Page 56 of Void of Endings
“Separate them!” Malachy ordered, his call echoing across the frozen landscape. “They’ll fall faster if they’re not together!”
Tiernan faced the few fae he had with him—Maeve, Lir, Merrick, Brynn, Rowan, and about twenty Summer soldiers. “You heard Commander Brannon! Split them up!”
Rowan didn’t even hesitate. He pulled his Astralstone, its blade capturing the essence of nightfall. Black wings erupted from his back and he shot into the winter white sky with a mass of shadows unfurling behind him. Lir and Merrick took off in separate directions—Lir to the northwest, Merrick to the southwest—a cluster of Summer warriors decked in cobalt and gold breaking away behind each of them. Brynn bolted straight ahead, her burgundy curls scattered with snowflakes as she ran, joining a group of Winter fae.
From beside him, Maeve bounced with anticipation.
“Maeve.” Through their bond, her name reverberated like a warning.
She tossed a glance at him from over her shoulder, then blew him a kiss, her golden pink curls whipping in the cold breeze.“I’ll be fine.”
At least her confidence had yet to waver.
He watched as she sprinted away from him, a glimmering aura of magic cascading around her. The Furies, Tethra and Dian, swarmed at her sides, stealing through the swirl of snow like midnight wraiths. Unrelenting. Unstoppable.
She’s more than competent, Tiernan reminded himself. She was a skilled warrior, expertly trained, and a master of her magic. The last thing Maeve needed was him constantly trying to look out for her because chances were, he would only get in her way.
Besides, the Furies would protect their queen with their lives, just as Balor had done for him.
Forcing himself not to glance back at her one more time, Tiernan unsheathed both of his swords, then stole into the mind of the giant nearest him. Seizing the giant’s thoughts, he compelled the creature of the mountains, bending him to his will. He delved deeper into the giant’s subconscious, sifting through tainted thoughts, only to discover a sickening power pulsing there. Polluted magic sullied its blood, corrupted its mind, poisoning it with the desire to kill. To destroy. The giant ambled forward, thrashing, his eyes wild. He dropped to his knees, sending a flurry of snow into the air, and a group of soldiers stumbled back. Tiernan held tight to his reins of control, his magic intensifying as the giant clawed through the increasing snow storm, unable able to defend himself from the string of attacks. Each blade met its mark and the giant bellowed.
Malachy rushed toward him in a blur of silver and navy. In one quick movement, he leapt into the air, grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands, and plunged the blade into the back of the giant’s neck.
Blood so dark it looked almost black splattered in every direction, speckling the pristine terrain with splotches of death.
Merrick led an assault against one of the other giants. The hunter utilized his esteemed prowess to ensnare the giant’s ankles with vines of thistlebriar. The plant erupted from the earth in snarls of deep evergreen, coiling around the giant’s legs and snatching his arms. With his already limited movement hindered by the thistlebriar, the giant bellowed before tripping and falling face first into the snowdrift. The earth trembled beneath the weight of his collapse, and the trees shuddered, their branches trembling. Surrounded by Summer and Winter warriors, he would be dead in a matter of minutes.
An ache prodded deep within Tiernan’s chest. It pained him to bear witness to such an atrocity, to know he was one of the driving forces behind the demise that befell the giants. Those who inhabited the Pass of Veils kept to themselves, neutral in all things. Neither friend nor foe. For them to attack blindly, to wreak havoc without reason, could only mean one thing.
They were being controlled by Parisa. He wouldn’t be at all surprised if she was using that dark venom she’d concocted to command them. If it affected the giants this severely, then the fae she’d administered the vile substance to were most likely suffering in a far worse state.
Summoning his wings, Tiernan took to the skies, circling the giants overhead. From his vantage point, his vision was slightly obscured, but he could just make out the expanse of the snow-covered field. Two giants had already fallen, so there were five left. He cut through the chilly breeze, coasting on the frozen gusts, angling himself for a better view. For a split second, Tiernan almost wished he’d stayed on the ground, as Tethra and Dian were a horrific sight to behold.
The Furies had driven one of the giants back toward the forest’s edge. Its gaze was unfocused as it hoisted the club in its meaty grip, swinging blindly. He snarled, spittle flying from his mouth, turning into droplets of ice that clung to his beard. The giant lurched in the general direction of Tethra, but his movements were far too sluggish to match the speed of the Fury. Tethra lunged, snatching the giant’s arm, his ghastly, skeletal hands melting the armor to the creature’s flesh. An ear-splitting yowl erupted from the giant as Dian materialized on the other side, taking hold of his other arm. Tiernan thought they intended to drag him to the ground, to restrain him somehow. But the Furies’ eyes, glowing like the burning embers of a fire, reflected a ferocity of which Tiernan had never seen.
At once, both of the Furies pulled…in opposite directions.
The giant’s arms were ripped off, the snapping of bones and the tearing of tendons enough to cause Tiernan’s stomach to clench. Black blood oozed from the gaping holes, and the sockets of its arms revealed nothing but dangling pieces of shredded muscles. The giant bowed backward, his cavernous cry of pain more harrowing than Tiernan could handle.
Thunder exploded across the heavens in a deafening crack. Violet lightning splintered through the overcast clouds and flurries of snow, striking down the giant, ending his misery in one final blow. Tiernan turned away from the horrendous scene before him, his gut roiling.
Lir and Malachy had cornered another giant, while Rowan had taken on one by himself, vanishing them both beneath the guise of shadows and darkness. Tiernan was well-versed in the power of destruction, and he imagined it wouldn’t be long before the abilities of the Nightweaver were on full display.
But Maeve…
He squinted, peering through the thin blanket of falling snow.
Maeve was nowhere to be seen.
Shit.
He knew he shouldn’t have let her out of his sight.
Tiernan swooped down, tucking in his wings as he searched for any sign of her. All he needed was a small reassurance, a spark of fire, a swell of smoke, a glimpse of her glowing, rose gold tattoos.
But there was nothing.
Damn it, where was she?
