As if to give credence to her words, an arrow whizzed through the air, thunking solidly into the chest of a nearby warrior. He toppled over the battlements, his body dropping like a stone, dead before he hit the ground.
Diamond swore and ducked down under the protection of the wall. Anxious shouts and curt commands were bellowed into the night. Reese sprinted away to organise his men. A soft whine reached her ears, followed seconds later by a cloud of arrows that fell in a torrent of wood and metal. Sickened, Diamond watched men die around her, their screams filling her ears. Some made it to the shelters that had been built for this purpose, but many did not. Soldiers dropped mid-retreat, pierced by the vicious barbed weapons. Many fae warriors fared better by ducking under their armoured wings as they ran.
Thick, dark blood seeped across the marble. Horrified by the senseless deaths of so many, Diamond squeezed her eyes shut. Hugo’s voice boomed in the distance, issuing orders and organising men.
That sound snapped her out of her trance. Surely I can summon my magic this close to the wall? She blinked, revealing the energy flowing around her. Instinctively, her magic reached out. With such a boost of power, shielding all those nearby should be easy.
A few feet away a fallen soldier stared with pain-filled eyes. Impaled by two arrows in his chest, he was unable to move. Blood ebbed onto the cold marble beneath him.
Hugo will not end up like that, vowed Diamond.
Setting her jaw, Diamond ripped a vast amount of energy from the air. Desperately, she tried not to steal it from the living. Instead, she pushed through her sorrow and took it from the souls of the dead. She could see them. Waiting. Echoes of the men and fae they had once been. Confused. Angry. Accepting. It did not matter, they had no choice but to pass on into Eternity. And there this energy would not be needed. With silent thanks, she harvested the energy lingering around their fallen bodies. Her magic fed on it, creating a storm in her soul.
Using all her training, Diamond gambled on her new-found control—and pushed. Magic shot from her body until a shield of white light formed a cloak over the heads of the closest men. Closing her eyes, she reached her senses towards Hugo’s voice.
Diamond remained squatting under the protection of the wall. Her conscious mind soared, lifting free from the constraints of her mortal body. For a moment the feeling of weightlessness and vertigo nearly consumed her. Gritting her teeth, her body trembling, Diamond pushed out her mind. Shimmering over the heads of warriors and soldiers alike, Diamond’s consciousness was just another streak of light in the shield she had created.
Her mind and energy located Hugo’s with astonishing speed. Instantly, Hugo looked up.
“Diamond,” he whispered, his eyes widening.
The warrior’s body was immediately enveloped with magic, their bond singing as relief washed through them both. Arrows bounced harmlessly off the protective film as Hugo ran for the safety of the nearest shelter.
Exclaiming loudly and swearing at the magic that was saving them, men stopped dead in their tracks, gaping upwards. Those near her body ogled Diamond in disbelief. Use of such magic was unheard of in Avalonia, not when the Queen had outlawed it.
“Move!” she roared at the soldiers nearest. Controlling her physical body was such an immense effort. Her heart thudded against her ribs. “I can’t keep this going!” she cried out. The soldiers close enough to hear dived under the shelter of the wall. Her shield faltered and exploded into a million tiny stars, sending her consciousness slamming back into flesh and bone.
Dizzy and retching violently, she collapsed in a heap against the cold marble. Heaving the bitter contents of her stomach, her body shook. It didn’t matter, she took solace in the knowledge that at least these soldiers had managed to grab their bows and were firing back. Now it was their arrows raining down upon the enemy.
“Light the warning beacons!” bellowed Reese, catching her eye.
She understood his question. Nodding, she waved him away. He had bigger things to worry about than her.
Two of Jack’s soldiers whipped the tarpaulin off the oil-drenched piles of dry wood. Horns were blown in sequence. With a whoosh, the warning beacons exploded into flame, one after the other around the whole expanse of the wall.
