A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  Reaching up, I tore free the buttons at my neck. The hood slipped down, and I shrugged off the cloak. It fell to the ground behind me as I broke into a run, racing out of the Rise and into the battle we were sure to lose.

  It was…madness.

  Swords crashing against swords. Screams of pain and shouts of fury. Glimpses of fur and thick claws and flaming swords as the Guardians cut through mortal and vampry alike.

  A man moaned as he clutched his bloodied stomach. He was a Descenter, and I started to stop, to either ease his pain or heal him—

  An arrow whizzed past my head, striking a guard rushing toward me. Quentyn was very good with a bow.

  I stepped back from the fallen man, knowing that now was not the time for that particular set of skills. As much as it hurt, as wrong as it felt, I turned away.

  And then…I fell into the madness as I thrust my sword into the stomach of a soldier who couldn’t have been much older than I was. I let my thirst for vengeance seize me as my blade sliced through the neck of another. I didn’t hesitate or pull back when I saw recognition flare in the eyes the moment they saw the scars on my face. It took only moments out on the field to know that they’d been given orders not to harm me. It was clear they didn’t expect me to be down here, to be fighting, and it was an advantage for me, one I used. Because orders from an Ascended hadn’t sent me out here. I chose to be here. I kicked out, catching a knight at the knees before he could lift the spiked ball he wielded. He fell to his back, and I drove the sword down.

  Bright, twin flames passed mere feet from my face as a Guardian kicked off the back of a falling soldier. The dark-haired Guardian spun in mid-air, catching two in the chest. The fiery blades sliced through leather and bone. Landing in a crouch, she rose with the fluid grace of a goddess, her eyes briefly meeting mine. She nodded before disappearing into the crush of soldiers.

  A sudden yelp from a wolven spun me around. A fawn-colored one that reminded me of Kieran but smaller, limped backward away from a knight, blood coursing down the hind leg. Vonetta? I wasn’t sure as I shifted the sword to my left hand and withdrew the wolven dagger. The knight lifted the sword as the wolven bared her teeth, crouching on the wounded leg. Flipping the dagger so I held it by the blade, I cocked back my arm and threw it. The bloodstone struck the knight in the forehead, taking him down before he even knew what’d hit him as I shoved the sword into the gut of another soldier who reached for me. The wolven whipped toward me and suddenly launched into the air. My breath caught as she crashed into a soldier behind me. They went down, her jaws locked on his neck. She shook her head, flinging the soldier like he was nothing more than a rag doll. Bone cracked as I turned, scanning the mass of bodies standing and on the ground. There were wolven among the fallen. Faces I recognized. I retrieved my dagger from the dusty ground as a wolven the color of snow darted past me. Delano. I turned, catching sight of Casteel behind the catapults.

  Blood streaked his face as he spun out his blades, catching two soldiers in the chest. Yanking the swords free, he stretched his neck, and my heart stuttered. There was a wound on his neck and shoulder, ragged and seeping blood. Surrounded, he roared, fangs bared as he caught a soldier by the throat, ripping into flesh as Delano took a knight down from his horse, his claws tearing through the metal armor like it was nothing more than loose soil. Another wolven shot across the field—an impossibly large, silver one. Jasper? He grabbed the knight’s arm as he swung the sword toward Delano and…good gods, he tore it straight off, sword and all.

  I would have to vomit about that later.

  Another knight leapt from his horse, landing like a mountain behind Casteel. He tossed a soldier aside to get to Casteel, flinging the mortal into the side of a catapult. The crunch of bones told me that the soldier wouldn’t be getting back up.

  I picked up my pace, jumping over a body and closing the distance just as the knight went for Casteel. Grabbing a fistful of the knight’s hair, I yanked his head back as I thrust the wolven dagger into the weak space at the base of his skull, angling it upward. The knight shuddered as I let go, his body breaking apart.

  Casteel spun then, fangs bared and mouth streaked with crimson. The sword he swung at me halted a mere inch from my neck. His breath came out in short, ragged bursts.

  “You’re welcome,” I panted. “For saving your life.”

