Fuck my life.Nothing about this battle was right.
Seamus faced off against Daxton, while Aelius and the human mages summoned through Minaeve’s portal engaged with Crimson City and Silver Meadows warriors. Allies were forced to combat against each other, and the free will to defy Minaeve’s wicked scheme was stripped from them all.
Having us destroy ourselves was far too easy. Minaeve’s blood oath linked Seamus to her command, which extended to his people, granting her the ultimate plan for our kind to eradicate ourselves from this world.
The shifters on the mainland were outnumbered, their population depleted but never eliminated. No, they needed one of them to unlock the Heart of Valdor.
That was the only reason their kind was still alive.
Pivoting on my toes, I unleashed a fury of attacks aimed at disarming. Alas, some inevitably landed a killing blow, ending the life of a brother or sister. All while acting on a will that was not their own, sickening me to my core. I ducked and rolled under a strike to my backside.Coming to my feet, I thrust my blades into the torso of a High Fae dressed in green armor.
“Thank you,” the male rasped as the life faded from his eyes.
“Fuck!” I cursed as I withdrew my tainted blades. The crimson blood of my kin trickled down the metallic silver to stain my hands.“Is this what you wanted?” I screamed, turning toward the dawning sky. “This! This bloodshed… This death?” I cried to the Mother and Father above, my wrath and hatred for this damned fate of Valdor overtaking any remaining rationale.
Flames flared along the perimeter, and I knew Finn was in trouble. Turning in place, I searched for Adohan’s heir, finding him along the base of the outcrop where I last saw Nyssa.
“Hold on, Finn!” I roared as I charged across the battlefield.
Gunnar was fighting at Daxton’s side, but I still felt a pang of guilt for leaving my brother. Daxton would kill Seamus if he had to, but—
“Gahh!” I roared, my frustration boiling over as a premonition forced me to pause.
I sidestepped from my route and managed to duck under a blast of magic from a battling mage. Turning my darkened eyes toward the woman off to the right, dressed in a dark blue robe with stars etched into the seams, I bared my teeth and snarled. She looked at me and smiled, revving her magic for another blast of energy that would explode like the force of the sun.
The female fired her magic at me again, but my gifts allowed me to see where she was aiming her killing blasts. I dodged them easily, making my way toward her location. With the rising sun cresting over my backside, the female held up her arm to block the blinding rays. I smiled, confident that I had her.
“Try again,” she said, aiming a blast of her magic at the outcrop.
“No!” My eyes widened in panic as I threw my blade at the mage, the steel slicing through her torso, but not before her magic collided with the side of the hill, sending boulders tumbling down the rock face.
“Fuck! Nyssa,” I roared, desperately diving down our bond to find her.
Boulders scattered, and I felt my stomach drop, remembering that Finn was fighting at the base. Gods above, no.
I sprinted toward him. “Finn! Finn!” I yelled.
Shaw, in his panther form, joined me in my frantic search. His strength proved vital as he pushed aside massive boulders like they were mere pebbles.
“Finn!” I screamed, desperate to locate him.
A faint groan drew my attention, and Shaw sniffed the air with a nod, confirming my assumption. With one last effort, we shoved the final boulders to find Finn, with two of his guards surrounding him, protecting him from the falling rocks.
“Cas?”
“Thank the Gods!” I rasped, leaping into the pit.
“Don’t move him,” Zola said, appearing out of the shadows. “Castor, if you do, then—”
Shit, she was right. A stray blade protruded from his back, blood pooling beneath him. I looked at Finn’s body entangled with his guards, who were already at the crossing to the afterlife. I spared a moment and silently thanked them for their sacrifice in protecting Crimson City’s heir.
“Castor?” Finn coughed, his chest heaving.
“Hold on, Finn,” I said, grasping his hand in desperation. “You have a sister to meet, I hear. You need to hold on. You need to meet her.”
“A sister.” Finn smiled as his eyes fluttered closed.
“Stay with me, Finn!” I roared. “Someone, fetch the healers. If we can get him out of here safely, he has a chance!”
