Page 157 of A Crown Without Mercy

“Alaric, go somewhere safe. I need you to listen to me without distractions.”

He looked around and ran across the garden and stood between one wall and a tall shrub. “This had better be fucking good,” he replied.

“I need the two of you to get to the library. There is another room behind the far wall.”

“What?” Calista and Alaric asked in unison.

“I’m with father and Cadell and we are coming. Now do exactly what I say.”

Sylvana turned back to her father. “How close are we to the castle?”

“About halfway. Do you have the energy to go the distance cloaked?”

“I do.”

Kundar, one of the Barouqe warriors, stepped before her. “Milady, I cannot allow you to go to the castle.”

“I am going,” she replied.

“I have my orders, milady. I will stop you.”

“I am the Acheron’s mate, and I am telling you to step aside.”Kadric, Cadell, Markus, and Leodion stepped closer to her. “You need to trust her,” Kadric said.

“We are not under your command. It is our duty to protect her at all costs and we will go through you if needed,” he threatened.

The four of them pulled their swords, and the Barouqe warriors followed suit.

Sylvana took a few steps back, turned around, rolled her shoulders and held out her hand. A small, flickering, iridescent blue light danced above her palm. She then closed her fist and threw it at a tree.

They watched in disbelief when the tree was consumed by what appeared to be a thin layer of ice wrapping itself around the trunk like the icy fingers of winter’s fist. The bark crackled and splintered and the sounds of shattering of glass cut through the heavy drops of rain drumming against the forest’s canopy.

After a moment of silence, Kundar stepped forward and nodded. “Milady, we will stand by your side, but you understand, it may cost us our lives for disobeying a direct order.”

She wrapped her hand around his forearm. “They will understand.”

He simply cocked his head and stared at her.

“I will make them understand.”

“I don’t believe anyone has that kind of power over them, not even you, milady.”

She glanced at her father and Cadell, who had the same look upon their faces.They do not believe I can intervene, either.She knew there was nothing she could say to convince them otherwise. She looked up at Kundar. “I can do this alone.”

“We will not leave your side, milady. We will either die at the hands of our enemies, or we will die at the hands of the Acherons, but we will not die as cowards.” He held out his hand and gave a slight nod. “Shall we dance amongst their frozen corpses, milady?”

She took his hand and nodded back. “We shall.”

Nicolai and Kieran were fighting side by side with Riordan as they carved their way through the barrier of slashing Faye blades; all the while, the battle outside was spilling over the walls when the Faye and Lycans managed to make it across the fields avoiding the warriors who followed closely behind. All around them was a whirlwind of chaos and violence; the smell of death contaminated the pure smell of the gardens, the sounds of war replaced the melodic sounds of the birds, and the earth beneath their boots was now discolored and slick from the blood, organs and bodies scattered throughout the kingdom.

Riordan looked over and noticed one Lycan in particular who was discretely walking between the tall stone wall and a row of bushes.Ranan,he said to himself. “Nicolai, Kieran—I’ve found Ranan,” he called out.

They rushed through the fray and surrounded him; Ranan rose on his hind legs, curled his leathery lips, and roared with such ferocity the ground rumbled beneath their boots.

Riordan spun his sword in a circle and then gripped the hilt with both hands and pointed it toward him. “We have finally come face to face, Ranan.”

Ranan looked at the resolute expressions on the brothers’ faces who had him pinned between them and the wall, and he knew facing them would be a losing battle. He spun around and tried to leap over the wall. However, the brothers lunged just as quickly, and the dank puddle of water splashed in all directions and the air exploded from his lungs when his back hit the ground.

Ranan snarled and growled, and his large jaws snapped at anything and nothing at all out of sheer panic.

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