Page 115 of Staff of Nightfall

“Love, I truly am sorry about your father.” Carrick offered the sincerest expression of sorrow. Ever the convincing actor. “I didn’t want to kill him. I had orders, kill anyone who got in my way. You know what happens if I disobey Kirven. I wasn’t paying attention to who I was fighting. I wish he hadn’t been there. Honest. I never wanted your family hurt. I wish I could change it.”

Adelaide’s chest tightened as her throat constricted. “Liar. You didn’t kill the other guards.”

“Hm, must have thought I did.”

“You...” No. There was no time to force him to admit he was lying. She needed to forget about Nolan and the pain of Father’s death and focus on winning this fight. And failing that, figure out how to make sure she died.

“Adelaide, love—”

“Don’t call me that!” She clenched her hands and forced herself to meet his eyes. “I wish killing you would rid me of the memory of you. But at least you’ll be dead.”

“Oh, Adelaide.” Nolan rested his head against the tree and stared up at the branches, like he hadn’t a care in the world. “I admire your confidence. But I’m not going to die, because you’re not going to win. And when you lose, you’re going to marry me.” He leered. “And then you’re going to keep your promise.”

She flushed and turned away, trembling so hard she feared she would start retching again.Not now. Focus.

“Don’t worry, love.” Nolan’s honeyed tone was like sweets on an upset stomach. “I’ll be gentle.”

You don’t know the meaning of the word.Adelaide straightened. She wouldn’t cower before Father’s killer. With her head held high, Adelaide strode back toward Kirven, who stood waiting for her halfway between Regulus and Nolan. Halfway between the man she loved and the man she loathed. Between the future she wanted and the future she dreaded. She looked at Regulus. She would focus on the future she wanted to give her strength to make it through this fight. Because if she thought about Nolan...she swallowed back the hopelessness that tried to drag her to the ground.

“You look tired.” Kirven looked her up and down. “You should surrender now and save yourself the pain.”

He was right. She was tired. But she smiled and forced all the confidence she didn’t feel behind it. “Having second thoughts? I guess all that Prince of Shadow and Ash business was posturing to make up for your insecurities.”

Kirven snorted. “You have a sharp tongue for a slave.” He whipped his hand up so fast she barely had time to raise a shield before the line of razor-sharp shards of green light slammed into it. The impact pushed her back. She shoved her shield at Kirven. He sidestepped it and threw a fireball at her head.

Adelaide ducked. The heat of the fireball made her dizzy, but she threw her hand across as if throwing a knife to the side. A volley of small blue throwing knives rushed at Kirven from her fingertips. He put up a shield of his own before they reached him. Already she could feel herself tiring. Her eyes darted from Kirven over to Regulus. He watched with wide eyes, his worry clear, but he caught her gaze and smiled encouragingly.

“Is that the best your sorcery can do?” she taunted.Wear him out.

Kirven responded with a wicked smile and held his hands out to his sides. Several spears of green light flashed into existence around him, then spread until they pointed at her from the front and sides. She surrounded herself with a barrier as they zipped through the air toward her. The spears sizzled out of existence as they rammed against her shield. Kirven paced back and forth, throwing attack after attack from every side and driving her back toward the trees while she struggled to keep up with his pace. She bent over, breathing hard with her hands on her knees, and sealed herself inside a dome of shimmering translucent blue.

Kirven laughed and stole some more energy from trees on both sides of her dome. “Out of power already? Taking energy from living things will have to be our first lesson. This is pathetic.”

She didn’t respond. She had convinced herself that somehow, someway, she would win. But her limbs wearied, and she couldn’t bring Kirven down to the same level of mental, emotional, physical, and magical fatigue that plagued her. Not when he kept replenishing his energy when she couldn’t.

She was going to lose.

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REGULUS STRAINED TOsee around the sorcerer’s back. Adelaide leaned forward under her barrier, like she was catching her breath.Come on, Adelaide.After a moment, the dome disappeared, and Adelaide straightened and threw a blast of blue light toward the sorcerer. The sorcerer leaned forward, arms crossed in front of him as he raised a shield, but Adelaide’s blast still pushed the sorcerer backward. His feet slid across the grass.

That’s right!Adelaide threw a blast of fire, but the sorcerer lifted into the air and away from her in a swirl of green. The fireball just missed the bottom edge of his robes.Press your advantage, Ad! Don’t let up now.She walked forward, sending blasts of light and fireballs one after another. The sorcerer dodged or blocked each one, and the space between each of Adelaide’s attacks lengthened. She was tiring.

Regulus couldn’t help feeling that yet again, he was at fault. If he had been more level-headed when fighting Carrick, he might not have nearly died, and Adelaide wouldn’t have needed to bind them. If he hadn’t gotten captured, Adelaide wouldn’t be here, and she wouldn’t be weakened. She would doubtless disagree with him. The fact she didn’t and wouldn’t blame him was the only thing that kept him from completely breaking as he watched her switch to defense and give ground again against the sorcerer’s aerial assault.

He had felt her sincerity when she refused to remove the bond. She wouldn’t risk sacrificing him to save herself. Which made him feel guiltier that she would sacrifice herself to save him—even though he would do the same for her in a heartbeat if given the chance. If only he could give her back everything she had given him. If only he could give every ounce of energy and strength he had left to her, the way she had given her magic to heal him.

Come on! You're strong, Ad; stronger than you know. As she threw a reckless barrage of magic knives toward the sorcerer that went wide, Regulus wished he could get her to sense his thoughts without touching her. That she could understand how much he believed in her. One of the sorcerer’s spears grazed her hip as she raised a barrier a moment too late. She yelped then glared at the sorcerer, but her posture betrayed her weariness.

Oh, Etiros. Give her strength! Why can’t I help her? Why can’t my strength be hers? What good is this bond if it helps only me and not her!He would give up the bond to give her back all the power his wounds had stolen. He would give his life if it gave her life. Blood stained the side of her dress as she held up a barrier against the sorcerer’s attacks with one hand and healed her hip with the other. He might be chained and physically useless, but he wouldn’t let her fight this battle alone.

“Adelaide! Who are you?”

She looked toward him, panting. Sweat gleamed on her brow.If I could give you any strength I have, I would do it. But I’ll give you my belief.“Tell me who you are!”

Adelaide straightened behind her barrier. “I’m a mage.”

“I can’t hear you!”

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