Page 121 of Staff of Nightfall

KIRVEN’S BLAST KNOCKEDAdelaide to the ground. Blackness crowded out her vision and her arms shook as she tried to push herself up. She lurched to her feet, but before she could turn to aid Regulus, Nolan wrested her to the ground and shouted a warning to Kirven.

Nolan rolled over on top of her, pinning her in place. She tried to send a blast of magic off her body, as she had done before to break free of Kirven’s ropes, but was too drained. Nolan’s legs trapped her hands against her thighs and his hands on her shoulders wouldn’t let her shift enough to see what was happening with Regulus and Kirven.

“You won’t want to see that, love.” He pressed his forearm across her chest as she struggled.

Regulus bellowed a war cry. Adelaide slammed her head into Nolan’s mouth. The impact hurt more than she had anticipated, and her eyes watered. Nolan cursed and pushed against her until she feared her sternum would crack. Regulus’ shout stopped. Nolan gasped and pulled away, his brow furrowed.

“What...” He shook his head and shifted enough she could pull one hand free.

She blasted Nolan backward as Regulus shouted, “Get off her!”

Adelaide sat up, her body shaking and stomach roiling as her eyes fought to focus and her head ached. Regulus kicked the side of Nolan’s head and held the point of the sword to Nolan’s throat. Adelaide’s gaze locked onto a mound of black and red robes.

Kirven’s head was not attached to his body. She pressed her fist to her mouth, transfixed by the horror before her. Her stomach clenched.Look away, look away...

“Ad,” Regulus said. She tore her eyes from Kirven’s grotesque head to Regulus standing over Nolan. “I want to run him through.” His voice was so low and gravelly she hardly recognized it. “I want to do more than that. But not if...” He grunted. “If you want him to hang.”

She wanted to curl into a ball somewhere dark and cry until she fell asleep, then sleep until this was all a distant memory.

“Um...I vote hanging,” Nolan said.

Adelaide stood, her legs shaking. “Why? So you can try to talk your way free?”

“To be honest, yes.” Nolan’s voice lacked its usual confidence. “I was tricked! And then he used me! He controlled me and tortured me and forced me—”

“Did he force you to kiss me?” Adelaide shouted. She conjured a throwing knife, even though the effort made her sway. “Did he compel you to assault me?” Her voice shook. She raised the throwing knife. This wasn’t what Father would want. The king would appreciate a prisoner to make an example of. And it might help with her desertion problem. She sighed and let the throwing knife vanish. “I need a peace offering for the king.”

Regulus shook his head. “What are you—”

“I...” She kicked at the grass. “I sort of deserted.”

“What?” The rage vanished from Regulus’ voice, replaced by fear. “To come find me?” She nodded. “You’ll be hanged!”

Nolan laughed. “Fancy that.”

“Shut up, or I’ll run you through.”

Adelaide raised her head and tried not to flinch at Regulus’ appalled expression. “A prisoner the king can execute to remind his people he’s in charge might help my case.”

“Okay,” Regulus sounded panicked. “Okay, that might work. Okay.” His voice leveled as he calmed himself. “Looks like you’re good for something, Carrick. Ad, can you get the chains with the shackles?”

Adelaide hurried to bring the shackles from the oak tree. She crouched next to Nolan, careful to avoid looking at his face. She closed a shackle around his wrist, then moved to his other side and closed the other shackle. Regulus used the chain to pull Nolan to his feet.

“Try to run,” Regulus said. “And I’ll slice open your ankles. Understood?”

Adelaide stepped next to Regulus and looked up at him as he stuck the sword in his belt. His stormy expression softened as he gazed at her.

“Are you okay?” he murmured.

She nodded, although her lower lip trembled. “You did it. We’re...”

“Free.” Regulus looked tired, despite his smile. “Wedid it,mareh piahre.We defeated him together.”

She smiled, unsure what she was feeling in the wreckage of her emotions. Relieved, certainly. The echo offailurestill resounded in the back of her mind. She doubted she deserved Regulus. But as she looked into his piercing gray eyes, she felt overwhelming love.

“Can we save the adoring looks for when I’m not around?” Nolan muttered.

“You should apologize, cad,” Regulus growled.

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