Page 46 of A Queen This Fierce and Deadly

“Ah, silence. Adorable. Tell me, just how did you end up here, Madinia Farrow?”

Grinding my teeth, I ignored him some more. A life-or-death situation, and he wanted to chat. Idiot.

I had no interest in people like him. People who took nothing seriously. I took everything seriously.

Every muscle in my body ached with fatigue. A guard to my left was attacking again and again, his movements almost too fast to see as he nocked his arrows. Those arrows slammed into our ward, until I could almost feel the headache it must have given Calysian.

The guard let loose the next arrow, and I waited. He lifted one arm to pull an arrow from his quiver.

Now.

I directed my flames toward a slice of skin I’d glimpsed along the back of his neck—between helmet and armor.

Calysian’s ward was holding, and I used it for cover as I attacked again and again. He slid outside of the range of his ward, leaving it to cover me as he targeted that same slice of unprotected skin, his sword slicing through a guard’s neck like a warm knife through butter.

Two left.

“Behind the tree,” he ordered.

“I don’t—”

“Now.”

Darting behind the tree, I reached for the last of my power. Calysian’s ward dropped. It had been impressive, but from the bitter frustration on his face, even his power wasn’t enough to hold such a ward indefinitely againstiron-tipped arrows and magical attacks.

I couldn’t understand how he’d held it this long already.

The captain wasn’t looking quite as smug anymore. He was staring at the death around him—and the last guard across the clearing—as if he was wondering just how it had all gone so terribly wrong.

Calysian could likely take the captain. Slowly, I began to creep behind the trees, toward the remaining guard.

A desperate scream sounded, and I whirled.

The captain lay on the ground, lifeless. His horse had bolted, while Calysian shoved his hands on his hips, shaking his head. It was almost as if he was displeased by how easily he had killed the captain.

An arrow flew toward his unarmed back.

I slashed at it with the last of my power—just enough to throw it off course.

Turning, Calysian raised one eyebrow as it dropped to the ground. His lips pulled up from his teeth in a snarl. Irritation gleamed in his eyes. “That’s another life debt.”

“You would have likely saved yourself.”

“It doesn’t matter. Intention matters. Make me owe you again, and I’ll kill you myself.”

I showed him my teeth. “Try.”

His gaze narrowed on my face. Irritation gave way to languid amusement. I looked away.

“That one was free,” I panted, the world spinning around me. I doubted I could call even a single spark to one of my fingers. “You don’t owe me anything.”

He shook his head. “Wait here.”

I didn’t argue, simply slumped to the ground with the tree at my back. A single muffled yell came from the remaining guard, and Calysian returned mere moments later.

He frowned at me. “You smell like death and sorrow.” “We lost one of the hybrids. A child.” My throat thickened. He studied me, as if surprised I would care. I wanted to smash my hand into his face for that look.

Of course I cared.

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