Page 40 of The Crown of the Last Fae Queen
Let me taste some fae blood, the sword said.
A scream ripped from her throat as the sword dragged her forward, controlling her body and forcing her arm up to slash against the nearest person—Vidar.
The blade cut straight toward his chest, but Vidar simply grasped the sharp edge of the blade with a single, shadowed hand, his eyes glowing sinisterly. He held it in place, even as sword tried in vain to pull away.
“Do not think you can draw my blood,” he snarled.
“I’m not—I’m not doing it,” Kolfinna shouted through the rising panic as her body moved on its own, trying to yank theDød Sværdfrom Vidar’s grip.
“Calm yourself.” Vidar stared at her levelly and from the corner of her vision she could see the other three generals watching with renewed interest. “Fight off the sword’s control.”
“How?”
“Your will must be strong. Resist its control.”
That was easy for him to say; he wasn’t the one being thrown around left and right by the wicked blade. Tears of frustration pricked her eyes and when Vidar finally released his hold on the blade, theDød Sværdswung in a different direction, dragging her body with it as it launched toward Freyja.
The fae female leaped back, her moves swift as she ducked, dodged, and moved away from the sword’s reach. Even in a dress, she was able to move gracefully. Kolfinna fought the rise of dark energy within herself. She could feel the lull of darkness pulling at the edges of her heart, swaying her toward the chanting of death
These people had imprisoned her.
They deserved to die.
She tried banishing those thoughts, but they appeared again. Just like last time, when the sword had whispered those dark thoughts to her. It was already corrupting her mind like she had feared.
This one’s blood will be tasty, the gravelly voice returned with sardonic glee.She carries a child. How fun will it be to slice it into ribbons?
A jolt of coldness brought her back to her senses and away from those evil, cursed thoughts. She stared at Freyja, who didn’t appear pregnant at all. She moved with ease, but all it would take for the sword to leech her mana was one mistake, one trip and she could lose an arm, or the sword could jab straight into her belly. The thought horrified Kolfinna.
“Please,” she begged the woman. “Please stop fighting it!”
The corner of Freyja’s mouth curved. “Don’t worry about me, Kolfinna. I am more capable than I look.”
“You don’t understand?—”
“You are stronger than the control of the sword.” Right when the sword was about to slash at her chest, Freyja yanked a dagger out from her sleeve and deflected it with her own blade. She grinned. “I am not so weak as to fall from this blade.”
They exchanged blow after blow, the sword forcing Kolfinna’s body to fight against Freyja. The more they fought, the more frustrated theDød Sværdbecame. Its attacks grew in intensity, and Kolfinna tried with all her might to stave off the bloodlust that was seeping into her mind and body.
“This isn’t working,” she could hear Agnarr say in the background.
“She will learn to wield it,” Vidar replied back icily.
“She’s not able to resist its control. She needs to grow stronger, first, so she doesn’t fall for its call.”
“Agnarr, what are you suggesting?”
She didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, because Rakel jumped in front of Freyja in the nick of time and held her hands up to catch the brunt of the sword’s attack. Her hands were swathed in inky shadows and she grimaced as the sword landed on her palms. Kolfinna could already see the shadows thinning on her hands as theDød Sværdleeched her mana.
“Rakel, what are you—” Vidar began.
“Apologies, Commander, but I need to speak to her.” Rakel shifted on her feet as the sword applied pressure, pushing her back. She stared at Kolfinna with narrowed eyes. “Kolfinna, I know you’re panicking right now, but you need to calm down. The sword belongs to the heir—toyou—so don’t let it control you.”
“It’s not easy.” Her lower lip wobbled. “It wants me to kill everyone?—”
“I know, I know.” She flashed her a grin. “But remember, this sword is meant for the fae. It has a harder time controlling you than it does other people.”
A gust of wind blew against her hair, whipping it to the left, drying her teary eyes. “What do you mean?”
