Page 70 of Their Queen

My mind began to panic at what would happen when it was full. Deciding I needed to distract her more, it was my turn to charge her. Despite her attempts to thwart my takedown, I was able to snatch a single leg, my head driving into her chest and pushing her back. Falling on top of her, I scrambled up her body as she continued to push the shadows at me until I was sitting on her chest.

Striking out, my fist connected with her eye, snapping her head to the side, her brow splitting and swelling. The flow of magic decreased as I punched her again, not allowing her the chance to recover. Her hands scrambled at mine as I sat on her chest, her hips twisting and bucking as she tried to dislodge me. I let my body do what it did best, what I had trained it to do on instinct and without thought, while I let my mind try to figure out what to do next.

I couldn’t take much more of the dark magic on my own. I needed my men in here. With their help, I wondered if I could push it into them?could share the burden. It was the only option I had, really. In order to accomplish that, though, I needed her to drop the shield she had erected somehow.

Punching her face again, I pulled on my own magic and pushed it forward. She hissed from the scorching caress of my magic, her attempts to escape increasing in their fervency. If I caused her enough pain, she wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else but it. It was the only shot I had at dropping her shield.

Leaning forward, I fell onto one hand, using my momentum to drive an elbow into her face, splitting the skin on the bridge of her nose while also pinning her further. Switching to a half guard, my hips on one side with my upper body pinning her shoulders to the ground, I lifted a leg, driving my knee into her ribs. Putting all my force behind it, I felt a rib give, snapping and causing her to cry out. Again, I threw my knee into her side. When another rib cracked, her shield finally dropped, and her magic slammed into me.

I flew backward from the force of her dark magic, my head slamming into the ground again and causing smudges to line the perimeter of my vision. Pushing up onto an elbow, I let the magic flow into me. This time, it took a lot more effort to rise, my body fatigued from the magic use.

Hands grabbed an arm and pulled me up to stand. As the vessel inside me filled, I pushed it into Lennox. He gasped, jerking back from me in shock. I cried out as the magic started to become too much for me to bear. Titania laughed maniacally as she pushed even more at me, confident she was close to winning.

My knees startled to buckle under the weight that was starting to consume me, dimming the light inside me and pushing at my crumbling walls in my mind. A hand found mine, the magic slamming into whoever had found me, passing through our bond at the touch. “Fuck,” Brannoc cursed.

Another hand took my free one, Lennox claiming the other side and pulling the magic into himself now that the shock had faded. The darkness swarmed us, Titania pushing everything she had at me, at us. My other men found ways to touch us, becoming conduits as well, allowing me to continue absorbing everything.

Even still, I could tell they were reaching their max, their vessels not near as deep as my own. Lennox and Brannoc had the deepest vessels, but they were almost full now. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying to Avalonia for relief from the burn of the magic passing through me. My muscles were tense and raw, like having gone ten rounds with a charging bull. As their vessels filled, they collapsed to the ground, disconnecting from the conduit, more magic rebounding into me.

I collapsed to my own knees, but Lennox and Brannoc maintained contact, their vessels filling too quickly. A whisper in the back of my mind drew my attention, different than the darkness that taunted me. Soothing and silky, easing the tender flesh as they whispered through my brain. Lightbringer. Use what I have gifted you with.

What the fuck did that mean?! I cried out in agony as Lennox and Brannoc were forced to disconnect from the conduit. My body snapped taut at the assault on me, my back arching, head thrown back, and arms wide.

My body and mind wanted to quit, wanted to escape the agony of this moment, this magic. It was wrong, evil. All consuming, the whispers told me I should give up. That the pain would stop if I just gave up. They could make me feel nothing if I just succumbed to their desires. I wavered on the edge, in so much pain that I wanted to give in. Anything to just make it end.

This moment, this choice, would be the one that sealed everyone’s fate. If only I had been strong enough to withstand this, to fight it. I had been so confident that I would finally best Titania, but I had been wrong. So very wrong. There was no way I could win. And if I couldn’t beat her, then what was the point of fighting this? I could just give in?end us all. It would be a mercy, after all. Anything to save them from the same kind of agony.

I wasn’t strong enough after all. I needed to just give up, give the shadows what they wanted. It was what was best for everyone.

Chapter Fifty: Arryn

Watching my Queen fight Titania from behind the impenetrable shield was pure agony, my heart ripping from my chest as I felt every blow through our bond. For once, Rhowyn wasn’t shutting us out, and I could feel it all. The panic, the fear, the pain of her being slammed into the ground. The desire to keep fighting.

I watched helplessly as Rhowyn stood back up, throwing her own magic and pinning Titania to the floor. She threw punches at Titania’s face, splitting skin, sweat and dirt now mixing with their blood until Rhowyn shoved magic into her. The force of her assault split Titania’s focus, and she dropped the shield.

We all rushed forward as soon as it fell, but then Rhowyn was thrown back, landing in a heap several feet from Titania. When this first began, Rhowyn had rebounded from a fall so quickly it was incomprehensible. Now, she was struggling to get back up, her fatigue and pain being shared through the bond. Pushing up to an elbow, Titania shoved the dark magic at Rhowyn, intent on destroying her.

As the only person capable of defeating her, if Rhowyn went down, we would all fall. Without her, all would be lost. Looking at Titania, her eyes wide with malice and determination, blood dripping down her face. She was no longer trying to heal herself; her whole focus was now on Rhowyn.

The armies had faded from my focus, but as I took in the scene around us, my brain scrambling for a way out of this mess, I noted that they all stood still. Every face was turned to the battle between the Queens, the one that would determine everyone’s future. Awe and fear mixed in their expressions at the magnitude of magic being slung about, wielded as only masters could.

Months ago, Rhowyn knew nothing about magic, nothing about our world. Yet, here she was, trading blows with the most powerful among us. She was giving as good as she got. Moments even when she had the upper hand, but now, I could feel that all slipping away. Through the bond, I could tell she was flagging.

Rhowyn pushed to her feet, absorbing the dark magic to keep it from harming us, utilizing Lennox’s own secret against his mother. Rhowyn’s breathing increased, her chest heaving as the magic filled her. Lennox moved first, taking her arm to help her, but jerked away.

Looking at him, I asked, “What?”

He turned to me, a puzzled look on his face. “When I touched her, the magic started to fill me. It’s hard to explain, but that magic isn’t right.”

“Was it helping her?” I asked him, needing to know if this was the way we could help her or not.

He nodded. “Yes. The magic funneled into me in the same way that happens when I use my own magic. Our bonds allowed me to take some of what she was bearing.”

Lennox hadn’t even finished his explanation before Brannoc moved forward, clasping his hand to Rhowyn’s. His back went rigid as soon as their skin touched, the only evidence that whatever was happening was uncomfortable for him.

Not needing any further encouragement, whether it destroyed us or not, we’d do what we must to save our Queen. “Touch her. Help her take the magic.”

Lennox flew forward, taking her other hand. I took Brannoc’s side while Callum took Nox’s. Baer lined up beside me. As soon as my fingers closed around Brannoc’s, a gasp escaped my lips. The oily and slimy feel of the magic was oppressive. Not outright painful, but extremely uncomfortable. It was wrong in a way I could never fully explain. Lennox had been right; my instinct was to pull away from it, but I fought it, keeping my fingers laced tight.

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