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“Because I will rip your fucking throat out if you don’t stop speaking to my wife.”
“Tsk. Such unbecoming behavior for someone like you, Sunbringer.” There was a pause, wherein Malakar nodded to himself. “Boorish. Uncouth.”
Discomfort swam down the bond, and Elyria felt something oddly like familiarity flickering with it. Something about the way Malakar spoke those words had Cedric’s heart racing, but she didn’t fully understand why.
Cedric shook his head, as though he might rid himself of the thoughts Elyria could not sense. Raising Ashrender with both hands, he began marching toward the dark sorcerer. Their forces followed.
“You’ve lost, Malakar,” Cedric shouted over the sound of shuffling boots and scraping shields. “It’s over. We have sealed the Chasm and cut you off from the Line. Eleven misguided fools still follow you, yes, eager to do your bidding. But look how easily we cut down those who came before. Even aided by your might, you cannot defeat us all.”
They were halfway to him now, but the dark sorcerer did not so much as move. He did not turn to call his cultists to his side. He did not summon his shadows, nor bleed himself to craft a weapon in defense.
He sighed.
“We do find explanations so tedious. Please tell us we don’t have to enlighten you all ourselves.” Malakar paused. “You understand, don’t you, regina? You can see it. We know you can.”
Elyria stopped in her tracks.
When Cedric noticed, he did, too, and so did the entire army behind them.
“What is it?” he asked down the bond.
Elyria did not answer.
She could only stare with her brow furrowed—not at Malakar, nor at his cultists, but at something glinting from the middle of the spring. A metal canister set directly in the center of the spire.
“You do see it,” Malakar said with glee. His gaze shifted to Cedric. “You are right, Sunbringer. You did seal the Chasm. But your mistake was thinking we ever needed it open. Or thinking we needed it at all.”
Elyria’s grip tightened on her staff. Her wings rustled against her back.
“It turns out there are many things we did not end up needing. Including that insignificant speck of our power you seem so determined to keep, regina.” His chin dipped. His fingers splayed. “Consider it a gift—my thanks for making such swift work of my sanguinagi sacrum. For bringing them all the closer by healing that bothersome rift. For granting us all we need to pierce the Line and fulfill our glorious purpose.”
Red waves of power pulsed off the dark sorcerer as he slowly lifted his arms, palms to the sky.
“Enjoy your reward.”
Confusion rippled in Elyria’s chest, coming from her and Cedric alike. Kit swore under her breath. Ollie and Tristan exchanged perplexed glances.
And then came the first shout from behind.
The first scream soon followed.
And Elyria thought she knew what she would find when she turned around.
She thought wrong.
51
ABOMINATION
KIT
It was too easy.
The battle had been too simple. There had been too few casualties, too little loss on their end.
They should have known.
They would all learn quickly now.
