Chapter 42
Chapter
Forty-Two
ZANDYR
T he sky split in two with another bolt of lightning as the armies met on the banks of the river.
The rain hadn’t started yet, but the wind blew icy and spiteful. It whipped against my face, crawling underneath my armor like it wanted to scrape the flesh off my bones.
Warmth radiated from Evie’s end of the bond. Like I had with her when she’d faced the advisors, a small part of her energy lingered within me.
It reminded me why I was fighting this horrible war.
My gaze traveled over the neverending Serpent army slowly approaching the river. We’d been keeping the soldiers busy with surprise explosions in their own camp, trying to rattle their nerves.
The tactic had worked.
The Serpent army slid cautiously between the funeral pyres we’d erected of their fallen soldiers, scattered across their field.
It was hard to face the dead you’d left behind.
Some of the soldiers touched their foreheads and muttered prayers. I could smell their fear in the wind.
Through the bond, Evie shuddered, but I felt no reproach from her.
If I’d had any doubts the Serpents had outside help, this final confrontation would have shattered them.
The soldiers in the first lines twitched and shifted with unspent energy. They spun their weapons eagerly, a mean, impatient glint in their eyes.
Whatever they had been magicked with, it was not normal.
Behind them, there were three rows of soldiers marching offbeat, each with their own stride.
They all wore the same jade-encrusted helmets and armor, but very different hearts beat underneath them. The Borderland Bands were mercenaries in everything but name. Souls that craved riches above all else, and pretended to love only freedom. They’d found the right Clan to fight for this time.
But the Serpents’ gold didn’t help the rest of the soldiers who marched too close to the snakes. Their steps were mismatched, weapons clutched too tightly. Most were trembling out of fear–of us, of their snakes, of the funeral pyres, who knew. Coming from a warmer, sunnier land, they obviously couldn’t handle this grey day.
Bless Adara and her insistence on training our recruits in the snowy mountains for at least six months.
My warriors didn’t shiver.
They didn’t flinch.
They stared at the opposing army like I did, with Elysia and Ryker by my side.
The Serpents could never win against my Clan in a fair battle. They’d gathered every advantage they could for this war.
My Clan had been forced to adapt.
We stood at the edge of the riverbank, now raised high above the water, a wall of stone reinforcing it.
Kleonos finally deigned to ride into the front line, back tall and arrogant smirk firmly in place.
I hadn’t seen him walk alongside his soldiers once. Maybe he rode to be above everyone else. Or to make a quick escape in case of an emergency.
But if all went according to plan today, the brown mare wouldn’t be able to help Kleonos escape his fate.
“He thinks they’re going to win,” Ryker growled.
“Let’s prove him wrong. That smirk of his has irked me for too long.” I caught his eye. “Are you ready?”
Ryker nodded solemnly. “Are you?”
I took a deep, steadying breath, the only sign of uncertainty I would allow myself. “I have to be.”
We exchanged a quick nod. Any other movement would have attracted the Butcher’s attention, but the moment needed to be acknowledged.
After so many battles, after so much bloodshed, after so many brushes with death, this might be the last time Ryker and I fought together.
“If this plan doesn’t work, I want you both to know you’re insane and infuriating,” Elysia said, staring at the snakes like she wanted to eviscerate them. She twirled her three-pronged daggers, tensing her back, ready to strike. “But it’s been my honor to fight alongside you.”
“We will battle together again, Viper.” Whether in this life or the one beyond.
At this point, I could only hope.
A deadly silence fell over the battlefield, punctured only by the thundering river.
“Dragon.” Kleonos speared the solemn moment. “Before I erase your army from this world, I hope you’ll indulge my curiosity.”
The game had officially begun.
Evie sent another warm tremble my way. My energy caressed hers, perhaps for the last time, before numbing the connection as much as I could without severing it.
If I died today, I wanted to spare her the pain. I sent a silent prayer that she would survive.
My Clan’s future depended on that.
On the Protectorate Lost Daughter who’d been raised to hate us and now risked her life to protect us.
I narrowed my gaze on the Serpents.
Elysia bared her teeth.
Ryker tensed, taking a fighting stance nobody but the gods could break from this point on.
I cast out my powers as hard as I could while still focused on distracting Kleonos. The Butcher liked hearing the sound of his own voice too much not to use that against him.
Magic seeped out of me, silent, invisible, and deadly. Unleashing it was as simple as breathing. It constantly sought and craved the pulse of blood.
When my power found its target, it latched on to the energy greedily.
