The Prince Consort nodded. “Kill him.”
Balls of ethereal light formed in the Prince Consort’s palms. Tears shone in his eyes, but it was clear he’d chosen his path.
“Please, no,” Snow begged. “Step-papa…please.”
“You’re right,” the Prince Consort said. “You did try and try to win my love and all I did was push it away—I refused your love. It wasn’t worthy of me.”
“Stop wasting time!”the wizard screamed.
Snow met his step-papa’s eyes.
“Just as my papa refused mine. Forgive me, Snow,” the Prince Consort said before unleashing the power in his hands.
Snow held his breath and closed his eyes, awaiting impact. It never came. He opened his eyes and found the wizard on the ground, clutching his smoldering chest. Snow scrambled away, just in time to miss a bolt of power that whizzed past. It struckthe Prince Consort in the chest. He fell to the ground, wheezing. Snow raced closer and saw half his body was burned and smoking, the other half still perfect and beautiful. The Prince Consort gasped for breath, blood pouring from his lips.
Snow took his hand. “Papa?”
“I was a fool,” the Prince Consort whispered between winded breaths. “I had the love I always wanted—real love—and I let it slip through my fingers, blinded by the love I’d been denied myself. I’m so sorry, Snow. Please forgive me.”
“I forgive you,” Snow whispered. Perhaps the Prince Consort didn’t deserve forgiveness, but Snow did. He didn’t want to hold onto that and let it twist him into something ugly. Something like the wizard.
“I love yo—” the Prince Consort said, a tear slipping down his face.
And then Snow’s step-papa was gone, the life disappearing from his eyes.
Snow lowered his head, grieving what could’ve been but never had a chance. Before he could finish a whispered prayer, he was dragged away from the Prince Consort’s body by his hair.
“Not only might you cost me my prisoners, but you killed my only son, too. You’ll pay dearly for that!”
“Youkilled him, not me!”
The wizard backhanded him across the face, knocking him to the ground. Vor raced into the meadow as he landed, axe hefted in one strong hand. Their gazes met. Vor’s eyes went wide. The others soon arrived behind him. Terror made it hard to breathe.Whyhad he called for them? He’d put themallin danger.
All he could do was cause chaos and destruction. Look what had happened to his step-papa.
The wizard chuckled. “You’llallpay dearly for this.”
Chapter Thirteen
Snow could see the pain on all the alphas’ faces. It was daylight, but they weren’t chopping. They were suffering because of him. And they might suffer more before the sun went down. The wizard coiled power into one hand. When he reached forward with his power, Snow pulled the hand down. The bolt of energy slammed into the ground in front of Vor’s charging feet.
The wizard flung Snow across the meadow, sending him sailing. He hit the ground painfully, an“oof”escaping his lips as the air was knocked from his lungs. After a couple of seconds to drag in a breath, he turned to see the wizard battling them all. Lightning flew from his fingertips, hitting the alphas before they could reach him with those silver axes of theirs.
Some of them landed on their knees, their faces masks of pain. Snow ran across the meadow. He’d pick up an axe and join in their stead. He hefted Lazlo’s smallest axe, but he could barely move under the weight of it. Still, he pushed, forcing himself to move closer. Before he could draw it back, a blast of energy hit him in the chest, sending him reeling.
But it wasn’t as strong as the one that sent him sailing across the meadow. He sensed the wizard was slowing, fatigue settling in. After the blow the Prince Consort had delivered, perhaps eight against one were good enough odds. Snow gathered Lazlo’s axe again, just as a deadly scream rent the day. Black smoke filled the meadow, turning day into night.
Snow looked towards the wizard. Vor’s axe was plunged into the middle of the wizard’s skull. Blue lightning arced between Vor and the wizard, both of them shaking violently. Both fell to their knees, a roar bellowing from Vor’s lips. Snow dropped the axe and raced forward. Shen grabbed him, pulling Snow away from Vor.
“You won’t survive the lightning,” Shen said against Snow’s ear.
“Pull them apart!” Snow screamed, but no one moved.
The lightning stopped, and both Vor and the wizard collapsed. Night returned to day, the sky bright blue once more. Snow tore from Shen’s arms and dropped to his knees beside Vor.
Vor’s dead eyes looked up at him, unseeing.
“No,”Snow whispered. He slapped Vor’s cheeks. “Wake up, Vor. Wake up!” A sob rose up his chest. “Gods damned you,wake up!”
