Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
I stuffed his words, and whatever they meant, to a hidden corner of my mind and followed him out, then shut the door behind me to seal Winslet inside alone and safe. Well, safer.
Side by side, Domino and I made our way forward. Through the bond, I knew when to duck and when to swing my own sword.
“Arden!” Cyrus’s voice cut through the grunts, groans, and thuds.
My heart leaped, as usual, but I didn’t let myself become distracted. I continued pressing on with Domino, fighting, fighting. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, heating me up. A welcome development. My damp gown offered little protection against the biting wind and swiping nails.
A massive number of glowers rushed past us, attacking the feeders before us head-on, creating a path. Domino yanked me forward. Together, we ran for the gate.
“I won’t let you sacrifice yourself,” he repeated.
Domino spun, ending a trio of feeders who slipped free of the fray.
Nearby, Ember called out orders. “Bark, shield Talon. Murphy, boost Brenna.”
Different glowers paired up, focusing on the force field, attempting different methods to get through it—and failing.
Almost there . . .
The ground. It shook so violently even glowers began to fall. What was happening? Feeders stumbled backward, losing their balance.
Thick, thorny vines broke through the surface, snatching feeders and glowers within tightening coils that slithered around them. Fire-swords snuffed out and vanished as those sharp thorns stabbed anyone who wiggled for freedom.
Inside me, dread mimicked the vines, winding and tightening. This was Briar Rose via Lolli, and these glowers were meant to be “fuel.”
I spun, ready to grab Domino and run. Too late. He roared with pain as a vine grabbed him. The sword vanished. Like the others, he couldn’t get free. I was the only glower left standing.
A path opened, and Cyrus appeared at the end of it, holding two bloody daggers. My heart lurched. He still wore the suit, but it was no longer pristine. Scarlet-stained rips littered the material.
I readjusted my pose, putting my sword of flames at the ready.
“I told you. You can’t win,” he said, as calm and smug as could be. “I’ve planned for every contingency.”
Lolli stood at his side, her head thrown back and her arms outstretched, her fingers twitching.
Lolli isn’t all powerful. Especially now. Her connection to Briar Rose is too new. Domino’s voice filled my head. His spirit might not be joined to my body, but our bond was stronger than ever. She can only funnel in what her body can tolerate. Soon, she’ll tire. All you must do is stall until we get free.
That, I could do. “Why not kill me while you’ve got the chance, hmm?” I demanded of Cyrus. “Or snatch me up with vines like all the others?”
He merely rocked back on his heels, silent. But then, he didn’t need to say anything. We both knew the answer. Cyrus was still in there, and he loved me.
Right now, Lolli was the bigger threat. I didn’t bother tossing a dagger at her. He’d only catch it. I was dealing with the host for a god, after all.
I looked at her. The vines. Lolli, the root. I followed the bark-heavy protrusions to the trapped glowers and swung. The tip of my sword sliced through dirt, severing a thick green coil. The high princess whimpered.
Exactly as I’d suspected. Take her out, and all the glowers would be freed. But I’d have to go through Cyrus to reach her.
“Don’t even try,” he snapped.
Two buses reached us, soldiers pouring from them, my former instructors at the helm.
Cyrus grinned. “Looks like you’ve run out of time, sweetness.”
“Wrong.” I jutted my chin. “I’m still breathing.”
We stood in a stalemate, the battlefield between us a nightmare of lifeless bodies and scattered limbs bathed in the unflinching light of Theirland’s twin suns. Lavender and gold streaked the sky, casting an eerie glow over the blood-soaked earth, where rivers of crimson carved fresh paths through the flatland. Overhead, a restless flock of scavenger birds circled, their shrill cries piercing the thick, heavy silence as they awaited their feast.
The fresh wave of CURED soldiers flooded the scene, surging from behind the former high prince and hurrying to kill the array of glowers trapped around me. Men and women I admired. Many more would die today if I didn’t stop Cyrus. But how could I strike down the man I loved?
Was he still the man I loved, though?
In the morning’s brightness, I noticed his missing facial brand. No sign of it remained, and my guts twisted. More evidence of the monster he’d become.
What other changes had Astan made to his body? To his mind? His heart?
“It doesn’t have to end this way, Arden,” he called, grin widening.
“You’re right.” I huffed and puffed my breaths. “Walk away, and I’ll spare you.”
His grin turned wry. Thin, snakelike shadows coiled up his arms and banded around his neck before absorbing into his skin. “I admit, your new confidence is adorable.”