only thing that kept me going was knowing we were holding this line of monsters back from the camp. Grasping the reins, I swung to the side and met the sword of a skeleton, but he feigned and drove his blade into Crusoe’s flank. My horse was so well trained that his only reaction was a wheeze and side step.
“No!” Red squeezed in on my vision as I lobbed off the creature’s head. Crusoe had been a gift from my parents for my thirteenth birthday; more like family than a horse. I slashed and hacked at the skeletons, until my legs and arms were covered in lacerations. But they kept coming. Crusoe, losing blood, faltered a step, and just as I was about to call the retreat, cries sounded behind us.
Someone yelled, “For Doon!” And a chorus of voices repeated the chant.
I turned to see a group of forty-some Destined, brandishing ropes and whips, rushing into the fray. Relief flooded me even as I felt my horse shudder. I bent forward and smashed my shield into a creature’s face before murmuring, “It’s okay, boy. I’ll get ye back to safety soon.”
The Destined’s weapons of choice took out the creatures more efficiently than our swords, and soon the forest was littered with skeleton parts. Once the newcomers had pushed Addie’s minions back, I dismounted and jumped to the ground. Hooking my shield onto my back, I leaned down to inspect Crusoe’s wound. It was long, but not too deep. If I got him help soon, he might survive it.
The skellies have breached the camp. Need reinforcements! Vee’s voice shouted in my head.
Before I could respond, Duncan shouted, “Jamie, to the camp!” And he took off at a gallop.
I rose and whipped around, sword ready to slash some skeleton bum, and froze. The thing that stood before me was flesh and blood, with gory bits of meat hanging from his arms and face, exposing bone and sinew beneath. Yet I still recognized who he had once been . . . Sean MacNally, risen from the dead, and back for vengeance.
CHAPTER 41
Duncan
Confident that Jamie would be right behind me, I raced toward Mackenna and the queen. Addie’s magic had completely disintegrated our shield. Without protection, hundreds of skellies overran the camp, destroying everything in their path.
Slowly, I picked my way through the enemy, slashing and chopping at their bones. In the middle of the chaos, I spied Queen Veronica throwing axes with deadly precision. At her back, in a blur of steel and auburn hair, Mackenna held her own against the skellie army. But my brother was missing.
Shutting out thoughts of losing Jamie again, I hacked my way forward, my attention divided between my own situation and the plight of Mackenna and Veronica. Beyond their line of sight and moving fast was a creature several hands larger than the other skellies. Perhaps it had been a giant in its former life.
Ignoring the fighting around it, the gigantic skellie locked onto Mackenna like a bull fixating on a red handkerchief. Terror gripped me as I considered what a creature like that could do to her, and for a moment, I froze . . . until Jamie’s voice reverberated in my head. You’re no’ scairt!
Fleshless hands clutched my foot, spurring me into action. As I booted away a skeleton that tried to unseat me from my mount, I watched the giant undead thing uproot a nearby tree. It brandished the stump with the roots in the air, like an improvised cat-o’-nine tails. In heavy, earth-shaking steps it continued its advance toward Mackenna, who, occupied with the skellies in her immediate vicinity, seemed quite oblivious to the approaching threat.
Spurring my horse into action, I galloped forward and called her name. For an instant, her eyes met mine as I hurtled past. About to charge the giant creature, my horse shied. It reared up on its hind legs, while bony fingers dug into my clothes, clawing at my skin. Unable to maintain control of my mount, the horse leapt one direction while I went the other. Before I could right myself, two dozen skellies surged and dragged me to the ground.
In that moment, I had no doubt I was about to die in a frenzy of claws and teeth—and, strangely, I was at peace with my lot. As long as I’d been able to save Mackenna from meeting a similar fate, my sacrifice would be well worth the cost.
Pain arched through my body as fangs tore at