Page 28 of The Fated and the Damned
The mark of the damned. I’d never imagined the fate of the world would tip because of a cult of dark worshippers and bloodmorphia addicts. Men waged wars for land and glory, for women or treasures. Perhaps some even revelled in watching the world burn, but this … this was the destruction of all things. All peoples.
It had to end. The cultistsallneeded ending, none more than Sylvie and my mother.
Did it make me a monster that I didn’t care about destroying so many lives? I squared my jaw. Maybe, but I didn’t care. They’d made their choice; they’d threatened the ones I loved.
Lukasz held up his hand and we stopped, crouching low as something traipsed through the undergrowth. No, not just one thing. A group of tündérek walked through the treeline up ahead, their faces impassive, their steps near silent. Earth faeries, by the looks of their dark skin, and the odd fae who had antlers or green whorls trailing down their arms and legs. One thing remained the same between all though, and that was the black staining their cheeks and necks, oozing out of their ears.
Lost to corruption and deadly as hell.
I held my breath as we all stayed preternaturally still, a gift of the táltosok blood running through our veins. They hadn’t noticed us, and as the seconds passed into agonisingly long minutes, we finally relaxed at Lukasz turning to face the group, his hand half-raised to signal the move.
His eyes widened, and I turned instantly, finding myself face to face with a faerie, her teeth bared and her eyes pitch black. She shrieked, swiping with claws that would have opened my throat, and I jumped back, her dagger-like nails narrowly missing me and scraping the front of my armour.
She hissed and I drew my twin blades, using the motion to curve them instantly and sever the head from her body. It thudded to the ground, rolling to a stop, her expression frozen in one of fury.
Answering howls sounded in the distance and I grimaced at Lukasz as the ground rumbled beneath our feet—what could only be a stampede of hooves seemingly galloping towards us. Lidércek and the faeries that had passed earlier.
Fuck.
“Group together,” I barked at the men, raising my swords and readying my stance. “Don’t give them an opening.” We formed a huddle, spines pressed back-to-back. My power sizzled under the surface of my skin, whispering sweet nothings in my ear, begging for release.
But not yet. One faerie wasn’t worth the strength of conjuring my necromancy. Not when my blades yearned for the taste of more dark blood.
The faeries arrived first, their beautiful faces twisted with eerie grins. I moved, my swords like flowing rivers, carving a path through flesh and bone. The male fae ahead fell before he could raise a hand.
Lukasz cursed behind me, battling two lithe females armed with swords. Apparently, Sylvie had seen fit to equip some of her mindless soldiers. The realisation didn’t sit well. Not because we’d have any trouble dispatching small numbers like this, but because it boded ill for the coming war. Cultists, creatures, humans … what else did Sylvie have up her sleeve?
I planted my feet beside my brother as the others broke off against their opponents. He glanced at me and nodded and I flashed him a grin; it all reminded me of the old days when we’d spar side by side, always formidable, always unstoppable as a team. We ran together, charging the faeries and disarming both with practiced twists of our wrists.
The faeries shrieked and we dispatched their heads in one swift strike, black blood splattering our cheeks as we turned, facing each other with mirrored movements.
Behind us, the lidércek approached, their hooves sliding as they came to a stop, causing leaf litter to dance as it fluttered in the air.
“Dammit Dante,” Lukasz said, his brows pulled together. “I had them.”
“Oh?” I raised a brow, rolling my neck as we stepped into line besides each other, slowly advancing. “Could’ve fooled me. You’ve grown slow, fattened by Nora’s cooking.”
Lies. Even with a little extra weight, he was still cut with hard muscle, but the look of outrage on his face was certainly worth it.
Lukasz grunted, lunging against a tündérek, countering her blow and answering with a riposte. “My swordsmanship is still as sharp as my tongue.”
“You were always quick-witted,” I agreed, not even bothering to look as I thrust my sword into a tündérek’s stomach before running, sliding on my knees through the dirt and slicing through his opponent’s stomach. “Not quick enough to beat me, though.”
Lukasz shook his head, grinning at me slyly as he grabbed my arm and heaved me to my feet. “Glad to see you’re as arrogant as ever. Kitarni hasn’t tamed the beast inside you yet.”
I scoffed. “Tame me? She’s wilder than I am, and that’s just how I like it.”
“I don’t want to know,” Lukasz said, grimacing. He assessed the damage around us. Thankfully, only a few soldiers had superficial wounds.
With a flick of my wrists, the excess blood on my blades flew off and I wiped them on my leathers before sheathing them. “You and Eszter seem to be getting quite cosy,” I said, folding my arms as I watched the unit take a breather.
Lukasz smiled slightly, shaking his head. “I’m a gentleman, remember? You’re not getting anything out of me.”
I grinned. “You know, if you so much as cause her sister to shed a tear, Kitarni will rip your head off.”
My brother frowned. “Why do I get the sense you’re oddly delighted about that fact?”
I shrugged, my smile revealing all my secrets, but I cocked my head, growing serious. “Everything will change soon. Sylvie’s army is weeks away at best, perhaps even days. Tell Eszter how you feel. She’s a kind, good-natured girl. Don’t let the war destroy that.”
