Page 124 of A Trial of War
It was as if the gods themselves were colliding on the battlefield. With our forces trying to avoid death, following in their wake.
The battlefield erupted into chaos as two monstrous armies clashed, stone and shadow against twisted flesh and darkness.
“Minaeve!” the Labyrinth, posing as Seamus, called out, appearing beside us.
We were laying a dangerous trap. With Istar gone, she was weak, lost perhaps without her twin for the first time incenturies. We would play to that grief and seize the opportunity Gilen granted us with Istar’s death.
“Come to me,” Minaeve called, voice sharp as steel and impossible to ignore. “Now!”
The Labyrinth stiffened in Seamus’s form, straining against the pull as if invisible chains tugged at him.
“Now, Neera. Bring him,”I called out to Skylar’s cousin, praying this plan would work.
“My queen,” the Labyrinth said, creating a distraction as I ducked behind large boulders at the base of the mountain with Magnus at my side.
Minaeve’s hand lifted higher as shadows swirled around the Labyrinth. “Kneel. And offer your magic.”
The Labyrinth writhed, his body quivering with the effort to resist the queen’s magic. But still, he managed to take a slow, deliberate step forward, kneeling just as she asked.
He was the perfect distraction.
“Now, Spitfire.”
Skylar crept into position, her bow at the ready with an iron-tipped arrow in place. If the Labyrinth fell under Minaeve’s control before she took her shot, the battle would tilt in the false queen’s favor.
Magnus growled beside me, drawing my attention, his shoulders convulsing as he shifted. His breath came in uneven gasps as the wound along his side was now gushing blood. The spark of life faded in his eyes.
Gods, no.
My stomach twisted in knots at the sight of his injuries. There was nothing I could do.
A heavy wave of panic and sorrow sank into my chest, emotions that were not mine, but my mate’s. I tilted my head, watching Skylar’s gaze dart to her uncle. A spark of fear ignited in her heart at the sight of him in this state, and a touch of self-loathing for not having noticed it sooner.
Magnus looked at his daughter and shook his head, mouthing"No."
Skylar swallowed heavily, tears threatening to fall as she bravely nodded and continued her path toward a higher position along the base of the mountain.
My heart broke for my wife. But I could see the pain Magnus had been carrying. He returned to help his daughters, but his heart still lay with his mate. And if death was calling for him, he would answer.
Thankfully, Minaeve’s focus centered on the false Seamus and powering her shadow giants. These mere minutes were all we had, and we needed to take advantage of each one.
“I’m almost there, Daxton!”the true High Prince of Aelius said into my mind as he raced toward the front.
“Hurry, Seamus.”
Around us, the shadow rock giants moved with deadly purpose, scattering what was left of our army, crushing anything in their path, and forcing the Labyrinth’s children to regroup and focus their attacks on Minaeve’s creations.
But this was exactly what we wanted.
Chapter Fifty-One
Daxton Aegaeon
My ears rang from the roars of monsters and the clash of steel.
I tightened my grip on Valencia, muscles flexed, ready to spring into action and kill the false queen myself. In fact, nothing would bring me more satisfaction than to slay the monster with my bare hands, feeling her final breath slip from those cursed lips, and then watch her corpse ignite and disappear within my mate’s flames.
The Labyrinth, posing as Seamus, stumbled slightly as he knelt before Minaeve, and I had to admit, his act was convincing. He lowered his gaze, the shadows around him twisting as if he truly were under the influence of her blood oath.
