Even worse… the rebels that fought for our cause would begin fighting for Droga, too, once they were killed in battle. They wouldn’t have a choice but to follow his command.
“No wonder he doesn’t care about uniting the Crystals and keeping the portal open,” Delmare said. “Once the fae have been turned to dust when the portal closes, he’ll just use the stones to call their souls back from the afterlife to fight for him—allthe fae souls— and keep resurrecting them as they’re defeated, until the entire world submits.”
“No one can fight an army of ghosts,” Stefan agreed. “Well, except maybe witches—”
“Which is why he’s planning on taking them out first,” I stated. “With an entire army of the dead under his control, nothing’s going to stop him.”
“We’ve got to get those Crystals back,” Emma growled. “Let’s get to the armory.”
“It’s up three flights,” I stated.
We started taking the stairs. We were nearly to the third floor before I felt a heavy spell slam into my torso. It knocked the wind out of me, pinning me to the wall.
I struggled. Someone had bound me with a type of magical chain. I looked to my left, and saw that Theo, Stefan, and Alexei were all in similar situations as I was.
Emma gave out a cry as some sort of dart landed in her thigh. She immediately hit the ground, and yanked it out. The familiar cold chill of fear spread across my body as I saw Emma curl up into a ball on the floor, giving murmurs of pain.
“Emma! Is it noxite?” I called.
“It’s… not noxite,” Emma choked out. “I’m not surewhatit is.”
Delmare, Odette and Kiara had thrown up shields to protect themselves at the last moment. Standing across from us was Lady Korva, her shoulders thrown back and a hateful sneer across her face.
I attempted to break her spell, but it held fast. Korva was a master sorceress, and as a shifter, I wasn’t as strong as her. Beside me, the other shifters fought against their bonds, and failed to break free.
My aunt’s look was gloating as she loomed over Emma. “A yarrow dart, one of the last poisons from your mother’s supply,” Korva said giddily, shooting a glance at me. “I thought I’d save it for a special someone.”
I swear, my heart nearly stopped just then. Along with St. John’s Wort, yarrow was the deadliest poison you could give a fae. Emma was already running out of time. Gods, I hoped Kiara had something in her bag that could halt the poison.
“Joining Gabby and Droga was a mistake,” I told Korva viciously. “History will condemn you for it.”
“All I desired was to elevate the Unseelie class!” Korva bellowed. “To bring the dark fae back into our days of glory, to ensure that my kind would be able to live their lives freely without threat of persecution!”
“We wanted the same thing,” Emma ground out. “We could’ve worked together.”
“Spare me your efforts for reunification,” Korva jeered. “Myfamily is one of the oldest lines of Unseelie there are, going back generations to the first immigrants from Edinmyre. I come from a pure-blooded,royalline. I am a descendent of the first Hidden King himself!”
Korva scoffed. “My son was to take up that title, and rule the Unseelie as he was promised from birth. And you, Worldweaver, consider yourself equal to us. Your filth comes from a tainted peasant family, one that must be stomped out before it muddles the best of our dark blood.”
Korva was mad, spouting fanatical nonsense as a result of her grief. Odette, Delmare, and Kiara surrounded Lady Korva. She gave a mocking laugh as the girls circled her in.
“You three are no threat to me. You’re all poor illusionists who barely passed my classes,” Korva hissed.
“Because you were a rotten teacher,” Delmare threw at her.
“Yeah! But we’ve worked hard, and we’ve had other teachers that actuallycaredabout our magic!” Odette belted. “You’re going down, you wrinkly old hag!”
“Korva, this is your last chance,” Emma gasped. “We can still turn things around if you help us. Don’t you realize what’s at stake?”
I could tell the poison was starting to take effect. My mate’s words were strained, and our bond felt weighed down by a heavy weight. She needed intervention soon.
“Do you think I’ve cared for anything since my son died?” Korva sneered. “The only thing I desire is vengeance. This world can turn to ash so long as the eight of you are in a grave, especially my forsaken nephew, who took my child from me.”
Korva didn’t bother exchanging more words. She cast a spell, and I watched as she duplicated herself. Three Korvas stood between us and the armory, facing off against our friends. Korva and her two duplicates immediately went on the offense, flinging out killing spells. The girls had to duck to avoid them, rolling to the floor as Korva let out cries of malice.
Once she was back on her feet, Delmare summoned red arrows and shot them off at Lady Korva in quick succession. None of the arrows connected, as Korva flicked them to the side with her magic. Korva lashed out with her signature spell, an Unseelie whip with multiple ends.
The whip smacked Delmare across the face, drawing blood. Stefan let out a concerned cry, but Delmare got right back up with a snarl. As she flung her hand, dozens of firecrackers conjured from her illusion magic soared through the air and exploded. Korva had to dodge to avoid the firecrackers, her cloak catching fire as she went on the run from Delmare’s explosives.