Recovered enough to function, Diamond grabbed a bow from the fallen soldier’s clawed hand. His eyes were dull, his breath coming in slow heavy gasps. Death was no stranger to Diamond, but her heart hurt. Even if she healed his wounds, it was too late. Blood had pooled under and around his dying body. Shuffling forward on her knees, Diamond held his cold hand in hers. She didn’t know if he was aware of her presence. It didn’t matter. At least he wouldn’t die alone. His eyes glazed over. Diamond held on tightly until his breathing stopped altogether. Swallowing her tears, she gently closed his eyes then wished his soul into the care of Lunaria, hoping the goddess or one of the mighty guardians would guide him to Eternity.
Composing her mind and willing ice into her veins, she stood and fired into the trees, her aim direct and true. Dust Devils moved towards the soldiers who had fallen from the wall to the ground below. For one terrible moment Diamond froze, unable to tear her eyes away from the dead as macabre shadows sucked their souls, kicking and screaming from their bodies until their light was devoured by the darkness. Enduring that horrifying spectacle caved Diamond’s chest. This would happen to every single soul in the valley unless she could stop it. For now the empty husks of the fallen lay still. How long would it take before their bodies became part of Ragor’s army? Clenching her jaw, she pushed those useless thoughts away.
When Diamond’s quiver was emptied, she ducked down behind the wall. Sickening fear tore at her heart, and she scanned the melee of soldiers. Noise and death surrounded her. Hugo had not come back. She wanted to go and find him. No, he promised to come back. And he would. She did not allow herself to consider the alternative.
Her mouth dried, dread turning her insides into a mass of seething worms. If he didn’t return soon, she would face this battle alone. There was no choice. The darkness that was the Wraith Lord had to be stopped. Desolately, her eyes scanned the mass of warriors who dashed around her. Hugo was not among them.
CHAPTER 47
Hugo grabbed a bow and a fistful of arrows from the nearest fallen soldier. He found Elexon and dispatched messengers to Jack, then he raced back towards Diamond. All he wanted was to get back to her side. That demonstration of her power had been staggering. Mastering her fear, using her magic like that, had saved countless lives—including his own.
Hugo heaved a sigh of relief as he beheld his Nexus right where he had left her. Only now she was loosing arrow after arrow into the enemy below. But Hugo’s relief was short-lived as the shield sparked furiously above his head. Horrified, he could only watch the legion of shadowy vipers strike. A thunderous boom resounded across the valley as Valentia’s ancient shield was breached.
Standing so close to the battlements, Diamond didn’t stand a chance. A shadow whipped around her waist and throat. Cruel and unyielding, it yanked her from her feet, dragging her back at inconceivable speed.
“No!” Hugo yelled. He threw his body forward, arms outstretched trying to grab her.
He was too late.
Hugo roared his anger and despair, but these vile shadow servants were not done with him. They lashed around his middle and his neck, holding him fast as he bellowed his rage. Mercilessly, they squeezed, trying to wring the life from him. With desperate fingers, he fought to reach his swords, anger and despair lending him strength. Frantic now, he slashed out with his magic. Obeying him, his own silver-streaked shadow ripped the hold from his neck. Choking and gasping, Hugo pulled a blade from his back, but it was useless against the shadow snakes. No matter how many times he severed them, they regrew instantly and attacked again. A spear of darkness coiled around his sword arm as another thrust mercilessly into his shoulder, twisting cruelly. Icy coldness slammed into Hugo’s blood. Cursing, he bellowed with agony. He would
not succumb to this evil.
A frightened-looking soldier bravely ran to his aid. Hugo recognised Paige. She raised her sword and slashed at the shadow. It seemed to shudder with mirth. The last thing Paige saw was the dark lance piercing her belly. It disintegrated to leave a gaping hole. Disbelief flooded Paige’s face as blood gushed from the wound. A moment later she toppled forward, dead.
Bucking and thrashing, Hugo roared with fury.
No! He had to take control of his fear or he would never get Diamond back. Forcing a deep breath, he shut his emotions down, concentrating instead on the burning entity that demanded its freedom. Right now. A sudden rush of strength blasted through him, fire burning through his veins and igniting with his magic. With that strength, Hugo could make use of his darker skills, his ability to absorb the magic of others—and use it he would.
