Page 94 of Poisoned Empire

Belisarius sought Selene in the chaos. Smack in the middle of their tightening formation, she lay on the ground near the cooling corpse of a Sapphire son, soaked and taking in the scene with wild eyes. One of her legs had been fastened to the ground with a sheet of ice, pinning her. She yanked an arrow from the nearest body, holding it in her arms as if cradling a child.

“Tighten formation!” Amethyst called out.

A roar sounded from the gate as the imperial troops, headed by Marduk, streamed through hidden doors along the walls and took up position. Marduk wielded an enormous mace and shield.

“Advance!” Marduk bellowed from the gates.

They ploughed headlong into battle, surprising the Amethyst heir and striking him dead with a blow from the strategos’ weapon. Magister Amethyst jumped away from the oncoming fray and struck out with lightning. Split second barriers were instantly shattered, only just deflecting lethal bolts. Where they struck the earthen barriers, the uplifted soil became glass. All the rest became fodder.

Belisarius readied an arrow, keeping the original enchantment in place, and fired at the momentarily distracted water mages. He struck the leg of a Sapphire son, alerting Leo to the remaining archers. Before Belisarius could loose another, a monstrous wave struck him, sweeping him along with dizzying force. His back struck stone, and he was mercilessly ground along the bailey. Just before he was swept over the side, two arms reached out and pulled.

The swirling violence of the water was replaced by a world without light or rightness or sound. Terror gripped him, but he kept his gift controlled under his skin. He’d travelled through the shadow path only a few times, and feared what would happen if he negated the powers of the one anchor he had in the endless night of the void. Just as abruptly as he’d entered the darkness, he was back in his own world. A single arrow lay within reach, and his bow was still clutched in his hand, whole and unharmed. He steadied his breath and readied himself to strike. When he dared to look at the scene once more, only Leo Sapphire and Magister Grigori Amethyst remained, fending off the opposing forces with distressing ease. Whatever momentum Marduk had gained with surprise was now gone, leaving the imperial soldiers on the defensive, frozen in glaciers or splattered by lightning. As far as Belisarius could tell, not a single archer remained along the bailey, having been swept over and dashed on the paved stones below. The traitors fought back to back, with Selene’s pinned form at the centre. He could feel the thrum of marching soldiers from within the palace, ready to add their immense number to the fray. It might not be enough to turn the tide. Darius had single-handedly turned armies and fortresses to ash during the Great War. Only luck would save them now.

Belisarius watched with horror as Selene gripped the shaft of the arrow in her hand and set her sights on Leo’s legs. Turning to face the reinforcements with a smirk, Leo’s attention was diverted. In that moment, Belisarius knew he would only get a single shot. As Selene slashed through the tendons of Leo’s ankle with her arrow, Belisarius stood and aimed for Leo’s head. Leo whipped his head around, holding his hand high, ready to send her to her grave with a wicked blade of ice.

The arrow struck Leo through the skull. He fell to the ground, dead. Selene looked up from her prone position with wide eyes, spotting him. Then Grigori Amethyst grabbed her by her hair and held a deadly bolt aloft, his threat plain.

“If you strike, she will die!”

The fiery sting of Selene’s scalp and the ache in her back and neck added to the agony of ice pinning her leg to the stone. It ran from the tips of her toes to just past her knee, preventing her from twisting. Selene lay awkwardly on the ground, her back arched, her weight on her elbows, angling up to prevent her hair being ripped from her head. In this position, she couldn’t reach back to touch her father; she couldn’t kill him. His bolt of lightning nearly blinded her with its brilliance, tears streaming as it roasted her face.

“You’re dead either way,” Selene hissed through gritted teeth.

Even with power like his, he couldn’t defeat an entire army singlehandedly. Eventually, even a battle of attrition would wear him down. If he managed to flee, no one would shelter him, and no ship would take him to safety. The only question was how many people he would take with him before he died. Whatever the number, it probably included her. But if he killed her, her death fog would kill Iliana and Belisarius.

“Yes, I know.” His voice was calm. He yanked her head to the side then chuckled softly. “You could have killed us all in the dungeons. Why did you hesitate?”

He’d seen that her collar was a dud then. Her very last trump card was now spoiled.

“Wanted your master.”

That earned her another vicious yank.

“Ah!” she screamed.

“I have no master.” His vehemence only made her more certain of it.

“Tell that to the one who made you sit on your ass in that cell,” she taunted him.

“Your ambition was laudable, but you let it spoil a perfect chance. Now scores of your allies lie dead. Always kill the enemy before you if there is a chance he might escape. Never allow a threat to persist.”

“Then why am I alive?”

“Because you were useful. I, too, gambled and lost. But I didn’t lose everything.”

The magister adjusted his grip on her hair and steered her neck until she was facing the prince squarely. Like a vengeful god standing atop the bailey, his hand up to halt the actions of the imperial army at the gate, Belisarius shook with rage.

“I wanted to know how much he valued you, and the odds of my blood being the blood of future emperors,” he spoke in her ear. To the prince, he shouted, “Order your soldiers to retreat, and I will spare her!”

“He won’t let you go,” Selene growled.

“It’s unlikely,” he agreed. “But not impossible.”

Belisarius grimaced.

“Soldiers, fall back!” Belisarius bellowed, his eyes never leaving hers.

“No!” Selene shouted. “Don’t you dare!”

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