  Breathing raggedly, he jerked the sword back. A wide, bloody smile broke out across his face. “Would this be an inappropriate time to let you know I’m incredibly turned on by you right now?”

  “Yes.” My gaze shifted to the guard staggering to his feet behind him. “Highly inappropriate.”

  “Well, too bad.” Casteel pivoted, and the guard’s head went in a different direction of his body. “I find you highly arousing.”

  My lips curved up as I turned, seeing the carriage. “Is she in the carriage? The Duchess?”

  “I believe so.” He looked over his shoulder at me. “You want to kill her?”

  I nodded.

  “You’re going to have to beat me to it.”

  Jamming the dagger into a soldier’s throat, I said, “Doable.”

  Casteel’s laugh was wild as he caught the arm of a knight, spinning him as he drew one of his swords around, cutting through the soldier’s neck. I started forward when fire sparked to life in the waiting darkness of the western road. I drew up short, breathing heavily as the spark repeated itself, over and over and over. The sparks flew into the air—

  Arrows.

  Casteel crashed into me, grabbing me around the waist as he shoved us under the catapult. His body flattened over mine, pressing me into the hard, blood-and-dirt-packed earth.

  The arrows fell, striking Solis soldiers and those who fought on Atlantia’s side alike. I jerked back against Casteel at the sound of arrows piercing flesh, at the sudden intense flares of light all around us as the fire swept over bodies, igniting the catapult beside us. The world descended into chaos and death.

  Chapter 40

  Chills of dread were like icy fingers on the back of my neck and down the line of my spine as Casteel lifted his head, and his chest rose against my back with each heavy breath. Swallowing hard, I followed his gaze. The larger division had arrived, and we…we were engulfed.

  An army of Solis soldiers ran forward, overcoming the carriage as they drew unmarred swords. They swarmed the road and fields outside the Rise, and then the Rise itself.

  The chill of dread seeped into my skin and bones as I closed my eyes. There hadn’t been enough time for Kieran and Alastir.

  Casteel shifted so he was beside me. His fingers touched my cheek, and I opened my eyes. Even with the blood covering him, he was still the most beautiful man I’d ever seen, and I suddenly wished we’d accepted our pasts and opened up to one another sooner than we had. There would’ve been time then to really get to know each other. Maybe just a few days or weeks, but I could’ve discovered if I’d read his favorite book and he could’ve learned that strawberries were just as much a weakness for me as cheese was. He could’ve told me about the conversations that drove him and Malik to the caverns, and I could’ve shared the dreams I’d had when I was a child, before I was veiled as the Maiden. We could’ve explored each other, and he could’ve proven just how sensitive all those other areas he’d mentioned were.

  Because now, there was a good chance we were out of time before we even had it.

  He smiled at me, but there were no dimples. The expression didn’t reach his eyes, and I felt tears stinging mine. “It’ll be okay.”

  “I know,” I said, even though I knew it wouldn’t be.

  “I’m getting you out of here.”

  A knot formed in my throat. “I can stop this. They won’t harm me. I can go—”

  “They cannot have you, Poppy. I know what they will do to you.” His bloody fingers splayed across my cheek. “I cannot breathe when I think about that. I’m getting you out of here.”

  A knot formed in my throat. “What ab
out the others? Naill? Delano? Von—”

  “They will take care of themselves,” he swore. “I need to get you out of here. That is all that matters right now.”

  But it wasn’t.

  Spessa’s End mattered. The people mattered. “What about the people? The ones who can’t fight.”

  “They’ll be warned. We had plans in place in case this happened. They’ll be warned, and they’ll have time to get out. They’re in a better position to do so than us. We’ll have to fight our way out.” His eyes held mine. “You understand that?”

  I nodded as the knot expanded. “I’m sorry—about Spessa’s End.” My voice cracked. “About Elijah. About all of them—”

  “You are what matters now.” Casteel kissed me, and it was hard and fierce. A clash of teeth and fangs that tasted of blood and desperation. “You do. We do. Us surviving this. That is what matters.”

