Page 76 of Of Vows and War: Special Edition
With that done, I looked up and frowned at the four males.
I could will them to sleep and move on, but that would require more magic than I was willing to spare.
Plus, I rather thought a bit more bloodshed would help further bury the emotions that attempted to claw their way free of the grave I had dug them.
“This will hurt. Badly.” Lifting the first male’s helmet, I took the dagger and jabbed it into his throat. He gurgled and twitched, then collapsed to the ground. Easy. I moved to the next, the one who had been laughing. He looked ready to sob as he attempted to twist his face in fear. “Do not worry, I will make it exceptionally hilarious for you.”
By the time all of them were dead on the ground, I had fully soaked the remainder of the dress. Not caring, I rushed forward, needing to find Mia. She was the one I wanted, and I only had so long before Bellamy or his Trusted stole me away.
I cut my way through the front lawn until I reached the enormous fountain surrounded by a modest garden that sat just before the manor. My breaths were coming in pants, my arms and legs bleeding heavily from soldiers that knew their way around blades or Shifters who knew when to be a beast.
It was then, as I leaned against the fountain and tried to rest, that I caught sight of her.
Mia’s hair was bright in the night, matching the flames that were catching all around us. She paid no attention to me as she fought off a male I had never seen before. He was large, at least as tall as Bellamy and somehow even more muscled. His hair was a reddish-brown, the curls wild and fierce. He had a beard that looked more like a shadow in the night, and he wore all black armor.
As strange as it was, he looked so very familiar to me.
Shouts escaped his lips as he dodged a rock that Mia sent his way, the brightest beam of light I had ever seen bursting freeof his hands. The queen was quick to dart out of the way, not even her gown slowing her enough to make a difference. They looked rather evenly matched, though it seemed like the male was slightly slower than Mia.
Which was why I needed to get there and step in. It had to be me who ended her. I needed to be the one to free us all. She would not hesitate with anyone else.
Moving forward, I just barely caught sight of an arrow that was coming my way. It missed, zooming past me. If there was one thing I had learned, it was that there was always someone waiting for their turn to kill you. This time, the who surprised me more than it ever had.
Lianstood not far away, her bow in her hand. She stared at me like I was a ghost before nodding to something behind me. I turned, finding a dead Golden Guard mere feet away, the arrow embedded in their forehead.
Chuckling, I whipped my head back around, only to be met with the sight of more guards rushing me. I attacked like a rabid animal, slicing and clawing at them. Lian was there at my side before the first Golden Guard fell, and within moments of her arrival, the other five were dead too.
“It is so much more efficient with you at my side,” I enthused, smiling at her warmly. There was so much I wanted to tell her
“Asher, you need to get to Bellamy,” Lian insisted, not allowing me even a moment to bask in her presence.
She was there. She wasreal.
“I need to take out Mia first. If we can kill her, then their rule will crumble. This is my chance!” If my passionate shouts registered in Lian’s mind, she did not show it. Her face remained stoic, her stare penetrating.
“Bellamy is waiting, Asher. Go to him,” she implored.
Dipping my head, I jumped towards her, offering a chaste embrace. Beneath the blood and sweat, her spring scentflourished. She wrapped her arms around me, burying her face in my neck before shoving me away. I stumbled, catching sight of her thrusting her blade through the neck of a Golden Guard.
“Now, Ash!” she demanded.
My feet willed me forward, but my mind strayed to Mia. I ran, pumping my arms and letting my dirt-stained shoes fall off as I went. Lian had not said where Bellamy was, but I figured I would feel him. I had to. He was…part of me, somehow.
Yet, all I could feel was the queen in the distance. She screamed as she fought off the male, who was very clearly a demon based on the beams of light that he fought with. They were arguing as they fought by the sound of it. And though I knew I was meant to look for Bell, I could not stop myself from turning left and running farther from the manor. The closer I got to the two, the better I was able to hear. I darted behind a tree, trying to come up with a good strategy as I listened.
“—mine, as she will always be!” Mia shrieked as she lifted an entire tree out, roots and all. She sent it sailing towards the male, who split it in half with the light of the sun. They were both breathing heavily, desperate pants for air that momentarily silenced them.
“No, she ismine.Just as Bellamy is. They aremyfamily! You do not deserve anything but death you disgusting, pathetic excuse for a female!” The male ripped his sword free of his sheath, pointing it her way. Mia only chuckled in response, smiling broadly at him.
“My mother told me stories of you. How arrogant you were. How little you cared for anything but your own wants. We were always better than that. We wanted to conquer, to rule and make the world better. To show just how valuable females are. The Mounbetton queens will mold and reshape this world!”
Their battle raged on in momentary silence, both of them charging and slashing at the other, but neither gaining muchground. Until Mia seemed to acquire the upper hand, pushing back with rock after rock and then drowning the male in the dirt he stood upon. He tried to shield himself with light, but her Earth power found its way in. When he portaled away, she met him each time, turning as if she knew where he would end up. When he appeared behind her, she conjured a spear-like branch and shoved it into his side, letting it dig into him. His scream of pain was paired with her nearly manic laughter.
“Asher Mounbetton will be the one to see your realm fall, King Adbeel Ayad. That, I can promise you.”
King Adbeel Ayad.
Bellamy’s father. Kind of.
