A Kingdom of Venom and Vows (Stars and Shadows #3)(64)

I would have him at my side no matter what happened, and I was thankful for that.

I turned back to the palace, and I watched as Adara and Thalia both stepped outside. Adara lifted her hand, blocking the rising sun from her eyes, and my breath caught in my throat as I watched her.

They were both dressed in all black. The trousers Adara wore clung to her body like a second skin, but it was the leathers that she now wore across her chest that made my heart race.

They were leathers that matched mine and every man in my guard. They were leathers of a warrior, and even though I wanted nothing more than to keep her safe, I knew that she was one.

She had been a warrior since the moment I met her.

I headed in her direction, and she turned toward me and smiled. We were still dozens of yards away from her, but my hands itched to hold her in my arms, to reassure myself that we were okay.

But I never got the chance.

There was a loud crack through the sky, loud enough to wake the entire kingdom, and I started toward my Adara in a sprint before I could see what was going on. But my path to her was blocked.

Fae soldiers landed in a flurry of magic, their boots hitting the ground with a loud thud, and I saw the surprise in their eyes when they saw Sorin and me standing before them. But I didn’t give them time to think.

My power shot out of my hands, and the few soldiers that were closest to us crumbled to the ground, but there were dozens and dozens more. And they all blocked the path to Adara. They blocked my view of her too.

I could no longer see her or Thalia. I could barely make out the palace through the wall of men.

Sorin slammed his blade into the man in front of him, and the soldier fell to the ground.

There were far too many of them for the two of us to fight on our own. I shot another burst of power and sent the fae soldiers flying back into one another. Some slammed against buildings while others crashed into the streets.

“Fuck,” Sorin cursed through clenched teeth, but before I could question what he was cursing at, he slammed his sword through one of the soldier’s chests.

He lifted his hand, and his power took out another, swiping his legs from beneath him.

I pulled out my blade, and I sliced through the man in front of me until I could see what Sorin was looking at.

The palace.

Anger burned through me as I watched flames lick up the side of the stone castle. I still couldn’t see Adara or Thalia, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“Clear a path,” Sorin growled as he swung and blocked the sword of one of the soldiers.

A loud horn rang out through the kingdom. The sound echoing over my land. It was the call of my people, of my soldiers to ready themselves for the war that was already at our doorstep.

I stared at the flames, and I knew it would only be a matter of moments before they swallowed the palace whole. I reached deep within myself, within the well of magic that felt wild and ready to destroy, and I pushed it out of me.

I had no idea how many men hit the ground before me, but I could move through them now. Sorin and I stepped over the bodies of the soldiers as we continued to fight our way to the castle.

I searched every face we passed, but there were no signs of my brother or the king.

And the unknown of where they were, of what they had planned, caused a fear deep in my gut.

I could not let him get his hands on Adara. Not again. Not ever.

My heart pounded in my ears as the fire raced up the side of the stone walls and onto the top of the roof. Smoke and ash filled the air, and my gut sank as I thought of the children who were probably just blinking open their tired eyes, thinking they were safe inside my home.

I couldn’t get the image of the two boys who Adara had spent hours playing with the day before out of my mind. Where were they now? Were they safe?

I sliced through the last three soldiers who stood in my way and breathed a moment of relief when I stepped closer to the castle and saw my guards barreling toward the fae soldiers that remained in the streets.

“Kill them all,” I demanded of my men who passed me, but they didn’t need my order. There was already so much rage and hate on their faces as they lifted their swords and slammed into our enemy.

I spotted Jorah as I got closer to the palace. He was directing soldiers and townspeople alike as some ran toward the palace while others ran out.

My boots crunched on glass that littered the ground, and I covered my mouth with my arm as smoke filled my lungs. There were people screaming, crying for help, and as I looked out over the horizon, I saw the rest of my father’s army breaking through the tree line toward King Drystan’s waiting soldiers.

Ash rained down around me, and I turned in time to see magic of the deepest blue swirl through the air. It touched the flame, kissed it with the softest touch of power, and the flame bowed before it.

It withered and retracted and answered to the call of the magic.

And Thalia became its master.

She stood before the castle with both of her hands held high in the air, and I could see sweat beading on her brow as she controlled the massive flames that were destroying our home.

I had never seen anything like it, never seen her magic so strong, and when I looked to Sorin, he looked to be in awe of her as well.

“Where’s Adara?” I yelled to Jorah, and he nodded toward the castle.

“Moving the children.” His fingers wrapped around his dagger, and he launched it past me. I heard the deep crunch as it landed into a soldier at mine and Sorin’s back, but I was already running toward the palace entrance.