Page 51 of King

Stealth won’t be a problem for the Alphas, but the kelpies will have to tread lightly to keep from giving us away with their hooves.

Trass clenches his hands into fists before throwing them open again, casting an unseen illusion around us. “I’ll need to stay in front of you to sustain the illusion. As long as you’re behind me, you’ll remain invisible from the front,” Trass explains.

We move quietly behind him as a group, doing our best to remain silent. Despite our efforts, there’s a low hum from so much movement in such a tight place. We have no choice but to move on, hoping it’s not enough to draw attention to ourselves.

A few minutes later, we blessedly reach the edge of the trees without being spotted. Those of us in front carefully step out onto the grass behind Trass. The castle wall stands about one hundred paces away, tall and lifeless behind its stone fence. Two guards are stationed outside the gate, as usual, watching Trass as he slowly approaches them.

I’m impressed by how quietly we cross over the healthy grass. But when we reach the barren ground, the soft thuds of feet and the crunch of dead plants surely reach the ears of the two guards.

But they don’t look curious or alarmed. They simply turn and open the gates wide for Trass to enter.

There’s no way they aren’t suspicious. I step forward and signal everyone to stop. The whole progression comes to a halt just as an ugly, orange-haired Alpha struts proudly through the gates.

It’s Mannus, that filthy excuse for an Alpha who took Rue. There’s only one reason he’d be allowed inside those gates–he must have found out about our plan and run to the queen. He flashes a smug grin at Trass, blocking his path.

I should have melted him into the ground before we left that wretched camp. I’m thrilled to have a second chance at it. We can easily take him and the two guards out and move on. This isn’t an issue.

But the fae who steps out behind him is a real problem. It’s Vernan.

He can see right through the illusion. He strides forward and calmly surveys the army we’ve amassed. He knows exactly what our numbers are. I expect him to alert the guards and then flee back inside the walls, but he’s not finished here. He raises his hand and crosses it over his body, then swipes it to the side like he’s clearing branches from his path.

The gesture doesn’t register with me, but Trass understands right away. He panics and turns back to us. “He’s broken the illusion!”

What the fuck?

I didn’t know Vernan had that ability. I’m not sure anyone did. Our element of surprise is gone. And if he spots Nydal and the elementals among our ranks, our cover will be blown.

I realize it’s too late to worry about that when soldiers beginpouring out of the gate and forming a line. More nobles climb over the walls and join them in their ranks. Their white uniforms almost blend into the stone behind them, but their ugly faces stand out like dark stains.

My heart races as the reality of the situation sinks in. I glance over at Vaegon to see a mix of dread and determination on his face. To my other side, the wolves growl and hold their position, and the kelpies stomp and toss their heads in defiance.

Even with the unexpected turn in the plan, they’re still ready.

Trass runs back toward the protection of our group, but a noble named Jenne grabs him with her binding magic. He freezes, rendered immobile by her power, leaving him defenseless and exposed in the open.

Derris, a weather elemental, jumps forward. He raises his hands to the sky and calls down a blinding streak of lightning over a frozen Trass. Derris’s aim is notoriously poor. Any moving target would be safe. But with Trass out in the open and rooted in place, his aim hits its mark.

Trass’s body stiffens, then collapses to the ground, convulsing violently as the energy courses through him. After a moment, his body goes limp. His clothes sizzle and smolder where the lightning struck, but he doesn’t move.

Derris is untrained, but his magic is powerful. Trass is surely gone. An Alpha might survive that, maybe a kelpie. Not a fae.

The first loss hits hard. My soul cries out at me for what I let happen. I’m failing. Right from the start. My pain quickly morphs into an overwhelming fury, and I’m tempted to snuff them all out with one giant surge of my magic. But I resist. The seer’s words are rooted deeply into my brain. I look over at Vaegon’s clenched jaw and bared fangs. When I catch his gaze, I shake my head, reminding him not to use his magic if he doesn’t need to.

Everything has moved slowly to this point. Shock rendered usall unmovable. But that’s over. The battle truly begins when a stampede of kelpies charges at Derris. Trass saved a kelpie foal from the nobles, and now the kelpies seem to have accepted him as one of their own.

Derris doesn’t know any of that. He just sees a wall of black muscle barreling toward him. His smug smile disappears just before he’s trampled by the hoard. I can’t see through the mass of bodies, but Derris’s screams and the spray of blood in the air tell me he’s gotten what he deserves.

The other kelpies and the Alpha wolves have charged ahead, attacking any nobles they can find. Two weaker empaths try to redirect them, but their efforts only slow a few at the front. There are too many attackers for the empaths to focus on.

Jenne frantically tries to bind the wolves closing in on her, but she misses one. A black Alpha wolf clamps its jaws around her waist and slams her to the ground. He shakes her violently for a few agonizing seconds before her body nearly rips in half. He dumps her on the ground and races toward another noble, bearing his bloody fangs as he closes in on them.

I motion for Vaegon to follow me toward the castle wall. Our small group slips through the chaos unnoticed, almost making it around the far side of the wall. An angry roar from the kelpies halts my steps and draws my attention back to the battle.

Lex, a gravity bender, is holding the heavy kelpies in place for other nobles to pick off. But the Alphas are ruthless. Somehow unfazed by the pull, they blast forward to tear Lex into pieces, freeing the kelpies from their bonds.

I’ve got to stop letting the battle distract me. They don’t need me. I push ahead, focusing on the queen instead. We’ve nearly reached the corner of the castle walls when a ripple of low sound waves presses against my skull. It intensifies, reverberating through my brain until I’m forced to cover my ears with both hands. I look to see everyone in the fray doing the same, even thenobles who are deeper within our lines.

The kelpies are shaking their big heads around, trying to shake off the painful vibrations. Wolves are on their stomachs, rubbing their paws against their ears.

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