Page 31 of Mother of Death and Dawn

I blinked in surprise.He knew me—?

“Find Tisaanah,” he choked out. “Alright? She’s looking for you.”

Tisaanah.Something inside of me rattled at the name.

“I don’t—”

“Listen,” he said, face blotchy with exertion. His grip was shockingly firm. “They… all remember you. They’d all still… follow you. Alright? Understand?”

I wasn’t sure that I did. But I nodded all the same as the boy’s grasp slipped away and his eyelids fluttered.

“Get yourself patched up, Moth,” I said. “You’ve got a lot of life left to live.”

By the time I stood, the boy was no longer conscious, and a healer crouched beside him.

The violence had gotten worse even in those few minutes, as the monsters seemed to push towards the Towers. More of them now poured from the cliffs, decimating groups of soldiers.

A streak of shadow had swept from the far entrance of the Tower of Midnight—the Queen—surrounded by darkness that eerily resembled wings, wielding two long knives. She cut through the fighting like a meteor slicing through the sky.

Maybe I could still get away. Maybe. I could barely see the shore. But what did I have to lose? Death might be preferable to returning to Ilyzath.

I fought, moving fast. I didn’t even try to kill anymore, only defend myself enough to slip by. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Queen’s head turn—saw her gaze land on me. Her course changed, the path of her destruction coming closer.

My steps faltered. That was a moment of distraction I couldn’t afford. Pain tore through my leg—the same one that had already been injured. I was looking at the grey sky.

And then I was looking at a faceless beast.

Fuck.

I recovered fast. But now, once again, my attempt at using magic rewarded me only with terrible pain, and no fire. A strike to its throat had the creature stumbling but quickly righting itself.

I began to roll out of the way and—

The creature’s clawed hand came crashing down on my leg, digging deeper into the flesh. Then the other pinned my shoulder. It leaned over me, its face coming close to mine, as if… curious.

We have been looking for you,the wind seemed to whisper.

I angled my spear and, with all the strength my injured left arm would allow, thrust it through the creature’s body. It met no resistance, flying through its shadowy flesh as if it were nothing but fog.

I almost laughed. Ascended above. To think I was so fucking close.

The creature had no face, and yet, I could have sworn that it smiled. It leaned in closer.

And—

It screamed, releasing me. It reared up so fast that at first my addled mind couldn’t put together what I was seeing.

A sword.

A massive sword, piercing through the creature’s body, the black-blood-soaked tip protruding from its navel.

The creature flailed as the sword hoisted up in one powerful movement, gutting the beast—nearly cutting it in half.

Everything was blurry shapes, now. I was losing so much blood.

The creature fell, and a man kicked it off of his sword. Then he approached me. The bloody sunset silhouetted him, but I could make out a dark, critical stare, a set jaw, long black hair bound in a braid over one shoulder.

It’s funny how I had spent so much time trying to remember people and failing. And yet, this man’s name came to me easily, like a flame illuminating a darkened room.

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