Throwing back his head, Hugo arched his spine and sucked the serpents of Ragor’s shadow inside himself. Screaming filled his head. It wanted to escape, to survive. Hugo gripped it, smothering it. No magic ever escaped him. It was how he had saved Diamond from the flames of her vision, how he had controlled her raging magic in the forest, how he had enslaved magic wielders for the Queen; he locked the magic of others inside himself. And there it stayed until the entity existing in his soul devoured it completely. Icy power barrelled into him.
A wild roar consumed the night. Hugo did not balk when he realised that sound was emitted from him. Gritting his teeth, he dropped to his knees—and roared again. Ragor was attacking Hugo from the inside out.
***
Followed closely by his men, Elexon charged into the throng of soldiers and warriors that crowded the battlements. All watched wide-eyed as the Queen’s guard fought an unimaginable enemy. Elexon and his warriors threw men bodily out of their way to get to him.
Hugo emitted a wild roar as he felt pain rage through his body, his own magic fighting the dark, immortal force that attacked him.
“Commander!” Elexon bellowed.
At the sound of his captain’s voice, Hugo whipped his head around. Even as he fought for his life, Hugo’s eye narrowed upon the other warrior. Elexon’s golden eyes now burned with red fire, crimson magic swirling around his hands.
The red warrior! It was Elexon who had kidnapped Diamond the day the guardian attacked the city.
There was no time to contemplate what that meant. Shards of icy pain ripped through Hugo’s damaged shoulder. Ragor’s shadow now attacked him inside and out. Hugo bellowed and fought with everything he had.
Elexon stilled, taking in the madness around them. The red warrior blasted out a wave of vermilion magic at the writhing snakes that stabbed over and over at Hugo’s already bleeding body. Screeching, they headed toward Elexon.
That brief respite gave Hugo a chance. Trusting that Elexon was friend, not foe, Hugo shut his eyes and grasped Ragor’s remaining shadow with all his might. Bellowing his wrath, Hugo hauled it inside himself smothering it with his own darkness. Scorching heat crackled defensively through his blood. The entity inside him consumed and devoured until nothing of Ragor’s magic remained.
Hugo’s eyes snapped open.
Elexon stood directly in front of him, head cocked, waiting.
Hugo met his red gaze with eyes of pure silver fire. Then roaring in agony, he shoved. His bones stretched and reformed, his palms slapping hard against the marble as he fell forward.
Elexon needed no instruction. With a small gesture of his hand, his red-winged warriors fanned out until they formed a barrier between Hugo and the other soldiers.
“What can I do, my lord?” Elexon asked, his voice steady and in control.
“Nothing,” Hugo growled, the veins in his neck engorging. Under his already loose and torn armour, Hugo was healing. Muscle and skin throbbed as it knitted back together. “I’m going to get her back,” he declared to the fae warrior. “Do not follow me. Protect yourselves.”
Without warning, Hugo launched himself off the wall. He didn’t let himself think about the danger Elexon and his men were now in. How, or even why, they had revealed their magic to aid him.
A resounding crack exploded through the night air when he snapped out his massive, armour scaled wings. The only thing that mattered now was getting Diamond back. Focused on that task, Hugo propelled himself after the sweet scent of summer flowers.
Elexon could only watch in consternation as Hugo disappeared into the thick, inky darkness. The red warrior would never disobey Hugo’s order. Frustration etched his face. A moment later his fist slammed down on the marble wall, then he turned on his heel and ran, his warriors close behind.
CHAPTER 48
Flashes of light illuminated the sky, and something loosened in Hugo’s chest. Diamond was fighting. Hard. He drove himself closer, the muscles of his back and shoulders burning with effort.
Diamond came into view, her silver hair streaming wildly in front of her face. She was fighting, working steadily at freeing herself.
