“Trust me, Rosalina. I won’t let him get hurt.”
Finally, she nods, and I push her into Ezryn’s arms.
Ezryn looks desperately between Farron, the approaching soldiers, and the goblins. Then he heaves Kel over his shoulder with one hand and grabs Rosalina around the waist with the other. His helm tilts upward to the keep visible over the treeline. To Rosie’s balcony.
A vine sprouts from beneath the palm of his gauntlet. It hurtles over the trees before twining around the balcony railing. With a quick tug, Ezryn tests the vine’s strength, then tightens his grip on Rosalina and Kel as he uses the vine as a makeshift grappling hook, swinging them up toward the balcony with all the strength and finesse he can muster.
Something in my chest relaxes as they all safely clamber onto the balcony.
Now time to assess my own fucked-up situation. Goblins still pile out of the portal, currently occupied by the raging beast. There’s no sign of that bastard Prince of Thorns.
We should have never trusted him. Attend his birthday party? Bullshit. It was all a distraction so the Below could attack the Autumn Realm. We planted a fucking gateway right into the heart of the city.
I am a fighter. I am a gladiator of the Sun Colosseum. I am the High Prince of the Summer Realm. And I need a fucking weapon.
I sprint toward the goblins. A few of them stumble, startled at my approach. I draw my fist back and punch one straight in the jaw.
It lets out a chittering moan before collapsing. Quickly, I grab its long sword made of thorns and a small wooden shield.
Better than nothing.
It couldn’t have come at a better time. Two goblins swing at me, but I easily deflect their blades. These creatures aren’t as wild as those who dwell in the Briar; they must be one of the Below’s special forces. Pieces of metal glint on their ashen bodies, and some clutch jagged steel weapons.
The goblins surround me. But this isn’t the first time I’ve been outnumbered in a fight. It just takes another tactic. Deep within me, I feel for the Blessing of Summer. It barely stirs, buried within my chest.The magic of Castletree is weak, barely able to reach me in Autumn.
Then it catches, sparks to life. A barrier of wind erupts around me, keeping the monsters at bay.
Still within the fray of the burnt library, the wolf rages, tearing at the goblins. He needs to transform back, but even the light of the full moon will not calm his raging, especially with a host of goblins surrounding him.
I need to get him out of here. Leading him away from the library will only take him deeper into the city. I pierce my sword through two unsuspecting goblins, then retreat behind a rotting piece of wood.
Opening the seashell at my neck to reveal the mirror, I angle it to create a portal back to Castletree. I’ll open a way home and force him through. Sure, a couple of wayward goblins might follow us, but I can easily dispose of them there.
Except nothing forms. No pool of light. I can’t sense the magic of Castletree. I can’t find the path home. Have our roses wilted?
Panic stutters in my chest, threatening to consume me. No, I remain a fae man. I can still feel the Blessing of Summer.
But I’ve been away from Castletree for too long; the magic is too weak to create the path between me and my home. I’ll have to figure something else out.
I close my eyes, allowing myself one more breath before I jump back into the battle.
Shredded goblins lie at the wolf’s burning feet, but even the giant beast is losing blood. There’s too many of them. They swarm Farron, poking and prodding at him with thorn-tipped spears.
Gold glitters at the edges of the library, and the goblins cry in terror. Soldiers’ shouts ring in the air. The Autumn Guard has arrived.
Many are on horseback, while others charge in on foot. Gleaming suits of armor, fashioned from interlocked golden leaves, adorn the valiant warriors. In their hands, they wield spears that cleave through the goblin horde with effortless precision, hardly halting their swift, synchronized maneuvers.
“Prince Dayton!” a guard calls to me. “What in the seven realms is happening?”
I can’t very well tell him we opened a door for Caspian to bring his army into Coppershire. So I lie my ass off. “I don’t know. I heard goblins and I think I saw the Prince of Thorns.”
The Autumn soldier nods, then flanks me as we take on another onslaught. These warriors are powerful, but will it be enough to stop the might of the Below?
Spears dart like lightning into goblin bodies. Swords slice through rotting flesh, and arrows whistle past my ears as they strike. An Autumn mage raises her arms. Enchanted by her magic, the trees enclosing the library spread their branches, making way for more reinforcements. Archers flood the ramparts and roof of the keep.
Black blood sprays like rain, screams filling the air as goblins fall under Autumn’s fury. We might win this. I glance over my shoulder; Farron tears a goblin’s head from its body. At least he’s currently helping with the problem.
“The big one!” one of the Autumn Guard calls, gesturing to the archers on the rafters. “Take it down.”
