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)
“Fuck!” Tarian scooped her up into his arms, turning frantically. “Faelynn!” he shouted.
A dozen court members snickered, more hiding grins or smiles. She’d remember each and every one of those fuckers.
Daisy grabbed for the closest fae’s magic, someone too strong to steal from this quickly, but black spots danced behind her eyes. Her head felt light as blood soaked her dress around her stomach. She sucked that magic to her and heard a feral cry.
“Use this magic,” she said, and coughed. Blood frothed at her lips.
Tarian swore again as a male with his teeth bared and his eyes screwed up in rage came at them. He launched himself, not sure who was doing this to him and beyond logic to care. Tarian dropped Daisy without ceremony, no time to put her down gently.
Take all that you can, he told her.
She hit the ground and groaned, curling up with pain. She siphoned magic from the fae male as fast as she possibly could, without subtlety. It flowed into her, and Tarian took it out just as quickly, combating the magical attack on her.
He drew his knife from a jacket pocket. It increased in size as Tarian spun. He yanked the fae past him in a beautifully graceful move and stuck his knife into the center of the fae’s back directly after.
Daisy continued to suck at that power. The fae roared wildly, turning for Tarian with hands curved into claws. He reached for Tarian’s face, his thumbs aimed at Tarian’s eyes.
That fae’s bodyguards showed up behind him, swords whirling. Tarian’s were hurrying toward them.
Get her the fuck out of here! Tarian yelled. The princess is attacking her with everything she has, and someone is helping her do it.
Faelynn knelt for Daisy, hands out to heal.
No! Daisy shouted, pulling at that magic, offering it up to Tarian. Gorlan filled in the space, staff whirling, iron decorated with runes. Don’t show me attention. They’ll question why you would save me over him. That’ll raise questions. I’m alive. Help him!
Faelynn hesitated. Then she quickly stood and brandished a knife, as though she’d gotten it out of an ankle harness. It was a terrible cover, but hopefully in all the excitement no one would notice she’d initially knelt to Daisy. Gorlan stuck his staff into the chest of a bodyguard. Faelynn got behind and dug her blade into the back of the fae’s neck. He went down fast.
Tarian’s wylds-made blade whirled in a beautiful array of light. He stepped and struck, then ducked and struck again. The fae was bleeding all over, and his limbs didn’t want to hold him, but he wouldn’t go down. He was fueled by the panic-stricken need to kill the thing stealing his magic. Her. He’d instinctively figured out who it was.
Tarian must’ve realized it, because he stepped into the fae’s way each time and acted as though the blows were meant for him and not to get by him.
She pulled in the last of the magic as another bodyguard was felled by Gorlan’s and Faelynn’s blades. Tarian sliced across the fae’s neck even as he was wilting. The death would look like Tarian had done it.
The head slammed down onto the floor in a swirl of nightmare black. Its sightless eyes looked her way accusingly. She wished he could see her returned look of You got what was coming to you.
The shadowy magic stabbed her, surrounding her. With Tarian’s efforts, it peeled away slowly…and then in a rush. Gorgeous golden hues and rose and chartreuse danced within the black. Tarian’s magic cut through the attack until she could suck in another lungful of air.
She spasmed in a fit of coughing, still holding her stomach. Faelynn dropped down beside her.
“Let me see,” she murmured, pulling at Daisy’s dress. Blood still seeped from her wounds, her Demigod’s gift working as fast as it could to stitch her up, but she was losing a lot of blood. “It’s okay. This’ll be okay. I’ve got you.”
Faelynn’s hands pushed against her skin, and Daisy stopped herself from crying out in pain.
Take from the well of magic she has stored up, Tarian directed her. He grabbed the collar of the fallen fae’s shirt and the waist of his pants. He yanked the fae into the air like he weighed nothing and threw the body out into the middle of the dance floor.
Nobility screamed or shouted in surprise, having stopped their dancing to watch. They scattered out of the way as the bloodied body slid across the marble floor, leaving a glistening red trail in its wake. Flesh screeched as the body lost momentum and stopped fifteen feet from the princess’s slightly elevated chair. From the floor, though, Daisy couldn’t see the expression on the princess’s face.
“Elamorna, you dare attack my champion?” Tarian hollered. His foot twisted as his focus switched. “What sort of court are you presiding over here, Highness? Have all your rules stopped counting for anything? Is there no order to be had anymore?”