Page 97 of Staff of Nightfall

“I’m disappointed, love.” Nolan strained against the glowing ropes. Keeping them in place felt like trying to maintain a barrier against Kirven’s attacks. “But you’re too late.”

Trumpets bugled, signaling the royal family’s arrival. Adelaide looked toward the dais, her heart sinking as the crowd turned toward the end of the hall. The king walked to the large gilded throne in the center of the dais, trailed by the royal family. Guards stood in a line in front of the dais. The king raised his hand in a welcoming gesture.

The windows imploded. Women screamed and men shouted as colored glass crashed across the room. Most of the candles went out. Nolan kicked Adelaide in the face, and she catapulted backward over the bench. Her mask cracked in half and fell. Pain exploded over her face and blood poured out of her nose. She lost control of the ropes binding Nolan as her vision blacked out; her pulse hammered in her face.

Her head weighed her down and her eyes watered. Adelaide’s hand shook as she held it to her shattered nose, unable to see anything as she healed herself. The ringing in her ears added to the cacophony of the hall. The pain subsided, her nose making sickening snapping sounds as it returned to its normal shape. Her vision cleared.

By the time she straightened, which couldn’t have been much more than a minute, Nolan was gone. Breck lay on the floor, his eyes glazed over and his head at an impossible angle. Matthews slumped against a glass-covered food table, blood trickling out of his mouth and pouring out of his stomach. Breck’s sword was missing. Worse was the chaos in the ballroom.

Kirven floated over the crowd, a swirl of green light around his feet. His flowing black and blood-red robes glittered with gold embroidery. He held his arms out to his sides with the Staff of Nightfall in his right hand. Green lightning crackled from the top of the staff, reaching into the panicking crowd. Screaming echoed in the rafters as men and women, young and old, nobles and servants, were struck by the grasping tendrils of lightning and fell to the glass-strewn floor, their lifeless bodies smoking. She could never shield them all, and despair tugged at her soul. Nobles ran past, but cries of anguish dragged Adelaide’s attention toward the exit. Kirven had blocked it. The lightning stopped, leaving behind the smell of burned bodies.

“Hello, brother.” Kirven’s voice resounded over the hall and the crowd quieted, too shocked to say anything. A shudder raised goosebumps on Adelaide’s arms. This wouldn’t be like last time. She was more prepared.

Guards huddled around the royal family. Barriers of shimmering green light and blocked the doors behind the dais. Father and Dresden stood among the guards shielding the king from Kirven, their swords drawn. Her gut pinched.No.

“I have no brother.” The king’s voice carried through the hall.

“Now that’s just cruel,” Kirven said. “But then, Iamhere to claim my throne and kill you and your family, so fair.” The opal in the staff emitted an emerald glow.

Adelaide shoved her hands forward. The blue light barrier rose in time to block the fireball Kirven threw at the cluster of guards. She expanded the barrier until it reached from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. Kirven cursed. People screamed and shouted about sorcery and magic as they pushed to get through Kirven’s barrier.

“The windows!” someone shouted. Guests and servants scrambled out the now-empty windows.

Kirven barraged Adelaide’s barrier with bursts of green light, flames, and more lightning. The guards attempted to break down Kirven’s barriers over both rear doors. Satisfied she could keep the barrier up, Adelaide conjured a spear and threw it at Kirven’s back. At the last moment he turned and knocked the spear away. He looked around, face twisted in anger, searching the surging mass of bodies escaping through the windows.

“Belanger!” He hurled a massive fireball into the crowd, and she barely managed to shield the fleeing innocents. “Where are you?”

Adelaide opened her mouth, but before she could answer, she gripped her side and doubled over in pain. It felt like someone had stabbed through the side of her abdomen, just above her right hip.Regulus.The link hurt more than usual. Maybe because maintaining the gigantic barrier and healing Regulus at the same time strained her power. Maybe because it was a worse wound. She panted, grimacing as she forced herself to straighten.

A barrage of green shards flew at her and she erected a barrier over herself and the guests escaping near her. Her magic drained as the barriers and Regulus’ wound pulled her power in three directions. Her grip on the larger barrier was slipping. Kirven turned back toward the dais.

“You’re wearing my crown, brother.” Kirven pointed the staff at the dais. A steady stream of green light pummeled into Adelaide’s barrier. She dropped the barrier over herself and fought past the retreating crowd, intent on keeping the barrier up. The king had to live. Father had to live.

“Kirven!” She broke through the last guests, glass crunching under her boots. “I’m ready to try again.”

Chapter 36

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