Page 45 of A Queen This Fierce and Deadly

“Faster,” I ordered desperately.

The forest around me erupted into a cacophony of sounds—the cracking of branches under the weight of heavy boots, the clanging of armor, the cruel laughter of one of the guards.

There was no outrunning them. I had to take a standhere and buy the others as much time as I could.

An arrow whistled past my ear, embedding itself into a tree with a gruesome thud. Baring my teeth, I aimed my flames at the horse, begging forgiveness. I gave it a swift end, but its death caused further chaos, the other horses bucking desperately.

“Face your death with dignity, corrupt filth.” The iron guard wore silver trim along his armor. The captain.

I hurled my fire at him. It crashed against his ward, but his pained grimace made it clear it had hurt.

Good. Every second I delayed them was another moment for the hybrids to escape.

I pulled my sword. “Fight me like a man.”

Several guards laughed. Most of them were moving forward to surround me. Scanning them, I counted. Seven. More than enough to decimate every single group of hybrids currently fleeing.

Dark power swept toward me. This was it. I rolled my shoulders.

The power bounced off a ward so strong, it glowed silver.

I jolted back, brandishing my sword as another man stalked through the clearing toward me. Our eyes met, and his mouth dropped open.

“You,” he snarled. “Why is it always you?”

“My thoughts exactly.”

Calysian.

“You owe me a life debt,” I blurted.

He smiled, ignoring the dark power hitting his ward once more. “I thought you didn’t want my debt?”

“It’s not up to me, remember? You said the debthadn’t been satisfied. A matter of honor.”

His teeth flashed as he laughed, and my stomach clenched. After a long moment, he heaved a sigh. “Oh, fine.”

By the time he gave the iron guards his full attention, they had surrounded us. But at least that meant they hadn’t yet gone after the hybrids.

The captain smiled, as if reading my mind. He gestured to two guards behind us. “Go.”

Just as an arrow hit Calysian’s ward.

Calysian gave the soldier a bored look. More arrows flew toward us, and I sent my fire twisting between them, igniting one of the guards who’d turned to go after the hybrids.

I blocked out his screams, watching the captain. He was tired. He couldn’t hold the ward while his own men attacked, yet Calysian seemed as if such a thing was easy for him. It was the one advantage we had. I waited until the guard at his left fired another arrow…

Now.

I’d used this tactic on the iron guards at the hybrid camp. And just like those guards, two men clawed at their eyes, wailing for mercy as my fire engulfed them.

Calysian tutted as he lifted his hand, reinforcing his ward against a sudden barrage of dark power and fae-iron-tipped arrows.

I sent more power toward those arrows, and several of them dropped straight to the ground. “Feel free to help whenever you get tired of watching.”

“There’s that sharp little tongue. Do you ever get tired of wielding it?”

I ignored him.

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