Page 104 of A Trial of War
“Unlikely. Minaeve has siphoned Seamus’s magic for years. Taran’s mind likely belongs to her.”
Disgust curled in my stomach. A pang of guilt threatened to swallow me whole as I gazed at the horde assembled behind the false queen.
Daxton shifted his stance, drawing attention with ice glinting along Valencia’s edge. “Minaeve,” he said, “stand down. Withdraw your forces. This is your only chance for a surrender.”
She threw her head back and laughed. The sound echoed across the clearing like a cracked bell.
“Oh, Daxton,” she crooned when she caught her breath. “You sweet, delusional male. Even with your memories restored, you still offer this?”
She glanced back at Gilen, who huffed a laugh, shook his head, and shifted his weight to a relaxed stance as a smirk crossed his lips.
“Tell me…” Minaeve said, tilting her head back toward us, feigning concern. “Do you truly believe your little human allies will swoop in and save you?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
Minaeve flashed her teeth. “Oh, let me show you.” She reached into the folds of her golden-armored, chain-mail-covered gown, her fingers wrapping around something smalland silver. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed it onto the ground between us.
It fell with a soft metallic clink, a delicate silver feather on a chain.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
The world around me shrank. My focus narrowed to a razor edge as flames sparked along my palms. “Where is my cousin?”
“Cousin?” King Taran shook his head, eyes blinking like he was waking from a dream.
Minaeve narrowed her eyes at the king as her shadows swarmed him. “Nothing of note. It is a trick, husband. You remember how low they are willing to sink to gain the upper hand.”
Heat licked up my arms. My phoenix pushed against my skin so fiercely that it nearly took my breath away. Daxton moved closer—not to restrain me, but to help calm my magic.
Minaeve saw the fire in my hands and smiled like a wolf scenting blood.
“Oops,” she said sweetly. “Did I ruin the surprise?”
Flames curled up my forearms in bright, hungry tendrils. “Oh, Minaeve,” I said, voice shaking not with fear, but with fury. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
The clearing trembled beneath our feet as if Valdor itself was lashing out against the false queen. Caging my rage, I held the alpha’s dagger out between us, letting the brilliant steel blade catch the light of the rising sun.
Minaeve’s laugh cut through the rising tension. “A lone dagger?” she sneered. “You think you still have a chance in this fight? You think you’llwin?” Her eyes glimmered withcruel delight. “We have the Heart of Valdor, you stupid half-breed. What advantage do you believe you still have in this fight?”
I could feel the weight of the armies behind us as fists collided with shields, the paws, hooves, and feet of our army drumming in unison. Every second stretched. Every heartbeat hammered against my chest with the might of our people.
Her arrogance will be her undoing.
I let the corners of my mouth curve upward, keeping my voice steady.“Well then, let’s see who has viewed their last sunrise.”
I bent and threw the dagger high into the sky, and time seemed to slow. The blade spun in a perfect arc above us, catching the light and scattering it across the battlefield.
In the next breath, my muscles screamed as bone shifted, wings replaced my arms, and talons carved themselves from molten fire. I launched into the sky, flying toward my dagger.
I could feel the power in Daxton’s voice beneath me as he yelled, “For Valdor!”
In a silver flash, the alpha’s dagger disappeared, and in the next instant, it appeared in Gilen’s grasp.
The pulse of the pack bond blazed bright in my chest once more as it snapped back into place.
Gilen, the bravest amongst us, returned. Our spy sent beyond enemy lines, shouldering the heaviest burden I could ask someone from my pack to carry.
Istar didn’t even have time to register what was happening.
