Page 80 of When Storms Ruin

From the moment I found out I was a Stormshade, I had been fighting. I was utterly exhausted, my muscles sore, my resolve weary, my emotions fragile.

I glanced down at my chest and realized the wound had healed itself. Had it been my magic? Had pulling onthatamount of storm magic healed me?

“Yes, I can fight,” I replied, setting my jaw.

I swallowed back all the emotions threatening to drown me.

I couldn’t let these witches give their lives for me, as Tyr had, without fighting beside them. Fletcher was gone, but his numbers were still fierce. They battled on, and the sight of the dead bodies strewn across the cobblestone street had me swallowing back bile.

Tess helped me to my feet and gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze to steady me.

Stormslayer was tight in my grip once more, the weight of the dagger bringing me little comfort as the sounds of clashing metal and screams filled my ears.

My magic was utterly depleted, and I couldn’t even pull on it to push myself faster on the battlefield. When I dipped into the well of magic in my core, I feltnothing.

Blood and dirt smeared my face despite the driving rain my storm had brought on. My hair was wet and tangled, plastered to my face as I followed Tess, Nik, and Isaac back into the battle. Puck was somewhere among the fray, as were Liss, Warrick, Zion, Saanvi, and Kenna.

The battle was a mixture of Nightshade’s shifted into their animal form and those that preferred the sword and dagger. Everywhere I searched there was a new sight, whether it was a jaguar, wolf, bear, or tiger. Nik remained in his human form as he fought back-to-back with me, a second wind hitting me as I gripped Stormslayer in my fist.

These people were risking their lives formeand for the promise of a better future for Istmere, and they would not defeat us so easily. I was thankful thatDonika had chosen not to join this battle, and her Noctani and Araneoch were nowhere to be seen, either. Corian was noticeably absent as well.

I didn’t recognize any of the other soldiers as I cut them down, my mind numb with the chaos of battle. I felt like a robot as I went through the motions, pure adrenaline driving me.

We needed to survive this.

All of us.

We had been fighting for hours, but darkness still blanketed Prins, the sunrise nowhere in sight.

I wiped sweat from my brow with the back of my hand as we fought on, my eyes always searching to make sure Nik and Tess were safe. Isaac and Puck had drifted off into the melee of the battle, and I had lost sight of them quite some time ago. I prayed that they were safe, and that we would all make it out of this alive.

My thoughts kept traveling back to the witches I had killed, back to Tyr. But I shook my head to try to clear my thoughts and focus.

I would have time later to grieve.

To process.

Right now, I simply needed tomove.

“Behind you!” Tess called as the Nightshade before her fell to his knees beneath her blade.

I whirled around and ducked as a soldier’s sword swung over my head. One moment later, and it would have separated my head from the rest of my body. I ducked under the soldier’s arm, jabbing him in the back with my dagger. Hissword fell to the ground as he turned, his hand reaching out fast enough that I couldn’t stop it before it closed around my throat.

I sliced through his forearm with Stormslayer, and he withdrew with a hiss, stepping backwards right into Nik’s sword. He fell to his knees as Nik slid his sword free and the soldier fell among the rubble.

“Teamwork makes the dream work,” Tess called out, and I couldn’t help but shake my head and indulge her a little. Leave it to Tess to find a lick of humor in a situation such as this.

It was short-lived as another soldier stormed forwards, his sword raised against Nik. I turned to guard his back and realized the battlefield was…empty.

All the soldiers that had flooded this part of the street had either been killed already or fled.

Nik quickly dispatched the soldier, and I bent over, my hands on my knees to catch my breath. I had no idea how long we had been fighting for, but every ounce of energy had been sapped from my body, leaving me exhausted through and through.

“We have to go find the others,” Tess announced, joining us.

I nodded, swallowing. “Agreed.”

We could still hear scuffling from further down the street, the clang of swords sounding further off in the distance. The view was obscured by the smoke that still rose from the rubble of the burning buildings. They had been reduced toruins as Siraleth had, but my storm had stopped the fire from spreading further than this block and the next.