I shook my head, and shecontinued.
“You were such a prat to come to me about Lugh. If you hadn’t, you might have actually saved him. But there are more of us Athaira loyals than you thought, and they were ready to charge in when I told them you werehere.”
Everything suddenly made sense. How the enemies had known so much about our every move. Why Saoirse’s vision had been muddied about someone with red hair—it had beenpinkhair all along. And Imogen must have overheard the details about the back gates, and that was how she’d let the traitors into thecastle.
I jumped when another chunk of rock slammed into the ground behind us. Glancing up at Lugh, my heart pounded. The close was caving in on itself, and we were surrounded by a dozenenemies.
“What do we do?” I whispered to my mate, hoping he heard me beneath the rumble of the earth. Power still sparked across his skin. The magic he’d called upon to bring his spear to himself had caused the avalanche, but there was nothing he could do to stop itnow.
He glanced up at the shifting floor above us. “We’re going to have tofight.”
“What about Saoirse?” I asked. “She’s unconscious,Lugh.”
“I’ll take Saoirse,” a voice called from behindus.
I whirled toward the new arrival, and my heart tripped when Uisnech whispered out of the darkness, Boudica, Warin, and ten other warriors following just behind him. His eyes flashed as they met mine, and he gave me a solemn nod. “I got yournote.”
“Thank the Morrigan,” Imuttered.
“Let’s not go that far,” Uisnech chattered. He scurried toward me and took Saoirse in his little green arms. As soon as he’d pulled her back, the warrior team strode in and formed a V behind me andLugh.
Sucking in a deep breath, I turned and grinned at Imogen. “Well, looks like you’re not the only one who knows how to call forbackup.”
With a high-pitched scream, she raced toward us, blade raised over her head like something out of a horror film. I whisked two hidden daggers from my vest and hurled them through the air. They thunked into the armoured bodies of the two closest attackers. Blood spread from the wounds, but they didn’t slow the faedown.
The close erupted into chaos. Warriors beside me flew into battle, and Lugh wielded his spear. I grabbed two more daggers and held my ground, waiting for the enemy to come closer. One rushed toward me, dark hair hidden beneath a black cap, orange eyes flashing with rage. He held two swords, and they spun like a whirlwind ofpain.
He sliced them toward me, but I danced back. I threw a dagger, and it hit him square in the head. He thunked to the ground, revealing another enemy hidden behind him. She had fierce, shortly-cropped purple hair, and she was holding a bow andarrow.
With a gasp, I ducked down just in time to feel the whistle of the arrow soar over my head. A loud crunch echoed from behind me as it sank into one of my friends. Gritting my teeth, I glanced behind me to find one of the warriors guarding Saoirse now down on theground.
Uisnech’s little green ears twitched in fear, and then he pulled Saoirse further into theshadows.
The ranger drew another arrow, and I flattened myself on the ground before rolling to the side. The arrow skittered off the stone and ricocheted into the air. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lugh whirling, spear sparking with electricenergy.
A rock slammed into the ground by myface.
Heart hammering, I looked up. The ground above us had cracked. Any minute now, and we’d all be toast. We had to get out ofhere.
“A way has opened back here!” The hobgoblin’s screech came shooting through thechaos.
“Retreat!” I jumped to my feet and screamed the words at my comrades. “The close is caving in!Retreat!”
Twisting on my feet, I rushed back to hook my arm around Saoirse’s waist. Uisnech looked up at me, green eyes spreadwide.
“You’ve got her other side?” Idemanded.
He nodded. “Yes, my noblefriend.”
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” I pushed forward. Saoirse dangled helplessly between us, but we inched away from the fight in a hasty retreat. As I glanced behind us, I could still see the warriors fighting. They were protecting our retreat, taking down the enemy one by one as the walls literally fell on top of theirheads.
Uisnech pointed at the crack that had formed in the walls. A dim light speared through the hole, a beacon of safety amidst thedoom.
And then a figure rose out of the darkness. Fiona and her ashen hair, eyes alight with fire. She grinned as she raised her arms. Magic crackled, bouncing across her skin likelightning.
The three of us came to a sudden stop, and Uisnech let out a littleshriek.
I let go of Saoirse. Uisnech took her weight, and then I angled my body in front of them, blocking them from Fiona’sview.
