Page 76 of A Kingdom of Lies
Duncan pulled back against my hand, but I held firm as a cracking filled my chest.
“We will avenge him,” I said. “That is your apology. But for that, we need to survive this.”
My words snapped some sense into Duncan who no longer pulled against me. He stood straight, face contorting with sadness.
We left the burning church as one – magic readied and sword raised. There wasn’t a moment to look back as we ran out, not as the flames licked up the walls, ready to devour the haven we’d claimed.
A stabbing pain shot through my chest as I realised that I’d been wrong earlier. I had more to lose to Doran, something to fight for. Looking to Duncan, winds blowing his dark hair from his face as he roared like a warrior of old legends, sword raised to the sky in warning to the gryvern, I knew what I was ready to fight for.
And this time, Doran would understand what failure felt like.
CHAPTER 26
The streets of Ayvbury were stained scarlet. Dark blood splashed across the snow-covered ground as though the skies had bled over us. Gryvern circled the air, dropping human body parts as they finished gnawing on bones and flesh. The wet smack of flesh erupting against stone turned my stomach.
We left the church, unleashing a battle cry across the village, which did little to drown out the screaming of the humans still alive.
“Get into your homes!” Duncan bellowed, blade raised proudly, gryvern blood running down across the hilt, covering his hands in a glove of black.
Red, red, red.
Even as I blinked it was all I saw.
Humans scattered like ants, bodies running into the shadowed doorways of buildings. Taking advantage of the gryvern’s distraction, they didn’t waste a moment in following Duncan’s command.
I stood, frigid winds whipping around me as magic pooled from my consciousness. Glancing up, I saw every pair of black, beady eyes pinned to me as though I shone like gold in a world of endless night.
Then, as one, they shot towards me.
Duncan’s cry disappeared, buried beneath the lashings of wild, frozen air that I conjured. It exploded outwards, a wall of unpassable force that raced up to greet the demons. It tore at the ground like unseen claws, catching debris, stone and snow. I felt them as the monsters collided with the barrier of wind and ice, no more than whispers of contact, like bugs crashing into glass as they tried to get to the sweet fruit on the other side.
Iwasthe fruit and they wanted me. And all I could think about was getting them as far away from the humans as possible.
Duncan was beside me, eyes wide with wonder, dark hair tousled and swept back from his face, revealing every inch of his handsome splendour. And like the gryvern, his entire attention was on me, pale lips slack with shock. He looked at me as though I was his god, blinking heavily to see if the image of me and my power would dissipate.
I revelled in his reaction. It alone urged the winds to push stronger, keeping the gryvern at bay.
“I need to get the gryvern out of Ayvbury,” I said. “They want me, and they will follow me out. You need to check on those who are hurt. Kill any gryvern who straggle behind.”
“No.” Duncan’s face pulled into sharp lines of disagreement. “We stick together. You can’t take them alone.”
I found my lips pinching upwards in a pout, brows raising as my eyes flicked between the wall of silver winds and the crackling of ice that turned my fingers blue. “I no longer underestimate myself. Don’t underestimate me, Duncan.”
“Stay alive. Remember, I need you.” His expression was hardened steel. I waited for him to refuse, but instead he held his blade firm and nodded. “I will follow after you.”
I felt like his need had differed from before, as mine had, but I’d question him on it if we survived.
“Are you ready?” I asked.
He looked back towards my barrier, eyes narrowed as he readied his stance. “Just come back to me, Robin.”
I smirked, chest warming even as winter tore around us. “It will take more than this to keep us apart. I need you too, remember that, Hunter. How else do I get my audience with the Hand?”
Duncan smirked and with that I pushed out with my power, sending my winter force racing outwards.
We both moved, Duncan into the village, and me towards the path that led outwards.
My legs rushed forward, boots smacking across the ground, arms pumping at my sides, my entire focus on the stretch of ground beyond the village’s outer homes. Inhuman screeches followed me, the flapping of wings, the monstrous howls as they shadowed me. There was no opportunity to look back, but I only hoped that they all followed.
