Page 13 of Fated In Forever
“No,” my own gaze ping ponged between the two, arriving at one conclusion.
As long as there were thralls, we were totally fucked.
“You cannot stop what has already begun,” Ravok screamed at Fiona, still firmly in his villain era. With a wave of his hand, a fresh pulse of energy ripped open the rift and the temperature in the ruins dropped twenty degrees. Ice began forming on the ancient stones. “You are pathetic, with your witch magic and your spells and your cheap enchantments.”
Horror twisted my insides into painful knots as I watched everything happen in slow motion.
The promise of death in Ravok’s smile, how the mountain trembled beneath us, thralls dropping like flies.
The way Fiona lifted her small, pale hands to deflect Ravok’s killing blow, her wild eyes meeting mine.
Nash turning to throw himself in front of her, and how he would be too late.
I was already moving, but I was too far away, my magic too depleted, the iced-over stones too treacherous. With every step, my pulse—and the truth—pounded in my temples. Fiona was going to die. I was going to fail her. I was going to fail them all, and there was nothing I could do except watch.
A roar escaped my lips, a hopeless, futile sound.
Out of nowhere, Dravin barreled into Ravok from behind and sank his fangs into his throat, ripped out a mouthful of flesh and screamed at Fiona. I didn’tunderstand a single word, but Fiona’s face settled into fierce determination and with a complicated hand movement and a final, whispered spell, she encased the bulk of the leaking magic in a bubble of golden light, then started dragging her brother behind the rocks.
“Nash, don’t let anything happen to Fiona or that ward. And someone help her with Eldric,” Riordan commanded without taking his eyes off Ravok. “Blake, you and I are taking Romulus out. Don't let him pin you down.”
I might have reminded him I’d taught him everything he knew, when a wall of magic burst out of Ravok, a wave of pure energy that would have liquefied a human.
The wave sent Dravin hurtling backwards into a wall of stone, bones crunching on impact. Riordan stepped into my shadows, his own white power lashing out like a living whip of flame, ready to carve Ravok’s head from his shoulders. But Ravok was ready spinning out of range, to defect my strike with his own whip of crackling darkness.
Gunshots rang out. Nash's aim was true, bullets rocketing for the center of Ravok's chest. Those silver tipped projectiles should have found their mark, but simply vanished when they struck the rippling aura of power surrounding our enemy. Nash cursed and began reloading with practiced efficiency.
“He's too strong,” Nash called out, crouching behind a fallen column as bolts of dark energy seared the air where he'd been standing. “Whatever's powering him, it's not natural.” He risked a glance over the wall. “I’m running low on ammo. We have to get Fiona out of there, she’s out of magic.”
Ravok's retaliation was swift and merciless, his aim perfect.
A ruthless whip of shadow sent Fiona sprawling, downbeside her brother, unmoving. From here, I couldn’t tell if she was breathing, her long hair covering her face.
Dravin grunted in pain, climbing to his feet, countless thralls boiling up over the edge of the cliff onto what remained of the Keep floor. In a few more seconds, we’d be overrun and this would be over.
I grit my teeth and mustered every last piece of my strength, carved out the last of my magic and crouched low as a wave of crushing power headed our way. All I could hope for was the tide would shift, an opening would present itself, something I could capitalize on.
Retreating wasn’t an option, not when we’d have to leave our people behind.
“Nash, you and your men concentrate on the thralls,” I shouted, yanking Rohr down beside me as we ducked Romulus’s next blow, a mix of shadow and living flame surging over our heads.
“I’ll distract Romulus, you get Fiona and Eldric.” I told Riordan. “Get them far enough away that if this mountain comes down, they’ll be safe.”
Rohr gripped my arm as I went to turn away. “And what the fuck are you planning to do?”
“Ravok’s still in the game. Someone has to distract him and Romulus.” I muttered. “Dravin’s down, and I don’t know where the fuck Wolf is…”
“He’s right there.” Riordan said quietly, pointing. “I don’t think you have to worry about distracting Ravok.”
Across the Keep, Wolf crept up behind Ravok, face set with the kind of determination only an ancient, immortal predator could manage. The problem was, Romulus saw him coming, so before he shouted a warning to his Master, I sent my shadows flying.
A veritable cloud of black blocked out the watery lightand turned the entire top of the mountain black as a moonless night. Plunged into darkness, the thralls shambled aimlessly, even Ravok was briefly at a loss.
Romulus feinted left, but too late, and my shadows brushed his shoulder, sending him crashing to his knees. But instead of turning into a pile of ash, he simply bared his fangs, black crawling over his arm, up his neck, covering half his face and one eye.
“Holy fuck.” Riordan muttered. “Like he wasn’t evil enough before.”
My distraction worked, Wolf tackling Ravok from behind, banding his arms around the powerful Elder’s torso, and whatever his power, he somehow neutralized the Elder’s magic long enough to wrestle Ravok to the ground.
