Chapter 31
Chapter
Thirty-One
The battle raged on.
“Connor’s mages have cleared the blackout course.
” Judy had a pair of binoculars glued to her face.
“The Ancients have gone back to shelter under the Pyramid of Doom. They’re taking out whoever they can, but the army is pushing through too fast. Dead bodies are piling up, but there’s so many.
And the banwyn haven’t even come through yet. ”
On and on it went. One by one, the berserkers retreated, bringing bad news. Sarah is down. One of the Ancients has met his final death. Jim’s lost his arm. The witches are worried the ward won’t hold that many back for much longer…
Todd bounced up the platform, puffing. “The banwyn have started to move! They’re coming!”
“You.” Donovan whirled around to face him. “You are here. Where are my bondsmen?”
“Down there.” Todd pointed. “They ran down to fight as soon as we got here, over twenty minutes ago.”
Donovan clenched his jaw. “They were supposed to join us here.”
“It’s not my fault if your people don’t obey you. No matter.” He wiped his brow. “Everyone is retreating back up here, anyway. Look.”
My heart skipped a beat; Bronwyn was running back to us, dragging Cress behind her. Cress was covered in blood, but still tugging against her lover, waving her sword, trying to get back to the fight.
Fionn followed them. He was moving jerkily, struggling to run. He’d been injured.
Oh, no.
The ward was another five hundred feet away, halfway across the platform.
A pack of rabid shifters chased them, snapping razor-sharp teeth and snarling as they ran. More rogues followed, the fast ones—rogue vamps, hissing, moving sideways in a crouch-like run and shifters in cat form.
Further down, Connor’s army surged like a wave, cresting over the edge of the platform. More were coming, hundreds of men.
Donovan blinked. His family was about to be surrounded, stuck on the wrong side of the ward.
Now. It had to be now.
“Go,” I said urgently. “They need help to get behind the ward.”
He turned quickly and pressed his lips to mine. “You are my whole world, Chosen.” He turned and jumped off the observation deck, landing like a cat.
I waited until he was running across the field, then I slipped away.