Page 255 of Kingdoms of Night

“You stole her innocence.” Geraint settled himself into a low fighting stance. The best way to take down an opponent who stood over you was to get them down to your level.

Vidar puffed out his chest and smirked. “That plant is no innocent.”

That was enough. Geraint launched himself at Vidar. Swinging wildly, he got in about fifty percent of his hits. He knew he needed to calm down, to focus. But he couldn’t do that until he silenced that foul mouth.

The giant struck out again, this time with his large foot. Geraint allowed the move to bring him to the ground. As he went down, he wrapped both his feet around Vidar’s ankle and flipped his body over. The move brought the frost giant down with a thunderous crash to the ground.

Back in the peanut gallery, there were renewed smirks on the faces of Vidar’s lackeys. A couple of them failed to hide their glee at seeing their prince on the ground. Geraint looked to Enid, whose face was still contorted with worry. Couldn’t she see he had the matter completely in hand?

Standing once more, Geraint used his thumb to swipe at the trickle of blood that seeped from his top lip. He was sore, but he was in no way done. Meanwhile, the giant limped as he stepped forward. Vidar’s shoulders hunched as he brought up his icy fists. Clearly, the prince had never had anyone land a real blow.

Grasping his sword by the hilt, Geraint walked over to Enid. He plunged the blade into the snow at her feet. He’d promised her his sword, but he would have no need of the weapon to finish this off.

Enid’s gaze didn’t rise to meet his. It stayed on the blade that stood tall in the iced-over surface. Magical swords often had that effect on people. Though he wanted her eyes on him as he finished this villain off and brought her justice for her stolen honor.

Geraint turned back to his foe. He took another swipe at his lips with his thumb. No more blood rested there. It was time to finish this.

He took another low fighting stance, planting his feet into the cold earth. The ice crackled beneath his boots as his weight settled. He waited for the frost giant to come to him.

When Vidar did, Geraint parried every blow, striking out with a devastating one of his own. He dodged every kick, delivering round house after front kick after back kick to Vidar’s massive inner thighs and groin area.

With his great size, Vidar was finding it difficult to get up each time Geraint knocked him down. The fatigue in the prince was clear by the steady puffs of vapor coming from his cracked lips. Another devastating blow sent Vidar tumbling ass over head into the ice until he landed on his back.

“Careful,” called Enid. “He still has my flower.”

Geraint stood over the giant, ready to deliver the final blow to send him unconscious. But Enid’s words gave him pause. The confusion allowed Vidar to get in a hit.

The force of the giant’s blow sent Geraint up into the air. He crash-landed into the bark of a tree. The impact of his body sent snow cascading down from the branches and into his hair and eyes. Another blow came, and the flecks of white turned into a cloudy darkness.

CHAPTERSEVEN

Enid watched as Geraint took a mighty blow that would’ve felled another man. The knight shook it off and, with a brush at his lower lip to remove the trickle of blood, he launched into Vidar. The knight tore into Vidar like a flame to an ice cube.

Her betrothed was going to lose this battle. But that had always been the plan. Enid took her gaze from the fight on the icy battlefield and looked down at her feet to the true prize.

“Well done, my sapling.”

Though she was warm in the cloth of Geraint’s cloak, Enid’s shoulders chilled over at the sound of her father’s voice.

“Seems things are going according to plan,” said Gyges.

Enid wondered at that. This had not been his plan. Geraint was supposed to lose this battle. That loss would give the fairy king exactly what he wanted. But Geraint was winning.

He delivered another crushing blow to Vidar that put the frost prince on his back. Vidar covered his face, cowering beneath the human knight, who was less than half his size. With a sniffle, Vidar reached into his vest and produced a shimmering object.

Enid bit her tongue in an effort to hold her breath. There it was. The thing she wanted most was close enough to reach out and touch. Yet it still remained beyond her grasp as Geraint took the object from Vidar.

“Yes,” said Gyges, “this scheme is surpassing my wildest dreams.”

“You said you wanted his sword.” Enid's voice was a calm melody in the cold wind. “There is the prize.”

Geraint had promised his sword to Enid. She knew he hadn’t meant that she could take possession of it, but words to a fairy had to be spoken very carefully. By rights, the sword was hers for the taking because of his vow. She’d known he’d never give it to her willingly, hence this ruse. But the knight had won.

Her father reached for the hilt. As his fingers drew close, the heat grew in the air. Heat like the force field that separated the human world from their realm.

“It is done.”

Gyges drew his fingers back, his gaze shuddering away from the gleaming magical sword that he’d coveted. His gaze lifted to the knight standing over the giant. Geraint’s sword stood upright in the ground as though it was Enid’s guard while its wielder dealt with the villain empty-handed. If only Geraint knew who the true villain of this story was.

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