Page 67 of A Queen This Fierce and Deadly

“Rythos?”

Lorian nodded behind me, and I whirled, finding Rythos leaning precariously from the wall.

“Is hetalkingto someone?” I took a couple of steps closer, my head spinning. But it was a group of Eprothan soldiers hanging from the wall. The oil had missed them, and they’d aimed for Rythos. They’d made it close enough to him that he could use his power.

Within moments, they’d begun to turn on their own people, creating confusion and chaos. Rythos got to his feet and stumbled. Clearly, he’d expended a lot of powerin a short time.

I launched toward him, but Marth was already there, preventing him from falling over the edge.

My gaze slid past the others, to Rekja’s soldiers. And my muscles locked up.

I’d been fighting in the midst of deadly, experienced fae warriors. And so I hadn’t noticed just how dire our situation had become. The soldiers Rekja had ordered to the wall had thinned significantly.

Even their best warders hadn’t been able to hold the line for long against soldiers bloated with Regner’s magic and arrows tipped with fae iron.

It was only a matter of time before the enemy made it through. Already, their siege ladders were being hauled close once more.

Despair slid into my chest like a finely sharpened blade. I pulled, automatically searching for the threads of my power once more. But it was as if those threads had been cut.

People were going to die here, and all I could do was kill a few terrovians.

Was this the price Telean had spoken of? Would the consequences of my actions be to watch innocents die one by one, until it was my friends and family who were the ones being slaughtered?

And then the creatures were upon us in a maelstrom of fur and fangs and fear, each terrovian a blur of deadly grace, and there was no time to rest, no time to think, as more terrovians made it to the wall––Eprothan soldiers following close behind. At some point, they’d already managed to get another siege ladder up.

I’d once thought I might find it difficult to kill humans. But the rage burning through me made it much, much easier than I’d ever imagined.

These soldiers were filled with blood lust, trained to attack innocents. They would kill everyone in this city if ordered.

When they saw Lorian and the others, many of the soldiers faltered. But with nowhere else to go, they attacked. Again and again.

Galon used his power to sweep more of them away, while I could practically feel Lorian itching for more of his own power. He was able to summon enough lightning to work with Galon’s water, killing any soldiers unlucky enough to be touching that water, but frustration and fatigued warred on his face.

And yet, if he hadn’t killed the skyrions, the city would already have been Regner’s.

An Eprothan soldier lunged at me, and I met his sword. Fuck, he was strong. I slammed my foot into his knee, and he howled, swinging his sword again. But it was sloppy, his body unbalanced. Darting to the side, I tripped him, throwing him off the wall.

I turned just in time to block the next sword, twisting my body to protect my own blade—and arm.

This was nothing like training with Galon. Never could I have imagined having such little space to work with, the stone slick with blood and water beneath my feet. It was so crowded, I barely had room to move.

But every soldier and creature we killed was one less to kill the innocent people of this city.

Chaos reigned.

A blade slipped past my guard, slicing into my arm. Hot pain slid up my bicep, and a choked scream left my throat as my sword hand faltered. Lorian was instantly there, his own sword cleaving the soldier’s chest.

“It’s not bad,” I protested, but he’d already ripped off a piece of his tunic to tie around the wound.

“Prisca.” His voice was gentle. I knew what he was going to say.

“No.”

“I want you to go,” Lorian murmured, as if I hadn’t spoken. His fist slid out and smashed into an approaching soldier’s face. The man dropped to his knees with a grunt, and Rythos kicked him off the wall. The soldier screamed for a brief moment. “With Galon,” Lorian continued. “Now.”

“You know I won’t leave you.” It felt as if he’d been shattered apart yesterday, an hour ago, a second ago. When I looked at him, all I could see was ice.

He gripped my chin, his green eyes burning into mine. “All of us will leave at some point. They’re going to take this city.”

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