Page 37 of The Kingdom of Flames and Ash

I lifted my foot and shoved his body off my blade, making a sickening sucking noise, and was prepared to strike once more when Father yelled, “Stop,” and landed in front of me.

I glanced upward and saw Mom, Dad, and five other Seelie guards preparing to use magic on everyone.

No. What had I done?

13

LIRA

Despite my father’s command, the Unseelie attacked even more aggressively. Dad dropped in front of Father, protecting both his king and me. With two gigantic men protecting me, Struan and the other Unseelie guards who had stayed behind at the door flew into the crowd, using their frost and illusion magic to force people back.

Yet, more pressed forward to take their places.

Caelan grabbed my arm, forcing me to stay back. “Don’t make Tavish lose his focus. He needs to get the people under control, or more will rise against him.”

I opened my mouth to tell him where he could go, but my lungs seized. My skin crawled, and the pressure in my chest built like I might implode. The sensation didn’t feel like my own, and the memory of how I’d felt during the final part of the gauntlet resurfaced. One of the competitors had made me feel complete terror inside, and I’d struggled to function.

The common people didn’t have weapons because the Seelie guards had confiscated them, but their magic wasn’t hindered.

A creepy, lime-eyed woman near me grinned.

Something brushed against my side and leg, and a familiar warmth spread through me.

Nightbane.

His presence eased some of the influence the woman had to be pushing toward me.

Father and Dad grunted and fell to their knees. They weren’t using their magic, which meant they had to be dry from the ordeal back at the cave.

“Erdan, no!” Mother exclaimed.

Flames shot from Mom’s hands and hit the edge of the crowd. A man stumbled back, and both Dad and Father seemed to breathe easier. Mother mixed wind magic with her fire, creating a blazing tornado that swirled above the Unseelies’ heads.

People’s heads jerked upward, and they shrieked as the funnel descended toward them.

Frustration and rage slammed into me from Tavish, and then I sensed the sluggish sensation of his nightmare illusion.

The ground shook as Seelie used earth magic, and flames landed on Unseelie, causing more screams. Water slammed into some of the people at the back. A breeze picked up as if it was trying to push the frost, snow, and illusion magic away from us.

Terror had my blood freezing as the illusion intensified, and the urge to flee took hold, causing me to dig my fingers into the cù-sìth’s fur.

I gritted my teeth, fighting the unwanted feelings. Two men charged Father and Dad, and I stumbled forward. The chaos seemed to only get worse.

Caelan caught my forearm and yanked me back just as Nightbane ran in front of me and shoved me, helping Caelan out. Nightbane snarled and ran past both Father and Dad and attacked the men threatening us.

His teeth sank into one man’s throat while his long, thick claws ripped through the other man’s chest. Black blood coated the greenish-tinged ends of Nightbane’s fur.

The unwanted sensation in my chest lessened, and Tavish connected with me,Lira, get inside. You’ve already been attacked once, and I sense my people using magic.

I’m done with people—including you—telling me I should leave you.Everywhere I turned, another situation stacked up against Tavish and me, with people trying to keep us apart.I’m not going anywhere.Thankfully, both Father and Dad stood and removed their swords from their sheaths.

Both Unseelie and Seelie guards darted downward as the chaos intensified. Tavish’s magic strengthened along with his frustration.Sprite, I swear. You’re going to be the death of me.

A chill mixed with the ickiness of the nightmare magic blanketed my body.

Tavish cloaked me, hiding me from the others, and thanks to the cloudy skies, the sun’s light wouldn’t reveal my location. I growled faintly, frustrated that he was resolved for them not to see me out here with him.

The fire tornado touched ground, dividing the crowd, and Mother and Mom worked together to make a straight line of fire that held most of the Unseelie back except for the thirty in front of it who could still fight against us.

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