Page 83 of Blood Weaver
Ronan writhed atop his horse, his face contorting in agony as his blood turned against him, a marionette to my grim puppetry. His soldiers slowed and confusion etched their faces as their leader faltered. My intrusion into his body was an intimate violation of his formidable strength that left him vulnerable and exposed.
I couldn’t hold him long, though. I hadn’t practiced blood magic in many years due to my need to hide. But I managed to hold him long enough for the Valorians to capitalize on the distraction.
Caelan, ever the astute warrior, noticed the pause in Ronan’s assault and with a swift series of motions, disarmed another assailant before turning his attention to the debilitated leader of the Crimson Clan. He approached Ronan with his sword at the ready, his eyes not on his enemy but on me as recognition dawned within them.
“Leila?” he called out, his voice a mixture of disbelief and realization. “No …Lyanna?”
I ignored him and yelled as I tightened my hold on Ronan. “Hurry!” But Silas was quicker, and he took advantage of Caelan’s distraction to jump in front of Ronan to shield his friend and leader.
With a grunt I released my grip and Ronan tumbled off his horse. He landed with his face turned toward me; a face filled with pain and betrayal as he fixed his gaze on me and tried to stay conscious. “Why?” he muttered.
“Why?” I scoffed. “As if you don’t know!” I growled. “Weren’t you planning to sacrifice me to the demon fox?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. As Ronan and I were in the center staring at one another, everything else seemed to fall away, even as the battle continued to rage around us. Silas and Caelan fought while the rest of Ronan’s men protected their vulnerable leader against the Valorian army.
“Let me explain,” he groaned, but I held up a hand to stop him.
My voice was cold. “No need. Mykal told me everything.”
He frowned. “Mykal?” he asked in confusion and then realization dawned. “The commander of the Keldaran army?”
I nodded. “He told me everything. I won’t fall for your lies anymore.”
Just then, one of the Crimson Clan soldiers charged toward me with his sword drawn. I narrowed my gaze and waited until he got closer.
“No!” Ronan shouted. “Stop!”
But his soldier didn’t listen. His attention was fixed solely on me—the threat against their leader. Once he got closer, I reached out my hand and gripped his blood, seizing him in his tracks. With a fling of my wrist, I tossed him across the battlefield.
Ronan's face paled as he witnessed my raw display of power and the truth that lay bare between us. Breathing heavily, I stood with my chin raised as the potent energy of my blood magic crackled like static around my fingertips.
His warriors hesitated and fear overtook their earlier fervor. They knew, as Ronan did, that the battlefield had shifted with my revelation. I was no mere pawn to be played—I was a queen on this chessboard of war, with powers they couldn't begin to comprehend.
Murmurs flooded through the ranks of Valorian soldiers at my display of power.
“She’s the lost princess!”
“We found her!”
“The healer Leila is the princess!”
Ronan struggled to his knees with ragged breaths, his gaze never straying from mine. “Leila—Lyanna,please,” he said, his voice strained. “You must listen to me. Mykal is the deceiver here, not me.”
The urge to unleash another wave of blood magic was strong. I wanted to make him pay for his betrayal, for the manipulation, for making me a part of his schemes. But something held me back. A flicker of doubt? Or was it the last strand of the connection we once shared?
“Silence!” I commanded, my voice laced with power. “Your words are poison, Ronan. There's nothing you can say to untangle the web of lies you've woven.”
Around us, the clash of steel and the cries of the fallen continued, a stark reminder of the chaos Ronan helped orchestrate. I turned my back to him, ready to join Caelan and put an end to this, but Ronan's next words halted me.
“Lyanna, the demon fox … it’s not what you think. I was trying to protect you—”
“Protect me?” I whirled around, my indignant anger flaring. “By marking me for a demon? You have a strange way of showing you care, Ronan.”
He grimaced and had the grace to look ashamed. “That … was an accident. I didn’t mean to. I was caught up in the moment. I would never hurt you!”
I scoffed. “As if I’d believeyou.” I was about to turn back around when I saw a flicker of movement, then watched in horror as Caelan bypassed Silas and charged toward Ronan, who was still on his knees.
I don’t know why I did what I did, but my actions turned the tide.
