Page 52 of King

“Sound elemental! Purple hair!” a kelpie booms out over the noise, recalling the list I gave them.

The kelpie is right. It’s a sound shaper named Crait. But who can fight back through the pain? If nothing changes, the nobles will be able to remain at a safe distance while picking off our soldiers with their magic.

It can’t end this way. Just one blast of my magic could take him out. It might give me away if any of the nobles see where the blast comes from, but there isn’t another option.

I raise my hand toward Crait, but I notice Daylor stumbling forward with his fingers in his ears. He growls and lowers one hand, reaching it out in front of him. He flinches, then blood begins to trickle from his unshielded ear. But he presses on, using his empathic power to make Crait believe he’s his own enemy.

Crait gapes at his hands as they turn against him, pressing tightly against his own ears. The horrible vibrations release my brain as they’re redirected toward the noble himself. He screams in agony, but Daylor maintains his grip. Then, with a sickening boom, Crait’s head explodes, showering blood and brain down on the nobles around him.

They react in disgust, gagging and cursing as they try to wipe the chunks of flesh from their uniforms. But the kelpies and Alphas seize the moment, charging over and tearing through any noble in their path.

Our side is holding its ground. Daylor pulled me back from ruining our chance at victory. I need to distance myself from this chaos to clear my mind. Vaegon seems to be struggling to contain himself, too, based on the glowing hands he’s hastilystuffing into his cloak.

We continue creeping along the wall until we’re almost in line with the castle. The queen hasn’t shown herself yet. It seems she’s letting the nobles do her dirty work while she conserves her magic. We need to keep our eyes open for her and any straggling nobles, but this seems like a good place to climb over.

“Hear anything?” I whisper to the Alphas.

They all shake their heads.

“Okay, we scale the wall here,” I say.

I watch the three spring effortlessly to the top of the wall with their impressive Alpha strength. It’s almost comical seeing them move with such finesse while illusioned as three sloppy elementals. I laugh to myself and pull myself over the wall, landing softly on the other side.

The courtyard is as lifeless as ever. Even the nobles don’t linger among the black, thorny vines or dead shrubs. But today, the main castle doors are unguarded. All the nobles must be involved in the fight.

I lead the Alphas to the entrance and drag one of the heavy doors open. When I peer inside, I find an empty, silent foyer. No guards, no servants rushing by, not even a single gryphon flying to or from the treasury.

I don’t trust it, but we have to find the queen.

The Alphas follow me inside and close the door behind us. “We’ll check the throne room first,” I whisper as I walk in that direction. We move quietly along the wall toward the doorway up ahead. I feel a tug on my sleeve and turn to find Anders holding a finger to his lips. He cups his ear and then points to the wall.

Someone’s inside.

He takes a deep breath through his nose and holds up one finger, then points to himself, Lucas, and Vaegon. He holds up another finger and then points at me. I understand it to meanthere’s one shifter and one fae inside. It’s incredible what an Alpha’s nose can pick up.

Mannus is the only shifter who could be here. As far as the fae, it could be Vernan. Or maybe Folas, hiding like the coward he is.

“They’ll think we’re nobles,” I whisper at a level only an Alpha would hear. “Just stay casual until you’re close enough to take them out.”

Anders steps up beside me while Lucas and Vaegon stand as a pair behind us. We stroll through the door to find Vernan standing beside a large fireplace with the greasy Alpha who sabotaged our initial attack. They both jump at our sudden entrance, but only Mannus relaxes upon seeing what looks to be four other nobles.

Vernan, however, doesn’t look so at ease. Somehow… he knows.

He lifts a hand and swipes it in a downward motion before backing away. Anders looks like himself again. I look over my shoulder and see that Lucas and Vaegon have returned to their true forms as well. Vernan must have stripped away our first layer when he shattered Trass’s illusion. He probably wishes he hadn’t, as he now faces two angry Alphas and a double portion of my magic.

“Kill them!” he orders Mannus, revealing the first trace of emotion I’ve ever seen in his eyes.

Fear.

I would love to take them down myself, really draw out their suffering. Sadly, we don’t have time for torture. This is a fight for the realm, not personal revenge.

“What do you say we leave these ones for your brothers?” I ask Vaegon, pulling my magic back inside. He smirks and does the same, stepping aside to let them through.

Mannus shifts into his wolf form, drooling and just as scruffy. I scoff as he crouches down and leaps at me. Lucas doesn’t evenbother to shift; he simply snatches Mannus from the air with his massive arms and slams him to the ground.

“Shift back!” Lucas growls, pinning him down with his heavy weight.

Surprisingly, Mannus obeys. It must be that Alpha control Rue was talking about. Lucas slings a leg over his body and presses a knee into his back. Mannus reaches behind him, trying to grab Lucas’s hands, but it’s no use. In a blur, Lucas grabs him by the head and snaps it to the side.

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