Page 203 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
She slid her weapon down and spun around him, dodging his wings as he twirled toward her. Kallie raised her dagger, and Armen blocked her attack. In his haste, he had ignored her other weapon. The curved blade slid across his thighs, and Armen collapsed, his knees striking the ground.
"You always did have a hard time kneeling," Kallie retorted. "Or at least, that’s what Myra told me."
Snarling, Armen tried to stand, but his legs folded beneath him. "That bi?—"
Kallie tugged Armen’s head back, cutting him off. "Bite your tongue, or I will cut it out for you."
Armen laughed, the delirium sparkling in his eyes and twisting his mouth into a smirk. "You think you’ve won, don’t you?" he asked as Kallie pressed the point of her dagger against his chest.
"Look around you, Armen." Kallie tipped her chin toward Rian, who now held the upper hand in his battle against his brother. "Sebastianwill be dead soon. You’ve lost."
Armen chuckled. "Oh, but he is just a pawn. We all are. Can’t you see that?"
Kallie scoffed. "You are more delirious than I thought."
His smirk curled into a smug smile. "You don’t know. Do you?"
"Know what?" Kallie asked.
He threw his head back and fell into a fit of laughter. Mangled words slipped out. His veins became more prominent and turned a vibrant blue. Spit dribbled down his chin.
Kallie shouted at him, but no answer came.
His laughter overtook his body, and he convulsed, slicing his throat on Kallie’s blade.
Kallie gaped as collapsed at her feet.
Her stomach churned, and she quickly looked away, only to find Sebastian swinging for Rian’s neck.
Kallie screamed out a warning as she sprinted.
Rian ducked, then swung out his leg, tripping Sebastian.
"I trusted you," Rian said, hovering over Sebastian, "yet you betrayed me. You stole my throne, my kingdom. You turned my people into test subjects!"
Sebastian pushed himself up and glared at his brother. "They should have never been yours to begin with! I should have been king. I should have been the one to rule. You were always the weak one!"
"It didn’t have to come to this," Rian countered, his sword lowering an inch. "It still doesn’t. Yield, Sebastian."
The prince huffed. "It was always going to come to this."
A flash of silver caught Kallie’s eye, and she lunged.
She wrenched Sebastian’s hand back moments before he drove a broken blade into Rian’s thigh. Kallie ripped the blade from his hand and pressed it against the prince’s back.
Sebastian tugged, but Kallie’s grip didn’t budge.
He tipped up his chin. "I will never yield to you, so do it. Kill me."
"I don’t want to do this. You’re mybrother," Rian said, his hand trembling.
Sebastian scoffed. "Even now, you’re weak. You are not fit to be a king. You never have?—"
Kallie slapped her hand over her mouth as Rian drove his sword through Sebastian’s side.
Rian dropped to his knees. He grabbed Sebastian and held him against his chest. A streak of tears ran down Rian’s cheek.
On shaking legs, Kallie stood and looked out. All around them, the sounds of war continued to ring.
