The Blessed Curse (The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 4)(17)

Wisp stood gracefully from her crouch as she landed, her bow already thrumming with more arrows as she fired with perfect accuracy into the Rivasan ranks ahead of them. Glancing over, she smiled and winked up at Neph. “Sorry I’m late,” Wisp called cheerfully, her musical voice barely audible over the pounding hooves.

The field before them was cleared of Rivasans as the Faydwer ranks plowed through them scattering their lines. “Are you going to let the god damned pixies out-fight you?” Neph bellowed to his own forces as he grinned down at Wisp. “Thank you,” he said in a voice just loud enough for her ears. “I have to get to Jala now, Wisp,” he added, his gaze moving once more to the valley as he pressed his cat forward.

“We will clear a path then,” Wisp responded and raised a hand over her head. More shadows darkened the ground as Faydwer archers moved forward along the earth bank behind him. Wisp dropped her hand, motioning toward the valley, and the archers began their deadly rain of arrows without hesitation. Somewhere beyond their range of fighting, the scream of a dragon rose on the air and Wisp shook her head at him frowning. “My archers can clear the Rivasans but there is nothing Faydwer can do against dragons.

“We will have to hope that Jala brought her own dragons then, or that Shade can handle them with his Spell Hawk. I’ve seen him strafe the field a few times, but it wasn’t against anything scaly,” Neph replied quickly as he offered a hand down to Wisp to pull her onto the cat behind him. “You have command here, Kay. I have to get to Jala,” Neph yelled back over his shoulder as he pushed his cat forward into the clearing the Faydwer charge had created. It was a risky maneuver. It wouldn’t be long before the Rivasans closed ranks again and then they would be surrounded by enemies, but he didn’t have a choice. Bright light flashed from the mouth of the valley and Neph’s attention snapped in that direction.

“What spell is that?” Wisp gasped behind him, her bow still thrumming as she peppered the enemies ahead of them with arrows.

“That’s not a spell. That is raw magic and way too much of it,” Neph replied hoarsely. “Jala, what have you done,” he whispered, his mind filling with dread. The sound of the battle faded around him as his focus narrowed on the magic and he pushed the cat forward faster. He had to reach her now. That was more magic than even he could handle and he knew his reserves were larger than Jala’s. That much power would rip any mage apart unless he could reach her and somehow redirect it.

“Can you use magic to transport us?” Wisp asked, her voice filled with concern.

Neph shook his head savagely and motioned with a free hand toward the chaos of the battlefield. “Too many moving objects here, Wisp. I couldn’t find a free place to set us down that would be close enough to her to help. We have to cross this shit,” Neph answered loudly. The Rivasans were closing in around them and the noise of battle was growing so loud words were almost impossible.

A cheer rose from the inner ranks of the enemy and Neph’s cat slid to a stop as a massive form rose from the center of the field. “Oh shit,” Neph hissed as the dragon rose to its full height and unfurled its immense wings. Its scales were the deep red of drying blood and by its sheer size there was only one dragon it could be. “That is Nerath himself,” Neph gasped. The dragon twisted, his tail lashing, and the screams of horses shattered the air as the Faydwer forces were scattered by the attack.

“You have to do something, Neph!” Wisp screamed behind him.

“That is the dragon that killed my grandfather, Wisp. He is a legend. His own damned country is named after him. What do you propose I do?” Neph snarled back. He could see his allies scattering back from the field and knew the battle was swiftly turning against them. Someone definitely needed to do something soon, but he wasn’t sure what.

“I think you should kill it before it kills my brother!” Wisp snapped, her hand smacking directly into his back driving the spikes of his vest deep into his flesh. Pain flared and Neph seized it channeling the magic into a spell. The wind around his cat rose viciously as his magic tore through the Rivasans that had been closing on them tearing flesh and armor alike to shreds. “Pain is still your focus to channel, isn’t it Neph?”

Wisp demanded loudly.

“Yes,” Neph growled through clenched teeth as he readied another spell.

Agony ripped through his leg and he nearly lost the spell. Glancing down, he stared hard at the dagger protruding from his thigh and then back at Wisp who was glaring at him. “What the f*ck!” he demanded as he unleashed his newest wave of destruction on the Rivasans.