Page 81 of Blood of Two Crowns

My breath caught a fraction of a moment later when my eyes snagged on the dark crimson shadow fighting in the opposite direction to guard her back.

She connected with her arcanum.

I wasthoroughlydismayed at the sight. What could possibly be worse than one bloodthirsty and insatiable Goddess of Death?

Two of them.

Akash-fucking-damn-it-all-to-hell.

I could feel my own arcanum, Cerebus, howling to be set free, but I didn’t dare set her free to meet Mareina’s wrath. Cerebus was the only love I had left in my life.

I soared towards her just as Ataraxus’ deafening roar pierced my ears. A preface to his flames engulfing me and being roasted like a bird on fucking spit.

Rude.

My rage was silenced by the hungry flames attempting to devour me as my wings propelled me forward.

I visualized his life’s thread andwilledmy hellfire to consume it. Ataraxus’ flames ceased, but I’m stunned to discover the tensile resilience of his life force. Or perhaps the weakening of my own. Ataraxus’s wings gave out, and as I weaved away, he swiped out with his talons, scoring my back and wings. Again, Iwilledhis life’s cord to be severed as a rage tore from my throat at the blinding pain.

Crashing into the hazardous ruin of my palace, the battle behind us was now nothing more than a distant roar of violent death.

The ground shuddered beneath the collision of Ataraxus’ body as I was skewered on a rogue metal rod sticking out of the detritus of my palace.

I gasped for breath that wouldn’t come as blood spilled from my lips. My wings pounded at the air behind me, gradually inching me off the rod. My wings gave a final pound against the air, and I collapsed in a heap on a broken slab of marble.

The eyes of one of Persephone’s fractured statues watched me as I laid there while my wounds healed. I could hear her voice inside my mind, admonishing me. My wounds couldn’t heal fast enough, if for that reason alone.

I finally crawled to standing and made my way towards Ataraxus’ motionless form, waiting for the sensation of his life force to dissipate, taking a part of me with it, but I realized there were too many cumulative lives and the magic of my people dying in droves to discern his. At the sight of his body gradually shifting back to its fae form, caused by the dissipating of his magic, I was satisfied enough to leave.

Such a fucking pity…

Now to find Mareina and end this.

As I returned to the skies, my eyes passed over the battlefield. The sight before me had dread sinking like an anvil in my gut.Thousandsof dead drakonati, nephilim, demons, humans, fae, and the like were strewn across my land as far as my eyes could see.

This has to stop.

More than justseeing, I couldfeelmy people dying as thoughAkashherself had put a fuckingsyphonon my power.

How were they all dying so fast? I’ll be dead before they are at this rate.

A cloud of red caught my eyes as Mareina’s magic devoured nephilim as it passed over them.

It was then I could no longer deny it was a mistake bringing her here.

Now the solution was no longer keeping her butkillingher.

Persephone and Mors will never forgive you,the insidious voice of my conscience whispered.

They already want nothing to do with me, so what difference does it make?

The guilt already twisting in my gut was answer enough.

As if the mere thought summoned herAkash-forsakensoulbound, magic boasting the force of Odinson’s Hammer, slammed me to the ground. Nakoa’s magic gripped my lungs with an iron fist, and my blood vessels felt set to burst. Resisting the pain and power of his magic against the waning of my own sent me to my knees.

Ifoldedaway just before the blade of his sword could remove my head. Landing in the mud formed solely by spilled blood in the dusty soil of my land, I gulped breaths of air. Relief washed over me when I managed to sever the life threads of the soldiers nearest to me with ease. At the sensation of my ever-waning magic, Iwilledmy sword,Thanapheros,into my hand—forged in hellfire and imbued with my death magic. Even a superficial wound would be lethal.

A tall, dark, slender male appeared, only a dozen feet away. Silvery power curled from him in waves as he passed his hand over the leagues of demons, humans, and other beings desperate to reach the portal. His silver gaze snapped to mine, and I felt his magic like an axe brought down upon the immortal tether connecting my soul to my body, causing me to stumble.

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