Page 97 of House of Mages and Raven

The heirs got it. Everyone drew their blades.

Louis raised his longsword over his head and bellowed, “Charge!”

“Go!” Cade flicked his wand toward the mages behind him.

The horde lunged toward our rank, shrieking like hell.

“Weapons won’t kill them, except—” I called, but my shout of warning was drowned out by the warriors’ battle cries.

No one was listening to me while everyone was itching for a fight. I understood their zest to show their superiority and eliminate the horde that dared come to their door, but they weren’t pros like me when it came to dealing with the Shriekers.

I bit my lips in high anxiety. “Killian—” I started, but he raised a hand to stop me as he watched the battle unfolding and waited for his men to come to us. He hadn’t left my side, and he wouldn’t let me go. I hadn’t taken off because I needed to tell him how exactly to kill the Shriekers. I probably had to stand on the sidelines, letting the battle run its course, and then everyone would listen to me.

The heirs were excellent swordsmen, but no matter how hard they hacked at the creatures’ necks or other parts, they couldn’t damage the foes. Encouraged, the Shriekers swatted their scorpion claws at our warriors, and soon we were at a severe disadvantage.

For one, the Shriekers towered over our soldiers. Two, they outnumbered us. Three, only Killian’s and my magic could killthem. I’d only use my darkest flame as the last resort while my father fixed on me through the eyes of his vessel.

A few of our warriors were injured and couldn’t bring down the Shriekers. I couldn’t stand by anymore. I dashed forward, only to be dragged back by Killian again.

“Let go!” I snarled. “I must kill those things.”

“You’re in no shape to fight those things,” he growled. “I do the fighting for both of us.”

He was right about my fighting shape, even though I wouldn’t listen to him. The Shriekers fought to reach me. They only wanted me. They just needed to remove the obstacle between them and me, which was our warriors.

Rock dashed toward us, a gash on his left shoulder. He and other chaos warriors had joined the mayhem as well, but none of them could cut down the Shriekers.

“Our weapons are useless against those fuckers,” he said, breathing hard.

“I see that, and I’ll take care of it,” Killian said. “Escort Barbie to safety and get a healer to have a look at her.”

“Yes, Highness,” Rock answered.

“The realm won’t be safe if we don’t kill all of them!” I screamed. “And only I know how to slay those things. Their weakness is the hidden third eye, the spot between their eyes. Only my evil blade, Deathsong, can kill them.”

I offered Rock the blade. Without a question, the werewolf accepted it.

When he grabbed the hilt of Deathsong, he winced before his face paled. Deathsong giggled eerily while greeting him,Hello, werewolf. I’m the evil blade. Now, let’s go kill the abominations, shall we?

The fae warriors and vampires fought at the front. The shifters flanked both sides. Half of the shifters were in their animal forms, but no claws or fangs could bring down theShriekers, just as no swords, except mine, could cut through Ruin’s army.

The mages weren’t sword fighters, so they were tossing lethal spells and potions at the Shriekers, which also proved to be useless.

Rock shifted to his warrior form, which was half werewolf and half demon. One big leap, and he joined the fray. Swinging Deathsong, he buried it between the eyes of a Shrieker, which toppled. The rest of the Shriekers realized that Rock was the real threat and rushed toward him.

Killian sent his lightning and death magic into the two Shriekers that broke out of their ranks and raced toward me. The two beasts spasmed and dropped to the ground. The other heirs abandoned their swords and tossed their elemental magic—wind, earth, water, and fire—at the Shriekers. But their magic didn’t have the dark elements that Killian’s death magic possessed, and thus couldn’t reduce the Shriekers to a pile of burned corpses like he had done. But even the chaos prince’s power couldn’t strike all of the Shriekers in one go. And there were too many of them.

A dozen tentacles got Rock and lifted him into the air like he was a toddler, the enemies’ scorpion claws ready to pierce him. He slashed at the tentacles frantically. He had two blades in his hands, but his own one couldn’t cut the Shriekers. Only Deathsong could.

“Killian, get everyone behind me, or we’ll have more casualties,” I said urgently. “I know how to kill those things. Trust me this once, please!”

“Stay here, Barbie!” Killian said, and lunged forward to join his friends.

His death power and lightning struck here and there to open the path for the warriors to retreat, then they all came to my side.

I stood in the center, facing the horde of the Shriekers, thrusting my palms out.

“Hit me with your magic!” I told the heirs. “Let me be your channel.”

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