Moments passed in tense silence as we waited for the next assault. The anticipation was like a hammer against my skull, pounding in time with my frantic heartbeat. And I realized that was the point. This was the enemy’s strategy. By now, we’d used up most of our oil. We had no way to anticipate when they’d make their next move. It could be at any time. They wanted to put us on edge—wanted to make us sweat.
A sound cut through the silence—tap, tap, tap. It was so loud, like a thousand fists were banging on a door.
“They’re coming again!” the fae in the watchtower roared.
I gripped my sword and gritted my teeth. They were indeed coming, and by the sound of them, there were far more this time.
“Nock!” Kalen shouted to the archers. Bows creaked, nearly drowned out by the roar approaching from below. “Loose!”
The arrows whistled into the mist, then thunked into flesh. Screams answered, but it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. Dozens of the beasts burst through and landed on top of the wall. Their angry red eyes swept across the gathered fae, and then they charged.
Kalen began his dance of death. He swirled through the mist, his sword slicing one beast and then the next. But this time, there were far too many for him to take on his own. Gripping my hilt, I raced forward with Fenella and Toryn flanking me.
We joined the fray just as two shadowfiends landed on the battlements and tossed several archers into the mists. They screamed as they fell, the sound filling my heart with horror and fear.
Andanger. That vicious, righteous, god-given anger churned through my veins like venom, urging me onward—urging me to rip these beasts apart. I shouted in rage as the nearest one went for Fenella. My blade cut through his throat before he could even get close.
Red stained my vision, not just from the blood now pouring onto the stones but from that vicious hate bleeding through me. Fenella and Toryn twisted toward another beast. They attacked it together while I faced another stalking toward me.
I bent my knees and readied myself for the attack, narrowing my eyes and shooting the creature a wicked smile.
And that was when I heard it. The shouts and screams and terrified cries. Cries that were not coming from the battlements or the mountain wall.
They were coming from the city streets.
Forty-Six
Tessa
Icut down the beast as it lunged for me. I shoved my sword through its eye and into its skull, copying what I’d seen Toryn do with his spear. As soon as it was down, I ran to the edge of the wall—awayfrom the attack—to gaze down on the courtyard and the city that spilled across the mountaintop beyond it.
A breeze pushed against the mists, as if the sky itself had sighed, and revealed the streets. My hand flew to my lips as I saw three glassy-eyed storm fae leading a band of shadowfiends out of the courtyard and into the city, where residents were fleeing.
Another group of enemies was heading right our way, no doubt to sneak up on us from behind.
My heart dropped when one of those shadowfiends pounced upon a man running toward the open door of an inn. Those massive teeth sliced through his neck, killing him instantly.
In the distance, the Temple bell began to peal. A signal to the city—the signal it was safe.
“No,” I choked out, horror roiling through me. If the unarmed residents heard that sound, they might not realize what currently stalked through the streets, ready to cut them down if they left the safety of their homes. They might not hear the fighting along the battlement walls—some of the homes were far enough away…
I lifted the horn to my lips and blew.
But the bell still pealed, a clamorous sound. Would they be able to hear the war horn over it? Some of them undoubtably would. The horn had been built to carry sound far, but…some might not hear it. Some would trust the bell.
I cast a glance over my shoulder at the battle raging along the top of the wall. Kalen was deep in the fight, up against five shadowfiends at once. I couldn’t distract him, not right now. If he shifted his attention, even for a second, he could be dead. Toryn was engaged with three others. I turned to Fenella. She was already running to my side.
I spread my wings and leapt onto the ledge before sheathing my sword on my back. I called out to her, “The storm fae are inside the city. Tell the others.”
Her face blanched. “What are you going to do?”
I set my sights on the Temple’s tower, halfway across the city. “I’m going to stop that bell.”
“Fuck!” Fenella shouted when she saw a door on one of the nearby streets swing open. A few fae stumbled outside. A moment later, a shadowfiend was upon them.
Gritting my teeth, I soared over the rooftops, my eyes set on the tower. How had the storm fae gotten inside? Who in the name of light would ring that bell? Was it a storm fae?
My stomach twisted as I flew closer.
