Page 141 of Of Realms and Chaos

Without a second glance, I moved on, using my magic as often as I could. Upon the jumbled battlefield, it was hard to distinguish between friend and foe, let alone within their minds. But I still tried, often taking the safer approach of ordering them to sleep rather than killing them.

Bodies fell like raindrops, so reminiscent of the days during which rain proceeded reapings that I nearly lost my mind to the memories. Genevieve took my left just as a fae’s sword swung down towards me. She deftly blocked them, crossing both of her swords to catch the enemy blade before kicking into the fae’s chest, sending her stumbling back.

Slit your throat.

The female took her blade and followed my instructions, her gushing blood staining the grass beneath her. Genevieve looked at the fallen body, grim acceptance on her face. Neither of us stood there for long, each taking a different side to protect the other’s back. We fought side by side, cutting down fae as quickly as we could. Both mortals and demons were still being portaled in as quickly as they could be, but that meant fighting heavily outnumbered until reinforcements could arrive.

Shah had been furious when I saw her last, and I witnessed just how much the love for one’s realm could strengthen them when she jumped on the back of a fae a head taller than her and ended his life in seconds.

Wrath, too, was proving to us why he was so feared. He towered above, ripping gold-clad soldiers in half and laughing as they screamed in terror.

Across the clearing, Henry glowed in the night, a beacon of gore and death as he slaughtered fae between portaling. Each time he came back, he brought with him groups of soldiers ready to fight for Behman.

Bellamy, Damon, and Noe had been forced to transport soldiers too, needing their strength to portal as many as they could. Ranbir stayed behind as well, healing the wounded as they were brought in. But Lian, Farai, and Cyprus were fighting alongside us, cutting down as many as they could—both air and shadow-like mist killing as often as swords.

My eye caught on Lara as she appeared beside Henry, her small blue eyes searching the crowd with the same bleak look of tragic resolution that she seemed to always sport. Then, as quickly as she had come, she was gone, her body melting into liquid before taking flight, bubbles filling the spaces between gold and silver.

More screams sounded, and I felt myself pause, hating the sound of the fae—my fae—begging for mercy. Because they had not chosen this. With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and begged for Eternity to guide me, to forgive me just long enough to do what needed to be done.

When I opened my eyes again, my mental gates fell.

Chapter Forty-Six

Bellamy

Five hundred, maybe more. That was how many we needed.

I could take about twenty-five at a time without completely diminishing myself. Noe could carry around forty. Henry could take about the same as me, Damon just slightly less. Others were helping, so it would not take long.

Three trips there. Three trips back. Barely any time at all away from Ash if we could organize fast enough. She would be fine. Of course she would. There was no doubt in my mind that she would be okay.

No doubt at all.

Seconds after my hand left hers, I knew I was wrong. All the doubts in the world creeped in on me as I screamed at a group to come to me, forcing them to move faster. I needed to see her. We needed to get there. She needed our help.

Gods, they were slow.

“Hurry! Move!” Ten, fifteen, twenty-one. When the twenty-fifth was followed immediately by a twenty-sixth, I growled my frustration and demanded that the murderous magic inside of my veins for once did what it was fucking told.

We portaled quickly, two of the mortals falling to their knees from the pain and one demon dry-heaving.

But too many were inebriated from our celebrations, so we were limited on who could come fight. I would not put it past Xavier Mounbetton to plan for this—to learn of our most sacred holiday from Malcolm and plan the attack on that very night.

For all my annoyance with Ash’s self-sacrificing mindset, even I could not deny that I had been too selfish. I needed to be more alert, more prepared. Instead, I was hanging garland and sitting beside a seamstress as she sketched a dress. While I would not take those choices back, I also knew that I needed to do more than I had been.

Feet touching the hard ground at Pike, I told myself that I would be the prince that Eoforhild deserved. That we would win this battle and then win the whole damn war. For Eoforhild, for Winona, for Pino, for Luca, for Ash—for me.

Another group rushed me, this one moving with more purpose and quicker feet. Only twenty-three were in my vicinity before I was gone, ripping a hole through time and space and depositing them on the ground in Selkans—a secluded village in the northernmost part of Behman. Briefly, I watched Asher bend down and slice the back of a Golden Guard’s knee, moving away before he even hit the ground. A wicked, gleeful smile split my face, and then I was gone once more.

Exactly twenty-five soldiers were waiting when I got back, each of them immediately gathering to portal. In the seconds it took for us to return, Asher had moved. She was back to back with Genevieve, the two of them fighting so harmoniously that it appeared they had trained together. I was momentarily stunned, so much so that I portaled back and did a fourth run. By the time I realized that I was not—in fact—planning to do that, I was already there. So I grabbed eighteen soldiers, and then I was back in the thick of it.

A Golden Guard was on me instantly, clearly ready for my return. Not even bothering to use my powers, I ducked his sword, digging my fingers into the ground below us. When I came back up, I did so with a handful of dirt and a desperate need to find Asher. I threw every grain of dirt into his face, listening with joy as he howled in pain. A foot to the chest, and then he was down.

When my eyes lifted, it was to see Asher standing just ahead of me, her eyes closed and her head slightly tilted back. Above us, thunder boomed in the sky, lightning painting the gray clouds. Just as Ash opened her eyes, I saw the reflection of the streaks light up her hair, bathing her in silver.

And then I felt her magic.

It pressed into my mind like a scalding iron, branding me with her will. My mental shields only barely held against the onslaught, legs giving out and heart racing so fast it left me dizzy. Rain plummeted down upon us, mud and blood mixing and causing my hands to sink into the ground as I moved to catch myself. The second I was steady, my eyes were forward again, teeth gritting against the pressure of her magic demanding obedience.

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