Page 63 of The Lost Guard's Healer

“No,” she yells back. “I’m with you.”

That floods my heart with joy and terror in equal measures. If anything happens to Galene… If she gets hurt… I can’t think about that. I need to focus.

I meet the giant beast and my sword clashes with its spear in a succession of attacks. Each block jars my bones and shifts me back several inches. The hulking beast is a surprisingly formidable foe, like nothing I’ve faced before. Both skilled and ferocious, with the keen intelligence of a seasoned soldier.

Flashes of golden light crash into the beast, knocking it back and sideways. They cause minor damage, but they give me a chance to strike blows that find their mark. I slice through the beast several times, but it doesn’t slow down.

I need to keep my distance to stay safe, but I also have to get close enough to use my sword. When a cube of light cracks into the beast’s head, stunning it for a second, I rush in and unload a combination of attacks. It isn’t until I sense the spear swinging to my back that I know I’ve left myself exposed to an attack. But as the spear comes, a square of light appears and blocks it, inches from me.

I dive away from the next swinging spear attack, thankful to have Galene there with me. The spear crashes down onto the roof as I leap away.

The beast growls at Galene and stomps toward her, raising its spear. She steps back, looking at him with wide-eyed fear.

“Hey!” I yell at the beast, trying to get its attention.

It raises the spear and brings it crashing down into Galene, who dives away in time to avoid being skewed. I reach the beast and plunge the sword into its lower back. It rears back, howling into the dark sky. I manage to withdraw the sword and avoid a fierce backhand as it spins around.

I clear the space between us and then rush forward again. Galene’s arms are shrouded in golden light. She gives me a quick nod.

I jump into the air and a square of light appears at my feet. I push off the light to leap higher, avoiding a spear strike as I push off another step of light and soar over the beast. It looks up as I fall toward it and plunge the sword into its head.

The beast stumbles and falters, dropping the spear. I push off it and land on the roof as it drops, causing the edge of the roof to crack and crumble. The roof collapses on one side and the beast falls with it, becoming lost in the crumbling debris.

I breathe a sigh of relief and share an elated smile with Galene. She comes over to me, but staggers when the crumbling roof continues to spread. Galene screams as she too falls out of sight amid the rising dust and smoke. A guttural cry of fear bursts from me. I sprint to the edge of the broken roof to see her summoning a bed of light to catch herself halfway down, easing her fall. She falls the rest of the way when the light gradually vanishes. She must be at least 6 floors down now, on the street below.

“Galene!” I call, a frisson of fear sending shivers through me. Please be unharmed. She’s so far away that I don’t know how quickly I can reach her.

“I’m okay,” she calls back, though her voice is strained. Dust settles around her. “Just some scrapes.”

“Stay there,” I yell down. “I’ll come and get you.”

“No. You keep going. I’ll find my way to the others.”

I don’t want to waste time arguing, so I nod. “Stay safe.”

“You too,” she says. Even from this distance, I can feel the intensity of her blue eyes reaching into my soul.

A group of Shanti are battling skeletal soldiers in the next street, so I know Galene won’t be on her own for long. From this view, I can see the breadth of the devastation across the city, and the smoke from the raging fires billowing into the night sky. Screams of terror and pain fill the air.

I wonder if we’ve come too late. If The Kingdom is already lost. But we need to keep fighting while we can. As long as we draw breath.

I notice Aldus has separated from the others. He is entering a dark alley, one level up from the rest of the fighters. I frown, feeling like he’s up to something. Something not good.

I make my way to the alley.

Chapter twenty-seven

Rourk

When I reach the mouth of the alley, I pause and quietly peek inside. Aldus is there, speaking with a tall man in gleaming white armor. The insignias on the armor tell me this man is a Grand General of The Kingdom Guard.

“I got them here,” Aldus is saying, his heavy voice sounding angry. “I’ve done my part. Now you need to do yours.”

“It is not that simple,” the Grand General says. He has the lofty air of arrogance of many Kingdom Folk I’ve known. “You cannot simply tell The Dark King what to do. If you’d care to try, be my guest.”

“We are in this together, Lok,” Aldus says. “We have worked for too long to stumble at the final hurdle. If you cannot bring Thanek to my daughter, then I will bring her to him.”

I tense up at those words. They are plotting something concerning Galene? Rage rushes through me as I enter the alley, no longer concerned with hiding.

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