Page 98 of Staff of Nightfall

The gaping sword woundin Regulus’ side pulled together and his breathing steadied. The light from Kirven’s assault and Adelaide’s barrier at his back cast the glass-strewn hall in an eerie teal glow. Regulus glared back at Carrick and squared his shoulders as he raised his sword, dripping with Carrick’s blood. Carrick tilted his head, his face furrowed with pain from the deep slash healing across his torso.

“Are you...” Carrick eyed him. “Healing?”

“Looks like you’re not the only immortal on the battlefield today.” Regulus inched his right foot forward, pushing away broken glass to get more secure footing.

“She can do that too, huh?” Carrick looked impressed, but also outraged. He moved into a defensive position. “You have a mark, too?”

“Not like yours. Mine doesn’t make me a slave.” Regulus thrust his sword toward Carrick’s chest, but Carrick parried the attack.

“Kirven!” Adelaide’s voice rang out. Regulus and Carrick looked toward her. “I’m ready to try again.”

Regulus swung for Carrick’s neck, taking advantage of his split focus. Carrick blocked and countered with a thrust of his own. Their swords clanged together as they circled, glass sliding beneath their boots while they avoided the charred bodies of masque guests.

Out of the corner of his eye, Regulus caught glimpses of Adelaide and Kirven battling with flashes of blue and green light and red flame. He couldn’t worry about her right now. He had his own fight.

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ADELAIDE RAISED HERshield just in time to stop another blast of crackling green lightning. Her hair clung to her sweat-soaked forehead and neck. She yelled and sent two streams of flame toward Kirven, but he just held out the staff and extinguished the flames. How did he make it look so effortless? She conjured several spears of blue light and hurled them toward Kirven, followed by a blast of light and another stream of fire.

Kirven raised a shield that easily absorbed every attack. Meanwhile, her breathing grew more labored by the moment. Movement on the dais caught her eye. She threw a haphazard barrage of knives to keep Kirven focused on her. One of Kirven’s barriers, the one blocking the exit to the left of the dais, had vanished. The guards hurried the royal family out the door, followed by Father, Dresden, and the guards, including Captain Russell.Thank Etiros.Now she just needed to keep her barrier up long enough for them to escape.

“You’re tiring, girl.” Kirven pointed the staff at her. Half a dozen fingers of lightning cracked toward her, and she surrounded herself with a barrier. The assault continued for seconds that felt like hours. The lightning stopped, and she dropped the shield. Adelaide conjured ropes of blue light and snapped them toward the Staff of Nightfall. If she could pull it out of his hands...

Kirven laughed and sent a stream of fire at the ropes. He clicked his tongue. “Theft is a serious crime, Adelaide.”

With a grunt, she let the ropes vanish. She raised her hands, conjuring a shield above Kirven’s head, then slammed her hands down. The shield crashed into Kirven’s head. He cursed as he fell, but shoved the tip of the staff toward her before she could attack again. She raised a shield, but the blast from the staff knocked her backward. She tripped over the hand of a charred body and fell onto her back.

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“GUESS YOU ACTUALLYhave some skill, mongrel.” Carrick dodged Regulus’ thrust and countered, but Regulus blocked the blow. Carrick aimed a cut at Regulus’ leg, which Regulus parried. “Too bad it won’t be enough.”

“I’m going to cut your head off,” Regulus said through gritted teeth as Carrick blocked his attack.

Carrick flashed a cocky grin. “Funny, Adelaide said something similar—just before I kissed her. She has such soft, sensuous lips.”

Rage rushed over Regulus like fire on his skin. He lunged, but his heel slid on glass and he slipped to one knee. Carrick sliced toward his neck. Regulus blocked, the impact shuddering down his arms. He pushed Carrick’s blade away and jumped to his feet.

Adelaide cried out. Instinctively, Regulus looked toward her. She had fallen onto her back, and she raised a bleeding hand with bits of glass glittering in the cuts. Carrick’s sword sliced across Regulus’ abdomen. Regulus moaned. Adelaide yelped and clutched her stomach. Blood seeped out of Regulus’ gut, and he stumbled backward as his vision swam.

Instead of seizing his advantage, Carrick ran for the dais. Regulus turned in confusion. Adelaide’s barrier was gone, but so were the royal family and their guards. Carrick ran through the door to the left of the dais. Regulus grunted and pressed a hand to his stomach as the numbing warmth of Adelaide’s magic healed his wound. How long ago had the king left? Only human, mortal guards stood between Carrick and the king. He had to—

“You stupid, annoying, nuisance of a mage!” The sorcerer shouted.

Regulus glanced over his shoulder. The sorcerer stood on the ground, the top of the Staff of Nightfall aglow. He lifted the staff and a blast of jade light exploded toward Adelaide. She raised her hands, a sapphire shield covering her. But her elbows bent, her hands lowering under the constant barrage of the sorcerer’s attack. Regulus ran toward the sorcerer, his only concern helping Adelaide. The blue light of Adelaide’s shield faded. Regulus launched into the sorcerer, knocking him to the ground.

The sorcerer thrashed, but Regulus crawled over him and reached for the Staff of Nightfall. His fingers brushed the staff. He just needed to pull it out of the sorcerer’s grip... A snap of greenish lightning cracked off the tip of the staff and slammed into his chest.

Regulus felt like he was being ripped apart with white-hot claws and pushed back together by searing hands at the same time as the lightning traveled through his body. He went rigid, unable to even scream to process his pain. But he could hear Adelaide screaming, and that was almost worse. His sight gave out, going completely white. Then cool numbness pushed back the searing pain, starting from his feet and moving up toward his chest, as Adelaide’s healing magic fought the sorcerer’s destructive magic in his body, gaining ground inch by excruciating inch.

The sorcerer shouted, the crackling sound of the lightning intensified, and a strangled scream escaped Regulus as a fresh wave of torment pushed through him.Just let me die.But the comforting healing sensation shoved back, chasing the jagged rending of the lightning out of his convulsing body.No, no dying today.He latched onto the soothing sensation of Adelaide’s magic, focused on their bond and his love for her. The pain faded as the searing sorcery fled from Adelaide’s magic. A resounding crack split the air as the lightning released Regulus, and he collapsed onto bits of sharp glass.

The sorcerer screamed curses between cries of pain. Regulus blinked and his vision cleared. The sorcerer knelt in the dimly lit hall, cradling his right hand. Giant red blisters covered his palm. The Staff of Nightfall lay on the ground between Regulus and the sorcerer, its light extinguished and smoke rising off the entire length of the staff.

“What is this?” the sorcerer shrieked. “What is this? What did you do?” He looked at Regulus, his eyes wide and bloodshot. “This isn’t possible. The spell rebounded onto the staff. That’s not possible!” His palm glowed green and the skin repaired itself.

Regulus shook his head as feeling returned to his limbs. Adelaide lay sprawled across the floor, her eyes closed but her chest rising and falling. He wanted to go to her, but he had an opening to kill the sorcerer. Spotting his sword, he moved toward it. He grabbed the hilt just as green ropes wrapped around his wrists. The sword slipped from his hand.

“Why aren’t you dead?” The sorcerer stood. A third glowing rope curled around Regulus’ neck, cutting off his air. He gasped and tried to reach toward his neck, but the ropes holding onto his wrists wouldn’t let him. The sorcerer clenched his fist and a glowing moss-green sword shimmered into existence in his hand as he walked to Regulus.

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