Page 68 of Kingdom of Spirits

Tahlia stood in the saddle and placed hands on Fara’s shoulders. “Stay with her. Do what you can.” She thrust her dagger, hilt first, at Fara, who stuttered something unintelligible and accepted the blade.

With her short sword still sheathed at her belt, Tahlia leapt from Lija’s back to Ragewing’s. Marius turned, eyes like bolts of lightning.

“What in the name of all the gods do you think you’re up to?” he demanded.

Standing and doing her best to remain so while Ragewing lashed out at Katk with talons, she nocked an arrow. She aimed and fired. The arrow zipped past Katk’s gnarled ear.

“Helping you not die,” she said to Marius, her words a blur and her pulse leaping. “And I’m keeping that monster’s hands off my dragon!”

Her second arrow glanced off Katk’s rock-hard head and fell to the ground.

Ragewing kept fighting while Marius slung his whip through the air. The whip snapped across Katk’s left eye and he howled.Blood poured from the injured eye, black and gold gore leaking down the monster’s broad cheek. Katk surged forward and Ragewing was driven backward.

Tahlia tumbled to the mud beside Lija, who tried to breathe more fire at the monster but only managed a flurry of sparks. Tahlia scrambled for her dropped bow, snagged it, then she rolled and shot another arrow at Katk, this time toward his softer bits.

Katk dodged the arrow and hurried forward, his gaze on the standing stones.

They were losing him. Lija was down, maybe for good. Ragewing was out of fire. Sweat trickled down Tahlia’s face and she swiped it away with the back of her sleeve. They couldn’t lose this fight.

“Go!” she shouted at Marius, who was staring at her from Ragewing’s back like he wanted to take her up with him.

The scarlet dragon took off like a bolt from a crossbow. Tahlia threw her bow down and drew her short sword. She ran after them, feet pounding over a rise of mossy rock. Ragewing flew in front of Katk’s face and lashed the clawed tip of one wing across the monster’s good eye. Tahlia couldn’t see everything from the ground, but Katk certainly wasn’t slowing. If anything, his steps were growing longer and more sure as he came within feet of the first rune-marked border stone.

Lija, stay with Fara. Don’t try to join me.

Lija’s only answer was a resounding roar that bounced off the wall of rock Tahlia ran beside. Tears pricked Tahlia’s eyes. Lija’s pain shadowed Tahlia’s side like a varjuline had latched onto her arm and between her ribs.

Marius’s whip cracked. Katk whirled, more graceful than he should have been at his size, and he reached toward Marius. Marius leapt from Ragewing’s saddle and landed hard. His face shone with sweat as his sword flashed. Was his leg injured?Blood poured from Katk’s knee. Ragewing flew at the monster, lashing out with talon and tooth, but Katk bent, dodging the scarlet dragon’s attack. The monster swiped a hand at Marius.

Three thoughts hit Tahlia’s mind like quick cuts from the sharpest blade.

Katk wasn’t going to miss.

Marius would die cursed and plagued with golden boils—the same horrible end as many of his Mistgold ancestors.

She was the only one close enough to save him.

Her blood singing through her veins that this was her mate, she jumped between Katk’s hand and Marius, her gladius outstretched like a spear’s head. Katk’s hand hit her. The blade sank into his foul flesh, and she held on to the hilt. The monster shook his hand to dislodge the blade. Tahlia was thrown into the air. Her stomach lifted as she fell again. Katk batted her body aside. She slammed into the earth. Her breath left in a violent gust. But she was on her feet before the pain hit her.

Marius stumbled backward as the monster grabbed for him again. Tahlia reached out and shoved Marius back.

Their eyes met. Sorrow swallowed the storm of Marius’s gaze. He mouthed one mournful phrase.

No, my heart, my love.

Katk bellowed, grabbed Tahlia, and lunged toward the standing stones.

A wave of aching pain started in Tahlia’s palms, where she’d touched Marius. The sickening sensation spread into her chest, down her legs, and up her neck toward her face. A shiver ran through her. She was like an egg cracked against stone, her strength and energy spilling into Katk’s sticky hold on her.

The curse crawled through her body. The monster held her tight. He stomped on the first of the standing stones and the rock exploded. A wind scented with green grass and rain touched her cheeks.

She shut her eyes. “Goodbye, Marius, Lija, Fara, and Ragewing. I’m sorry I failed.”

A warmth circled her waist. She opened her eyes. Red sparks lit her torso, only partially visible within Katk’s great hand. An image shimmered to life over the view of the second stone. Katk smashed the runed stone with a fist and threw Tahlia to the ground.

But the image only grew clearer.

Titus stood beside Maiwenn and Ewan. Claudia, Atticus, Justus, and Enora were there too. Then all of the riders except Ophelia. They weren’t truly present though. This was only a hallucination.

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