Page 86 of Frost Like Night
I fumble with my magic. I used it to relocate the Winterians in Juli without touching them, but I was driven by pure instinct, and before I can let myself go enough to try with Nessa, a Cordellan howls and dives for me. Conall twists, blade clashing with the Cordellan’s.
I break free again, but Phil hears us running, or feels the ground shake, or senses my panic drawing near.
He has no problem using magic against us—which merely confirms that the Decay is in him. He launches his hand back at me. A knot of inky shadow barrels out of his fingers, polluting the air until it slams into me. I rear back into Conall just as he dispatches the Cordellan. Both of us go down, and Mather pauses, growls, and pushes himself forward.
A horn sounds, and shouts fill the air, feet stomping in a thunderous wave. But it’s the Autumnians fighting who scream in recognition as their countrymen pour into the area, more of our soldiers finally organized and called in. It won’t be long now—our numbers will overwhelm the Cordellans. Even behind Phil and Nessa, Autumnians appear, running toward them with weapons poised. They’ll save her—they’ll stop this.
I scramble against the ground to get to my feet. Magic swells out of me when my eyes find Nessa again, a command that burrows into her heart.
Go, GO! RUN!
Phil sees the Autumnians coming and rips a hatchet from a holster on his thigh. The weapon glints in his fist, and Nessa’s eyes widen.
She turns, intending to run toward the Autumnians.
But Phil launches forward, one step, just one, and reaches her first.
She isn’t a fighter. She’s my Nessa, she’smine, and Phil’s hatchet hooks into her neck before I can even start running again. But no, I don’t run—I wrap the magic around me and fling myself beside Phil, who grins wickedly, and Nessa just gapes. She’s confused, and shocked, and—
Her dagger clatters to her feet.
I slam my shoulder into Phil and send him thudding to the ground. His hatchet breaks free, trailing blood with it, and Nessa drops. I catch her, both of us falling.
The Autumnians surge around us, most barreling into the fight in the clearing, some pausing to survey that the enemy near us is down. But they keep going, even though I’m holding my whole world in my arms, watching it bleed out.
“Nessa!” I cry, magic gushing out of my body and into her, such waves of coldness that I know the ground around us has to be a swirl of frost and ice. “NESSA!”
Her head lolls against me. So much blood, not enough magic, so I pour more, but the magic just sloshes into her as blood flows out. I drive every speck of any power I have intoher, to be hers, please,please Nessa just take it, take anything you need, please Nessa—
I couldn’t save Garrigan, but I have to save you. Please, Nessa, let me save you.
Something moves. Phil.
He stands, snarling, but Mather, who stumbles up to him, saves me from having to kill him. No—Mathershouldn’t have to do this, he shouldn’t have this on his hands—
Conall heaves into Mather, who drops without a fight, eyes unblinking on Phil, lips parted as though he’s begging Phil to stop. But Phil doesn’t stop,can’tstop, so frenzied that he roars at me like a beast.
It’s Conall who pierces a blade into Phil’s chest, plunging it in to the hilt.
Mather’s hands go into his hair, a sob tearing from his throat that drowns my own.
Arms pull me back to Nessa. Arms that clamp around both of us, holding on so fiercely I think, almost, that we’ll be all right. We’re safe, safe in Conall’s arms, and she’ll be all right.
Conall’s tears drip onto my face but he just holds me tighter as I scream his sister’s name.
24
Ceridwen
CERIDWEN ONLY SAWthe end of the battle.
After the final meeting, she had gone to split her fighters into those who would leave and those who would stay behind. So she was with Lekan when the first shouts went up. Running across the camp when the horn blew out. Gasping at the edge of the clearing when the Autumnian reinforcements reached it, their support bringing the fight to a decisive end.
And then she was running again, to the main tent, leaping over fallen victims and dodging the last desperate attempts of dying Cordellans to strike her down. She flew into the tent, only to see it empty, the table where they had made their battle plans still littered with maps.
Ceridwen whirled and ran again, the rank air that always came with a fight scraping down her throat.
Jesse hadn’t left with her. He’d stayed to helpCaspar—he’d stayedhere, in this tent, on the edge of a clearing that had all too recently been filled with joy and music.
