Page 198 of A Queen This Fierce and Deadly

Poison.

And that poison was turning the tide. Without the generals using their stolen power…without them roaring orders, the humans on the front lines—the ones who’d been forced to fight and die for the man who’d magically crippled them—began to turn and run.

Immediately, one of Regner’s generals lashed out at them with a dark power of his own. Shadows that twisted across his own soldiers’ skin, pouring down their throats to suffocate them.

Dead. He was dead.

Our eyes met, and the sadistic light left his gaze. Gradually, fear and realization replaced it.

I gave him a slow smile, not bothering to take my eyes off him as I lifted my sword to block the thrust of a knife from the right, kicking out and slamming my boot into the human’s gut.

The general backed up, but there was nowhere for him to go. He looked over my shoulder. And he was smiling as I sliced my sword through his neck.

Dread sank into my bones.

“Lorian!”

That wasCavis’s voice.

I whirled, searching desperately for my wildcat.

Prisca was too fucking far away. I’d told her to stay close, but she’d darted several footspans to the right to pull a wounded hybrid to her feet. Swinging my sword, I cut my way back toward her, my instincts urging me faster and faster.

A dark storm of power slid through Galon’s ward as if it were fog. He bolstered the ward, but it was too late. I knew it was too late.

“Prisca!” I roared. I slammed my boot into a human chest, elbowed another in the face, and sliced my sword through the neck of yet another as he lunged at me.

Prisca couldn’t have heard me over the sound of the battle.

But she turned toward me, eyes wide with stark realization.

It was as if she was using her power to slow time as more dark power arrowed toward her.

A dull roar filled my head. My vision grayed.

Prisca whirled to meet the threat.

Conreth flew through the air. The dark power slammed into him as he tumbled into Prisca, both of them hitting the ground. Conreth didn’t move. His skin slowly began turning gray.

Marth had him in his arms a moment later. He tore the amulet from Conreth’s neck and threw it to me. I caught it, shoving it over my head to hang with my own.

Marth began to run. Rythos cut down a soldier who lunged toward Prisca. The moment she was safe, he sprinted after Marth. From the easy smiles that broke out among our enemies, Rythos was using his power to keep them both covered from attack.

Panic carved into my chest. Prisca sobbed through her teeth, scrambling to her feet as I fought my way back to her.

Conreth had looked dead.

I made it to Prisca, hauling her to my chest.

A human soldier launched himself at me and died instantly, my sword slashing out before I realized I’d moved. The next soldier died the same way. And the next.A hole opened up around us.

Safe. Prisca was safe.

“Lorian!” Galon roared. He pointed to the right.

Caliar lashed out with his power, aiming for Regner’s leadership in the rear guard. I had no doubt Regner himself was in one of the tents a hundred footspans away, carefully warded.

Regner’s generals lifted something. I blinked, and Caliar was gone—nothing but a curl of smoke rising into the air where seconds ago, one of Conreth’s most powerful people—a warden—had stood.

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