Page 119 of Captive of the Stolen Empire

Gabriel thrust the battered, short sword into an enemy only he could see as he practiced across the grand entry room. He moved with a skill and ease that I envied. We’d been left the worst of the weapons, the ones not taken by those fighting outside.

Chaos raged around us, fueled by distant shouts, Zurina’s wounds, and worries that I couldn’t fully shutter.

“They’re slipping through on the west,” Zurina said. Her eyes glazed as she watched the unfolding battle through the animals of the forest and the birds circling above it.

Reyna held her head and bandaged upper body in her lap, stroking her short hair back from her forehead like a mother seeing to a sick child. Warren stood nearby, relaying silent messages between Zurina and the squadron leaders in the field. A tactical advantage.

We’d need every one.

He’d argued to go with the others out into the field, but Lucien ordered him to stay and relay Zurina’s sight. Mostly, I knew he worried for the young man and what the real use of his powers could do to him. One battle had almost finished him, Lucien had said, and he’d never engaged the enemy in physical combat. The use of his magic alone took a toll on his weak heart, sending him into fits and nearly ending him. Too much physical exertion could do the same, though he trained daily in limited amounts, as evidenced by the lean muscle that formed his frame.

I paced nearby, unable to sit still. Lucien was out there fighting for all our lives, and yet here I was, stuck, waiting like some damsel in distress. My grip tightened on the leather handle of the sword he’d given me.

“They’re battling hard. The west flank might be falling. Retreating, at least. He hasn’t engaged the other captains yet,” Warren said. “Where are they?”

“I can’t see,” Zurina replied. “Too much smoke.”

Orson’s flames consumed one section of the forest at a time, destroying the constructs that the rebels had created in the forest and clearing the way for the emperor’s forces to advance upon us. Already a smoky haze spread over the gardens outside the windows.

The fires grew close. Too close.

I should have killed him in that dungeon. Someone must have found him before he could bleed out and healed him. If only we’d made sure of his demise, we’d have much more of an advantage now.

“And Lucien?” The question burst from my lips before I could stop myself. I couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

Warren’s cool gaze slid to me. “Fine. Holding his own.”

My lips thinned.Fine?Would he tell me if he was badly injured? Worse?

Zurina gasped, her body jerking in Reyna’s arms. “They’re here. Kasida. Others. Outside—”

My heart skipped a beat. The sword trembled in my grip.

“Get back to the infirmary,” I ordered the few healers who waited near the entry for the injured to be brought in.

“You too,” I yelled to Elin. We’d hid the twins there, along with others too sick or injured to fight.

The rebel healers rushed to obey, but Elin shook her head. “I can fight.”

“But—”

She notched her chin higher and gestured to the bow and quiver slung over her back. “If you can, so can I.”

The resolve in her eyes cut off my further protest despite the shiver that racked her form. She’d grown, and I’d missed it. Or perhaps she’d held onto that glimmer of inner strength the entire time and I’d never been able to see it.

“I told them, but—” Another crash cut off Warren’s words.

“Help me up,” Zurina ordered, scrambling to gain her feet.

“You’re in no condition to fight,” Reyna said.

Something heavy smashed into the doors, sending them bowing inward with a loud groan. Glass shattered.

“I have to,” she replied, pushing away from Reyna despite her protests. She grabbed her sword and positioned her body toward the door and in front of Reyna, a hard grimace marring the lines of her face.

Gabriel, Elin, and I backed toward the stairs. Warren shifted in front of us, sword out and ready.

The main doors bowed inward once again. Wood cracked and splintered.

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