Page 39 of These Violent Delights

Ozzy looked deadly in his battle gear, huge and fearsome.He would lead their forces into battle.

Yarbo had chosen to ride next to Uncle Tank.He was enormous, and she understood he was her uncle’s honor guard.Yarbo was doing it for her, and if she didn’t already love Ozzy, she’d...

She took a deep breath.Yarbo would see that her uncle was free to do maximum damage to the enemy.It was a priceless gift, and her uncle would revel in the battle.Every warrior dreamed of being remembered, and the berserker drug her uncle had consumed would turn him into an absolute savage.

It wasn’t called blood willow for nothing.

Zelda called on every lesson her uncle had ever drilled into her and set her concerns aside.She knew her job.She would use the castle and every shred of will and power to crush her enemy.

Quill had been assigned as her aide and bodyguard.She’d seen Ozzy talking to him seriously before Quill had joined her.Quill might be missing out on the main assault, but his job was critical.He would not let her be hurt or distracted from using the full might of the castle.

Threats and insults were exchanged, and the battle engaged.

Screams and roars filled the air.The Beast Queen's creatures were fierce, but the united tribes were deadly.Ozzy fought with a ferocity that surprised even Zelda.She had never seen him in battle before, and it was both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

Apparently, it was possible to decapitate a man with a single blow.Also, headless bodies twitched in the death throes.Death was a great deal more gruesome than she’d realized.

Her attention was drawn to the sky where a large kite soared above.It was Olly, strapped into a makeshift seat despite his injuries.Zelda’s brows rose. Despite his injuries, he maneuvered his kite with precision, sending messenger kites to relay critical information.She saw him draw his crossbow and fire bolt after bolt into the swarming jellyfish.Each hit was precise, bursting the jellyfish in mid-air and sending showers of toxic goo harmlessly to the ground below.

Someone was getting a promotion.Assuming they all lived, of course.

Her uncle fell.Quill didn’t tell her because it would have distracted her.One man's life wasn’t worth distracting their greatest weapon.Tank would have approved.

Zelda didn’t have any attention to spare.The Beast Queen deployed her aerial weapon, and things were going badly.The flying monsters exploded over the field, and the warders were exhausted.

Clouds of translucent, tentacled jellyfish swarmed through the air, occasionally exploding.Toxic purple goo rained down, burning like acid, judging by the screams from the village.The barrier around the castle protected them, but it wasn't doing anything for the village.

Zelda watched grimly from the castle wall.Below, the village was engulfed in chaos—translucent, tentacled jellyfish hovered, each pulsing with eerie bioluminescence.Occasionally, one would swell and burst, sending showers of toxic purple goo that hissed upon contact.The anguished cries from the village echoed through the night.

The protective barrier around the castle repelled the jellyfish’s advance.But beyond its confines, villagers scrambled for cover.The once serene village square was now a battleground, littered with exploded monsters and scorched earth.The air was thick with the acrid smell of burning thatch and the salty tang of blood, blending into a noxious miasma.

The shadow girls had been forbidden from joining the fray by their mothers, but they must have had a way to witness the chaos, because their creatures wreaked havoc on the battlefield.The cave bear, towering and exuding dark smoke, barreled through the cultists, swiping and biting with razor-sharp claws and teeth.Meanwhile, the rabbits were elusive, barely visible until a cultist dropped, exposing terrifying, incorporeal bunnies with razor teeth lunging for the throat.

Despite the ferocity of the shadow creatures, the cultists were relentless, swarming like a plague, their sheer numbers a challenge even for the shadow creatures.

As the acid rained down on the battlefield, Zelda realized that the ward was flickering.There was a limit to how much damage it could take before it needed time to regenerate.And with the Beast Queen's aerial attack, they were quickly reaching that limit.

Zelda was killing them as fast as she could, but she was panting.Things were looking grim.

That was when the gargoyles arrived.One minute Zelda was frantically driving a giant fan to blow the monsters away, and the next her magical vision was swarmed with blue dots.She blinked and peered around with her naked eyes.Sweat was blinding her, so she wiped it away on her sleeve and squinted at the sky.

Gargoyles the size of dogs swarmed and dive-bombed the monsters, breathing fire.Their scales sounded like stone sliding over graphite, raspy and chilling.

Quill grabbed her arm.“Friend or foe?”he asked, crossbow in his hand.

“Friend!”she yelled, waving her hands for the others looking at her for direction.“The gargoyles are back!”

She grinned as a gargoyle swooped and dragged monsters away from the battle.Since they were made of stone, they were impervious to acid.

The Beast Queen and her brood may have been powerful, but the gargoyles were a force to be reckoned with.Their razor-sharp claws and fiery breath struck fear into the hearts of even the most devoted cult warriors.

The air was thick with smoke, the scent of blood hanging heavy.Amidst the chaotic clash of swords and the roar of warriors, Lady Divine moved with purpose, her eyes locked onto the Beast Queen.The queen, distracted by the ongoing battle, sat in her war wagon, well out of striking range, unaware of the danger creeping up behind her.

Lady Divine climbed onto the wagon with casual grace, as if she belonged there.The wooden structure creaked under her weight, but she moved swiftly, her eyes never leaving her target.The Beast Queen's attention was focused on a group of rebels attempting to breach her defenses, leaving her vulnerable.

Smiling smugly, Lady Divine whispered, “Let’s make this interesting.”

The Beast Queen, sensing something amiss, turned just in time to see her assailant.Her eyes widened in shock, but it was too late.Lady Divine's dagger gleamed in the dim light as she plunged it into the Beast Queen's side, the force of the blow driving the breath from her lungs.

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