  Dragging in a deep breath, I cleared my mind of the panic and sorrow, and nodded.

  “You ready, Poppy?”

  “Yes.”

  He smiled again, but this time, his dimples appeared. “Let’s kick some ass.”

  “Let’s,” I whispered.

  Casteel rolled out from under the catapult and shot to his feet, thrusting his sword into the first soldier. I followed, climbing to my feet. I’d been wrong earlier. I hadn’t truly known madness until then—until they came from all sides, reaching for me when they realized who I was, stabbing and lurching at Casteel.

  Sweat and blood slicked my skin, my grip on my sword and dagger perilous. I smelled and tasted and saw death. Each handful of feet we gained, we were surrounded again. The ground became oily with offal. My boots sliding as I screamed, driving the dagger into a chest. My muscles shrieked with protest as I swung the sword, slicing into necks and stomachs and arms—at anyone that got too close.

  A blow caught my cheek, causing me to stumble into Casteel. Catching myself, I kicked out, dropping the man to his knees. I didn’t think twice as I drove the sword through his skull, and I couldn’t keep my senses locked down anymore. They opened, seizing my breath as my senses stretched out, forming connections with those around us, and…oh, gods, there was so much fear. The bitterness mixed with the taste of the blood, choking me as I swung, my arm knocking into Casteel’s as I stabbed at a man—

  A man who was afraid.

  They were afraid to die, afraid not to fight, and just…afraid. I shuddered as I turned, seeing faces young and old, white and brown and black. Their emotions poured into me. I couldn’t shut it off. Couldn’t take the time to concentrate as I moved in front of a blow meant for Casteel. A blow that was pulled back only at the last second, and then I killed him. I killed the man who projected terror into the air.

  And something…something was happening inside me. It was waking up, stretching and expanding, filling my veins and causing my skin to hum as I leapt forward, slamming the wolven dagger deep into a chest, swallowing the soldier’s fear and drowning in his agony—in their fear and agony.

  A hand grabbed my braid, yanking me back. My feet went out from under me, and Casteel spun. More hot blood sprayed the air, our faces. Our gazes connected as he helped me stand, and then we spun back around, hearts pounding as we tripped over bodies, as soldiers pressed in, as orders were shouted—take her, kill him, seize them both. As something exploded from deep within me, inhaling all the fear and agony and primal emotions, and all of it rose inside me. The swirling, churning mass of emotions clawed at my insides, my throat, and I needed to shut it down. I had to shut it all off—

  I dropped the sword as I brought the dagger to my own throat. “Stop!” I shouted. “Stop, or I will slit my throat.”

  Casteel whirled toward me. “Poppy—”

  “I’ll do it,” I warned as one of the soldiers stepped up to Casteel. “I’ll cut my throat wide-open if any of you take another step forward. I doubt any of you will live if that happens. He’ll take you down.”

  “I’m about to take you down,” Casteel growled.

  I ignored him. “And if he doesn’t, what do you think the Duchess will do? The Queen? They’ll do what you did to your men. You’ll die. Every last one of you. That, I can promise.”

  Faces paled and glances were exchanged. Several stepped back—

  The sky was ripped apart by deep wails, by snapping growls and piercing howls that came from the woods and everywhere at once it seemed. It was a crescendo, a call that kept rising and rising, and was answered by yips and barks that seemed to come from the trees, from the bush surrounding the left side of the Rise, and from the western road.

  The soldiers before us started to turn—

  Wolven raced out from the forest, streaking over the ground and launching into the air. They were a sea of fur and claws, taking down soldiers, tearing through armor and flesh. I saw Jasper and Delano among them, Vonetta too, but there were…there had to be dozens and dozens of them, and their timing…

  Their timing had been impeccable.

  A large brown wolven lifted its head, ears perked. Another and another did the same, luminous pale eyes locking onto mine.

  Slowly, I lowered the knife from my throat.

  All of a sudden, it sounded like the Rise was coming down around us. Like a thousand boulders tumbling and falling to the ground from the sky, but the Rise still stood, and nothing, not even the stars had fallen. I swung toward Casteel.

