Page 171 of A Queen This Fierce and Deadly

Also hidden behind rocks and trees nearby, the other archers fired as well. Those we didn’t hit made it to our front line.

Demos had divided our best shielders, putting some of them near the front lines and the remainder at the back, close to the entrance to the pass. If we fell—I refused to think the wordwhen—those shielders would stand their ground, buying the hybrids within the pass as much time as they could.

Human soldiers with attack powers slammed those powers into our wards. From here, I could see four hybrids with defensive magic scattered throughout our front lines. One of them flinched, and a sea of fire suddenly swept toward our right flank, immediately doused by a hybrid who used some kind of water power.

The shielder rebuilt his ward, and all four of them held the line. I caught a glimpse of an Eprothan soldier screaming at their front lines—likely a general growing frustrated at the wasted power. I rolled my shoulders.

The closest soldiers were drained of magic and replaced twice before our shielders could no longer hold their wards. Demos roared an order, and they sprinted back toward us.

I shot faster than I’d ever shot before. Even as I chose each target, the sight of Demos and Tibris and Herne fighting together was imprinted on my mind. Stillcrest fought like a woman possessed just a few footspans away from them. Madinia had told us about her strange ideasabout female and male roles in war––more common among humans. But clearly, she’d let those ideas go now.

When the archer next to me leaned too far to the right and was caught by an Eprothan bolt through the heart, there was no time to mourn. Leaning down, I picked up his quiver, slung it over my shoulder, and nocked my next arrow.

We began to take losses. One of the archers to my left screamed a name as a woman went down, his voice filled with horror and grief.

Blades clashed, magic attacks were rebuffed and then slipped through, killing any who were unable to be shielded.

But we had power of our own, and Demos unleashed the fae and hybrids. While I found myself longing for Madinia, Gwynara and the others were thinning Regner’s front lines.

And still, the Eprothan soldiers kept coming.

I reached for another arrow, my eyes automatically scanning for the best target. A soldier had pinned his gaze on Stillcrest, as she took down one of the men near him. He fought his way toward her, a bear of a man, huge in his armor.

My arrow took him in the arm. He snapped the end off and kept moving. My head spun.

“Stillcrest,” I screamed. “Demos!”

Neither of them could hear me over the sound of the battle.

I shot again, but the soldier darted to the right. Stillcrest’s shoulders tensed, and I saw the moment she realized he’d targeted her.

She turned, swinging her sword.

He matched it with his own sword. My next arrow took him in the gap in his armor, right beneath his arm pit.

Stillcrest’s sword broke beneath his. She ducked, backpedaling, but it was too late.

The Eprothan soldier shoved his sword between her ribs. My arrow hit him in the face, and he slumped.

I prepared to run. I could get Stillcrest to Tibris. I could—

Vicer was already dragging Stillcrest away as Demos and Herne stepped in to fill their places. Vicer had made it behind the front lines when he stopped, kneeling next to Stillcrest.

I couldn’t hear what she said to him as the blood poured from her mouth.

But I read his lips as he took her hand.“I forgive you.”

Her head fell back. She was gone.

My chest hollowed out. I hadn’t liked the woman. But she’d deserved better than this. We all deserved to live long enough to rectify our mistakes.

Vicer bowed his head for a single moment. And then he was forced to roll free as an Eprothan soldier lunged toward him.

Demos’s sword cut through the Eprothan’s neck, and I sighted my next target.

The sun began to sink below the tree line. Our front line lost ground, until they were positioned behind the barricade.

They held the Eprothans back for hours. Until we could barely aim our arrows, most of the light gone. Thelump in my throat was so large, it seemed to have spread down to my chest, the pain of it constant.

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