Page 65 of The Light Falls
I choke on her reply. Vargas really can’t die anymore. It’s a startling thought.
“They’re almost here!” I shout, taking a stance.
“Cover your ears!” Fallon shouts a second later.
Using magic to muffle the sound, I hear a massive roar behind me. It echoes across the land for several miles, clearly far enough to be heard by the rest of the cadre. Glancing back, I watch Valerian launch into the sky.
Uncovering my ears, the enemy’s shouts to target the dragon with the archers comes in loud and clear. My eyes scan for bows along the ridge. There. Slipping into a shadow, I come out the other side and throw three stars, taking down the archers. Taking their heads eliminates them from the field.
Screams from below filter up the hill to me. I see Valerian’s shadow magic strangling men on the ground. Several soldiers immediately change into flying creatures similar to gargoyles and take to the air in squadron formation to fight against him.
Arrows launch into the air from farther along the ridge. Time to go. I step into a shadow and come out near another group of archers. Unfortunately, this time, they’re waiting for me. Dodging the knives I throw, two of them pull their swords to advance on me while the other two continue to rain down arrows on the four below.
Gripping the xiphos, I draw them from their sheaths and smoothly spin them around until the weight is perfect. A small incantation adds a healing spell to my shield. I launch myself at them, preferring to attack than defend, and soon we’re engaged, swords clashing against each other. Ambidextrous, I slice into one on the left and block his friend’s downward blow on the right. The battle is fair and almost evenly matched. Too bad I don’t play nice.
I whisper to the shadow on my right to blind my opponent, then swiftly turn to the left to fully concentrate on taking this soldier out. Screams come from behind me, and the soldier in front darts a glance at his friend. It’s the last thing he ever sees. I slice through his neck and cut off his head.
The blind soldier behind me swings his sword wildly and catches my side with the tip. Clenching my teeth against the pain, I turn and finish him off. The corner of my eye catches an object moving toward me. I turn.
A hand comes out of nowhere and swipes the arrow from the air. “Need some assistance, Cormal?” Daire flashes his fangs and, in a blink, sinks them into the archer.
The remaining archer stares in horror at the vampire who’s suddenly joined the fight, which gives me the perfect opportunity to slip behind him and take his head.
From this vantage point, I see several soldiers circling Solandis. Kaius does, too, but the enemy has him surrounded, and he can’t get to her.
Suddenly, a gold lasso of magic captures the soldiers advancing on Solandis and slices them in half. Astor bows with a flourish toward Solandis. He turns and kisses the woman in Fae armor standing beside him, then disappears in a cloud of smoke. He reappears near Kaius and releases his wild magic on those soldiers.
“Arden,” Daire explains, a possessive smile curling his lips as his icy blue eyes stare down at the lady Astor just kissed. “Don’t get killed.” In a blur, he’s gone. I see a sword slash a few times, and soldiers fall, but it’s hard to follow his vampiric speed.
Theron’s dual swords spin in a vicious and intricate dance. Set up within a circle of ice in the center of the field, he takes out the enemy two and three at a time. A light glints on the ridge above him, and I immediately head toward it. Whatever it is, the shining sun bouncing off it tells me it’s big.
Riding the shadows, I get there in record time, but it’s still too late to stop the weapon from discharging its magic. Big as a cannon, there isn’t time to figure out what it does.
“Incoming!” I scream. “Shields!”
The cadre, Kaius, and Solandis throw bubbles up to shield themselves. Magic rains down on top of them, sparking against the outer shells.
When it stops, Astor moves to Arden and covers her with his shield. She slices her hand with a small knife, and her lips begin to move. The second time the cannon goes off, snow rains down on the land.
I grip my xiphos and move to take down the crew manning the cannon. Astor appears next to me blowing dust in their faces. I laugh until I see death staring from their eyes.
“Nice trick. Remind me to ask you for the recipe.”
A dark chuckle is all I get in response. “Like you, my secrets are my own. Make up your own recipe.”
Once the crew is down, I peel back my shirt and look at the wound. It’s healing. Slowly. The Fae magic must be interfering with mine. I’ll have to adjust the spell to account for the potential time lapse.
“Have Daire heal you,” Astor suggests, dipping his chin at my shirt. Using crackling energy, he dismantles the cannon. “Later.” He heads down the hill.
Solandis and the female leader are battling it out in a cloud of elements. All the plant life around them is dead. Both women attack and counter smoothly. Their moves are almost identical, as if they were trained by the same teacher. They’re almost evenly matched, but Solandis’ royal blood lends an extra level of power to her hits. She catches the leader on the left side in a brutal strike, and I hear her answering scream.
Two soldiers look up at the sound and rush to her. Yelling retreat at the top of their lungs, they grab the leader just as she starts to fall. Soldiers disappear into individual port holes everywhere, leaving their dead behind.
I quickly assess everyone. A few wounds, but nothing major. Garrett’s sporting a large gash down his face. Fallon’s wearing a couple on his leg. Valerian lands and transforms into his human form. There’s not a scratch on him. Astor’s grinning. Kaius has the most wounds, but Daire’s already healing them.
Arden and Solandis pull down their hoods. They don’t have a scratch on them. Impressive armor. I need to make sure Meri gets one of those suits.
Coming out of a shadow at the bottom of the hill, I dodge a line of magic. “It’s Cormal.”
