Page 84 of Midnight Star

So, I shift my weight, channel my air magic, and hurl the arrow straight at him.

The wind carries it like a missile, guiding it toward him…

But Eros is fast.

He leans to the side at the last second, and the arrow whizzes past, missing his arm by a breath.

I curse and strengthen my water shield.

“Nice try,” Eros says as he picks up the arrow, laughing softly as he twirls it between his fingers. “But you forgot—this is my game, not yours.”

Before I can respond, he unleashes a fresh wave of golden arrows, faster than any before. And these arrows aren’t just splitting. They’re creating patterns, forcing Riven and me to dodge in opposite directions.

I try to fight my way back to him, but Eros’s assault is perfectly calculated, herding us like sheep until we’re on opposite sides of the dome.

“Much better,” Eros says, standing between us, nocking three arrows at once. “Now, we can have some real fun.”

He releases the arrows, and they split into a deadly web that forces me to throw myself behind another water shield. Through the rippling barrier, I see Riven moving toward me, but more arrows cut off his path.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice your little strategy?” the god asks, his voice easily carrying despite the chaos. “Agreeing to work together and protect each other from the inevitable?”

“We’re not—” I start, ducking as more arrows slice through the air where my head was.

“Not what? In love? Are you sure?” He laughs again, and this time there’s real venom in it. “Because you’re still fighting together. Still trying to protect each other. Still trusting each other. Which, ironically, makes his sacrifice even worse.”

I catch Riven’s eye across the dome.

He’s breathing hard, his sword slightly lowered, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. But his expression is steady. Calculating. Challenging me to not let anything Eros says disrupt my focus.

Given the way he looks right now, with the SummerCourt’s magic clearly affecting him, our survival depends on me figuring this out.

Eros sighs, twirling another arrow between his fingers, his eyes glittering with something between amusement, boredom, and malice. “I’ll admit, keeping you two apart has been fun,” he says. “But watching you struggle just isn’t enough anymore. It’s time to raise the stakes.”

In a heartbeat, he exchanges the gold arrow for a lead one, positions it with deadly precision, takes aim at Riven’s chest, and fires.

The lead arrow splits.

Two become four. Four become eight.

All of them swarm Riven.

Even with my air magic at my heels, there’s not enough time to get to him.

So, gripping my dagger, I zero in on the place by his side and project.

One moment, I’m watching everything unfurl from across the dome. The next, I’m staring at a group of lead arrows whistling straight toward us.

But I’m already moving, channeling air magic to knock them off course.

“Behind you!” I shout to Riven as Eros releases two more splitting arrows.

He spins, his sword flashing as he deflects a group ofthem at once. At the same time, I send a gust of wind that drives the others into the ground.

Eros shoots more, and more, and each time, we ward them off.

But with each attack, Riven’s slowing. He’s not using his magic at all anymore. Even more worrisome, he’s keeping both hands on the hilt of his sword, his grip tight, as if he’s afraid it might slip from his fingers at a moment’s notice.

Then, in what feels like slow motion, a lead arrow grazes his arm.

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