Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
“What are you thinking?”
He was quiet for a long time, as if he hadn’t heard me. “Haldir isn’t going to stay on the field with the others. He’s going to come straight here—for your queen.”
“I made sure she has one of the strongest blades.”
“I admire Queen Rolfe for her bravery, but all the courage in the world won’t be enough to defeat him. I doubt she’ll survive.”
“I wouldn’t underestimate her.”
“I’m a skilled fighter and I’m Necrosis—and he almost ripped my head off my shoulders.” He turned to look at me, his bruised face solemn. “I’m the one who should fight him.”
“We have the dragons for that.”
“We can’t depend on that, Elora. Not until they’re here.”
“Well, I can help you.”
“No.”
“Two is better than one—”
“I’m not letting you anywhere near him. But you can grab a bow and shoot him with Ice.”
I nodded in agreement. “That’s a good plan.”
“Hopefully we can kill him before his horde breaches the gate.”
“What makes you so certain they will?”
A foot taller than me, he had to tilt his head down to examine. The coldness in his eyes didn’t come from his heart, but his sense of hopelessness. “Because there’s way more Necrosis than last time.”
HeartHolme was prepared for war.
The archers lined the walls with all the Ice arrows I could make. Soldiers were on the ground outside the gate, ready to fight the Necrosis that broke through the volley of arrows. Commander Dawson had been slain, so Ian took his place and issued our orders throughout the castle. Queen Rolfe was still and silent, as calm as she looked when she sat upon her throne. Night had fallen—and that was when we knew they were coming.
I thought the last battle of HeartHolme would be our final one, but I hadn’t been nearly as nervous as I was now. There was a lot on the line, not just my family, but the man I loved—and his soul. The breeze moved across my face but not over my hair like it usually did. I pulled it back into a bun, something I almost never did, because I couldn’t afford a single mistake.
Queen Rolfe had her thick hair interwoven with feathers, wound into a long braid down her back. It was elegantly done, but it was also functional. The black armor fit her body perfectly, covering every vulnerability but keeping its fluidity at the same time. She stood there with her hands together at her waist, waiting for the battle to arrive on her doorstep.
The scout called from the wall. “They’re coming.”
The bonfires in the field lit up their approach. “How many?” Ian called.
The scout stared for so long it didn’t seem like he’d say anything. “Too many to count.”
Fuck.
Queen Rolfe had no reaction to that. “I don’t care how many there are. All we must do is buy ourselves enough time for Huntley and Ivory to join us. They’ll light the skies with fire, burn their corpses to ash. I have no doubt my son, King of Kingdoms, will save us all.”
An hour later, they crossed the field outside the closed gates, and Ian ordered the first line of arrows. “Make every arrow count. Fire!” The archers fired off their first line of arrows.
I was down below with Bastian, so I didn’t see the effect of the Ice. My eyes were on Ian at the wall, and his lack of disappointment told me the arrows did their job.
Bastian stood several feet behind the queen. “She knows.”
“What?”
“She knows he’s coming for her.”
I stared at the backside of the queen, seeing her standing there with her sword in her hands, the tip of the blade against the pavers at her feet. Her head was tilted back slightly, her focus on the dark sky.
Bastian unsheathed his blade. “Get ready.”
“Do you see something?”
“No. But once he sees that HeartHolme has defeated his brothers, he’ll strike when we least expect it. So expect it always.” He gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands and watched the sky just the way she did.
The sounds of battle heightened as time went on. The archers continued to fire their arrows until the barrels were empty. I had the last barrel nearby, just in case we needed them within HeartHolme. The sounds of shouts and screaming became audible as our soldiers charged forward to the sea of Necrosis that waited for them.
I closed my eyes because it was too much. “Come on, Huntley…” The longer he took, the more Runes would die.
The screams of blood lust disappeared, replaced by the screams of the slain.
I could feel the loss already.
Without looking over the edge of the wall, I imagined what it looked like. An endless sea of Necrosis, ten to every one of us, a battle we could never win—not unless the dragons came. My breaths started to increase as the anxiety flooded into my blood. While everyone else felt adrenaline, I just felt terror.