Page 161 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

“The elf said that only their Light can defeat Shadow, but it is not the same as it once was. They can no longer make powerful weapons with it,” I recalled thoughtfully, drawing their attention. “But what if there are still some weapons out there that they made before?”

“We wouldn’t know how to use them and such power is not something to play with,” Orion assured me.

“But surelysomeoneknows! There are still fey who are at least as old as the Four Courts who may have ideas. Perhaps the Spring King or theenuksha,” I suggested, referring to the magic woman who evidently told Riordan that I would break his curse.

There was silence as my companions considered the option I had presented.

“It is an alternative worth exploring,” Riordan agreed. But I could tell the words of the Sylvan Elf had shaken my mate deeply as his hand rested over the blade sheathed safely on his belt as if to ensure it was still there.

I just need to think,he reassured me when he felt me prodding at the link between us.

I understand what you will need to do if we cannot find another alternative, Riordan. I will support you.

He moved close to me and kissed the top of my head, but I got the sense that there was more bothering him than sacrificing someone to the Sylvan Elves. Something even heavier weighed on his mind, and it did not take me long to realize what it was.

It is what they said about… the Shadow.

I knew I’d guessed right this time when he reached for my hand and squeezed it tightly.

“We need to get out of this thick underbrush and get airborne before we lose the light,” he said to the others.Finding an alternative weapon to defeat Rian might spare the Light Wraith being harmed. But what happens then?

I nodded in grudging understanding as he pulled me along behind him.

You don’t want to waste time looking for a weapon.

He did not answer, but he didn’t need to. I understood what he was saying.

I still think we should try and find someone who knows more about this to confirm the situation,I insisted, and he agreed with me.

But if we could not find another weapon to repel the Autumn Prince, then he would bleed on that dagger. Riordan was ready to sacrifice the Light Wraith individual to protect me, to protect Orion, and to protect the Vale.

Chapter forty-four

VERSATILE MAGIC

Amira

We had been hiking through the Silver Moor for an hour, and it was starting to get dark, when we heard a strange, high-pitched squealing. Like wild pigs in the forest.

“Riordan—” I began to speak, trying to ask him what the hell was making that terrible noise, but he interrupted me by tugging me to his side. His immense body began to hum with his magic as it ignited under his skin, and I was pressed right up against him by Orion’s wing and back as he used his body to cover my exposed flank.

“Fuath. We are under attack,” Orion snarled, and I was instantly relieved that he had insisted I dress in the leather armour and weapons I usually wore for training.

Riordan abruptly touched my chin to tilt my head up so that he could meet my eyes. “You stay right by my side,” commanded the king, and I nodded quickly.

And then we were immediately swarmed by the ugliest fucking things I could have imagined. They reminded me of apes with too-long arms, shorter legs, elongated heads, and barrel torsos. Their skin was grey and warty with sparse patches of spiny hair,and they wore mismatching armour like they had stolen every piece of it. They could walk on two legs but seemed to prefer all fours, and they could move so fast through the trees it was terrifying.

Fuath. The name of these monsters was not unfamiliar, I’d been hearing about the battles that Riordan and Orion were fighting with them for many weeks now. They were ugly and terrifying, but I was very confident that my mate would dispatch them in seconds.

Until I felt Riordan’s confusion and concern as he came to the chilling realization that these Fuath were somehowshielded against his magic…

He released my hand and drew his sword, slipping into warrior mode instantly to kill the beasts by hand when they leaped at us from his exposed flank. If I were not so horrified at the situation, I might have been impressed by his grace and power. And by the perfect synchronicity of how he moved with Orion to defend my position.

As it were, I was busy trying to work out where I could fit into their strategy as my companions all fell into a familiar rhythm of war that did not yet beat in my bones. Helena’s training had been exceptional, and I was feeling confident in my progress. But my accomplishments were far from adequate enough to prepare me for a full-scale assault like this. And the last thing I wanted to do was get in the way of any of the fully competent warriors.

Besides, one look at the meat-hook claws and serrated teeth of our enemies, and I knew that the knives strapped to my thigh were useless to me. Even if I could get close enough to use them, I would be shredded apart.

My only other option was magic, so I sincerely hoped that the Fuath were not shielded from all types of magic.

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