Chapter 33
COLINAS, RAVOS
“You’ve… changed since I last saw you.”
Terena pulled up short when Lerek spoke, her beautiful eyes widening, reminding him of the many times he would gaze into them in the past, wishing those moments would last forever.
Pulling himself up straighter in the saddle, he looked away.
No. She was not the same person he’d fallen in love with. This woman, this god, was someone else entirely.
If he was being honest, a part of him resented her for it. And yet, another part loved her. Ached for her.
“Aye,” she answered softly, narrowing her eyes. “But I’m also still me.”
Lerek scoffed, shaking his head. “I think perhaps the seer is right. You are who you were always meant to be. You just hid it better.”
Folding her arms, Ren gave him an arch look. “Funny. I was thinking maybe the trauma of you dying and me being accused and almost executed for your murder made that part of me come out. It’s been a fun year.”
Lerek’s eyes widened. “I get that you’re still angry with me. I really do. But that’s no excuse for this.”
Ren stared at him for a moment and he shifted beneath her regard.
“Do not make the mistake of thinking any of this has to do with you,” she said at last, her voice barely above a whisper. She walked closer until she had to crane her neck to look at him. “That time has passed. I’ve moved on.”
“Oh, I’ve heard,” Lerek replied, hating himself for the jealousy in his voice. He was careful to keep his face neutral but there was no denying the edge in his words.
Terena’s face hardened and Lerek cursed himself some more. What was wrong with him? She was a god, aye, but he was still in love with her. He should be doing everything he could to win her back. And yet a small part of him couldn’t forgive her for hiding her divinity from him.
And then, of course, there was Daris Antonius.
“Whatever you’ve heard makes no difference to me.”
Lerek opened his mouth but she’d already moved away, her gait stiff as she passed a disdainful Soros. The captain of this ragtag group swaggered over to him with a quick glance over his shoulder at Terena’s retreating form.
“I don’t see you getting back into her breeches anytime soon, princeling,” Captain Soros said, and those close enough to hear sniggered at his words. Lerek felt the color blooming on his face as he glared down at the captain.
He turned his mount away, but one look at the line of soldiers nearby and Lerek stifled a groan. There wasn’t a friendly face in the bunch. Croak and Orry had been his last hope, but Ren had sent them away to gods knew where. Lerek could only hope that—
“Captain!”
Lerek turned to the man jumping smoothly from his horse as he strode toward Captain Soros. Terena changed course to intercept the man.
“What news?”
“The army approaches, lady,” the man panted, his eyes swinging between his captain and Ren. “Looks to be five thousand strong.”
Terena’s lip curled, and she took off running, grabbing the man named Rydon by the arm as she leaned in to speak with him.
Lerek’s heart pounded as he looked over his shoulder, wondering how far out his father’s army was.
He knew Xoran would’ve sent a message to the emperor once he’d been taken, but he hadn’t anticipated this response.
As if he’d known exactly what Lerek was thinking, Captain Soros grabbed him by the cloak and yanked him off the horse.
Lerek cried out when he landed, pain shooting up his back and legs.
His hands were still bound so he couldn’t use them to break his fall and now he shifted awkwardly to sit upright, only to be grabbed by the back of his collar.
“Take him and put him at the center of your ranks,” Ren cried out, pointing at them as Lerek was dragged away, his feet scrambling to keep up with his upper body. Everywhere he looked, the men were moving into battle formations, and Lerek tried desperately to see beyond them to the city.
He began shouting, his voice hoarse as he screamed for Galen’s men, but the gates were shut after Ren’s destruction. Lerek prepared to call out again when something was stuffed into his mouth. His eyes flew wide and he jerked violently against the soldier’s hold, to no avail.
When he was surrounded, Soros broke through to stand in front of him. The man’s scarred lip twisted and he tapped his finger against his chin.
“I don’t think you’ll want to be awake for this,” the man muttered. Before Lerek could protest, the man lifted his hand and struck him with the pommel of his sword.
“Let’s see you get out of this, you bitch!”
Terena didn’t bother replying to Ravos’s taunts. His screeching grated on her nerves. Despite the emperor’s army at their heels, Terena was preoccupied by the brief conversation she’d had with Lerek.
It unnerved her how he’d behaved toward her. Granted, he’d never actually seen her use her powers before. Being a god was also a topic they hadn’t broached earlier.
Walking with Rydon as he offered advice on their next move, Terena glanced over at Soros. Ignoring the fact Rydon was still speaking, the captain offered his own input.
Terena nodded as if she’d heard both men, but Lerek’s words kept creeping back into the forefront of her mind, insidious poison making her forget the task at hand.
“Everyone ready?” Soros shouted and the men behind them roared.
Terena blinked, frozen. What were they doing? What—
“Over here!” Rydon grabbed her, and she sighed as everyone mounted their horses. A moment later she was astride Nyx, pulling on the reins to follow Rydon.
Shouts behind her rumbled to a roar, and Terena spun.
“They’re here!” Soros shouted, raising his sword high as he called out last minute orders and the men lifted their shields in a wall. Lances and swords lowered in defensive positions, and Terena glanced behind her to see their archers on the ridge.
