Page 125 of A Trial of War
Minaeve’s cold eyes glimmered with triumph. “Come closer,” she said, her lethal voice cutting across the battlefield.
This was it. Minaeve was distracted, her attention solely on the imposter at her feet.
And thank the gods, my mate didn’t hesitate. From her elevated position along the mountainside, Skylar notched an arrow, her hands steady despite the chaos around us. Inhaling a deep breath, she drew back on her string, eyes locked and focused.
“For you, Daxton,”Skylar said, her arm steady, gaze locked on Minaeve’s blackened heart.
The arrow flew with a purpose, a force, a promise, aimed directly for Minaeve’s heart, if the vile creature even had one.
But… the arrow never hit its target.
My heart stopped, eyes widening as panic trickled along the bond from my mate.
Gods above, no.
With a flick of her wrist, the arrow froze mid-flight, suspended in the air like it had hit an invisible wall. Slowly, Minaeve summoned the arrow to her outstretched palm. Then, almost lazily, she plucked it from the sky as if it were a feather, her gaze never leaving the false Seamus before her.
My head snapped toward the Labyrinth at Minaeve’s feet. No.
My pulse quickened, my grip on Valencia tightening as the reality came crashing down like a tidal wave. Minaeve knew who she held in her grasp. Gods, the bitch knew. I frantically scanned the field for Seamus, but curse the gods, I was too late.
The real High Prince of Aelius emerged from the shadows, eyes blazing with revenge. He lunged at Minaeve with a surge of his magic as he tried to gain control of her mind. The force of their colliding powers sent a shockwave across the valley, knocking the air from my lungs and pushing me flat against the surrounding stone. Seamus was pouring every ounce of his hatred, his sorrow, his pain into this one blast of his magic.
He would never bend to Minaeve’s will again. She would have to kill him.
The earth cracked and splintered under the force of their colliding powers, a storm of will and magic that shook the ground beneath my feet. Blood dripped from Seamus’s nose and ears, his mind bending but refusing to break as he released a battle cry to the skies.
Hold on, Seamus.
I readied Valencia, the edge of my sword catching the fractured sunlight from the fading sun, as I forced myself onto my feet and charged toward them, every step pounding the earth like a war drum. Minaeve turned toward me, her expression calm, almost amused, and with a sweep of her hand, more fallen creatures appeared on the battlefield.
Twisted forms of shadow and shattered flesh stalked toward me, forcing me to alter my course. Their hollowed gazes set only on me as with the unholy magic of the false queen twisting through them.
Bearing down into my magic and steeling my senses, I cut through the fray, teleporting between the creatures and decapitating them one by one.
Minaeve could call upon the gods herself, and I would cut them all down to get to her. Arrows from Skylar soared through the space, meeting their mark as she guarded my back. Every swing of my sword sent creatures back to where it is they came, but for each one I destroyed, I swear two more took their place.
The ground beneath me rumbled with each impact of the shadow giants stomping through the battle beyond, their jagged fists smashing anything in reach.
Magnus roared from behind me, his massive bear form clashing with foes created by Minaeve’s magic. He was wounded, but still, he refused to give up.
Off in the distance, Gunnar released a war cry to rally our warriors, followed by roars and bellows of shifters still in this fight. And then, the call of human voices joined the chorus.
A pulse of hope fluttered in me once more, just before it shattered.
I turned just as Seamus cried and dropped to his knees. Ifelthis scream burrow down into the marrow of my bones, the dreadful horrors emerging from his throat carrying all his sorrow and regret. Minaeve only laughed, lifting her hand in a careless wave.
I gasped as the bright light in Seamus’s eyes flashed, then faded, and he collapsed onto the scorched ground beneath her feet.
“No!” The scream was a sound so raw it felt like it split the world.
I turned toward it instinctively, and there she was, collapsing onto the bloodied ground, her scream tearing through the roar of battle as she cradled her mate.
Gods above, I’d never heard anything like it. It was a sound pulled from somewhere deep, a place reserved for the severing of a piece of your soul.
Neera willed herself forward, stumbling as she ran to Seamus’s lifeless body. Tears streamed down her cheeks as shebent toward his neck, burrowing her face into him as sobs continued to tear through her.
“Pathetic,” Minaeve said. “I did you a favor, girl. Even after centuries, he still missed the mark.”
