Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,117

fighting you to understand who you are. You stood in front of witches and defended the Nine Realms against a goddess. No one else has ever dared to do that before. They saw a queen taking her first steps toward her throne, and you were beautifully enraged when you spoke of what you believed. I wasn’t sure you believed everything you said, but you did. You spoke with conviction and fire this world needs. You may be a queen only in name, but you will still be my Queen, Aria Hecate. Now, shall we go have some fun?”

“I like fun,” I smirked, yelping as he slapped my rear end. “Do you do that to the other warriors?”

“No, but you have a sexy ass, and I enjoy slapping it and hearing your little cry of surprise,” he chuckled.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“You should have noticed that by now, woman.”

Chapter Thirty

By the time we reached the battlefield, torches were lit to create an eerie flicker highlighting the bodies dangling from the walls. I could hear Knox’s witches chanting, harvesting power, and stealing it from the other witches within the vicinity. I lifted my hands, and Knox reached forward, removing the cuffs, moments before power slammed against mine, sending it rushing back toward the witches who tested us on the battlements.

Knox stepped forward with me, mirroring each move I made. He added his power to mine, lifting and lowering his hands surprisingly efficiently. Brander hadn’t been lying. Knox had stalked me, learning me. Energy blasts shot toward us, and we dropped our hands together so I could absorb the magic like a sponge, fueling our power with theirs.

Men rushed forward, remaining right behind us. I deflected each shot the archers took while potion bottles exploded at our feet. I hissed, stepping back, and Knox grabbed my waist, pulling the pain from me as if he’d known exactly what to do.

It was a dance. I’d move forward, and he’d move back. If I moved backward, he moved forward. If I dodged, he defended. If I attacked, Knox added strength. Each move was precise and planned. He knew every move I made, which terrified me and was exhilarating at the same time.

If I took a hit, Knox took the pain. If I took power, he allowed it. He knew each of my moves before I made it, slamming my hands into the air to eject the potions they sent toward us with ease. Knox laughed wickedly behind me as the dark witches howled from the pain of their poisons thrown back at them. I stepped toward Knox when I felt the earth shift as ten thousand creatures started exiting the keep.

“Go to Killian, Aria,” Knox growled, his eyes alight with the coming battle.

Magic rushed through the field, and I lifted my hands to push it back, but it slammed forward before I could stop it from reaching us. Sprinting to Killian, I searched the field for Knox, slamming into him as magic hit us both, sending us to the ground, hard.

Our army’s witches hurried forward, placing their hands in the air to prevent the black, oily magic from reaching our armed forces. I watched as the dark witches opened their mouths, and more black magic escaped from them, sailing toward the crowd fighting below. Knox rushed a dark witch nearest to us, sending his blade in a wide arch, removing her head.

Men moved forward, sliding through the witches as they flooded out of the castle with the unwanted beasts. Someone grabbed my arm from behind and threw me to the ground as men moved past me, fighting with blades. The witches within Knox’s army started chanting loudly. I frowned, noting that the melee wasn’t my strong point, and I was in the thick of it. A bolt of magic shot someone in front of me backward, sending me to the ground once more.

I crawled toward the horses, but men marched past me, blocking my path. Getting to my feet, I peered through the fighting until I spotted Knox’s armor. His moves were precise and graceful as his blades cut through the air, severing limbs and heads smoothly. It was like watching a dancer move, but where they would swoop their arms, he wielded wickedly carved blades in both hands with murderous precision.

I shivered as three creatures rushed toward Knox all at once. He used a blade to sever the head of one, then spun to cut through the other’s middle, lifting his blades to remove their heads effortlessly.