Page 89 of The War of Wings
I couldn’t hold back the laugh that bubbled up my throat. “Yeah. Take off the mask.” I stood, giving her a nod before I turned for the door. Sleep was summoning me, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could deny its call.
But before I’d even made it halfway across the ballroom, the doors burst open. Miles prowled into the room, his dark eyes instantly falling on Cielle. The blood drained from his slackened face, assessing her up and down, the rows of bloodied cots behind us.
“I’m fine,” Cielle answered Miles’ silent question, but my attention was drawn away from Miles when Cal walked through the door, his face bloodied and bruised.
I gasped, rushing toward him as I unrolled the bandage around my hand. “What the fuck happened?”
Miles’ eyes tore away from Cielle to look at me. “Malosym.”
Chapter 35
Cal
While Petra healed wounds in the ballroom, I was witnessing a different kind of pain out here on the streets of Araqina. Women wailed, their screams echoing off buildings and dying in the darkened sky. Men crumpled to their knees, shaking with silent sobs. Children were whisked away, the adults who ushered them forward promising sweets and bedtime stories if they’d just keep their eyes closed.
I was running on nothing but adrenaline as I helped families locate their loved ones. Some reunions were happy. Many weren’t.
Dawn was creeping ever closer as bodies were cleared away and families were sent home to deal with the aftermath of the attack. The streets were empty. The world was still. I was alone.
For a moment, I simply stood there. I ignored the blood that had dried on the cobblestones, the awnings that had been torn from shops, and the potted plants that had beenoverturned. All of this, and the Occulti hadn’t even been in their true form. All of this, and Malosym hadn’t been at full strength.
With one final breath, I turned on my heel to make my way to the castle, but I was stopped when I saw a lone figure standing in the street.
“The Invisible King, not so invisible now.”
That voice cut through to the core of my soul. FuckingMalosym.
He was in his human form, just a handful of feet away. He looked so much like the man I’d come to respect as a father figure so long ago, but a faint blue glow seemed to cling to his outline. Wisps of smoke drifted from his skin, as if he were on the edge of having just enough power to inhabit another form. A smirk pulled up one side of his mouth, a single brow cocked.
“I’d say sorry about the city, but I never much liked Araqina anyway.City of the Saints,” he sneered, his lips pulled back over his teeth. “A load of rubbish.”
He didn’t flinch as I drew my sword and pointed it directly at him. He looked right past it, in fact. Right at me. My steps were slow as I circled him. Where could I strike him that would do the most damage? Maybe I couldn’t kill him, but I could make him bleed.
“Where is she?” he asked, his face the picture of nonchalance.
A humorless laugh escaped me. She was locked in the castle, healing the peoplehewas responsible for hurting. How much strength had he gained tonight? How much stronger was he now because of the pain he and the Occulti had caused?
“Ask nicely, and maybe I’ll tell you,” I taunted.
“Bring me to her, and this will all be over. I’ll restore the Saints’ Realm, Heaven, and Hell for you. I’ll make sure that life after death is restored. Your mother and Berna will have their cushy, beautiful life once again.”
“How dare you speak their names,” I spat, my anger burning hotter in my chest.
“Give me Petra, and give me the Human Realm, and I’ll make it so.”
“Come and fucking try to take her from me,” I snarled.
“As you wish.”
Malosym’s hand shot up and a band of blue light exploded from him. I raised Aegrabane just in time to somehow deflect the shot.For a fraction of a second, a mere heartbeat, I could’ve sworn his eyes widened in shock. But he recovered, pulling his arm back before pushing it forward again, another shot headed in my direction.
I swung Aegrabane again, and this time, Malosym’s power ricocheted from my steel. He managed to duck in time, though just barely. When he rose again, pure fury marked his face.
He stalked toward me, sending another shot of power, but it was weaker already.Good.Keep ‘em fucking coming. Maybe he’d weaken himself enough that I could land a blow, incapacitate him.
“We found him, you know,” I said, dodging another bolt. “We found Noros.”
“So did I. Why do you think we visited last night?” His power flowed more freely now, weakening with every strike. “He told you the truth, didn’t he?”
