An arrow shot toward the last dragon, and I flicked my chin, watching as it turned into flowers and fell to the ground. The dragon landed on the second wooden ballista, tearing it apart with its teeth before sending it sailing through the fray to shatter against the icy ground. The men and women of the horde screamed with victory as it opened its mouth, sending flames burning through the mages that were desperately trying to retreat.
“Kill them all!” I shouted, watching as the dragon’s head turned, and then took its flight, following the line of mages into the woods as it opened its jaw and expelled flames.
I stood in the middle of the field, staring at the dead, blood coating my body and hands. We’d done the impossible. It had almost been too easy. Slowly, I made my way back to where the females were gathering, when a blast rang from the castle, and then the alarm sounded.
“No,” I uttered. “No!” I screamed, trying to sift, only to remember I’d warded the entire castle against sifting to prevent our enemies from gaining access. I ran, and the women followed me, knowing that there’d been a breach for the alarms to sound. My stomach somersaulted as fear tightened around my heart.
My gaze slipped up to the tower, watching as someone hung out the window, attempting to escape. “Catch him!” I screamed as someone tried to throw a child from another window. The dragon swooped toward the falling child as I held my breath. “It was too easy because it was a fucking diversion!” I snapped, running with the women as we moved to fight whoever had breached the stronghold.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The castle floors were covered with bodies. We slid in their blood in our haste to get inside, and I sailed across the floor until I slammed into something soft. I lifted from the ground on my hands, staring directly into Darynda’s sightless eyes.
“No. No, please,” I whispered, turning to look at the staircase leading up to the tower, noting the bodies piled at the base of the stairs.
I stood, knowing I couldn’t do anything for Darynda. She was dead, her entire chest cut open with an iron blade. I slid in the blood again, wiping my hands on my armor as I rushed toward the stairs, not knowing who followed. The upper-level hallway was littered with corpses, making it impossible to move through them without stepping on them as we raced forward.
Ahead of us was the invisible doorway to the safe room, which stood wide-open, allowing me to view inside. “No,” I whispered, unable to say anything else as my heart hammered so hard it was deafening in my ears.
I could hear the women behind me, hurtling over corpses as we hauled ass into the room. Inside, bodies littered the floor. Sevrin fought against a male who turned, staring at me as his blade pushed through Sevrin’s chest, taking him down. Olivia was huddled on the floor, holding her stomach, Dristan beside her.
“Bilé,” I screeched, drawing blades as he turned and lifted his. Defending Olivia and Dristan, I struck hard and fast, moving him away from their prone forms. I danced away from him, forcing him to follow me as screaming continued in the other room where the children were being held. His blade caught my cheek, and his smile was maddening.
“Look at you. You’re the image of utter perfection,” Bilé murmured. “I’m going to enjoy you before I send you to Hades, little Goddess. You are an abomination. You weren’t worth Danu’s life!” he shouted, swiftly slicing his sword through the air. I blinked, and his blade almost found its place against my throat before another sword deflected the strike.
“Fancy meeting you here, asshole,” Erie snapped, watching his eyes widen with the knowledge of who she was as the ravens on her shoulders took the forms of men. She swiped her blades, dancing around me as I stepped back, peering down to where Eliran lay lifeless, his features haunted in death.
A sob ripped through me as I shook my head in denial. I’d assumed we were safe, never imagining Bilé