When she reached the mouth of the alley, Finnegan slowed to a stop and brought his fingers to his lips. The whistle was low and eerie. Animalistic. The guards stiffened and turned to glance toward the gates, out at the wastes. They thought there was something out there.
Now was their chance to strike.
She gripped her dagger and charged. Finnegan was a blur of hectic motion. Together, they crashed into the trio of guards just as they realized they were under attack. Their shouts rang through the silent night, fear and anger flashing across their faces.
Reyna’s dagger sank into the nearest warrior. The blade slid deep into his gut, just below the bottom edge of his leather armor. Gritting her teeth, she jerked the blade to the side and then ripped it out of his flesh. He thundered to the ground at her feet, his blood spilling onto the mud.
“Reyna!” Finnegan shouted from behind her.
She whirled to find the second guard looming toward her with his own dagger raised. Finnegan was busy with the third, their swords clashing. Reyna ducked low just as the blade whistled by her ear. Heart thundering, she jumped back up and threw every ounce of energy she had behind the blow.
She aimed it at his gut, but he dodged it just enough for it to glance off his armor. Growling, she whirled again, her hands trembling with the need for vengeance. These wood fae had swarmed the city. With their cruel, wicked king. The king who had killed the closest friend she’d ever had.
Her lover.
Herlove.
Tears streamed down her face as she and the wood fae danced the dance of death. He launched an attack, and then she did. On and on it went until her breath shuddered from tired lungs and her limbs ached.
Stumbling back, she glared at the wood fae, tossing her dagger back and forth in her hands. He heaved, sweat pooling on his brow. Finnegan still danced with the other fae. They were as closely-matched as Reyna was with her opponent.
“You’re harder to kill than I thought you’d be,” she muttered.
He smiled, and that was when she noticed his teeth were stained red. “The power of blood. It’s a shame you’ll never get to try it. Because I’ll be feasting on your blood next.”
Footsteps thundered in the distance. Reyna lifted her head, but kept one eye trained on the wood fae.
“Ah, here they are,” the warrior taunted. “Did you think the clash of steel would not catch the attention of others?”
Growling, she threw herself back into the fight. If she struggled to take down a single blood-enhanced wood fae, how would they ever take on a dozen or more? She had to end this. Now.
Reyna called upon the last remaining strength in her bones and lunged forward. She leapt into the air, flashing her blade toward the wood fae’s head. Surprise flashed across his face. Screaming, she slammed the dagger into his neck.
He fell instantly.
She twisted toward Finnegan. He was still locked in battle with the third, and the sound of footsteps had grown as loud as thunder.
“Go, princess! Now!” Finnegan shouted as the wood fae slashed his sword toward Finnegan’s neck. The rebel knocked it aside easily, but exhaustion swirled in his eyes.
Reyna shook her head and launched toward the wood fae. Together, they took him down in an instant. He fell into the mud to join the others, but the victory would be short-lived.
“You must go now, princess,” Finnegan said with a hiss. “There are more wood fae on the way. We cannot fight them all.”
“I can’t just leave you here to face them alone.”
“I won’t.” He wiped his blade against his tunic and turned toward the street. “I’ll hide in the shadows and distract them away from here. I’ll keep them from following you into the wastes.”
Reyna’s heart thudded in her chest. “I don’t like this. There are a lot of them, and only one of you.”
His steady hand landed on her shoulder, and his fingers squeezed tight. “I’ve waited all my life to do something like this. Go. Now. Find Nollaig and that army. This city is counting on you.”
Unease swirled through her belly, but she nodded and took a step back. Finnegan shot her a wicked smile and then vanished into the shadows like smoke. She shook her head and whirled on her feet. And then she ran with all the last vestiges of strength in her bones.
* * *
Reyna slowed, her legs giving way beneath her. She tumbled to the ground, dark sand spraying up into her face. Time had unravelled as she ran. The movement of the moon and stars had lost any meaning to her. Maybe hours had passed, or perhaps a full day. She knew she needed to stop to rest, to drink, to breathe.
It had been far too long since she’d had Laoise’s brew.
