Chapter Forty-Six
Bellamy
F ive hundred, maybe more. That was how many we needed.
I could take about twenty-five at a time without completely diminishing myself. Noe could carry around forty. Henry could take about the same as me, Damon just slightly less. Others were helping, so it would not take long.
Three trips there. Three trips back. Barely any time at all away from Ash if we could organize fast enough. She would be fine. Of course she would. There was no doubt in my mind that she would be okay.
No doubt at all.
Seconds after my hand left hers, I knew I was wrong. All the doubts in the world creeped in on me as I screamed at a group to come to me, forcing them to move faster. I needed to see her. We needed to get there. She needed our help.
Gods, they were slow.
“Hurry! Move!” Ten, fifteen, twenty-one. When the twenty-fifth was followed immediately by a twenty-sixth, I growled my frustration and demanded that the murderous magic inside of my veins for once did what it was fucking told.
We portaled quickly, two of the mortals falling to their knees from the pain and one demon dry-heaving.
But too many were inebriated from our celebrations, so we were limited on who could come fight. I would not put it past Xavier Mounbetton to plan for this—to learn of our most sacred holiday from Malcolm and plan the attack on that very night.
For all my annoyance with Ash’s self-sacrificing mindset, even I could not deny that I had been too selfish. I needed to be more alert, more prepared. Instead, I was hanging garland and sitting beside a seamstress as she sketched a dress. While I would not take those choices back, I also knew that I needed to do more than I had been.
Feet touching the hard ground at Pike, I told myself that I would be the prince that Eoforhild deserved. That we would win this battle and then win the whole damn war. For Eoforhild, for Winona, for Pino, for Luca, for Ash—for me.
Another group rushed me, this one moving with more purpose and quicker feet. Only twenty-three were in my vicinity before I was gone, ripping a hole through time and space and depositing them on the ground in Selkans—a secluded village in the northernmost part of Behman. Briefly, I watched Asher bend down and slice the back of a Golden Guard’s knee, moving away before he even hit the ground. A wicked, gleeful smile split my face, and then I was gone once more.
Exactly twenty-five soldiers were waiting when I got back, each of them immediately gathering to portal. In the seconds it took for us to return, Asher had moved. She was back to back with Genevieve, the two of them fighting so harmoniously that it appeared they had trained together. I was momentarily stunned, so much so that I portaled back and did a fourth run. By the time I realized that I was not—in fact—planning to do that, I was already there. So I grabbed eighteen soldiers, and then I was back in the thick of it.
A Golden Guard was on me instantly, clearly ready for my return. Not even bothering to use my powers, I ducked his sword, digging my fingers into the ground below us. When I came back up, I did so with a handful of dirt and a desperate need to find Asher. I threw every grain of dirt into his face, listening with joy as he howled in pain. A foot to the chest, and then he was down.
When my eyes lifted, it was to see Asher standing just ahead of me, her eyes closed and her head slightly tilted back. Above us, thunder boomed in the sky, lightning painting the gray clouds. Just as Ash opened her eyes, I saw the reflection of the streaks light up her hair, bathing her in silver.
And then I felt her magic.
It pressed into my mind like a scalding iron, branding me with her will. My mental shields only barely held against the onslaught, legs giving out and heart racing so fast it left me dizzy. Rain plummeted down upon us, mud and blood mixing and causing my hands to sink into the ground as I moved to catch myself. The second I was steady, my eyes were forward again, teeth gritting against the pressure of her magic demanding obedience.
Her voice came not long after, the sound of it a haunting melody that echoed in my ears and my mind.
“Sleep.”
Every single body in the clearing collapsed, falling to the ground where they stood. When a female nearby fell, I was not ready for her armor, my gaze fixed on Asher with enough intensity to leave me unable to move.
Heavy and dense gold hit my head with a crack, and the last thing I saw was Asher’s face staring into the distance.