Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
“Question,” she said to distract herself as they entered the outer chamber. Bodies lay prone and bloodied. Tarian had fought his way through to get to her. “Before I do the magnanimous thing and sacrifice myself for the good of the realm, can I get a bigger tattoo? Assuming it’ll be diamond dust. Even in death, I’d rock that thing. I was made for it.”
He tugged her closer. “Yes. We’ll get one to match. How’s that?”
“I mean, sure, if you want to be cutesy about it.”
He chuckled darkly as they left the king’s wing and entered the corridor.
“Question,” she said again. His magic stuffed the space full of blistering, potent magic. It wasn’t billowing black shadows this time, though. Pale gold, coral, lavender, and cerulean sparkled in a magnificent display of dusk-like colors, coating the walls and swirling through the air. The magic was clean and pure and playful while still deadly and menacing. Fae. It lifted her soul and made her want to burn down the world all at the same time.
“Yes?” he asked, jostling her out of her stupor with the beauty of his magic. One being should not be allowed to be this overwhelmingly gorgeous. It simply wasn’t fair for the rest of the worlds at large—both the fae world and the human. And any other world out there that she didn’t know about.
“Why did you come for me? You never said. I thought you couldn’t.”
They turned the corner. “I’ll explain it all later. Right now…”
Guards waited in the hall, weapons in hand and bodies tense. They sighted Tarian and pivoted to face him. They must’ve known he was coming.
“Not known,” he said as he walked toward them with a purposeful stride. His wings fluttered behind him, proving to everyone what he was. “Feared. And now their fears will come true.”
He didn’t raise his hand. Didn’t give the signal for his Fallen to cut down the fae in his way. He simply…flexed.
His magic tumbled down the corridor, a wall of might that stole her breath. It ripped and tore a path ahead of him, laying waste to the opposition and a couple of passing nobles. Only the servants, hunkering down with their hands over their heads and shaking in fear, were spared. He not only had power, but incredible dexterity with his magic.
“Demigod Kieran would give his left nut to have you in his arsenal,” Daisy murmured as they stepped through the bodies and reached the doors. “Any of the Demigods would.”
“Except for your Lexi.” He didn’t try the lock but blasted the double doors open. “She wouldn’t care what I was—she’d only care what threat I posed to you. Isn’t that right?”
“I see someone has a lot more strength in his mindgazer magic.”
“A lot, yes. I want to experience you, but that will come later, too.”
Now the Fallen did run in front of them, weapons out, teeth bared. Tarian let them, holding out his hand and having it filled with Daisy’s magical knife as Faelynn passed.
He handed it to Daisy. “Per our deal, when you don’t have this knife in your possession, you are allowed to kill my Fallen. Let’s keep them safe, shall we?”
“I still have a green light to kill you.”
“Yes, you do. And the magic to render me vulnerable.”
She didn’t know about that. She was good, but she wasn’t indestructible. The court battle with the fae female had proven that. Daisy didn’t think she had the same training hours as he did. Not even close.
“That doesn’t matter.” His voice was subdued and reverent. He looked at her as his warriors laid ruin to those around them. “I would never lift a hand against you. If you decided to kill me, I wouldn’t stop you.”
She opened her mouth to call bullshit but didn’t get the chance. The princess appeared in a doorway at the back of the chambers. Her dress billowed. Two objects filled her hands, both of them glowing. A blast of shadowy power rose up and rushed toward them.
34
Daisy
Daisy didn’t get time to think. She reached out with her magic, the same magic that could stop someone using her if she so chose, and sapped the strength from those obsidian chalices. Just as she’d brought them to life, now she deadened them. Eldric had said it was within her power to do so. It was why the crystal chalice was always meant to be a thinking, logical being.
Her knife elongated into a sword, ready for battle.
“No.” Tarian put out his hand to stop her. “This is my fight.”
His magic didn’t well up like with the guards. Instead, he pulled his own magical knife from its sheath. It glowed in the dim light as the princess’s face crumpled into a mask of rage. Her vile magic swirled around her. It didn’t get the boost from the chalices she was looking for.