Blood Beyond Darkness (27 page)

I looked around at my strategic partners. Each pair had a different part of the plan to get Torin, Kennedy, Eli, and me inside the castle.

Glancing one more time at the daunting fortress looming over the land, where a prophecy stated I would be ruling from, I took a breath, sucked in my heartache and ran furiously for the fate that lay before us.

The swarm of soldiers crushing into our first line of attack came with the wet sound of blades slicing through bodies and the grinding of metal and bone. Flying shifters with riders on their backs dotted the sky. Birds and bats the size of vans circled overhead as arrows rained down from them. Breathtaking moths of creamy white and fuchsia alongside butterflies swirled with colors of cobalt blue, neon green, and vivid orange packed the sky. Even these goliath-size insects were killers. Their teeth, which could puncture holes in a car, surged from their mouth as they grabbed victims and bit into them, ripping off their heads.

Crap on ash bark
. We were not in a sweet fairytale anymore. Okay, we never were.

Our group slipped around to the side, continuing to the far end of the field. Light Fae swinging swords and axes drove at us. Thara, Samantha, Dax, and Dominic sprung after them, keeping the path clear for us. Thara didn’t hesitate as she plunged into the torrent of Light. I could see Torin wanted to join, but he kept running. Our destination remained in the distance.

Alki and Deryn swooped overhead, tailed by a huge moth-shifter. The bird-shifter was much bigger, but it only made him a larger target. The moth took flight above Alki and dive-bombed the back of the bird. Alki twisted and shoved his sword at the fanged moth. The blade came out the back of the insect’s head. The thing chirped in anguish and tumbled on Alki, knocking him off Deryn. From way up in the sky, Alki’s body plummeted to the earth below, the moth shadowing him to the ground.

Alki!
The scream of Gabby’s voice in my head rocketed my nerves and caused me to put my hands over my ears in defense. Her claws spit up the dirt as she spun, tearing across the field to where his body hit.

“Gabby!” Cole yelled after her, but it was useless. She didn’t falter at her Alpha’s voice. There was no stopping her from getting to Alki. Cole’s eyes narrowed and concentrated on her; he was trying to communicate with her through their link before she blended with the shadows and disappeared.

Lightning shot across the pre-dawn sky, and the bolt collided with the Otherworld shield near us, knocking us to the ground. Electricity lit up and trailed over a portion of the invisible wall like veins, ripping a chasm into it. Magic poured out of the wound, invading Earth’s air. A group of Light Fae headed for the opening.

“Come on.” Eli clambered onto his feet, helping me scuttle away from our proximity to the sizzling wall and encroaching soldiers. Hundreds of gnomes and wolf-shifters poured out. A single gnome was not a threat, but hundreds of them with weapons, moving with their stealthy speed, sent jolts of terror into my legs. Lars had taught me there were
Light and Dark of every species. It was a choice.

“Run,” Torin yelled at us.

Blood pumped frantically in my body. There were more attackers than we expected, and we couldn’t outrun them, especially the wolves.

As the challengers came for us, West and Cooper turned to them, arching their spines as they growled. The blades on their backs reflected the colors running through the night sky. Without hesitation they dove for the foe, zeroing in on the biggest threat to us with the grace of an exquisite but raw ballet. West and Cooper moved together with lithe beauty and slipped to the head wolf, tearing into him with a ruthless magnificence. It was brutal, chilling, and incredible to
watch.

“Brycin, move,” Eli yelled at me. I did as he said and bolted. We only made it down the hill before we spotted additional troops coming for us. More gnomes, wolves, and Light Fae swarmed at us from over the crest and one side. Dense forest lay on the opposite side.

“Shit.” The only way we could proceed was through the forest. We couldn’t let anyone see that we were trying to get in the castle through the sewer tunnels, or hundreds of creatures would follow us in.

Cole stopped and turned, waving us to keeping running. “Go. I will stall them.”

My mouth opened to protest that he could not hold them all back, when a form darted through the brush, settling next to Cole. “I can help you, Uncle.” Jared, dressed in cargo pants and a t-shirt, held a sword in his hands. Another knife hung from his waist, but he wore no protective vest or anything.

“Jared. No!” Both Kennedy and Owen screamed.

Cole turned to his nephew. “What are you doing here? Go back, Jared. It’s too dangerous.”

“This is my fight, too. I’m a Dark Dweller; let me act like one.” Jared firmly stood his ground.

“No. This is not pretend. People are going to die, and I will not let you be one of them.” Owen grabbed Jared’s arm. With every second we stood there, our opponents gained ground on us.

Eli seized Jared. “Go! We can’t worry about you, also.”

Jared glanced back at Kennedy, his face flushing red. “Then
don’t
! I can fight.” His pupils elongated, his eyes burning fiery red, taking on some of the Dark Dweller appearance. His jaw clenched in a strong defiant line, trying to hide the true fear I saw in his eyes.

“Guys?” Kennedy nervously pointed ahead of us, the wolves and gnomes only yards away now.

It was too late for Jared to leave. He was in the battle now, whether we wanted him or not.

Owen pushed Jared toward Eli. “I will stay. You go with them.”

Cole and Owen shifted into Dark Dweller form, ready for the attack. Jared rolled the handle of his blade between his fingers. Both excitement and fear shown in his eyes.

My head jerked around when I heard Torin bellow from the lead. He hopped back with his blade swinging. More soldiers of the Light crashed through the trees near us and blocked our path.

Cal and Simmons flew back toward me. “My lady, we are surrounded,” Simmons announced.

“Crapping cupcakes, there is a mess of them coming our way.” Cal yanked two swizzle swords from his belt.

I drew my blade; it zinged with anticipation of the fight. “Let’s lessen their numbers, boys.”

Kennedy turned, her eyes darting nervously from the group surrounding us to Jared.

