Page 96 of Oath of War
The agonised roar of a bies shocked me into awareness, and I looked around, confused.
I’m alive. How the fuck am I still alive?
I frowned as I inspected my arms. Flakes of dried blood fell from their unblemished surface, the strange symbols drawn there by the old hedge witch now nothing more than a faint memory.
‘Arachne?’ I called out to the goddess, but her presence was gone from my mind. Only silence answered my call.What did she do?I wondered, knowing the Dark Mother had done more than show me an ancient spell.
It was then that the surrounding devastation registered in my dazed mind. Where countless undead had scrambled forward, piles of smouldering ash now lay. I whispered my gratitude to Martha and the matrons that made it possible; I had made some progress in repaying their sacrifice, but until I watched the light in the Lich King’s eyes die, I would hold this life debt close to myheart.
‘Annika, watch out! One survived the lightning,’ Bryna shouted, and I instinctively ducked, narrowly avoiding the claws of a striga that had somehow fought past my guards.
‘Asaro!’
The word came to my lips without conscious thought, and I felt my magic stop the monster’s double heart.
‘Fuck,’ I muttered, unsure what had just happened, only now noticing the dendritic marks only a thunderstrike could have left on the ground.Did Vahin ...and how the hell did I miss it?I shook my head, but the memories of the last few moments were hazy at best.
‘One thing at a time, Ani,’ I mumbled, deciding to deal with it later. I may have obliterated the undead, but this battle was far from over, and I still had more work to do.
As we moved forward, it became more of a trek as monsters threw themselves in our way, abandoning their previous targets. Every time I’d glimpsed the enemy leaders, the Moroi generals pointed towards me, and a horde of monsters descended upon us.
‘Brace!’ Bryna barked out the command as we neared the sigil. Several women rammed their spears into the ground while others locked shields, creating a thorny wall in front of three charging biesy.
Before the beasts could reach us, the ground shook as the cataphracts rammed into them. The sound was deafening, a thunderous collision, followed by the screaming of monsters, animals, and men. I watched as the enormous bison-like creatures were flung metres away—yet even as they hit the ground, the biesy were back on their feet, claws swiping at their attackers.
I saw a flash of gold as I glanced at the lead rider and realised that King Reynard was commanding the unit. I couldn’t help butbe impressed as his sword crashed down to parry a monster’s deadly onslaught. Our gazes met briefly, and he nodded before the swipe of a clawed paw almost injured his horse.
‘Hold your ground, protect the mage!’ he roared.
I cursed at my distraction, remembering why I was there. Runes covered the ground in front of me, gleaming with potential, ready to explode into action the moment I completed the spell. As Bryna and her warriors dealt with any attackers that made it past the cataphracts, I slogged across the muddy ground to reach its centre, tracing the soft hum of stored power emanating from its lines.
Deep groves were burnt into the ground so thoroughly that not even a vicious battle had erased them. The complexity of the spell was a genuine marvel, designed for it to withstand appalling damage.
The rest of the spell was a master class in controlled destruction, far beyond anything I could create. Its focus concentrated on shaping hundreds of explosions in one direction whilst also supporting the soon-to-be walls of the new pass.
‘I’d hate to be on the other side of this pass,’ I muttered, unable to hold back a grin.
‘You can do it, yes? I mean, do you have any power left?’
I wiped the sweat from my forehead, startled when I saw Katja’s frown inches from my face. I had completely forgotten she was with us, but somehow, she’d managed to get here safely.
‘Yes, I can do it ... That is, IthinkI can do it,’ I said when she leaned back. ‘But you can’t help me here, so go to Bryna. You’ll be safer there, and you could help the injured.’
‘Do you really see me leaving? We have three healers in that wall of steel and stubbornness, so don’t even bother trying to send me away.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘You’re queen of the fuckingdead. I thought you’d burn us all and that your dragon would finish the rest, but your fire only engulfed the monsters.’
Katja laughed before continuing. ‘I don’t know how you did it, but if the dark fae aren’t on their knees worshipping your arse after this, I’ll bang their heads together.’ She passed me one of her potions. ‘Drink this. Someone has to be here to catch you when you finally crash and fall, and I bet it’s going to be spectacular.’
The stench of death hung around me, but Katja was smiling. It caught me off guard—her expression. My down-to-earth friend radiated something I’d never thought to see from her during this war: hope. Maybe for the first time since meeting her all those years ago, she wasn’t expecting everything to go to shit.
‘Look, you’re right, but there will be an earthquake, and gods know what else.’ I hesitated before revealing what was gnawing at me, ‘Katja, I used death magic. The spell was supposed to claim my life, but it didn’t, and I don’t know ... I don’t know what price I’ll have to pay for that.’
She paled but grasped my hand, locking it around the vial. ‘I don’t care. It’ll be alright ... but if it isn’t, I still don’t care. I choose you. You may have scared the shit out of me when your eyes turned black, and you may have pulled necromancy out of your arse, but it doesn’t matter because you are my friend. So drink the damn potion, and let’s rock this world!’
Her touch, caring and without a hint of hesitation, soothed my fears. I tipped back the bottle and let the burning liquid flow down my throat, gasping as it took my breath away.
‘What’d you give me, bloody moonshine?’ I coughed out when I could speak again.
She shrugged. ‘Damn right, I did. You needed some liquid courage. And for the record? I can defend myself.’
