Page 91 of A Story of Sinners

My glare shot to Malachi as I tried once again to summon my powers, but there was nothing to summon, because the object in his palm was none other than the crystal I’d given to my brother. When I’d stolen my powers back from the Otherworld, I’d simply dropped the crystal on the floor of the canyon, thinking nothing of it.

My hands shook with pure panic as the shadows filled the yard, targeting every mage, witch, and fae not within my group or on the wall.

I was powerless. We were dead, every last one of us.

All at once, the fae fell, ripped to shreds and burnt to a crisp by dark shadows and black flames—autumn fae, winter fae, and royal court soldiers outright murdered. The mages followed, including Dahlia’s trainer, Gregor, and then the witches, Kathryn at Gregor’s side.

Kieran gasped, and Redmond gawked in horror.

“I don’t see a weakness. Anywhere,” Redmond blurted.

Malachi’s shadows crawled up the wall, tearing the summer court archers from their perches and sending them reeling to their deaths. Evander stilled at my side.

When the dragons roared in fury, blowing flames and smoke at the surrounding shades, he tore them from the sky with inky, maroon-tinted tendrils of shadows. They fell from the stars, falling from grace. Each scaled beast hit the ground with a thud, swallowed whole by thick, black flames.

When the largest dragon fell, Fin roared in fury.

His father, the Lord of the Dragon Lands, dead.

We were the only ones left. Eulalia, Isadora, Redmond, Kieran, Evander, Fin, and me.

Malachi landed before us, a smug grin on his face and an army of shades at his back. He held up the small crystal, glowing with silver.

“It seems you are powerless, all mighty High King of Faerie. Now, give me what I came here for…brother.”

Chapter36

Dahlia

Nightmares haunted me. Spiders, snakes, falls from great heights, dungeons, war, and torment flashed behind my eyelids, everything that had ever filled my mind with fear. Still, as I found myself locked away in that dark prison of my mind, something happened. Something odd.

My fear vanished. Spiders crawled up my arms and snakes wound around my neck as I peered on the edge of some ironclad cage high up in the air, and instead of delving further into the terrifying, fear-rending visions, I snapped out of it.

Warm hands clasped my shoulder, whispering my name, shaking me from the reverie that had been thrust upon me.

“Dahlia. Dahlia. You need to wake up,” Gabriella called.

The fanged beasts vanished, and the ground of the cage fell out beneath me, sending me soaring through the air. I awoke, my eyes fluttering to the window besides us. What greeted me was so much worse than any nightmare.

War.

Bodies everywhere. Dragons falling from the night sky. Absolute fear trailing from my mate’s side of the bond.

I rose from the bed I’d been placed in, cursing my husband, my mate, for locking me away when he needed my help most.

Malachi stood before Ryken, my mentor, and my friends, an army at his back. Power shrouded him, smoke and shadows so thick, it was difficult to peer through.

The Dullahan had called their names, had called the names of every last corpse on that battlefield. He’d forewarned of their deaths, and it was clear to see why.

I closed my eyes and dug deep into that one-way bond between my mate and I, feeling the complete and utter defeat that trailed through his bones. A lack of power thrummed between my husband and I, signaling that his magical reserves had somehow been depleted. When Malachi held up a crystal, glowing with a dark silver sheen, it was clear why.

He’d absorbed my mate’s powers, siphoning them into that crystal during the battle.

My fists slammed against the window, cracking the glass. I wouldn’t let him take them. I wouldn’t let him harm them.

Gabriella stood frozen behind me. “We must do something. We can’t stand here and watch.”

She was right, but I didn’t acknowledge her, not when there was little time to waste. I sunk down into that pit inside of me, calling for my magic, demanding it aid me and save the ones I loved.

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