Hugo’s pride in her soared with each of her controlled blasts. Come on, my love, you are far enough from the wall now. Use your magic and burn him to hell, Hugo willed her with every part of his heart. As if she had heard him, a wave of white light exploded into the sky. The shadows screamed and recoiled, releasing her instantly. Diamond dropped from the sky like a stone.
Hugo’s heart stumbled as he shot forward. In one smooth move he wrenched her into his arms. Flipping himself over, he beat his wings like never before, propelling them upwards away from the shadow. He only stopped when they burst through the storm clouds and the light of Tu Lanah bathed them in a soft silvery glow.
Diamond collapsed against his heaving chest.
“Diamond? Are you hurt?” he asked fearfully, holding her away from his body as if she weighed no more than a small child. He couldn’t help but run his eyes over her.
She shook her head. “No.” Her voice trembled.
“Thank the goddess,” he uttered, pulling her back into him.
Diamond put the flat of her hands on his chest, stopping his embrace. “Wait,” she gasped. Her attention focused on his blood-covered armour and the huge hole ripped clean through it. A storm of violent emotion hit him. “What did he do to you?” she breathed, fingering the ripped remains. Gently, she brushed the healed skin beneath. Her touch burned him, their Nexus stirring.
“I’m fine,” he rumbled. “Better than fine.” Gesturing to his altered appearance, he held her so she could see. Her gaze raked over him, those glowing eyes flickering before she returned her attention to his face.
“How? Why?” she asked quietly.
Hugo frowned, knowing he couldn’t explain it. “I don’t know. It felt—right, to let my body change,” he told her.
It was a relief to know his altered appearance did not scare Diamond, but he also acknowledged there would be more questions later, questions he could not answer.
“We should get back to the wall,” he told her.
His voice lacked conviction, though. If anything, he was fighting the urge to soar away across the ocean, to take Diamond away from here. He would be hunted, of course; they both would, but he could keep her safe for a little while. Head cocked, she watched his face.
“We need to go back, Hugo.” Her voice was quiet but steady.
Still, Hugo hesitated.
“We can’t run from her yet, you know that. Jack is our friend, and he needs us; all these people do. They cannot beat an immortal lord and an army alone. I cannot let innocent people suffer at Ragor’s hands and neither can you, not for me— and not for yourself.”
Yes, I can, he almost growled. But she was right, he owed Jack a chance to regain his kingdom—to take his people home.
“Fine,” he snarled, even though his heart screamed otherwise.
A moment later, warm legs and arms encircled him.
“Take me back, commander,” she whispered, her body clamping around his.
Hugo nodded, not trusting himself to speak; instead
, he turned his head and kissed her neck. At the touch of his lips, she shuddered. A tingle of pleasure rippled through their magic and, for a moment, he just held on. His whole being baulking at taking her back toward danger.
“Ragor came for my necklace. He thinks I still have it,” she mumbled into his neck.
Hugo did not reply. Of course. This war had never been about lands or power, something he’d realised as soon as Gorian had told him about the gateway. From the moment the Queen had used Hugo to release Ragor from his prison, it had become a hunt for the keys that would unlock the door to Eternity and the gods.
“How do you think Ragor broke through the shield?” she asked shakily.
“I don’t know. His immortality, maybe? But pushing through the shield, then fighting more than one magic wielder, weakened him. I could feel it when I absorbed his magic.“
“Well, at least we know what he can do now.” She tried to sound positive, to make light of the fact the enemy could breech what they had all thought a solid defence against his power.
Swallowing his growl, Hugo elegantly dropped from the sky. He scanned the darkness before arcing towards the turret.
“Elexon will be at the wall to greet us,” he said as they approached the throng of soldiers atop the wall. He glanced sideways at her, trying to gauge her reaction. “We have much to discuss with him. You are not going to like this, but he is the red warrior. He took you prisoner the day of Sulphurious’ attack. I don’t know why he did it or why he put himself and his men in danger to help me just now, but I think we owe him a chance to explain.”
A Bond of Blood and Fire (The Goddess and the Guardians Book 2) Page 29