Rion looked over the crowd, taking it in section by section.
“And when this is all over,” he raised his voice. “When we’ve put every one of those bastards in the grave and we’ve trampled Vairik’s name to dust. If you still hold that same resentment toward me in your hearts, you can come and face me then. Fight until you have nothing left, then fight some more. When you reach the point that you’re ready to fall, rise again. We are Fae. We do not falter. We do not fall. We do not flee.”
A thunderous roar went through the crowd as they raised their swords, battle cries echoing across the field. Talon joined them, roaring, raising his own blade. Raevina did the same, her fangs and steel ready to tear through monstrous flesh.
Rion’s magic lowered him and Gavin to the ground, right between two lines of warriors who were bashing their blades against their shields. A narrow path between them led directly to the front. Talon closed the space to join him. Raevina and several others followed.
Hearts raced. Magic coated the ground and sky, all of it blending into one.
Rion didn’t look at Talon when he spoke. “I never thought I’d be dying by your side, of all people.”
Talon smirked. “Family defends its own.”
Rion’s gaze snapped to meet his. Talon saw the emotion in his gaze. He held up an arm. Rion took it, the two clasping hands for one final fight. Brothers. Friends. They’d come such along way from the first day Talon had nearly fooled The Demon. The day the dark monstrous creature had shown him mercy.
They’d be together until the end.
And Talon would have it no other way.
Chapter Forty
Ellie
They were gone. All of them.
Silence permeated the halls. Talon had bid her farewell. Arianna and her father, too. But she hadn’t been able to bring herself to react. Not when she’d already planned to follow them into hell.
Her attendants had eventually stepped out, which had given her the perfect opportunity to escape. There was too much going on for anyone to seek her out. They’d likely just assume someone else had taken her to safety, anyway.
Safety. That’s all anyone talked about. They wanted her safe. Protected. Calm.
None of them knew that the storm brewing inside her body wouldn’t allow such a thing. There was an inferno in her soul that couldn’t be quenched.
Ellie marched straight to Arianna’s room. Once inside, she tore the disgusting pale blue gown from her body and let the material fall to the floor in ribbons. Arianna’s closet was lined with clothes, just as she’d expected. Given that the two were about the same size, it gave Ellie everything she needed.
Ellie pulled on black pants, a long sleeve black shirt, and matching boots before pausing at the vanity. She didn’t bother looking herself over, not really. All she needed was her hair to be practical, battle ready.
She grabbed a brush, then stopped. Her eyes rose. She’d planned a braid; instead, Ellie headed for the kitchens.
No one roamed the halls anymore. No guards, no citizens, no pursuers. It was just her and the sound of her boots echoing off the marble floor.
Inside, the ovens had been turned off, but the counters were covered in various items, utensils left uncleaned from those who had spent their last few moments arranging supplies for the citizens below.
Whatever helped them make it to tomorrow, she supposed.
Ellie grabbed a pair of scissors from the table. She didn’t even bother to wipe them off before pulling her hair back and sawing at the strands.
They fell to the floor, one clump at a time. She moved to a tiny mirror over a countertop next, staring at her reflection, but not really seeing herself.
Then Ellie just kept cutting.
She took the sides short, nearly as short as Eimear’s hair, then ensured her bangs were high enough they couldn’t hinder her sight. The rest she trimmed up, ensuring the entire thing was uniform before letting the scissors clatter to the floor.
Ellie headed for the armory next, following the scents of all the warriors who’d gathered there hours before. The air still reeked of their fear.
She held none. She’d meet death with her arms wide open. And takehimto hell with her.
Ellie started with a few light pieces of leather, adjusting and slicing through anything that wouldn’t fit her slender frame. She wasn’t a fool. Walking onto a battlefield with nothing would have her dead within minutes. While she’d welcome her end, she had a score to settle first.
