Page 78 of The Fated and the Damned
I sprinted through the throng of moving bodies, grabbing the reins of a riderless horse and swinging up onto its back with all my strength. I spotted Lukasz and András fighting back-to-back, their teeth gritted as they parried and countered, their path to safety blocked by a circle of cultists.
Snatching the reins of another panicked horse, I urged my steed through the masses, trampling all enemies in my path. Sword raised, my blade cleaved a woman’s arm off, then I stabbed another through the heart, urging my horse to turn abruptly to bump another man off his feet.
I swore as a knife plunged into my leg, then ducked a projectile soaring past where my neck had just been.Fuck.My magic flared and I sent a burst of blood magic out, wiping away the closest cultists. The well of power inside me was precariously low, but I had little choice. My family needed me.
“Get on,” I barked, tossing the reins to Lukasz, who swiftly mounted and held an arm out to András to hoist him up behind him. My horse’s flanks were slick beneath me and I patted his sides. “We’re not giving up.”
“Only death can stop us now,” Lukasz agreed, dipping his head at me.
András nodded sullenly at his back, his green eyes bright. “For Mistvellen.”
I thumped my fist over my heart and raced to the arrowhead of our army. “This is it,” I cried, my horse thundering down the lines. “We are wolves! We are Wolfblood! And we never hunt alone. Push the attack. Fight. Fight.Fight!”
My men roared, the entire army racing behind Lukasz, András and me, the wolves turning and sprinting in line with my horse.
This was it. This was the end.
A detached calm settled over me and I descended into the madness, my sword raised and ready.
It wasn’t until our warriors had swarmed the enemies’ next line of defence that I saw them.
Kitarni and Sylvie faced off against each other, their blood magic surging, both witches’ arms outstretched as they stood fast beneath the weight of immense power clashing in a mighty blast.
Kitarni bent beneath Sylvie’s, her waves of magic faltering against the Dark Queen’s tide. She cried out and I redirected my horse, trying and failing to make my way through the endless mass of bodies. She was so close … so close, and yet so far.
Desperation filled me and my heart raced against the clock as I watched my wife stumble, Sylvie’s power mere inches from consuming her entirely.
No!
Frenzied panic hit me as I slashed and hacked at anything that moved.
Kitarni turned, her eyes shuttering between black and hazel and the look on her face cracked the heart beneath my ribs. She smiled gently, a kind of resignation settling over her eyes, and then she mouthed four words that stole the breath from my lungs.
“I love you, Dante.”
She turned back to Sylvie, the Dark Queen’s eyes widening with horror as Kitarni pulled the crown from its pouch. I could see her screaming, but the words didn’t reach me as everything around me seemed to slow.
Then Kitarni put the crown on her head and the world exploded.
THIRTY-SIX
Kitarni
IstormedtowardsSylvie,not tearing my eyes from her for a second as I waved my hands, destroying everything in my path. My magic was fading, but the beast inside me seemed to dig deeper, both in anticipation and recognition of the predator facing me.
It bared its teeth and gnashed and I fed from that rage, using it to gather every last drop of my power until I stopped several feet away from her.
Sylvie smiled, that stunning face morphing into cold malice as she cocked her head at me. “Blood witch,” she purred. “We meet in the flesh at last.”
I pressed a finger to my lips. “Hmm. Well, you weren’t at your best, but I recall that time when I was bleeding out on a stone slab to resurrect you. The first meeting was more than enough.”
Her grin deepened, emphasising the filed points of her vampiric teeth, still covered in blood from her most recent meal. Fire sprang to my palms, crackling in warning as we began circling each other.
“I have waited an age for this day,” Sylvie said, her footsteps graceful as a large cat as she prowled. “You have something of mine and I want it back.”
“Oh, this old thing?” I asked, letting my blood magic coil around my wrists. “You want it bad enough? Come and claim it.”
Sylvie laughed and I had to repress the shiver wanting to skitter down my spine. “You’re a fierce little creature. Powerful, even without my gifts running through your veins. I shall enjoy breaking that spirit. Perhaps after I tear your lover limb from limb, I’ll let you watch as I feed on his heart.
