Page 45 of Immortal Alliance

“And if Morrigan’s there?” Dragan asks.

“Then we fight her, too,” I say with conviction. “I’m tired of running from her. It’s time she realizes what we’re capable of.”

“I agree,” Dragan says.

I nod. “Regardless, our priority remains the same. We set the fae free and we bring the mercenaries back to the stronghold.”

“If some of us fall?” Kolvar asks.

“Our fallen are not left behind, we bring them with us no matter what.” I kiss Dragan quickly but he grips me around the waist and pulls me closer.

“Be fucking careful,” he whispers into my mouth.

“You too, soldier,” I answer with a secretive smile. “Survive and you’ll be rewarded… amply.”

He smiles down at me as I pull away to move with Kolvar toward our position as the gargoyle makes his way back to the mercenaries.

Kolvar points up to the long staircase that rises toward the sphere. “That be the only way inside, I reckon.”

“No doubt there are guards on the other side as well.”

“What do you say? We go in with force?”

“No,” I say. “We go in with stealth.”

***

DRAGAN

The Threst

“I count at least four hundred guarding the sphere. How will we retreat?” Myerdoth asks. The ground begins to quake as we approach. An endless horde of beady eyes stare right at me, as though they hunger for my flesh. I lift my hand to stop the march toward theThrest. Myerdoth seems nervous; he must not have seen battle in quite some time, but the determination in his gaze is comforting.

“We retreat only when Eilish gives the signal. Until then, we’re on our own,” I answer.

I can smell the putrid stench of sweat clinging to chainmail and leather. Greasy, ghoulish green skin stretches tight over bulbous skulls with pronounced brows and extended lower jaws. Large teeth snap as the orcs bellow. A low growl makes my ears twitch and I see four large hounds move to the front of the horde. I’ve seen these creatures on the battlefield before, when I faced Variant and Theren. They’re like enormous wolves with black, matted fur and glowing yellow eyes.

“Stand your ground!” I ride in front of the soldiers, making sure the formations are in order. “Archers, fire!”

A hailstorm of arrows whistle through the air, whizzing past my ears as they strike their mark with a solid hit. Orcs screech and charge, with demons by their side.

“Ready, men!” My horse rides fast toward the army heading right at me. I meet Myerdoth’s gaze from where he sits astride his mount at the front.

He signals the attack and standing upright on my horse, I allow my wings to unfurl before I take to the sky, needing a better vantage point.

Swords and shields clash against one another in a chaotic boom that shakes the earth. Swooping down, I plow into a row of demons, knocking them back so the mercenaries can advance. Deadly spells fly across the battlefield as I summon my blade of shadow. A large demon approaches, his enormous head shielded by a thick helmet with a sharp point near the forehead. I twirl my blade with a flourish and raise it overhead, bringing it down on the demon’s chest. The mountainous creature howls, but shakes off the pain.

Suddenly, I feel my power pulled from me and my wings stop flapping. I fall downward and crash into a group of armored demons. My head rings and spots dance in my vision, but I climb to my feet and spread my wings once more. Golems, faeries, shifters, and vampires fight side by side in a battle reminiscent of one that had long been forgotten. Lycans summon their beast forms and attack with a fury as winged hybrids toss orcs from one end of the field to the other. Expressions of sheer terror on both sides of this fight make me hate Morrigan even more.

“Myerdoth!” I shout, warning the gargoyle a demon is sneaking up behind him. He quickly decapitates the demon and then races over to my side. “I need you to help me take down one of the large ones,” I say. “The fewer of those big fuckers, the better.”

He takes one look at the colossal demon and quirks a brow. “You expect me to fight that?”

“Not alone.”

The surly gargoyle grumbles something under his breath, and I find myself wondering if this is how my companions feel whenever I give them attitude.

Myerdoth goes high while I go low, pounding my fist into the demon’s knee until I hear it pop backwards. The sickening crunch of bone causes the huge creature to groan loudly. Myerdoth delivers a harsh blow to its throat and the demon topples over, crushing several small orcs underneath it.

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