Page 20 of A Spark Of Revenge

“You think he will be out fighting with the Hunters?” Valen asks, looking far more interested than he should, and I nod.

“Most definitely. Nox hates how the Seniorem hid inside the castle and let the Rangers defend it on their own,” I whisper, drawing closer to Valen so I can peek around the corner of the wall myself. There is a thick grove of trees on this side of the wall, giving us plenty of shelter from any Hunter who may be fighting up on the wall. “It's probably one of his only good qualities,” I grumble, hating to admit it but knowing it to be the truth. Lennox is a lying asshole, and I’m one hundred percent sure he was using me for his own benefit, but he is a good leader and is always out with the Regalis Bloodline during training and missions.

Valen hums under his breath and drags a finger over the gray stone of the wall as he makes his way closer to the main gates, and green magic sparks off the stone like fire. I follow, watching in awe as the green light carves itself into the wall, forming a small rectangle that is maybe only five feet tall and two feet wide. Valen stops in front of it, slowly drawing back his fingers, grinning devilishly at me before he suddenly fists his hand in the air, making the illuminated rock crumble like dust.

I gasp in surprise as twinkling gray dust drifts to the snow under our feet, then smile in awe as Valen ducks his head—as he’s far too tall for the small opening—and steps sideways through the tiny entrance he just carved out of the stone, nodding his approval at the narrow passage. I take a step forward, eyeing the opening in the wall, and jump a little when Valen holds his hand out to me, wiggling his fingers, silently signaling for me to hold his hand and come through before we are discovered.

Just as I place my hand in his, another loud roar echoes through the air, and Valen tugs me hard to his side, making me squeak as I narrowly turn and duck my head before it collides with the stone wall. We shuffle a few feet through the narrow opening and step into the courtyard right behind one of the small storage buildings.

“That's convenient,” I whisper, looking at the tiny wooden structure. Valen doesn't hear, leaning to look around the building and whistling low under his breath when he sees the battle happening in the courtyard.

“How’d they get through the gate?” I ask in confusion.

“The Beastia can jump to incredible heights. This Stronghold was built before the Therion were corrupted, becoming Beastia. These walls were not created to keep the Beastia out. What's shocking is that they are attacking during daylight,” Valen muses, talking more to himself than to me as he watches several Beastia attack groups of Hunters. “Their sight will be limited, and they will rely on pack dynamics for success.”

I step next to Valen and scowl when he shifts, ensuring I stay hidden safely behind him. Going up on my toes, I watch with open-mouthed horror as Hunters I know put their lives in danger battling the Beastia. All Bloodlines are represented in the courtyard, though the number is much smaller than the previous attack weeks ago. A pair of Beastia corner two large DeLuca Rangers who fight back to back, their weapons flashing as the monsters close in on them from either side. My breath hitches, and the urge to run out there and help springs to life just as a large ax spirals through the air and lodges itself into the neck of one of the Beastia, severing its head from its shoulders.

In a flurry of tattoos and long black hair, Lennox jumps into the fray, grabs hold of his enormous ax once more and attacks the second monster, killing it almost as fast as the first. His body moves with so much power, I can see the muscles of his back flex with every dip and turn he takes. The thin white lines of his scars shine in the morning light, showing so many more than I had initially thought; making me swallow hard at how freaking painful the wounds would have been in order to leave those scars. Lennox has the power to heal himself extraordinarily fast. He even healed the wounds I collected over the last few weeks—injuries that should have left me scarred but never did. So the idea of him having scars and as many as he does baffles me.

I briefly glare at Nox’s stupidly toned back, wondering why the hell he doesn't have a freaking shirt in sub-zero temps. “Stupid Viking needs to put on some clothes,” I grumble to myself as Nox snarls, his face twisting into a monstrous expression as he moves out of another Beastia’s reach. When his predatory gaze lands on new prey across the courtyard, his lips twist into a beautiful yet terrifying smile. The silver beads braided in his long hair gleam as he swings the impossibly large ax at his side, his movement one of confidence as he watches the Hunters fight as a unit, a hint of pride glimmering in his green eyes.

Valen chuckles, his eyes wide as he shakes his head. “That’s one way to kill them,” he muses, a flicker of excitement on his face like he too, itches to join the fight. The glimmer of twin swords twirling through the air catches my attention, and this time, my mouth drops open in shock as Creed comes into view.

My hands ball into tight fists when I see him fighting three of the Beastia on his own, twisting and turning as they lunge for him, their claws narrowly missing his neck and stomach. My heart stalls as I watch him fight, his weapons moving so fast I can't keep up.

Unlike Lennox, who uses his brute strength and anger to fight, Creed’s skill is undeniable. His movements are constantly one step ahead of the Beastia, almost like he can predict their attacks and use it against them. Nearby, a group of five Hunters work together to take down another Beastia, and I glance around, looking at all the monsters in the courtyard and shake my head nervously when I don't see who I’m looking for.

