Page 63 of The Empty Throne

Fifty fire mages. What in the absolutefuck.

"Lord Lindquist!" a sergeant cried, runningup. "It's time for you to retreat."

"Not until everyone else is gone," Lindquistsaid, and motioned for a nearby line to pitch the last of theboiling oil over the side. Screams below said they'd found sometargets, but with the mages near, the fire would swiftly be turnedagainst them. "Are we ready?"

"Everyone is in position, or will be inmoments," the sergeant replied. "General Varga said—"

"I don't care what she says, my duty is tothe wall. Go! Now! Archers, retreat. Soldiers, forward!" He swunghis hammer from his back and hefted it. As a Terekian appeared overthe wall, he slammed the hammer down on their head, cracking itlike an egg, even through the helmet they wore. He kicked the bodydown off the wall and moved to the next.

On and on until suddenly he was met with awall of flame that he only just barely avoided rushing into. "Allretreat!" he bellowed. Throwing his hammer over the inner wall, hefollowed it down, rolling as he landed and swiftly regaining hisfeet. Turning, he bolted to his hammer, scooped it up, and fledfurther into the city, soldiers around him.

Across the city, tucked into corners andpockets, hidden on rooftops, their two armies prepared for the partof this war they'd all really hoped to avoid. They couldn't fightopenly, so they'd do it underhandedly.

Unfortunately, Cohea wouldn't be able to helpmuch. His official order in the face of retreat from the wall wasto return to the palace to protect Sobeki.

The wall was fully breached before he'd madeit a third of the way across the city. An arrow landed in the wallof the house right by his head, and Cohea ducked behind a rainbarrel before turning to take in what he could.

An archer with a crossbow. Two foot soldiers.And a fucking fire mage.

Shoving with all his might, groaning at theeffort, Cohea upended the rain barrel, sending cascades of wateracross the street. It was all the distraction he needed. Chargingtoward them, he slammed his hammer into the chest of the archer andkicked him out of the way before turning to meet the foot soldiershead on, driving the claw into the side of one's head and thenusing his momentum to slam the body into the other soldier. Yankingthe hammer out, he killed the second soldier and then turned hisattention to the mage.

"You won't get close enough to me," the magesneered.

Cohea didn't waste time and energy on words,just ran at him with everything he had, ignoring the flames thatburst to life, barreling his entire body weight into the mage,knocking them both to the ground and causing the flames to die.Heaving up, straddling the mage, he slammed a gauntleted fist intohis face, then grabbed his head and twisted it to snap theneck.

Panting, he heaved himself to his feet,retrieved his hammer, and kept going. All around him was chaos, andon top of everything else, the snow had resumed. Blood, screams,fire, burned corpses. Homes reduced to cinder. In some places thedestruction was so hot, even the shattered stonework glowed likehot coals.

Exhausted, sore, and more afraid than heliked to admit, Cohea fought his way back to the palace.

When he finally reached the gate, his finalrush was guarded by archers and foot soldiers as they hustled himthrough. As he stepped into the palace proper, though, Cohea didn'trelax. He kept pressing, eyes darting everywhere for people whoneeded to flee, for threats that might have managed to sneakin.

"Where is Sobeki?" he asked the first guardhe saw.

"The grand throne room, Your Grace."

"That stupid ass," Cohea said, motioningsharply for the soldier to carry on with whatever she'd beendoing.

In the grand throne room, Sobeki sat in prideof place, though someone at least had possessed the sense to puthim in armor. He also had a sword and bow, the latter of which washis weapon of choice, but Sobeki had never continued to pursue hismartial skills once all his formal training was concluded. Hisskills were knowledge, diplomacy… and many other things that werevital to being king. His Majesty had been quietly training his heirall these years, and no one had fucking noticed.

"Sobeki, you shouldn't be here. What if thepalace falls? We need you alive so we can recover, plan, and takeCremisio back."

"We're not losing Cremisio, and I'm notrunning away like a coward in the night. Stop wasting time onarguing with me. The matter is settled, there's no argument to behad."

Cohea rolled his eyes. "If Kite was here,he'd kick your ass and put you on the ship himself."

"Well, he's not here, and I'm king, so shutup about it," Sobeki said with a smile, laughing faintly when Coheajust rolled his eyes again. Around and behind him, bodyguardswaited for a moment they all hoped would not come.

The doors flew open, and Cohea whippedaround, hammer raised—and relaxed when he saw Oskia. Swinging hishammer onto his back, he surged forward to embrace her. "You're allright." He gently rubbed beneath a cut on her cheek, mindful of theother one, which was heavily bruised. She was lucky none of thebones had been broken.

"I'm angry," Oskia said. "This never shouldhave fucking happened in the first place. Those goddamnfiremages. I think we've managed to kill ten of them, but thatbarely puts a dent in them. We can't counter walls of fucking fire!Half the goddamn city has been razed. When I find Fazekas, I'mgoing to rend him to pieces with my bare hands."

Cohea laughed. "You'll have to get to himfirst, then, because I've every faith Bittersea has plans involvinghis knives."

Oskia sneered. "Whyhim, Cohea? Theonly thing that man loves is blood on his hands."

"Bittersea doesn't love, period, not the waythe rest of us do," Cohea replied. "To the best of his abilities,he loved his little sister, and he loves me, but it's not the sameway I love him."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

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