do anything other than watch.
A hound broke through the line, and I leaped, slicing through him as Killian turned briefly to assure himself that I had it handled before he attacked the nearest warrior charging us.
We were outnumbered, and the witch standing in the woods wasn’t just powerful; she was a dark witch who commanded beasts with rows of blade-like teeth and crimson eyes.
Lore cried out as a sword sliced into his arm, and I moved, shoving my hand through the male’s chest, swinging the blade, pushing Lore away as I defended him. Greer used dual blades, slashing them low and rapidly as the men with us tired from fighting endlessly, while the witch’s magic fueling the others. I turned as one warrior in our party swung wide, barely missing me as something slammed against my head, knocking me to the ground.
I screamed, fighting against the hand that pulled me away from the small fighting group. I couldn’t see past the stars that filled my vision, or the magic choking me while it held me in the thrall of its endless power. I couldn’t fight or release my power to help the others, either. I felt something slamming me down as a blade moved forward, Killian’s scent hit me.
He fought to get me free, to keep them from dragging me into the woods. I felt his magic, but the dark magic oozing through the woods that rushed over us was intensely stronger. Air entered my starving lungs, and I gasped, feeling it sucked out again by force. Whoever the witch was, she starved my lungs for air, holding me powerless and in the thrall of despair while starving my body for oxygen.
I was grabbed, lifted, and dragged painfully away from the sound of the swords still meeting in battle. Killian growled, shouting for me to fight, but I had nothing left without oxygen or magic to assist me. They dropped me on the forest floor within the fog, and I gasped for air as a sliver was allowed into my throat.
I held my pounding head as I sat up, only for someone to grab my hair, yanking me backward into the darkness. I watched Knox’s men fighting off overwhelming odds.
Killian rattled, continuing to fight as three armed men swung blades at Lore, hitting him before he could deflect all three blows. I screamed, turning as a hooded figure aimed a silver-tipped bow in Lore’s direction, fully intending to end his life with the arrow.
I moved without thinking before the arrow was shot, slamming into the archer with inhuman speed. Someone placed a hood over my head as I heard the ancient language of the witches spoken. I went limp, fainting as if I’d passed out from the words. I’d used every ounce of strength I’d had left to save Lore, and in doing so, I’d fucked myself.
The sound of screaming rattles and battle cries filled the night as the warriors fought while I was carted off deeper into the woods. The assailants moved me away from the fighting, and I was unable to see anything past the hood covering my eyes.
I could smell the sick scent of dark, rotting magic mixed with spices to hide the smell of decaying flesh. Black magic slithered over me, alerting me that there was more than one witch present. Heartbeats sounded around me, and I counted them, calculating my odds of escape.
“Mistress, the men will die if you leave before the fighting ends,” a deep voice announced, disturbing my calculations.
“Leave them to their fates. They’re not our men. They’re Lord Andres’s hired hands that he found along his way after slaughtering his army when he switched sides. Come, the king will hunt this one down. We must put miles between us and his dead men. Finding them dead will probably slow him down. Lord Andres is waiting in the woods by the falls. We will not waste another hour of nightfall since my power weakens with the light.”
“And her?” a man asked.
“She will die a traitor’s death for what she has done to our people. She’s too powerful to allow the other side to wield and has proven difficult to catch without the King of Norvalla sniffing her cunt. If what Lord Andres says is true, she is the one thing that can kill our queen, and we cannot allow that to happen at all costs. Even if the cost is her life,” she laughed soundlessly, yet I felt her respond.
Hands touched my side,