Then, I smelled it. It was a scent—her scent--jasmine. Ali. I felt her presence, her soul near mine.
Acting only on instinct, I whirled. From the trees behind me, a group of Night Elves charged. My eyes locked on my soulmate. With her silver hair flowing behind her, Skalei tight in her fist, and her eyes blazing with rage, she looked like a goddess of war. My heart leapt. Fatigue, exhaustion, and fear evaporated, replaced by relief. She was alive. This time I wasn’t going to let her get away.
Her eyes fixed on mine, her face a mask of pure, unadulterated rage.
My heart skipped a beat.
Ali was coming for me, and it looked like she wanted me dead.
I charged toward her.
Chapter 13
Ali
I caught a glimpse of the most heartbreakingly beautiful face I’d ever seen, and that was enough. Every fiber of my being said I’d found Galin. I felt like ice was shattering in my heart, but I would end him.
Calling Skalei and drawing my sword, I raced down the hill toward the battle at a dead-out sprint.
I bounded fast over the snow like a skipping stone, heading towards him. A Vanir swung a saber at me, but I easily dodged the blade and, with a spin, slashed my sword across his throat. Without missing a beat, I pushed forward. The trick was to never stop. Never give the enemy a chance to regroup.
Another Vanir warrior spotted me and lunged, screaming. His blade flashed, lethally sharp. I ducked. Rolled. Stabbed upwards. With a soft thunk, I introduced him to Skalei. He grunted once, then fell.
On my feet again, my head swiveled. I’d lost sight of Galin.
I sniffed the air and caught his scent of wood smoke and sage, distinct from all the others. That was when I saw him again, hacking through the elves around him, a maelstrom of death. His golden hair flew out behind him, his sword flashing in the night, red with blood. Unstoppable, he literally carved a path to me.
I gripped my sword, my dagger. Which one to use?
He was ten feet from me now, eyes locked on mine. I dropped my sword and leapt towards him, and his mouth opened, expression startled.
I was an eagle diving for the kill. Skalei, my sharpest talon, aimed straight for his heart.
Time slowed.
I’d spent hours shoveling rock, eating gruel, envisioning the sequence of events—I’d worked through all the scenarios. Every movement of my body. Each breath of my lungs. The clenching and unclenching of my muscles.
For some reason, his chest was uncovered. Just shoulder pauldrons and bare flesh. His runic tattoos glowed on his skin, unearthly in the twilight. Easy to spot—he would be easier to kill than I’d hoped.
I aimed for the gap between the third and fourth ribs. I imagined the sound of my blade punching into his body. The look in his eyes when he realized that his betrayal had a terrible consequence.
But this was no dream. This was really, actually happening. At last, vengeance was mine for the taking.
Like a striking viper, I flew at him. Skalei was an unstoppable blur aimed straight at his heart.
My forearm flexed, ready to drive the dagger home—
His sword flashed like a lightning bolt, right into Skalei’s blade. The power of the strike raced up my arm like I’d just punched a brick wall, and Skalei flew away.
I hit the ground with a shoulder roll. The Sword of the Gods clearly deserved his nickname.
“Skalei.” She came to me. On my feet, I spun to face Galin.
He pointed his sword at me, expression ferocious. “This is very much not the reunion I’d imagined.”
I ignored him, charging forward. This time, I held Skalei close.
He raised his sword but seemed to hesitate. One more step, and I slashed up.
A normal dagger wouldn’t stand a chance against a sword, but Skalei wasn’t normal. She bit into the steel of Galin’s sword, and I twisted hard, throwing all my weight into her. With a sharp crack, Galin’s sword snapped.
That elicited an animal growl from him, and as I lunged for him again, blade ready, he blocked me with a forearm across my chest. His pale eyes gleamed, fierce and lethal.
The force of his blow knocked me flat on my ass, breathless. Gods, he was strong. Unreasonably strong, and he’d slammed the wind right out of me. Pain shot through my ribs.
My simmering rage gave me new strength, though, and I scissored my legs, taking his feet out from under him. It was like