Page 142 of Revenge of the Forgotten

Vega wasn’t sure she’d heard his words, not over the sound of a bellow she knew too well.

She tossed her dagger, sending it end over end to strike a Tolevarre soldier through the eye socket. The strength he ran with caused him to slide through the mud until he was underneath her feet. Using her wind, Vega’s dagger flew from the now-dead soldier’s eye and landed back in the palm of her hand.

Trees were gone, ripped from the ground by Vega’s storm, crumbled by Urban’s power, and the cover they’d been under earlier was now open to the sky.

Khort came into view, flying faster than Vega had ever seen him travel. In the blink of an eye, he’d gone from being a speck on the horizon to overhead with a blaze of fire spewing from his unlatched jaw.

Dropping from behind the clouds was a second dragon, causing Vega to stumble, her eyes growing wide in shock. Its golden gleam against brown scales made Vega’s heart skip a beat.

No way.

Soldiers screamed painfully on the battleground, trying to find whatever cover they could to get away from the flying beasts above their head.

The brown one dropped down, flames shooting out of its mouth as the fire turned the water from the sky into steam. Jagged teeth snapped, sending anyone near it scattering like ants.

Khort dipped to the ground close enough to Vega she could see his once-over glance and the look behind it that said, You’re in so much trouble.

From his back, a blur of curls and graceful footing dismounted without Khort having to stop. She caught Vega’s gaze, winking before glancing over at the second dragon.

It was all an illusion, made up by Arlet to distract. But when soldiers got too close, the dragon reached out with its serpent-like neck and gobbled them up. The blood was too real to be an illusion. What had Arlet been hiding from her?

Arlet gripped a weapon Vega had seen her use for the last two decades in every battle she’d fought. The double-edged sword—her swallow—was made of the same dark metal Bridger’s blade was made from, the same bonded metal as Vega’s dagger.

She twisted the shaft, the double blades making a whoosh sound above her head before she brought it down and met the blade of the man Vega came here for.

“Arlet Videri, hello again.” His gravel-laced voice sounded like he was purring at her best friend, like he wanted to make her his midnight snack. Meyer’s hands glowed against the handles of his short-bladed swords, but his fire was doused by the continuous rain.

Arlet clamored in reply, twisting her swallow to strike again.

The twin tornadoes danced around the sky, waiting to be called back down. Khort dodged them effortlessly, diving to scoop up a mouthful of enemy soldiers.

Vega scanned the battlefield, eyes finding all the people she knew. Bridger was out of sight, but she could hear the thunder of his blows. Urban commanded a tree root up, crushing the skull of a man attacking a rebel soldier.

Blood. Blood everywhere. It covered the ground, mixing with mud and guts. A red sheen painted the battlefield.

Vega lost herself in the decimation. It has to stop. Her eyes met Meyer’s. A single nod in his direction was the agreement she’d come here to give him.

Meyer dodged a blow, rolling in the mess underneath him to pop back up and strike a return on Arlet’s blade. Sparks flew as metal met metal. He kicked out, knocking her to the ground.

Meyer called for backup, a couple soldiers turning their attention to Arlet as he beelined for Vega, blades raised. Before he made contact, he stopped dead in his tracks, eyes floating behind her as the sound of Marlena’s pain and anger pierced the sky.

Warmth radiated down Vega’s spine, but she had no time to turn and face who she knew would be behind her before the cold blade of a dagger was against her neck.

“Don’t move,” Bridger said against her ear.

Splinters from Marlena’s cage exploded, stabbing through rebel soldiers at the same time smoke billowed between Meyer and Vega. Marlena came into view. Bruises lined the exposed parts of her ivory skin, disappearing slowly before their eyes.

Vega bucked, sending an electric shock through her body. Her intended target had been Bridger, but he shielded himself, protecting him from her voltaic touch.

“You’ve created a fucking mess, little sister.” Marlena traveled, disappearing only to reappear beside Urban. A single hand wrapped around his throat and lifted him off the ground. The hand around his throat was no longer that of a woman, but of a beast—black claws tearing from the tips of her fingers like the ones that had lacerated Vega’s face. They dug into Urban’s neck, blood pouring from the puncture wounds. “And so have you, Urban. If only I would have killed you sooner, you useless waste of power.”

Marlena’s claws sliced through Urban’s neck, muscles and tendons snapping, his body detaching from his head.

The noise of battle fell silent to Vega’s scream of agony.

56

Urban’s head rolled to a stop at Vega’s feet. Her eyes welled with tears, her tornadoes dropping from the sky in a fit of outrage.

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