Page 21 of Blooms of Darkness

Leif and Corbin engaged their own marks, and two of them set their sights on me.

“Come and get me,” I growled through gritted teeth.

I would not falter this time. I’d remain in the present. Whoever these cursed Fae were, they were terrorizing my people, and I refused to let it stand.

There may not be much I could help with yet, but I would be Queen of Brookmere. These dark ones would not ruin my kingdom.

The blade of my sword clashed forcefully against one of the dark ones. I threw all the weight of my training behind me. He sliced at me like a perfectly trained killer, twirling to meet every one of my offensive strikes. He moved so fast, I could scarcely keep up. He eventually caught me in a fraction of a mistake andadvanced, putting me at even more of a disadvantage with my lack of magic.

His offensive attack continued our fight, slowly moving away from the others as he directed me toward the woods. Exactly like the last time.

This would not be the end of me, though. I dug deep into my mind—into the training pit and skills I’d been perfecting with Ian. I may not have perfected many, but I had a handful of techniques, which were flawless if I remained in the right headspace.

The fight had transformed into a dance, a brilliant, bloody dance. Although outside of my norm, I savored it. Ian’s teachings flowed through my veins as though I’d been born to battle. I spun to my left and struck my opponents, the world around me quieting to a dull buzz.

“On your right,” a familiar voice shouted, snapping me from my calm state as a current of warmth tingled down the length of my spine.

“What areyoudoing here?” I hissed as Kade’s sword stopped a dark one I hadn’t noticed.

“You’re welcome,” he shouted back, our eyes locking for a mere second. A flash of confusion whispered across his face, gone before I could even blink.

More of the dark ones arrived in a never-ending stream, not giving me a moment to distinguish where they were coming from. The smell of blood and the pounding of metal overwhelmed my senses.

“Any day now, Storm. I can’t pull much right now,” Kade growled, fighting off two men.

“Sure, leave the hard work to me,” Storm bit back, slamming his sword into the gut of an attacker, leaving Kade to deal with one. “No problem.”

The pair joined the fight, like avenging angels, destroying the dark ones with ease as they crossed their paths.

“This would be much less severe if the king didn’t have his head in the sand and actually looked out for his people,” Kade grumbled, slicing a dark one across the throat.

Blood spattered, soaking his blade, and fitted black pants, but he didn’t stop.

A sword above my head rattled my blade, but I fought it, grunting through my teeth. “The king is doing everything he can.”

Kade chuckled. “You are a naïve one, aren’t you?”

My sword connected with the attacker’s, locking us together in a power of wills. I feigned to the right, just slightly, enough to kick dirt in his face. Clawing at his eyes, it distracted him enough to make the kill. My blade slid straight into the man’s stomach, his blood spilling upon the dry ground.

Guilt threatened to consume me as the light went out from his eyes, but I would have to mourn the death and my innocence later. Not now. Not with this battle far from over.

Having a moment of respite, I directed my attention to Kade. “It’s certainly bold of you to speak such treasonous words. You are a stranger to the palace. You know nothing of what goes on within its walls. The king tries to learn how to defeat the darkness, not send men aimlessly out to fight it.”

My words sounded far truer than I believed. A deep-seated part of me hoped my father remained unaware or misinformed of what occurred across our kingdom. He loved our people, and if he knew those beings were so close to Ellevail, he’d take action against the dark ones who plagued us.

Kade defeated his assailant swiftly. “I didn’t think the Hidden Henchman would be so loyal to the man who gives her a purpose, Little Rebel.”

“Little?” I seethed. “How incredibly predictable you are, attempting to knock a woman down by calling her small.”

Another one rushed upon me, taking me away from my brief moment of rest.

“Everyone is little compared to me.” He chuckled, leaving me to my fight.

Perfect. I didn’t need the distraction. Except when I stopped, I realized the attackers were gone, piles of them strewn about the grass near Kade and I. Surveying the others, I realized only a few remained. Ian fought one last Fae. Storm dealt the killing blow to his assailant, while Corbin and Leif ran toward the fallen Fae from the village who requested our aid.

Storm brought a dark one to his knees, holding him by the shoulders and bringing a ball of flames near his face.

Kade grunted a few feet from me, caught between two assailants.

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