Page 282 of The Lands Defying
Shouting begins, and I look up, dozens of arrows are pointed our way and I raise my hand, casting a barrier to protect us as they are let loose.
I move under it, still attacking and I hiss when a sword catches my thigh. I spin, punching the guard in the head and he kicks out, trying to weaken me, but I bring a blade down on his thigh and return what he did to me.
He cries out, holding his leg as he hops on the other, I take his foot out from under him. He falls back, cracking his head on the stone floor, bleeding out instantly.
When I feel the arrows no longer hitting my barrier, I release it and look up again.
Aldus smiles down at us, and I grin.
“Come on, Higher Aldus,” I say, spreading my arms wide as Drax tears into a male next to me. “Let’s settle years of debt. I will fuck with your head like you did mine.”
He brings his hands up, purple filling them. “Hello, Heir of Cazier,” he says as I hear doors opening at our back, and I know more guards have entered the space. It won’t matter, we will kill them all.
Aldus drops his hand and magic slithers down the walls, spreading out when it reaches the stone floor. I eye it curiously, wondering what it will do, but then black patches form.
I growl, twirling my blade in my hand as claws begin to come from the dark. I look up at Aldus, his smirking face infuriating me further.
“I think I shall stay here, Alpha Darius. It is my duty to protect Vrohkaria from mad Heirs.” He smiles, hands going behind his back. “The view is also much better on this side…it is more befitting to gaze upon beauty that shall belong to us very soon.”
I still, and tilt my head, two tails instantly appearing at my back. “Do not touch her.” The ground trembles at my feet, but he just smiles wider.
“You cannot win here, Alpha Darius. And when you are caught, you will be punished accordingly. I think—” he wobbles suddenly, eyes widening before he turns.
I head forward, ready to rip his throat out, when a wave of blue appears on the battlements, followed by an explosion.
Those on the walls stumble, then stone crumbles beneath their feet as they fall to the ground.
Fall to us.
“Attack! Don’t let up!” I order on a deadly command.
I spot a black blur, and then Drax is with me. I grip his head in my hands. Checking for injuries before asking, “Where is she?” He looks behind him, toward the gates, and I nod. “Good boy.”
Drax instantly enters a battle with a beast, chomping on its legs and dodging its clawed hands. I pick up a discarded sword off the floor and launch it his way. It hits the beast’s side, causing enough of a distraction for Drax to leap and his teeth pierce his throat.
I don’t watch as he rips it out, instead searching for Aldus. He will not touch my Vihnarn. No one will.
“Rhea! You need to leave. Now.”Silence.“Do you see Rhea near the gates?”I ask my brothers.
“I haven’t seen her,”Damian grunts.
“No,”Zaide and Jerrod reply.
“I’ll help look.”Leo answers.
I head for the gates that are under some form of attack, hearing the shouts getting louder as the smell of blood and magic coats the ground. Drax tears into others near my side, coming with me.
A scream comes from ahead, in the middle of the courtyard and my gaze goes to it as one of my Elites drops to the ground, head turned at an unnatural angle.
Aldus casts a barrier, just like the other Highers did, and I watch as he drops it a little to attack, but soon puts it back up like the coward he is.
I go toward him, maneuvering my blade to kill all who get in my way, just like I had been trained for, but this time it is to be rid of them, not protect them.
“Aldus” I shout, and his eyes come to me. “Today, you die.”
He scoffs. “Like you could kill me.” He looks over me with disgust. “I should have pushed more for your mother to be rid of you when you were in her belly, but your father, the stupid swine, swore he could make you into a Higher. Swore you would lead the next generation.”
“He was very wrong,”