  He smirked, eyes lit from within as he took a step back, exhaling deeply.

  What reminded me of thunder grew louder, and as I turned, I realized that what I’d heard was the pounding of hooves.

  Pale horses poured out from between the trees and filled the western road, mud and blood streaking their legs as they kicked up dirt and grass. Moonlight glinted off golden armor and raised swords. Those blades—those horses—mowed through the lines and rows of soldiers as white banners streamed and rippled behind the pale mounts, banners bearing the golden sword and arrow lying across the sun. The crest of Atlantia.

  Atlantia had come, and there were hundreds of them.

  Tired muscles in my arms loosened as they charged past us, stirring the blood-soaked air and lifting the tendrils of hair that had escaped my braid. They set fire to the remaining catapults, to the wagons as they swarmed the Solis army, and I knew none would be left alive.

  As the wolven followed the army, a warm, damp nose bumped my left hand, and I looked down into the pale blue eyes of a large, fawn-colored wolven.

  Kieran nudged my hand again, and I opened it, revealing the golden mark and the ring on my finger.

  “Yeah,” I said hoarsely. “You missed it.”

  His ears perked as he looked over to where Casteel stood.

  “You missed a lot,” the Prince said.

  Kieran trotted over to him as I turned and saw the crimson carriage untouched.

  Was she still in there? Or had she run?

  I was walking before I knew, running toward the carriage, barely aware of Casteel shouting my name. I tore open the carriage door, and the Duchess hissed from the dimly lit interior. She lurched forward, catching herself on the door when she saw me.

  Her eyes widened with surprise. “Penellaphe—”

  I punched her in the face.

  The Duchess stumbled backward, falling between the seats as she cupped her nose. Blood poured out between her fingers. “That hurt,” she seethed, glaring up at me as I climbed into the carriage.

  “Things are going to hurt way worse than that,” I promised.

  She lowered her hands. “When did you become so violent, Maiden?”

  “I was always violent.” I caught her arm as she reached for something. My fingers curled around her cool skin. “And I was never the Maiden.”

  “But you were. You always were.”

  “Where is my brother?” I demanded.

  “Come with me, and I’ll show you.”

  I shook my head. “Where is Casteel’s brother?”

  “With yours,” she said, and
I didn’t believe her.

  “Is he alive?”

  “Which one?”

  “Prince Malik.”

  “How else would we have been able to Ascend Tawny if he wasn’t?”

  I let go of her wrist as my stomach sunk. “You lie.”

  “Why lie about that?”

  “Because the Ascended do nothing but lie!”

  “You know that Tawny couldn’t wait to Ascend.” She rose to her knees. “She was ecstatic when I told her the Queen had petitioned the gods for an exception, that she would Ascend. I sent her to the capital. The Queen did it for you. I told her how close you and Tawny are.”

  “Shut up.”

  “She wants you to be comfortable when you return home, her blooded granddaughter—” Her eyes widened as she caught sight of my hand. “What is that?” The Duchess scrambled forward, clasping my left wrist. “The imprint.” She stared at the golden swirl across my palm. “You’re married.”

  I pulled my hand free as she rocked backward, laughing.

  “You’re married? To the Prince of Atlantia?” Pitch-black eyes lifted to mine as a wide smile broke out across her face, revealing the fangs of both her upper and lower jaw. “If I’d known, none of this would’ve been necessary. You. Born of flesh and fire. The Queen will be so thrilled to learn you’ve done what she could never accomplish. Seized Atlantia right out from under them, under her. Our Queen will be so proud of—”

  “Shut up,” I snarled, thrusting the bloodstone blade deep into her chest.

  Duchess Teerman’s eyes widened only a fraction in surprise. I met her stare, holding the dagger there until the cracks formed in her skin, until the light went out of her eyes and her body caved in around the blade of the wolven bone and bloodstone dagger.

  And just like an Ascended, I felt nothing but a sudden iciness as I watched Duchess Teerman turn to ash.

  I turned.

  Casteel stood outside the door, the lines and angles of his features sharp in the moonlight. “You beat me to her.”