Page 5 of Into the Dawn
“We cannot waste any more time arguing,”Teje snapped. “Bastion just reported that there is another group of intruders searching for them by the caverns. They are safe for now, but the rogues seemed to be aware that the trio is in the area. Go, Sonin. Take a group and collect our younglings. Dom, we are sending aid to you and Ronan now. Good hunting.”
Dominic cut the connection before they could demand he promise to stay hidden since he had no intention to do so. While that would have been a lot smarter, he wouldn’t risk his brother’s well-being by waiting. They were warriors, born and bred to fight. More than that, as princes, they had a responsibility todefend their kingdom. The weight of that duty was a reminder of the legacy they were meant to uphold.
Every decision they made was influenced by the need to safeguard their kingdom and their people, but their first priority was—and always would be—each other. The bond between the brothers was unbreakable, forged through their intrinsic connection and shared experiences. They were a vital extension of one another, and after the loss of their other brother Eron, Dominic and Ronan understood one undeniable truth.
They would live or die together.
Even though Ronan was blocking him from feeling his pain, Dominic could still feel an echo of it through their bond. He didn’t want to distract him so he didn’t reach out to speak to him. Still, he tried to monitor his brother to assess just how bad the situation was.
There was unmistakably a coup unfolding within their kingdom, but the mechanics of the power struggle were beyond his immediate concern. He trusted that his fathers and mother, with their wisdom and experience, would figure that out.
At the moment, his sole focus was on survival.
He debated trying to slip past the rogues unnoticed but quickly realized that would be impossible. And since they were thoroughly searching the area rather than moving on, it wouldn’t take them long to discover where he was hiding either. Pulling a knife from the sheath on his vest, he rose up behind the closest rogue and covered his mouth as he slit his throat.
The surprise attack went unnoticed as Dominic carefully lowered the body to the ground without making a sound. The wind shifted and gave him a subtle warning. Spinning around, he flung the knife in his hand at the male who had been sneaking up behind him. The rogue let out a gargling sound as he gripped the hilt of the blade buried deep in his chest, then he collapsed on the ground.
Alerted by the sound, the remaining rogues raced toward him. Dominic brandished his sword and prepared himself for battle. He’d wanted to make quick work of defeating his foes, but that was turning out to be more difficult than he’d first believed. The males he faced were highly skilled. There was no doubt about that.
But the way they moved was familiar.
Too familiar.
He’d never seen the males before, but the way they fought was in the style that all the warriors of the Western Forest used.
That indicated they undeniably had traitors within their ranks.
His blood boiled at the thought of that, and he used the rage he was feeling to strike out with renewed fervor. The fight was relentless, a whirlwind of chaos and violence. He managed to kill a few more, but his victory had taken too damn long.
He hated to admit it, but his energy was depleting fast. While he hadn’t been severely wounded, blood seeped from the cuts on his exposed flesh. He also felt the brutal punch of the bruises left behind on his body.
His friends had created the leather vest and pants he was wearing using their magic. The impenetrable clothing helped protect all of his vital organs, but it couldn’t shield him from everything. He had long-sleeved tunics made of the same material, but he hated the feeling of his arms being restricted, which was why he rarely wore them.
He was deeply regretting that now.
One of the last remaining males was a big brute with arms the size of tree trunks. He tried to grab hold of Dominic from behind, but he was able to evade him. His muscles strained and burned with the exertion of the fight, but he pushed through the pain and fatigue, determined to finish it as quickly as possible.
His brother was depending on him, and failure was not an option.
Before he could deliver a fatal blow, he had to spin away to block a vicious swipe to his side from the other rogue. He dove into a tumbling roll, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike. As he regained his feet, he swiftly countered and killed his opponent. With an enraged shout, the big brute attacked again.
The clash of steel rang out as they faced off. Each time he blocked another sword strike, his arms vibrated from the sheer force of the blows. Dominic was finally able to defeat him with a vicious swipe across his opponent’s belly. When the rogue fell, the silence that followed was almost deafening, a stark contrast to the cacophony of the battle he’d won. Not sparing his fallen foe another glance, he broke into a run, determined to reach his brother.
As he raced through the dense forest, the rhythmic pounding of his heart echoed in his ears. Every step he took felt like an eternity, and the distance seemed to stretch on endlessly. He desperately wanted to reach out to Ronan and push past the block, but he didn’t want to distract him.
It was enough to know that his brother was still breathing.
As the distant sounds of fighting grew louder, he pushed himself harder, summoning every ounce of strength he had to run faster. His legs burned, and his sword felt heavy in his hand, but he ignored that discomfort.
The forest was usually a place of solace and comfort for him, but now it felt like a labyrinth of doom. As he raced toward the fight, he was so focused on getting to his brother that he almost missed the attack coming at him from the side.
He reacted just in time to block the arrow that had been aimed at his head, then he swatted away several more using his sword. Another group of attackers had been waiting for him to arrive. When the males raced out of the shadows toward him,he mentally cursed. Despite their ragged attire, these males were clean, fit, and ready to fight. Most of them were wearing masks over the lower half of their faces, which told him they must be people he knew or was familiar with.
That enraged him even as it broke his heart a little.
To borrow a phrase from his friends from the Sands, this was turning out to be a clusterfuck of epic proportions. The attack was proof that their kingdom had been infiltrated by the enemy. After the events of the day, he wasn’t surprised by that revelation. However, now that all the pieces were finally coming together to give him a clearer picture, he realized just how foolish they had been.
The attacks hadn’t been random. It was a war of attrition, designed to wear them down individually. Their adversaries had meticulously planned their moves to trap all of the Karos males, and it had worked. While they had been caught unaware, they would not go down without a fight.
