Page 46 of Immortal Alliance

“Next time I’m in direct danger, I’m stabbing you in the leg and using you as bait,” Myerdoth bitches.

I laugh in the midst of the fight. I’ve missed this. Not the violence or bloodshed, but the camaraderie and the thrill of battle.

My blade slices through armor and cuts down my enemies with great ease. I fight beside creatures I once considered beneath me, but now I see them in a different light. Each of us is the same. Just as important as the next. And all are crucial to this rebellion.

Myerdoth sidesteps an attack and tosses me his blade. I swing both his and mine in a deadly arch. The body crumples to the floor and I return Myerdoth his blade.

We fight side by side until the swarm is too dense. Thradsaryl wraith warriors flood the battlefield, sweeping across the land like a fatal storm. Orcs and demons alike scream out into the night as the full moon illuminates the gory scene taking place all around me. Blood stains my armor and covers my face. I can taste the coppery tinge of death on my lips and I fight to defend my wounded allies.

“Myerdoth! Take the spellcasters up the hill with the archers. Attack from a distance. The rest of us will hold off the bulk of the army,” I yell.

Turning, I feel a shield bash into my skull. My knees give and I fall to the ground, stumbling back as I shake my head to clear it. Moments later, I’m back on my feet and I cleave the opponent in two. Another demon attacks, but this time I’m too late. One of the Seelie mercenaries jumps in front of me, taking the blow before I have time to react. I kill the demon with a battle cry that makes nearby orcs scurry away in fear.

I look down and kneel beside the Seelie woman who gave her life for mine.

She smiles. “I... always thought gargoyles were arrogant, entitled pricks.” She nods. “And I was right,” the mercenary chuckles.

“Thank you for saving my life,” I breath as I hold her.

“I believe in the cause you fight for.” A tear falls from her large eyes and slithers down her cheek. I lift her from the ground and carry her away from the fighting.

“Hold on for me,” I whisper to her.

“There may not be hope left for me, but my people can still be saved.”

“I’ve seen the world beyond this one, and there is more peace in the Veil than there will ever be in the realms,” I tell her as I watch the fight in her eyes begin to fade. “The one who guards the souls who call the spirit world their home will take care of you,” I finish as she closes her eyes and a sweet smile takes hold of her lips. “He won’t allow your death to be in vain. Rest now. And may Pyre deliver you to serenity.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

BARON

Oronrel

“Someone is calling to us,” Pyre says.

I watch as he helps a soul through the portal. Once the spirit disappears, he follows close behind, keeping up with my pace using the sound of my voice. I stop beside the Echoing Spire.

I can feel something—a tugging, nagging feeling from deep within me. It’s the feeling that someone is in trouble. Someone close to me.

Pyre’s body goes rigid and I suddenly know. “It’s Cambion, isn’t it? He’s in trouble,” I say. “I can feel it too.”

“Cambion is dying.” Pyre claps his hands and pulls them apart as if he’s manipulating the molecules in the air to form a portal. Though I’ve trained with Pyre for months, I know my power is nowhere near his. I wonder if it ever will be.

As the ethers begin to swirl, I feel breathless with the nerves that start tugging at my composure. I thought I felt nothing for Cambion, but perhaps I sympathize with him more than I allowed myself to believe. My power reaches out for the signal as Pyre and I slip through the opening.

We appear in the throne room in Theren’s palace. A strange creature huddles over Cambion’s flailing body as he struggles to draw breath, and Morrigan stands above him, clutching the dagger… that killed me.

Flashes of my old life and the things I’ve lost begin to assault my consciousness, threatening to pull me under until Pyre breaks the spell when he hurls a shadow charm at Morrigan that sends her crashing into the wall. The creature, a kelpie, hisses and attacks Pyre, but I use my power to trap her in the pool of water spreading across the floor.

Morrigan recovers from her fall and lunging, she uses the ice dagger to slice at Pyre. She twirls and slashes the blade with impressive skill I can’t help but admire. But Pyre jabs his palm into the side of her arm, sending the blade clattering across the glistening obsidian floor. He lunges for the Midnight Queen, but Morrigan runs. Pyre blasts her with a second burst of magic, knocking her down. I send out my own shadow feelers and realize she’s unconscious.

The kelpie breaks free. Water begins to float around her as droplets defy gravity, vibrating until they form into a stream of water that shoots right toward me. She attempts to use her magic to drown me, as she’s done to Cambion. But, in doing so, she frees Cambion from her spell.

The elf is too weak to stand. I walk toward the kelpie and fist my hands in her hair. “Your power only works on someone with a soul, sweetheart. Better luck next time.”

I use my dagger to slice her throat, bathing myself in thick, black blood that covers my neck and face. I need to feed, it’s true. So I take a few swallows of the kelpie’s blood but the taste is too sour so I drop her dying body a moment later.

Cambion struggles to pull himself upright but he’s barely even breathing. Had we arrived any later, he’d be dead. Not that I think he deserves to live…

---