Page 141 of Storm of Fury
“Never thought I’d see this moment,” the bastard said. “Here you are with all your vaunted might, and you’re practically on your knees before me.”
Sirius’s eye narrowed.
Heat flashed through him as the storm inside him lashed out. His long hair whipped in the breeze. Magic couldn’t touch the bastard, but that didn’t mean Sirius couldn’t use it. Lifting his clenched fist, he tore rocks from the ground around him, huge, groaning stones lifting unsteadily out of the earth.
Illarion froze, his eyes narrowing as Sirius smiled through his teeth.
“Magic won’t touch you,” he said. “But it’s a shame you can’t fight off gravity.”
He flung the wave of rocks at the Void.
Illarion dodged, but one clipped his shoulder and he was spun off his feet, landing in the dirt.
Sirius took his time gaining his feet, flexing his shoulders as he fisted the spear. He glanced at its tip and sniffed the poison-coated blade. “Just so you know…. This will sting.”
He feinted forward and Illarion dodged, but the spear was never the real attack.
Sirius flung a hand and a rock smashed into the Void’s temple, throwing him backward. Illarion hit the ground, his senseless body catapulting over the edge of the mountain ruins and vanishing into darkness.
“One down.” Sirius smiled to himself.
Defeat me?
Never.
He turned to stalk Vadim.
His mother and the Void fought dramatically, their steel whirring in soft hands. Though Zorja had warned him about Vadim’s prowess, she’d clearly underrated herself. The Void was on the back foot, his face taut with fury as she pressed her attack.
Zorja grunted, shoving the spear deep into the Vadim’s shoulder. “I haven’t always done the right thing by Ishtar,” she grated out. “But I won’t let you hurt her.”
Vadim bared his teeth and then he drove himself forward onto the weapon, grabbing a fistful of Zorja’s shirt and hauling her toward him. It happened in an instant, and Sirius saw her gasp in shock as Vadim embraced her.
“Do you thinkyoucan stopme?” Vadim whispered, as Zorja fell back.
“Zorja?” Something wasn’t right. Sirius could see it in the way she swayed, her knees weakening.
And then his gaze dropped to the bloodied knife in Vadim’s hand. The knife he hadn’t seen until that moment.
Every inch of him went cold.
“Long live the queen,” Vadim mocked.
Blood dropped from Zorja’s fingers as one of her arms fell against her side. Each droplet hit the ground, and the echo it made ricocheted through Sirius’s chest.
Splash.
Splash.
Splash.
The beardeddrekifanatic bared his bloodied teeth at Sirius, before wrenching the spear from his shoulder. He kicked Zorja in the chest and she staggered backward, tumbling into Sirius’s arms.
“You only have time to save one, Blackfrost. Your mother…. Or the girl.” Vadim turned and walked into the humming whirlwind of power that lashed the portal, the bloodied spear in hand.
Sirius squeezed Zorja tightly as she collapsed against him. And then he saw the damage as she gasped, blood welling between the fingers she’d clasped over her chest. “No,” he said breathlessly.
No, no, no, no, no.
