Page 103 of A Legacy of Storms and Starlight

The prince shrugged. “He didn’t say. Just that I’m to bring you to him using any means necessary.” He tapped a finger against his chin, as if he were recalling some long-forgotten memory. “I believe his exact words were,bring me that little whore no matter what.”

Raif growled. He lunged for Jesper, dangerously close to Zack. Faster than Zylah could blink, Jesper had Arnir’s vanquicite sword in his hands, bringing it down to clash against Raif’s.

Zylah didn’t know where to look. At Raif, moving around Jesper faster than she could keep track, or at Zack, perilously close to the blades swiping at each other.

Jesper’s sword came down as Raif pivoted out of the way, grazing the dirt beside Zack. Zylah pushed again at her abilities and felt the wounds on her back begin to knit together slowly. But she still couldn’t evanesce, not yet. Kopi hadn’t moved from her shoulder, as if he were telling her to stay where she was.

Holt was one step ahead of her again. The second Jesper moved away from Zack, Holt evanesced to her brother and brought him back to the cabin. Holt summoned vines and roots from the forest floor, all in an attempt to make Jesper lose his footing, but nothing got close to him with the vanquicite ring.

Zylah still felt those eyes on them all, watching, waiting. As if the sprites were holding their breath. And she wondered why they still hadn’t intervened, what made them decide when to help and when not to. Holt had told her they responded to his magic; did they recoil from Jesper?

Saphi took another step closer as Holt darted around the perimeter, building and lowering walls from the forest to trap Jesper, but Raif barely landed a blow. Jesper moved faster than anything Zylah had ever seen, the vanquicite blade nicking and slicing at Raif so frequently little welts of blood pooled across his shirt.

Jesper was toying with him, trying to tire him out. Holt evanesced closer, his sword raised to strike the prince, but Raif spun, his sword slicing Jesper’s arm just as the prince pivoted away. He touched a hand to the blood, his eyes darkening as he glared at Raif.

Zylah held her breath. Even Kopi seemed transfixed, claws digging into her shoulder, but she didn’t care. Saphi had grabbed her wrist again, holding so tight it would bruise.

“Raif, please,” Rose begged, as Holt tried to get closer to Jesper.

Zack’s hand slipped into Zylah’s, and she didn’t dare let out her breath. Not until Raif was away from Jesper.

“Stay out of it,” Raif spat, swinging again at Jesper.

Holt landed a strike to Jesper’s arm, but the prince didn’t baulk, his attention fixed entirely on Raif.

“Take him, Holt, please,” Zylah whispered. Away from here, away from all of this. Anywhere Raif would be safe.

Holt’s green eyes met hers for a moment. “We’re not leaving you.”

That wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear. Zylah’s lungs burned. Her head was pounding from pushing against her abilities, and she swiped at tears she hadn’t realised had fallen. Jesper’s sword sliced into Raif’s thigh, and Holt surged forwards on a tree root, sword raised. But Jesper slammed him back with nothing but his fist.

Raif lunged for the prince, but Jesper saw him coming, disarming Raif so fast Zylah couldn’t work out how he’d done it. Her breath left her in a half sob, half gasp, and she pushed and pushed, willing her body to evanesce, to reach him, to get him away from there.

Rose was screaming as Raif fought with his bare hands, swinging blows at Jesper that were never going to land. Zylah couldn’t take her eyes off Raif. Holt moved at the edge of her vision, just as Raif cried out. Just as Jesper’s sword slid out of Raif’s abdomen.

“Raif!” Zylah screamed.

He fell to his knees in the dirt, one hand pressed against the wound, his eyes fixed on Zylah’s. Jesper grabbed him by the collar, lifting him into the air as if he were nothing. Holt evanesced beside him, but Jesper shoved him back with that preternatural strength, his gaze on Zylah.

A sickening grin spread across Jesper’s face. “Marcus sends his regards.” His fangs sank into Raif’s neck, tearing away flesh.

Zylah’s world tilted as Raif slumped to the forest floor.

Chapter Forty

Someone was screaming. Zylah thought it was Rose, but then she realised it was her. Both of them. Saphi was holding onto her, pulling her and Rose back, Zack at her other side. Holt was shouting something, but all Zylah could do was push and push against her abilities. She had to get to him; she had to reach Raif. She couldn’t hear his breathing from this far away, couldn’t hear his heart.

She pushed again and felt the hands that were holding her fall away into nothing as she closed the distance between her and Raif, passing through the aether to reach him. But something slammed into her when she reappeared beside Raif. Or tried to. It was a wall of vines. No, not a wall, a cage, spreading over Raif’s body everywhere she reached for him.

“Holt, stop it,” she screamed, tears blurring her vision as she clawed at the roots and vines.

A hand landed on her shoulder. “It isn’t me,” Holt rasped.

Zylah looked on in horror. It was the sprites. And they’d chosen this moment to intervene, to trap Raif with Jesper, away from her.

She clawed and clawed at the roots until her fingernails split, screaming Raif’s name. If she stopped, she’d be admitting it was over. And she couldn’t. Couldn’t breathe at the thought—

“Zylah,” Holt said softly, touching a hand to her arm, but she smacked him away.

---