“Kennedy, don’t.” Lorcan also clearly sensed the panic growing in her.

She held out her hands and muttered something. A compression of magic bowled out of her. Everyone in fifty-foot radius went tumbling to the ground.

Rocks hit my tailbone as I landed on my back. The yells and rustling of the other members of our group told me they also were trying to struggle to their feet. Kennedy’s spell blew out of her like a sonic wave. It didn’t discriminate. In trying to help us, she took all of us to the ground, which made us more vulnerable to attack. We scrambled quickly from the dirt.

“I’m so sorry. I was only trying to help.” Kennedy put her hands to her mouth.

Lorcan widened his step, holding his sword. “Please, don’t
help
again.”

She looked at him, remorse in her expression, and nodded.

Roars from the opposing side blasted through my eardrums and into my lungs. I sucked in a breath as the mass of fighters broke through our border, coming at us from all sides.

I swirled, slamming my blade into the metal of my challenger. My rapier sang with life, rushing with energy as it clashed once again. A beautiful, blond haired, blue-eyed Fay soldier stood across from me. His exquisite chiseled jaw held firm as he reared back and came swinging at me again. I ducked, feeling the rush of air zing a breath away from my scalp. He knew exactly who I was, and I could see the rage and disgust deep in his eyes every time his sword missed me. How proud he would feel if he could take my head back to the Queen. He must already taste the reward—the riches and fame he would have if he could only find a way to my neck.

My weapon would have none of this. It did not like the idea of losing. It sent a current of energy through my arm as I sliced up. The tip kicked at his armor. Light soldiers wore the uniforms I had seen on Torin when he was First Knight: leather pants and the thick long-sleeved black shirt with the Queen’s insignia on the chest shield. Both the pants and shirt were thicker and harder to penetrate than they looked, making for great protection.

I danced around my enemy while grasping a quick overview of the scene around me. Lorcan and Eli stayed close to Jared, taking on the bigger fighters. Kennedy fired at anything coming near her. The sound of gunshots had long grown to white noise in my head. She’d reloaded already, so she would be out of ammunition soon. Torin and I, along with Cal and Simmons, covered the other side. We stayed in a circle formation, our backs to each other.

“Ha! Another baker’s dozen.” Jared bounced on the balls of feet, cutting down a stream of gnomes. The more he took down, the more animated and eager his movements became.

“Good, J, but don’t get too cocky,” Lorcan commented.

Jared declared over his shoulder, “Yeah, you’re the one to teach me not to be an arrogant prick.”

There was an almost inaudible scoff from Eli as his half-formed, clawed hands sliced through a Fay guard and threw the body aside.

The Fay I was fighting slipped on the blood drenching the soil underneath our feet. He stumbled into me, both of us falling to the ground. I knew if he fell on top of me, I was done. My Dark Dweller kicked in, and I went into a low crouch with my shoulders hunched close to my ears ready to attack. I snarled and flung myself to the side and rolled before his body landed on mine. His face hit the damp earth, and I leaped on his back, my teeth snapping as primal instinct took over. The world disappeared around me.

Kill. Mine.

My teeth went for his throat, tearing into the soft flesh. He wiggled violently under my hold. Fight seeped from his body before he stilled.

“Ember!” A voice rattled into my head, but I paid it no heed, still locked on my kill.

Gunfire rang out close to my ear before a body collapsed on me, breaking me out of my zone. The sharp smell of blood and the cacophony of screeching bird-shifters, battle cries, and the clanging of swords as people fought flooded my senses. I twisted to see Kennedy standing near me, her gun still smoking. The soldier who rolled off me onto the ground still held the sword he had been ready to swing down.

My eyes widened.
Holy shit
. My head had almost been cut off because I had let my Dark Dweller part take over. Very little gets in the way of breaking the contact. Their focus is why Dark Dwellers are good at being assassins but perhaps not perfect for war. Well, at least not me. I didn’t have the years of training and learning to see and feel beyond my prey.

“Thank you.” I jumped up, wiping the blood from my mouth.

She nodded, but her attention was centered behind me. I whipped around to see Cole and Owen heading down the hill, taking out creatures as they moved to us.

Cole, our Alpha, spoke through our link.
More Fay are coming, Eli. They carry spears and arrows. You need to go now.

Cole and Owen got close enough so I could see their sleek black coats were soaked in blood. Wounds were entrenched deep into their bodies, legs, and faces.

“Dad!” Jared’s attention dropped away from the fight as he spotted Owen’s injured body.

“Jared!” Kennedy cried, pointing ahead of him. I followed Kennedy’s finger. A man-creature two times the size of Rimmon hurtled from the trees, a giant axe descending on Jared.

A growl came from Owen’s beast-form as he leaped, knocking Jared out of the way. The axe found its new target as it sunk deep into Owen’s body. The blade of the axe burrowed into the dirt.

I screamed. Horror ripped its way through my heart as Owen’s body fell on Jared’s. The weight took Jared to the ground.

Everything happened in a split second. Cole‘s eyes flashed such deep burgundy they appeared almost black. His beast-form dove into the giant and slashed into his neck, tearing the head from the goliath with his teeth. He jumped off him, the blades on his back bristling. The giant’s bloodied head fell to the dirt. Eli pulled Jared from under Owen. Jared struggled and fought against Eli, straining to go back for his father.

“Retreat,” one of Light Fae soldiers yelled. The group of men, gnomes, and the three wolves that were left, fell back, running. Cole howled and rushed after them. His rage was thick in my thoughts. No words, simply a red craze.

“We have to go. More men are coming.” Torin spoke first, nodding to small figures in the distance heading for us. Soon the ones withdrawing would see they had reinforcements and come back for us. Cal and Simmons zipped to Torin, ready to head out.