by Holly Evans
We were ready. The air was electric. I stood with Alasdair on one side and Gray on the other. My pack. Lysander and Adam roared the command to move as one. We surged forward, a press of bodies and magic pushing towards a large rift. The faintly shimmering air showed rolling green hills beyond, a stark contrast to the grey heather around us.
Someone had warned them we were coming. A line of elves in thin leather-looking armour charged out of the rift. We hit them full force. The bears were ruthless and brutal. They partially shifted, forming extended jaws full of long sharp teeth, and thick claws that burst from their large paw-like hands. The elves’ armour didn’t stand a chance. They were ripped into bright red ribbons with shocked expressions on their faces. Bodies soon crumpled around our feet as we pushed forward, trying to get through the rift.
It was a deafening cacophony of war cries, death shrieks, breaking bones, and squelching organs. The hellhounds surged around on either side of the incoming enemy forces. They were savage balls of fire that raced across the green grass and tore through slender pixies and elegant sidhe with a fury only an infernal could contain. The enemy army was torn between defending themselves from the hounds attacking their archer-style forces from behind, and my shifter brethren tearing apart their front lines.
The ground grew slick and slippery beneath us as the dirt became soaked with blood. The stench of hot metal and death filled my nostrils. Bodies piled up around us as we continued to drive forwards. Vials and orbs flew over our heads and exploded when they collided with the mid-lines of the enemy. Fae of all shapes and sizes were pushing forwards to meet us as we cut down the elves.
Pixies were a whirlwind of twisting attacks with delicate blades. They moved in and out between our lines, slicing at shifter legs and witch stomachs. Blood spilled beneath their silver, but still they weren’t enough. Our witches bound their magic and the shifters tore at their calves and heels, removing their ability to dance away.
A number of shifters fell around us, but we were succeeding in pushing the enemy back. Their numbers were dwindling as we closed in around them. The alchemist orbs and witch elemental attacks slowed as they shifted tactics, not wanting to risk hurting our own people. They circled around, joining the hounds as they turned those alchemical bombs into close-contact kisses of death. The witches called down lightning strikes with terrifying precision, others wove intricate spells from the back lines that allowed their sisters to rip the hearts out of puka chests. Their hands slid through their sternums as though they were pressing through wet paper.
I had promised Alasdair I wouldn’t allow my shadow magic to control me. He couldn’t lose me. My fire magic coated my hands, and I used the pain of the injuries from the elf blades and fists to focus myself. The sound of death and rage became white noise as I focused on killing the next fae in front of me.
Alasdair was no longer at my side. At some point, he joined the ranks of the hellhounds who were coated in infernal fire as they ripped the fae limb from limb. I caught him ripping a pixie’s throat out before he moved on. Gray remained close. We worked as a pair, watching each other’s backs. My foot went from under me as I slipped on a dismembered leg. Gray moved in and blocked the blow from a sidhe that would have had his knife in my throat. I twisted and slammed the puka that tried to slice Gray’s back open in the nose. The puka fell back, and Gray took her legs out from under her. I finished the sidhe with a fire-coated fist to the throat.
Slowly, I became numb to it all. It was a blur of motion, sound, and pain. My body reacted to the incoming threats and kept my allies safe. We were progressing, and their numbers were thinning. The witches maneuvered to circle around behind them, penning them in. Lightning struck redcaps from a clear blue sky. Fire consumed sidhe and pixies, and shifters ripped elves apart. We closed in around the dwindling survivors until there were none left.
We’d done it.
We’d defeated the fae army and sent a clear message back to those who would tear the veil down. We were not going to sit back and let this happen. We would fight tooth and nail. We would drive them back with everything we had.
Everyone was elated. Made laughed and cheered with witches and shifters. Hellhounds raised toasts to pixies and alchemists. For the first time in known history, every form of supernal was working together without fear or bias.
We had lost good people, but they gave their lives for a worthy cause. Each was given a good burial, and those close to them spoke words of peace and thanks. Alasdair, Gray, and Adam all remained close to me. We were pack. Gray’s family came to us once they had buried some of Kadrix’s friends and one of Lysander’s hounds.
“He is free now,” Lysander said with a sad smile.
“This is the turning point,” Quin said with a grin.
I couldn’t help but grin, too. The soil beneath our feet was drenched with blood, but the heavens opened and a torrential rain poured down over us, beginning to wash it away. It felt like a good omen. The death and bloodshed were being removed from the earth so we could move forward and keep our plane safe.
Everyone was laughing and in the highest spirits when we parted ways. Numbers were exchanged so we could keep in touch and fight side-by-side when we next needed to. No one was under any illusion that this was over, but it felt as though we had a real chance. We had time now. Time to figure out how to stop this and to restore the veil to its rightful state.
Book 4 Tides of War will be available in spring 2019.
Other Urban Fantasy books by Holly Evans.
These series are all set in the same world as the Forged in Blood series. They can be read in any order, but reading the later books first will lead to some spoilers about the progression of the world.
Infernal Hunt.
This is the series that began this world. It’s set some 25 years before Sacrificial Magic and Forged in Blood.
Evie is a hunter. She works with her twin Quin to keep the supernatural world hidden. It’s their job to hunt down and punish those who break the laws.
Infernal Bonds.
Sacrificial Magic.
This follows Wren the illegal blood witch as she comes to terms with her magic and works with her harem of guys to stop crime.
Chaos Conspiracy.
Torn Asunder. (Urban Fantasy Romance).
This is set roughly seven years after the Sacrificial Magic and Forged in Blood series.
What if you hated your soulmate? Tabs and Alexei were the perfect couple. They’re literally made for each other, but Alexei went and tore Tabs’ heart out. This is the story of the soulmates who hate each other, but must work together to maintain the balance of the world. They’re up against sociopathic fae, rogue gods, and much more.
Game of Gods.
The following series is set in a world packed with magic that readers have compared to Charles De Lint’s work.
Ink Born.
Dacian’s a tattoo magician who wants a quite life with nothing more exciting than a pretty guy in his head. Unfortunately for him, the gods have other plans. Dacian must step up and be the hero his city needs.
Stolen Ink.
Hidden Alchemy.
Kaitlyn is a treasure-hunting alchemist. She travels the world searching for deadly artifacts that could cause untold death and destruction in the wrong hands.
Seers Stone.
Table of Contents
Contents
Title Page
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Other books by Holly Evans