Page 85 of Reign of the Beast

The Guardian Movement needed to be protected.

We had to sacrifice the Compound in order to save lives.

Just like earlier, I was ignored, the older members charging Draco and ordering the others to do the same.

Merek directed the first wave, dozens of magic-wielders streaming their power at Draco like a damned multi-colored lightshow.

Draco swung his sword rapidly in an arc. Magic ricocheted off the hefty blade, firing into the amphitheater and blowing chunks out of it, decimating it piece by piece.

I sprinted forward into the fray, calling out warning after warning, telling them what Draco was capable of, that they couldn’t best him like this.

But their egos had my words falling on deaf ears.

Althalos and a group of Ancients ran at him, some slamming into Draco and trying to topple him, others grabbing at his hand wielding the sword, trying to dislodge it from his grip.

I fought to get through the throngs of Guardians blocking my way to Draco, but there were so many of them, all fighting on impulse, completely chaotically.

A ferocious roar from the Beast made it clear he’d had enough, mere moments before he started batting his assailants away with his sword.

I cringed as they went flying right through the stone walls of the compound, their bodies crushed and bloodied.

Bone-chilling screams echoed through the Great Hall as Draco shoved his fist through chests, tore heads from bodies and then sliced others in literal halves with effortless swings of his broadsword.

Jesus Christ.

It was a brutal fucking massacre.

If I didn’t take extreme action immediately, the Guardian Movement would be wiped out.

Trying to calm my raging thoughts, my emotions, and the adrenaline running rampant through my system, I focused on what needed to be done. Just the act itself, not the overall big picture chaos.

I sped forward, calling my magic forth in a sudden burst. The pressure of it had me dropping to one knee as I slammed my palms together and it exploded out of me, creating the equivalent of a magical EMP.

The green pulse swept through the room, cutting out everyone’s magic, causing mass disorientation, basically pausing the battle.

I pulled my palms apart and swept them backward, my magic doing the same, forcing back all the Guardians, erecting a shimmering wall to keep them at bay.

I ignored the protests and shouts of indignation and focused on what mattered.

The monster in front of me.

Draco twirled his sword idly in his right hand, his gaze fixed on mine.

He was smirking at me in a disturbing, all-knowing way.

“I told you months ago about your power.”

“If you’re expecting gratitude, it’s not coming,” I shot back.

“Gratitude is meaningless. I will settle for your cooperation.” He took a step forward, the attempt at intimidation not lost on me. “Remove the veil you have cast upon the Covenant and I will leave this place intact and spare the lives of those remaining.”

That was quite the offer.

And I wasn’t buying it.

Mercy wasn’t a part of his modus operandi.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

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