“Ready?”
Terena looked at Rydon. Although her heart had sped up, her blood tingled at the battle to come. Excitement made her skin prickle.
“Oh, I’m ready,” she said with a wink at the merc.
“Try to keep up.”
She tossed her head back, laughing as she splayed her hands. The Twins formed, the runes etched on the blades lighting with the red glow of her power and she felt the bloodlust of her sire turning to fire within her chest.
Solon’s army appeared on the horizon, and she felt the anticipation build in her veins. As they neared, their war cries crescendoed, the earth shaking from the approaching horde.
At the last moment, Terena jumped from Nyx’s back, slapping her rump. As the horse reared and galloped away, Terena took off running, a primal scream ripping from deep within her, her left arm raised to the sky as she charged.
“The God of War is with us! Victory is ours!”
At Terena’s words, Captain Soros and his men roared as she raced to the front of their lines. Out of her periphery, she saw Rydon and Gabriol charging with their weapons raised, their mouths wide; they, too, bellowed for blood.
She did not stop running. Screaming as the Heylisians drew within striking distance, Terena leaped impossibly high before slamming onto the soldiers in front of her.
Her arms swept out and let her short swords have their first taste of Heylisian blood.
Her vision blurred red for a moment before it cleared, everything focused more keenly than she’d ever seen in her life.
Like a woman possessed, she snarled as she hacked at everyone within her reach.
Blood roared in her ears, and Terena danced through the mess of soldiers, their cries music to her ears.
In the thick of Heylisian soldiers, she lost sight of Rydon and Gabriol but she did not fear for them. She had no fear at all, only the driving force of her bloodlust, insatiable no matter how many she slaughtered.
More.
More.
More.
Terena grinned as she caught the terrified expression of a soldier a moment before she carved his head from his shoulders.
Spinning, the Twins easily sliced through the bodies around her like hot steel through butter.
Never had her blood sang with such vitality before and she was drunk with the power thrumming in her veins.
And then she saw him.
A vicious growl rumbled up her throat from the bowels of the underworld when she spotted General Peleon, his helm gone and his dark hair plastered to his head with sweat and blood.
He fought behind two of his men, thrusting one in front of one of Soros’s men, who caught the blow meant for the slimy bastard.
Terena laughed as she took off running. Her breath caught when Peleon locked onto her. A look of surprise flashed across his face at how close she’d gotten. Then the coward turned tail and ran.
Someone grabbed her from behind, and Terena lifted and swung her sword reflexively, blinking in confusion when Rydon swore and ducked away.
“It’s Daris!” Rydon shouted in her face more than once until she nodded dumbly. “Daris and the Liodari are here!”
Cries sounded all around as Soros’s men fought with renewed ferocity, their sorely outnumbered ranks bolstered by the oncoming Liodari and Hermes’s men.
Terena’s eyes were wild as she looked where the others were pointing, swords raised in the air as more and more of their soldiers roared at Daris’s arrival.
Her breath hitched when she caught sight of him, spellbound as Daris leaped from his mount.
Rydon shouted in her ear, yanking on her arm. She stumbled away as he drove his sword into the belly of her would-be attacker. Shaking off the stupor, Terena rejoined the fighting, spinning and weaving her way through the mass of Heylisians pressing in around her.
“Do not let them take him!”
Terena swung around at the sound of Soros’s bellow and saw a group of Heylisian soldiers surrounding Lerek.
Duke Ravos and his men had emptied onto the battlefield during the fighting, and now besieged Soros and his men.
The captain’s men fell under the might of the Heylisians around them and she watched in futile frustration as Lerek was pulled away.
She ran toward them, her legs stiff and her gait halting as if she fought with herself about what she was doing.
Fire raged beneath her skin, and a flash of red blinded her momentarily.
Terena gasped when her vision cleared. Looking down, she saw her hands ringed with red fire, crackling like lighting.
When she held her hands out, white smoke pooled in her palms around the hilts of the Twins.
She stared down at her hands, uncomprehending.
Someone shouted in front of her and Terena glanced up in time to see a Heylisian soldier rushing at her.
The soldier screamed as he raised a wicked looking sword with a hooked end like a scythe.
Terena blocked his killing blow. Fire raged through her at the contact.
Red lighting crackled along the swords, startling the warrior and he stumbled back.
Lashing out with both hands, she cut the soldier’s head from his body, turning away before it fell to the ground, her eyes on her next victim.
Terena’s body was on fire from within, her heartbeat racing at an unnatural speed as she burst forward, her mind focused on destroying the men in front of her. The Twins spun faster than light, and Terena barely registered the contact with whatever body parts she struck.
She spared a glance at Lerek over the shoulder of the man she was fighting, his face white as he gawked back at her. The men around him pulled him away, finally getting him mounted and moving away from the carnage.
Terena cried out as he disappeared, her movements a blur as the red light at the edges of her eyes tunneled her vision until she no longer thought of the prince.
Bodies eddied away from her and she caught sight of Daris surrounded and outnumbered.
Her heart stopped when he went down.