Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Without seeing his face, I knew his identity.
I unsheathed my blade and stepped forward.
He must have heard me or sensed me, because he slowly turned around and regarded me with ice-cold blue eyes. His thick body was protected by armor the others didn’t possess, created from a material we didn’t have access to. I knew Elora would give anything to know about its fabrication.
I spun my sword around my wrist and sized him up. I’d killed Necrosis for decades. Subdued their feeding frenzy as they swept through our lands and inhaled innocent souls. I never underestimated their strength, especially when they were in a group. One Necrosis was the equivalent of five men. Haldir must be the equivalent of ten.
I stared at his pronounced cheekbones, the darkness around his left eye.
“You look hungry.” I came closer, my sword still spinning around my wrist.
“And you look like dinner.” He unsheathed his weapon and did a dance with the sword around his wrist, the blade ripping through the air so quickly it made a high-pitched whoosh.
“This is the beginning of the end for you. You know it.”
“There is no beginning or end—not when you’re dead.” He rushed me and swung his blade with the force of several men.
I blocked the hit with both hands and parried it before I headbutted him so hard he stumbled back.
I took advantage of his moment of weakness and struck my blade on his arm, slashing through the bracers and getting to the skin underneath. Blood oozed out, blue instead of red. Then I kicked him in the chest, and he rolled back. “That’s the best you got, Your Majesty?”
He was on his feet a moment later, but instead of attacking me, he stayed back, his forehead dripping with blood, his eyes vicious. Then a smile appeared, sick and twisted, showing teeth that were sharp like those of the Teeth.
I heard the sound of flapping wings before I saw the dark outline in the sky. The heavy dragon slowly lowered itself, easily twice the size of Pyre, and the fire in his mouth grew deeper and brighter as he hung above Haldir.
Shit.
Another cannon struck the castle, and the floor where Rutherford and his men had been just moments ago collapsed. The earth shook beneath us as everything came apart and slid back to the earth.
Our platform remained, but there was nowhere for me to go. If I jumped, it’d be suicide.
Fuck.
Regar opened his mouth wider, and the fire started to spin in his throat, building up momentum before it would shoot out and burn me to a crisp. I continued to grip my sword even though there was nothing I could do with it. I thought of Ivory and the promise I’d made to her, the promise I couldn’t keep.
She would lead the Kingdoms without me.
My queen.
Haldir sneered with joy, knowing he’d won the battle.
ROOOOAAAAAARRRRRR
The green dragon appeared in the darkness and slammed into Regar, knocking him hard in the flank. He tumbled slightly, the fire snuffed out, and he let out a roar of his own. Then Storm appeared from the other side and hit him again from the opposite direction, his claws ripping at his wings and scales.
“Thanks, baby.” I rushed Haldir and swung my blade down right for his neck.
He caught it with his blade, and then we were locked in a deadly exchange of swords, both of us fighting to survive. This time, he came at me with everything he had, moving faster than I could because of his unparalleled strength, knowing he had to fight for his right to live.
I met his blade left and right, threw my fist down when he least expected it. He landed a blow. I landed mine. Our armor began to tear in places where the other had landed their blows. Just to be spiteful, he headbutted me the way I had with him, making me falter backward just the way he had.
Rutherford wasn’t kidding.
This motherfucker was strong.
The battle continued, and he was by far the greatest opponent I’d ever faced. Decades of experience weren’t enough to prepare me for it. I could take on ten men at once, but not when they were concentrated into a single person. His skills were potent. His rage unmatched.
But I had to destroy this asshole, so I kept going. He would tire out eventually.
His skin started to darken more and more—like he really was hungry.
I had to finish this and finish it quickly. A jolt of energy shot into my body from nowhere, and I rained down a flurry of blows, striking his blade, his chest plate, and getting close to his neck. I faked to my left then spun around and slashed right for his neck, putting in enough force to swipe his head clean from his shoulders.
But he was gone.