked brow, her tears falling onto his lifeless skin. She rocked gently, murmuring words only he could hear, her grief too profound for anyone else to touch. The group circled around them, their eyes heavy with tears, their sobs muffled by the weight of the moment. Eirin stepped forward, his deep voice steady but laced with sorrow. “Riona,” he said gently, “we can’t leave him here. He has to be moved. Let us carry him to the medical ward.”
