Page 42 of Stone Sentinels

The sirens do what they can for her as Flumph and I watch.

The sounds of war threaten to pull me back into the past, but not in the comfort of Eilish’s embrace. No, my mind fights against the memories of losing against Variant and Theren. Flumph’s hand on mine startles me and my eyes open once more.

“You musta hit youze head harder than I think,” he says. “Ain’t never hears you sayin’ thank you to nobody, not even Pretty. Shoulda hit you a long times ago, if that mean you shows us little guys some respect.”

“Flumph?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

EILISH

The Veil

I look around the battlefield, at the bodies of Unseelie soldiers scattered across the ground. It pains my heart to see so many lives lost because Theren couldn’t set aside his pride.

No,I remind myself—not Theren.

The Unseelie King is a prisoner within his own mind. Maybe that’s why I feel so drawn to him. We’re both slaves to the magic that holds us hostage. Regardless, his people don’t deserve to die like this. Harpies, spirits, and now demons lay waste to everything in sight.

The dragon releases another breath of electricity as the rain douses the flames. I tilt my head back and cup my hands to call for a retreat, but Wynroth’s emerald eyes blink twice and flood with white fog. Suddenly, the eyes of the Guardian of The Veil stare back at me. I turn and see Pyre walking through the throng of fighters, glowing as he wields the power of The Veil. Before I know what’s happening, my feet take me to him.

My dagger rips through the armor of the demons and spirits from the mountain, and I sidestep a harpy as it lunges for me. It crashes into a group of soldiers, opening an opportunity to reach Pyre’s side.

“Can you defend me, Eilish? I must concentrate and I can’t do so if I’m busy fighting,” Pyre shouts above the sounds of war. I nod my head once and follow as the ball of roiling magic builds between his hands. It’s as though all the light within The Veil has come to its master.

The creatures of this world shrink back. Wynroth takes to the sky and spirits run for the trees, but it’s too late. Pyre punches the ground as I stab my dagger into the heart of a demon and an explosion of power hits me. I can’t control the way my own swell of energy is triggered by the blast. All I feel is searing pain before a blinding light fills my vision, blocking everything else out. Sounds fade... the smell of the forest and burning wood is no more…

I am young, but not stupid. I know he’s the prince.

He hides in the trees surrounding the grove just as I sneak into the city to see the vibrant colors the fae cherish so much. Or at least that’s what I tell my mother I’m going to see. If mother knew that it was him, Theren, who draws me to the city, I’d be in trouble. She warns me to be wary of males and I try to listen, but I’ve never seen anyone with hair such as his or eyes I’d swear were made of honey.

But Theren isn’t sweet. He burns with a passion that calls to something within me.

“What are you doing here, little one?” he asks.

Those honey eyes flicker in the shade of the canopy. He once told me that his father disapproved of his love for the forest, often telling Theren he wasn’t welcome in his brother’s domain.

But he adores the way the leaves change in the autumn and the way the wind always smells like crisp apples.

“I asked you a question,” he says.

“And I will answer it when I please.”

He emerges slowly from the shadows, his beautiful, sharp features coming into the light to steal my breath away, like always.

“You’re not like the others,” he says as he eyes me with interest. “Even Aima, my friend, is more timid than you. How is it that you’re so fierce?”

I shrug. “I’m my sister’s protector.”

“And what do you protect her against?” he laughs down at me.

“At the moment? An Unseelie male of a reputable family, such as your own, who has offered my mother a sizable sum for Solya’s hand, but my mother refuses.”

“The male is a fool if he doesn’t see that he’s chosen the wrong sister.” Theren comes closer, jumping from the branch to land before me. He takes my jaw in his hand and tilts my head back. I feel the brush of his thumb against my bottom lip.

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