Page 95 of A Court So Dark
I stood, my entire body quivering with rage.
Mythorne’s face betrayed surprise only for an instant at seeing everyone there. “It seems I wasn’t as careful as I thought. You will have to tell me later how you managed to infest my lands, thus I can make sure nothing of the sort ever happens again.”
Silver reclined against a tree, looking nonchalant. “Sure. We’ll tell you—not that it’ll do you any good. But as dying wishes go, I’ve heard of worse ones.”
I imagined Mythorne was talking about torturing every little detail out of us before he killed us, but I liked Silver’s interpretation better. It was six against one, after all. We could take him. And yet, the Unseelie King appeared unbothered. Why? What advantage did he have over us?
“Lay down your weapon.” Arabis’s Susurro command cut through the clearing. I felt it like a slithering caress against my skin, and if I’d had any weapons, I was sure I would have dropped them, even if the command wasn’t directed at me.
“I’m afraid I can’t oblige.” Mythorne appeared completely oblivious to Arabis’s powerful skill.
How?!
Silver pushed away from the tree, cocking his head to one side and regarding the Unseelie King with curiosity. Moving as swiftly as the wind, Silver shot a hand forward and released a stream of frigid ice. The current enveloped Mythorne, hiding him from view for a second, then shards of ice clinked to the ground, one after the other, leaving him standing there, untouched.
“What the hell?” I muttered.
“Anyone else cares to try?” Mythorne glanced toward Jeondar. “How about you, Prince Lywynn? That is who you are. Correct?”
Jeondar didn’t need another invitation. Hands moving in a blur, he created a large ball of fire and launched it at Mythorne. Like Silver’s magic, it enveloped him, then slid to the ground, melting the ice that lay at his feet and making a puddle of water.
Mythorne laughed. “Anyone else have any magic?” He glanced sideways in my direction. “You do, don’t you? What is it then? How did you kill Runik? Is it in your hands?”
“Come here and let me show you,” I spat.
Using his teeth, he removed one of his gloves and extended a hand toward me. “You’re welcome to try.”
I took a step forward.
“Dani, no,” Arabis warned.
Halting, I glared at Mythorne. He was trying to lure me closer, probably to catch me and use me as a bargaining chip. He wasn’t worried about my power because he was… immune to magic? Was that it?
But if that was the case, why had he been so careful to stay away from me? Was he susceptible to some types of magic and not others? If he was, I doubted he would take a chance to find out which type I possessed. He didn’t intend to let me touch him. That was clear. Either way, I was going to try.
For the pain he’d inflicted on Kalyll.
For Larina.
My hands inched closer.
“My blade can cut through your flesh as well as anyone else’s,” Kryn said, then lunged forward, sword high up in the air.
Mythorne twirled with grace, retrieving his sword from the ground as he made an impossible somersault. He landed, planting his feet on the ground and meeting Kryn’s blade with his. The sound of metal against metal rang through the trees.
The others jumped in, surrounding and attacking the Unseelie King with everything they had, while I could do nothing more than stand off to the side, hoping one of them would strike a blow. But as the seconds ticked by and Mythorne blocked each attack and delivered several of his own—not at all overwhelmed as he should be—I quickly lost hope.
Jeondar ducked. Mythorne’s blade whizzed a mere inch from the top of his head. Releasing a burst of fire, Jeondar hit his attacker’s sword. The extreme heat should have melted the weapon, but it seemed the magical immunity extended to it as well.
Unexpectedly, Mythorne kicked back, slamming his foot against Silver’s stomach. With the air knocked out of him, Silver staggered and crashed against the base of a tree. I ran to the side, ready to pour healing magic into him, but he shook his head.
“No. Save your energy. Shoot him with your light,” he hissed with what little breath was left in him.
What light? My battery wasn’t charged.
Taking huge breaths, Silver clambered to his feet, ready to go back in. Mythorne was moving just as fast, showing no sign of fatigue. In fact, he appeared even stronger, and a strange red aura had started building around him, forming an outline around his body.
“What is this?!” Somebody shouted from the side, and in seconds, we were surrounded by mounted Unseelie Court guards.
