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)
Everyone I loved was about to die.
“Haldir approaches.” He said the words clearly, loud enough for Queen Rolfe to hear.
I looked up into the darkness but didn’t see anything.
“Get back, Elora.” He grabbed my arm and gave me a hard shove.
Haldir came with the speed of a falcon, diving down straight for Queen Rolfe. It happened so fast she didn’t even register it.
Bastian gave her a hard shove, getting her out of the way before Haldir could grab her in his arms. He lost his momentum slightly and fell to the earth with a thud that was louder than the battle over the wall.
Bastian didn’t give him a chance to rise. He swung his sword down and struck him in the shoulder, trying to hit him in the small opening between the plates of his armor.
I snapped into action and readied my bow. The barrel of Ice arrows was next to me, and I nocked one to the string. I was a good shot, but instead of firing right away, I shifted the aim of my arrow left and right, their movements so quick.
Bastian and Haldir were locked in an exchange of blows that I could barely witness. There was a strike, a block, a combination of hits and spins that I couldn’t see, let alone anticipate. Bastian held his own despite the bruising and exhaustion of his body. His eyes were focused, hardly blinking.
Haldir kicked him in the chest, sending Bastian flying back.
Haldir finally stilled for a moment, and that was when I fired an arrow at his neck.
It sank right into his flesh. He made a slight jerk before his head snapped in my direction. He spotted me a distance away, and the coldness that settled on his face was far more terrifying than the other kings.
Bastian was back on his feet, moving into his line of sight to block me from view.
Haldir turned his attention back to Bastian. “I spare your life, and this is how you repay me?”
“You killed me—”
“I gave you immortality.” He was a different breed, a foot taller than Bastian, with a voice deep and sinister. If a wolf could speak, that was exactly how it would sound. “I gave you the power of the gods.”
“You took my soul and my afterlife.”
“No need for an afterlife if this one never ends.” He spun the sword around his throat and came for Bastian. “I’ll finish what I started. And then I’ll take the woman you’re trying so hard to protect.”
That spurred Bastian on, and he attacked with a new series of blows. Sword struck sword, the blue color of his Ice blade slicing through the night. Punches were thrown to force the other one off-balance. Bastian got a hard elbow to the face that made blood burst from his nose, but he didn’t miss a beat as he kept going.
Watching them locked in battle made me realize Bastian was right. I didn’t stand a chance.
I put another arrow to the string and tried to focus my aim. The men were moving so quickly that I couldn’t get an opening. The other soldiers that jumped in to help were pushed back by Haldir, flying through the air and hitting the wall.
I fired an arrow, but it missed. It hit the wall and shattered. “Dammit!”
Haldir executed an impressive combo, hitting Bastian’s blade repeatedly, and then struck him so hard he flew into the air and landed on the other side of the battlefield.
He didn’t get up.
I lowered my bow and stared at Bastian’s crumpled body, unsure if he was alive or dead. “Bastian!” My path to him was blocked—by Haldir.
He came right at me, his blade swinging, a grotesque sneer across his face.
There was no time to be terrified, no time to scream. I put that arrow to the string and fired. It struck him in the neck. I fired again, standing my ground because there was no escape. Closer and closer he came, until we were just feet apart.
I kept firing. “Die, motherfucker!”
He issued a horrible laugh and lifted his sword to strike me down.
I turned to roll away from the hit, but the blow never came. I turned back—seeing Queen Rolfe forcing him back with her spinning blade. She was my height, so several feet shorter than the man I would describe as a monster, but she spun her sword with such fury that she looked twice his height. I couldn’t believe it.
Once Haldir recovered from the shock, he returned with his own offense, coming down hard.
Queen Rolfe used her shield to block his hits because the strength with just her sword wouldn’t be enough. He hit her over and over again, driving her back the way she’d come.
I got back to work with the bow and nocked an arrow to the string. It was hard to get a shot, not when Queen Rolfe was constantly in the way. She was getting tired. I could tell. I’d never seen her strength tested like this.