My entire body tensed as I tried to control it.
All I needed to do was concentrate on one heart and one body–and Kleonos’ grating voice.
“Sure.” I plastered a cold smirk on my face. “What’s one last favor between sworn enemies?”
“So gracious of you,” Kleonos went on, even more full of himself. “Tell me, why did you decide to raise your river bank? It won’t stop my snakes from slithering through your army or my soldiers from climbing it.”
I remained silent, my powers seeping further.
“Are your warriors that scared to get wet?” Kleonos asked.
Laughter resounded from the Serpent army, mostly forced.
In the back, the young snake from the meadow followed its monstrous brethren to join the ranks. Its movements were sluggish, slitted eyes glazed.
“Or maybe you just wanted to be closer to your gods,” Kleonos said. “They won’t help you today.”
“What the gods do is none of my mortal business.” I shrugged, the magic already seeping my energy. “Kylian was getting restless, I gave him a job. Would you rather he marched into your camp and sliced through your soldiers?”
On cue, Kylian stepped forward, sending the Serpents a mighty scowl. He and Myron had decided against their armor today, marching into battle with their chests adorned in blood-red protective markings. They both looked vicious and frightening.
While Myron had infiltrated the Serpents base day after day, planting Elysia’s exploding concoctions near their supply wagons and tents, Kylian and the warriors had raised the embankment twenty-nine feet in the air. He was upset they hadn’t gotten to an even thirty, but time was not on our side.
Hopefully, the embankment had been packed with enough dirt and stone to shield us from the worst of it.
Kylian raised his spear to one of Kleonos’ lieutenants, a silent promise. The lieutenant tilted his chin defiantly, but I saw the way his eyes widened with fear.
“You know all about restlessness, don’t you, Kleonos?” I let my gaze travel pointedly to the first rows of soldiers. “You’ve been using magic you don’t understand.”
Whatever that veil was, it was starting to bulge the soldiers’ veins.
I sucked in a breath as the realization hit me.
I’d seen this before. In that forsaken forest from the Defector Lands, when I’d saved Evie.
“Guilty.” Kleonos grinned. “One doesn’t face the Blood Brotherhood army unprepared. You really should make more friends, Dragon. So many want you dead.”
Kleonos was biding his time as well, probably waiting until the snakes got to the front line. I’d play along.
“I have to say, I wasn’t expecting the rumors about your vicious heart to be so true.” Kleonos grimaced at the funeral pyres. “Weren’t you Blood Brotherhood lot concerned with respecting the dead?”
We were, and I hoped the gods would forgive me for this.
The snakes slithered toward the first pyres.
“Someone had to gather the dead,” I said. “ Your dead.”
A few soldiers around Kleonos openly grimaced at him. He chuckled lowly, eyes on me. “Is this grotesque display meant to frighten me?”
“Better get used to it, you’ll see plenty of people who died because of you in the afterlife. But if it bothers you so much, allow me to help.” As the last snake approached the pyre, I nodded at the archers stationed on the edge. “Now.”
As one, they raised their bows. Their fiery arrows landed true, each blazing a pyre. The flames spread high and blistering, aided by the funeral oil and Elysia’s special concoctions.
The snakes hissed, obviously pleased at the sudden warmth on such a gloomy day. The youngest snake’s movements turned erratic, jerking his head violently.
“Come on, you beast,” Elysia muttered, her worry palpable.
“I guess that’s one way to leave your mark on the history of Malhaven.” Kleonos tsked. “The prince who showed mercy right before I decapitated him.”
My smirk grew. There were worse ways to go–and if that fucking snake didn’t move faster, Kleonos might just get his wish.
The monster’s eyes bulged, reddening.
Elysia inhaled sharply.
Ryker growled.
It was time.
“I’ll be merciful one last time,” I called out louder, making sure all Serpent eyes were on me while the snake flailed harder. “Leave now or my army will destroy you and everything you hold dear.”
My powers vibrated with anticipation, heating my veins. The blood in my sword whirled, yearning to sink in veins and shatter hearts.
“Cocky bastard, aren’t you?” Kleonos’ grin vanished. “You are one battle away from losing your Clan and you threaten me ?”
“It’s not a threat.” My eyes narrowed on him as an ominous hiss erupted next to the last pyre. The snake gave its final, pitiful breath, head drawn back in agony. “It’s a promise.”
The snake fell to the ground, blood gushing from its eyes and mouth.
Elysia’s poison had worked.
Now the hardest part of the plan began.