Keeper of Storms (The Fallen Fae #3) - Jenna Wolfhart Page 0,53
his spiteful words that twisted through her like poisonous snakes. She was so focused on the storm inside of her that she almost missed the king and his devotees exiting the tent.
She pushed out of the shadows and followed just behind them. Eyes narrowed, she drew her dagger once more, twisting her fingers tightly around the familiar hilt. The king strode in the center of them. His shadowsteel armor glinted beneath the moonlight. He’d added a helmet to the ensemble, creating an impenetrable mask between himself and any enemy.
Reyna let out a low, agitated whistle. He’d just made himself even more difficult to kill.
The king and his guards rushed into the chaos, Reyna only a few steps behind them. The battle raged in the dark. Arrows whistled through the air, punctuated by screams from wounded warriors. Steel sang with blood, and the scent of death swirled through a building mist that crept up Reyna’s legs as she ran.
Suddenly, a body hurtled toward her from the chaos. An air fae rose his sword over his head and threw his weight behind it. The blade whistled toward Reyna’s face. Gritting her teeth, she ducked to the side, missing it by a sliver of an inch.
Scowling at the golden warrior, she held her dagger down by her side. “I’m not your enemy. I’m an ice fae.”
“Then, why are you wearing Wood Court armor?” he shouted, lifting his sword once more. “Why is your hair so green?”
“Because I’m a spy,” she said quickly, keeping one eye on the king’s back. He’d managed to put some space between them. Bodies littered the ground where he’d charged. “I’m trying to kill the king.”
The air fae shot a quick glance at Molt. “The wood king? By yourself?”
She fought the urge to roll her eyes.
“Yes.” Without another word, she twisted away from the fae and pounded her feet against the blood-drenched ground. She avoided glancing at the bodies, knowing what would happen if she did. The Ruin would surge back into her mind and remind her of her dreams. Battlefields and bodies. A place that looked just like this.
By the time she closed the distance between her and Molt, he’d already pushed past the edge of camp. He was now striding purposefully toward the wall, but only three warriors remained by his side. The others were still fighting in the battle.
Three was fine. And this might be her last chance to stop him before he got inside that city.
“Molt!” she called out.
Her voice echoed through the valley.
The king slowed to a stop and cast a glance over his shoulder. When he laid his eyes on her, he smiled. The warriors immediately burst into action, nocking their bows with arrows that seemed to appear from thin air. They loosed in unison. The arrows hurtled through the air. Reyna ducked just as they reached her face, and they thunked into the ground just behind her.
“Ah.” Molt’s smile widened, flashing those fang-like teeth. “You must be Reyna. Only a Shieldmaiden can dodge arrows with so much grace.”
“I’m here to kill you,” she hissed, clutching her dagger’s hilt even tighter.
“So I can see.” Shadows seemed to pulse around his shadowsteel armor as he reached behind his back and drew a greatsword that was unlike any weapon Reyna had ever seen. With a blade almost as long as she was tall, it must have weighed twenty pounds. The pommel curved outward at the bottom into smoldering black horns, swirls of ancient symbols etched into the metal. And, unlike most greatswords, sharp, teeth-like points ran down the length of the blade. If the king shoved that blade into someone’s belly, it would not only slice them open. It would ravage them.
“Nice sword you have there,” Reyna shouted as she mentally ran through her options. The wood king was smart. She doubted he’d have his guards pellet her with arrows, knowing it would do little good. Unless he intended to use them as a distraction so that he could flee.
High King Ulaid Molt did not seem like the type of fae to flee.
“Aye. Why don’t you come see it up close?” He grinned, flipping the heavy greatsword easily from hand to hand. So, Unseelie had gifted him with enhanced strength in addition to everything else. Rhain’s words echoed in her ears. Molt would not be easy to kill.
Heart hammering, Reyna lifted her chin, and erased any hint of doubt from her mind. She had come here to kill this king, and now here he was,