“Where is he?” I whisper, narrowing my eyes and searching the shadows of the courtyard.

“Who?” Valen asks, only half-looking at me as he watches the Hunters and two Regalis brothers fight. Like a brush of cold fingers running down my neck, an awareness filters over me as I turn my head, looking into the dark shadows of the open castle door. Big black paws drag across the frosty gray stone steps, the sense of dread and death tripling as powerful fur-covered legs and a monstrous face slowly emerge from the darkness.

“Him,” I whisper breathlessly, my eyes locked on the Beastia, who is easily two times larger than the attacking monsters. Almost like the beast is bored, it descends the castle's steps, his maw partially open, black saliva dripping from razor-sharp gray teeth. His coarse obsidian fur appears like tiny needles, sharpened into thousands of deadly points, glistening with a black oily substance. As the Beastia slowly raises his head, my eyes fall on the soulless black pits that haunt my dreams, and I swallow as the shiver of excitement I hate so much races down my spine.

A low growl rumbles from him as his vacant eyes fall on a smaller Beastia that is creeping up behind Lennox. Razar attacks so fast I don't quite realize what happened until a burst of dark blood spatters on the snow-covered ground. The throat of the Beastia is torn out in seconds as Razar snarls and rips the monster to shreds under his powerful black claws.

“That's our cue to leave,” Valen says with a hitch in his soothing voice. His eyes no longer hold the eagerness they once had as he eyes Razar warily. I nod in agreement, wanting… no, needing to get away from the massive shape-shifting Beastia who stirs such conflicting feelings inside me.

Valen's fingers wrap around my wrist as he pulls me away from the battle that is quickly ending now that all three Regalis brothers have shown up. Dark blood is splattered everywhere, and the sharp metallic scent of blood lay heavy in the air. I let Valen pull me further into the shadows, trusting him to keep us safe as I look between the faces of the Hunters who lay motionless on the ground. There are only four, and when I’m convinced none of them are Regalis Bloodline or Theo, I release a heavy breath in relief. Don’t get me wrong. I’m still furious with my friend and plan to kick Theo’s ass the moment I see him; but the thought of him hurt or worse sends me into full-blown panic mode.

“Which door will be the easiest to go through?” Valen asks, looking up at the castle that looms over us.

“The only unguarded door that I know of is the one that the Ranger comes through when leaving the barracks,” I grumble, then glare up the side of the mountain, which the castle is literally carved into.

“Which is?” Valen asks, moving to press his back against the castle walls, tugging me behind him as the sounds of the fight slowly die out. After a moment, black smoke fills the air, and I know the Hunters have already started to burn the dead Beastia who stupidly attacked.

I grimace and point up, glad we approached the castle on this side rather than the other. Valen’s eyes follow where I point before they widen, and he nods, a look of determination crossing his face.

“Let's go,” he whispers, fingers still wrapped around one of my wrists as he walks over to the almost vertical side of the castle where the mountainside is carved out to make more room. I watch in shock and horror as Valen lets go of my wrist and hooks his fingertips and toes into the smallest of cracks and crevices before pulling his body up the side of the mountain with ease.

“Follow after me. I’ll ensure the hand and footholds are sturdy, but we’ll have to move fast to avoid detection. The Hunters will only be distracted for a while longer,” Valen whispers down toward me, scanning the mountain as he starts moving up a few more feet like a damn spider. I watch him and shake my head, already knowing if I follow, I’ll either kill myself or Valen when he no doubt tries to save my klutzy ass. Valen moves up a little more, his fingertips holding onto the mountain like freaking Spiderman!

Does this guy not know what gravity is?

“Uh, I hate to be a buzzkill on your awesomeness…” I whisper up toward him when he keeps moving, probably assuming I’m following. “But there is no way in hell I’m going to be able to climb up there,” I admit, raising my voice enough for him to hear me while casting a nervous look around to make sure there isn't a stray Ranger around. As much as I would love to follow him, I know I lack the strength and coordination needed for this climb, plus my body feels like I have been sent through a damn woodchipper.

Valen finally stops, looking down at me with a slight frown, his eyes widening when he sees I haven't followed him. I gasp and step forward as Valen suddenly relaxes his body and lets go of the mountain, plummeting at least thirty feet to the ground, making my heart lodge in my chest.

“Valen!” I hiss when my voice decides to work, snarling at the man as he lands gracefully at my side with a questioning look. “Stop giving me heart attacks!” I grind out, whacking his arm with the back of my hand as I attempt to regain control of my panic. I’m suddenly sweaty, and it feels like I ran a damn mile after watching him drop like that. In all fairness, we fell a lot further than thirty feet last night, but I don't think I will ever get used to seeing someone drop from a height that would typically kill a human.

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