The Beauty of Darkness - Mary E. Pearson Page 0,191

more brezalots were prodded forward, more arrows launched, more iron bolts whirred through the air piercing shields and flesh, more burning disks were hurled that clung to skin and seared lungs. The noise was deafening, roaring through the valley like a relentless storm. Fire and smoke rose, stinging ash fell. I lost my bearings, the bluff no longer in sight. Only moment by moment survival mattered. Swinging, stabbing, refusing to let him win. It is not over.

Jeb was vicious in his attacks, as determined as I was to break through their next wave of lines, but we made no headway, our forces thinning with every new barrage of weapons. I saw glimpses of a heavily armed battalion ahead, horsemen battling above the heads of the infantry. There was no time to search for Rafe or Kaden among them, but I knew that was where they had been headed. The familiar pained squeal of a brezalot screamed through the air. I knew what that meant. Another one had been loaded with explosives and prodded forward. I heard the fearsome thud of its hooves, the hiss of its raging breaths growing louder as it thundered toward us. The sounds echoed, multiplied, surrounded us. I turned, unsure where it would appear, and then a rough hand shoved me, throwing me back.

It was Rafe.

We tumbled to the ground, even as the world exploded.

KADEN

“You can’t do it.”

His breathing was labored, his words short, still trying to convince me.

I saw the terror in his eyes. I was stronger. I was quicker. I was driven by eleven years of anger.

Metal met metal. Our strikes vibrated between us. You can’t do it. I’m your father.

He thrust, his blade grazing my arm.

Blood trickled through my shirt, and his eyes lit with hunger. He glanced down at my leg, still impaled with the wood spike. I saw the calculation in his eyes. How much strength did I have left?

I wasn’t sure myself. The pain was getting harder to ignore. The stream of blood was sticky in my boot. I drove him back, the clang of steel chattering in the air.

“I’m your father,” he said again.

“When?” I asked. “When were you ever my father?”

His pupils were pinpoints, his nostrils flared. There was no scent of jasmine on him now. Only the scent of fear.

My blade pressed against his, holding, pushing, a lifetime of lies pulsing between us.

He pushed off and retreated back several paces. “I’ve tried to make amends with you,” he hissed. “You can’t do it. Son. Let’s start over. There’s still time for us.”

I relaxed my grip on my sword. Lowered my guard. Stared at him. “Time? Now?”

His eyes glimmered, and he advanced, as I’d known he would, his swing fierce, knocking the sword from my hand. He smiled, ready to plunge his blade into me, but as he stepped forward, I stepped faster and, standing chest to chest, I thrust my knife upward into his gut.

His eyes widened.

“Your time is up,” I whispered. “Father.”

And I let him fall to my feet.

RAFE

I lay over her, protecting her as metal, wood, and fire streamed down around us.

“Rafe,” she whispered. A split second of relief raced between us before the battle closed in again. We got to our feet, grabbing our shields and weapons from the ground. A cloud of smoke filled the air, and dazed Vendans staggered toward us, the blast disorienting them as much as the enemy.

“I have to get to the bluff, Rafe. I have to speak to them before we’re all dead.”

We ran in the shadows of the cliffs. I spotted the bluff ahead, but then Governor Yanos closed in. The Watch Captain, Chancellor, and a squad of five soldiers stood behind him.

Yanos stepped forward. “Give her over.”

“So you can put her head on a spike?” I answered.

“That’s up to the Komizar.”

My fist tightened on my shield. I felt the blisters on my palms bursting, liquid oozing between my fingers. “The bluff is right behind us, Lia. Go!” I desperately prayed that for once she wouldn’t argue with me. I heard her run.

The Chancellor smiled. “The bluff’s a dead end. There’s nowhere for her to go. You just cornered our rabbit for us.”

“Only if you can get past me.” I raised my sword.

“Past us,” Draeger said, and stepped up beside me. Jeb was with him.

LIA

I ran toward the bluff, my lungs burning with smoke. I heard the desperation in Rafe’s command. Go! Too many were dying. Everyone was losing, except the Komizar. The valley still roared with