Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,59

had something to do with anything so cruel.

“Strange request, don’t you agree? Unless this was how you intended to escape me, which is the only thing that would make sense,” Knox growled angrily, sliding his attention to my unmarked shoulder blade. “Lore, secure Aria in her cage while I order the camp moved to the battlefield. You better hope this isn’t your doing because I have vowed to protect these people, and if you’re guilty of the loss of their lives, your pretty head will follow theirs to the grave.”

I shivered as Knox turned, moving through the camp. He spoke his language in a low tone, passing people who stopped working and began disassembling the camp. Lore nodded toward the cage that sat outside of the tent I’d shared with him and Greer for the last few days. I exhaled, marching toward it silently before climbing in and closing the door. Fuck Knox and his mood swings. I was over them. It seemed any chance he got time to think; he would over analyze and come back believing the worst about me.

Chapter Fifteen

I’d never seen a battlefield with wounded or dead soldiers. Considering that my fights were rather one-sided, and my army was already dead, it had been easy enough to skip the surreal elements. It wasn’t like the one we’d just left with happy people packing up camp.

Fires were lit on the borders of camp while glowing quartz powered by Knox’s witches sat brightly around them on each corner. Men helped the wounded to the large medical tents that sat in the center of camp, filled with the screams of the injured or dying. Men stood with bandages covering parts of their bodies while others cried, holding amputated stumps. Bile flooded my mouth, and my stomach tightened from the brutality inflicted on the warriors.

The scent of death and blood filled the air, tickling my nose with the coppery tang. Screams and cries echoed through the field, filling my head. My hands gripped the bars of my cage as I watched the lifeless bodies of witches moved from the frontline.

Unlike the men and warriors, the dark witches had savaged and melted the flesh of the marked witches’ skin. Their lifeless eyes stared heavenward while men carried many bodies on large, wide stretchers, adding them to a pile that made my stomach flip, needing to empty its meager contents.

Trembling with apprehension, I pressed my face against the bars as the horse moved me in the cage toward the biggest tent. People rushed all around us, turning to glare at me as they passed my rune-covered cell. Knox had recharged the wards, taking the time to ensure no one could remove me except for him.

Screaming erupted, and men howled, forcing me to cover my ears with my hands. My stomach sank, knowing it had taken us hours to reach the battlefield and that the queen had kept her promise to kill more of Knox’s men until he handed me over to her. I could smell the blood in the air, so thick it coated my tongue as I swallowed past the dryness of my mouth. My eyes closed, and the sound of my heartbeat mirrored the war drums as night descended on the camp.

The wagon jerked to a stop. I held my hands against my ears, squeezing my eyes closed. I felt the magic brushing against my skin, bitingly strong within the surrounding air. Power radiated from the keep, churning unease and doubt that I may not be powerful enough to handle whoever was within it.

The cage door opened, and Knox grabbed my arm, pulling me out and pushing me toward the tent nearest where we’d stopped. Instead of moving the cage away, he shoved me into the tent moments before it followed us inside. I looked around, noting that Knox had moved here, leaving me behind. His trunk sat at the foot of the bed, which looked unkempt as if he hadn’t slept well in it.

“Strip and get changed,” Knox ordered, and I paused, noticing he’d brought my bag.

I silently brushed my fingertips over the semi-sheer tulle dress laid out for me. Peering around, I frowned, turning to where he silently observed me. He wore full battle armor, and the chest plate etched with ravens glowed from the candle’s flame.

“I have nothing to wear beneath this, Knox,” I admitted softly, and the lines of his eyes creased, narrowing on me.

“Put the fucking dress on now. No one cares what you wear