“No, of course not,” I whispered, my heart thudding.
“Well, tonight’s the night where you’ll kill one of your people. Because if you don’t, I’ll fucking kill you myself,” he threatened.
“They’ll think I’m a traitor,” I breathed, the words barely escaping my lips.
War yanked my face toward him, his thumb dragging my lip down to reveal the mark he’d branded me with. “This makes you an enemy. Your loyalty is to me now—never forget that,” he growled, his eyes burning into mine.
He’s pissing me off, but I know I can’t let him fall. If War dies, I’ll be next. Maybe worse. I have to fight—not just for him, but for myself.
Hoofbeats thundered, echoing from the garage. In a blink, eight horsemen burst out, their unicorns’ horns shining likedrawn blades. Leading them was Crane, Troph’s son—now the lieutenant, stepping into his father’s place as next of kin.
Crane’s eyes raked over me, disgust curling his lip. “You sure don’t look like you’re being held captive. You’re dressed up all fancy in your human-inspired shit. Sin’s losing his mind over you, but here you are, standing with the fucking demon who just slaughtered your people! I always knew you were a traitor, Eboenia!”
War chuckled. “Sin should’ve fought for his pussy fairy when he had the chance, instead of crying over his dead bitch of a mother! Speaking of dead, I see you had to fill your father’s shoes. You should’ve seen the way his head ripped off his body, like tearing off a lobster tail. That muthafucka put up a weak fight—he was dead before I even took my next breath.”
Crane’s jaw clenched, his eyes beaming. “We don’t die, demon. Our spirit lives on—something your kind will never understand. You have no tradition, no world, no legacy. You’re not a real wizard. There’s only ever been one wizard worth the name, and it sure as hell isn’t you!”
The seven warriors dismounted, moving as one. Their brown ninja suits clung to their bodies, hands flexing at their sides. Crane’s fingertips glowed with the same green as his eyes.
War stepped forward, chain swinging lazily at his side. “I’m fittin’ to put belt to all y’all pussy asses. You tree-living termite-looking punks,” he said.
Suddenly, one of Crane’s men vaulted over his leader’s head, loosing a poisoned arrow at War. The chain snapped through the air, slicing the arrow in half. Havoc erupted. Six warriors charged at War, while the remaining two lunged for me.
As I tried to ready my wand, I was slammed to the ground before I could aim. Rough hands clawed at my wand. “She’s got Clover’s wand!” one snarled, trying to wrench it free.
A vine snaked around my legs, tightening, dragging me across the pavement. “You’re coming with us!” the fairy hissed against my ear. Hoax would burn me alive if they returned with me because of my involvement with the fight.
I screamed a spell at him, unleashing a swarm of glossy, ravenous beetles. They poured from my palm and swarmed over his body, devouring his flesh and muscle in seconds. The fairy shrieked, his skin bubbling as the beetles burrowed beneath the surface, causing it to pop like bubbles—but even that didn’t stop him.
“You filthy slut! Shame on you for what you’re doing to Sin!” he grunted.
Another yanked me by my locs, hauling me toward a dark alley while his partner straddled my back, still clawing for my wand. My wings burst from my shoulders, tearing through fabric, and War’s gears flickered into existence—spinning wildly on the buildings and the ground, casting warped shadows to protect me.
The two fairies froze as four monstrous, dog-shaped shadows slithered from the darkness, jaws dripping with inky venom. I transformed into the size of my fairy, slipping out from under their grasp as the shadow hounds tore into them, shredding flesh and scattering blood across the alley.
Meanwhile, across the street, War was still battling the six warriors who had charged him. His chain lashed out, wrapping around one’s neck and yanking him off his feet. With a brutaltwist, War snapped the man’s spine, then swung the corpse like a club into a second attacker, splattering brains against the curb. A third warrior lunged, only to be impaled through the eye by the dagger end of the chain, its tip bursting out the back of his skull. Now, only three of Crane’s men remained, circling War warily as blood spattered his mask. His magic was too ancient for them to defeat.
Crane’s voice echoed throughout the street. “Enough!” Emerald magic circled around his fists. He hurled a volley of razor-sharp leaves at War, each one spinning like a cyclone. War’s gears spun faster, intercepting the leaves midair and turning them to ashes. Crane surged forward, swinging a blade of living wood, but War barely sidestepped, his chain snaking out to wrap around Crane’s wrist. Crane twisted, breaking free with a surge of green fire, and slashed War across the chest—drawing a line of black, smoking blood.
War touched his open wound, surprised that Crane was able to hurt him. But I knew firsthand that it was a poison that ate away at your flesh. War chuckled. “Damn, I’m starting to like your bitch-ass. That’s right, bitch-boy, honor your punk-ass father. At least you can tell him you got your lick back when you meet up with him,” War taunted.
“Fuck you, coward! Show your face!” Crane replied. Blood was pouring out of him, but he was still standing.
War flicked his wrist and gears exploded from the ground, spinning like saw blades, forcing Crane to leap back. Crane’s magic lashed out, roots bursting from the pavement, trying to ensnare War’s legs, but War stomped, and a gear ground through the roots, spraying splinters.
At the same time, I darted overhead, landing lightly on the shoulder of one of the last warriors. My wand flicked, and a slender serpent slithered into his ear canal. His body seized, eyes rolling back as he collapsed, convulsing. I shifted back to my true form, straddling his chest, and with a savage swipe, my wand became a knife. I slit his throat wide, warm blood spurting over my hands and face.
Crane saw the kill and roared. “Eboeniaaaaaa! Nooooooo!”he screamed as he saw the final member of his squad fall. Green magic blazed from Crane’s palms as he sent a whip of thorns lashing at me. I rolled aside, feeling the thorns graze my cheek, chest, and thigh, and hurled a swarm of beetles at his feet. He incinerated them with a burst of emerald fire, then charged straight at War.
War met him head-on, chain spinning, gears whirring and slicing through the air. Crane dodged and weaved, landing a punch that sent War staggering back. War grinned, blood on his teeth, and with a flick of his finger, a gear shot up from the ground and nearly took Crane’s leg off. Crane jumped, twisting midair, and landed a vicious kick to War’s jaw.
The two clashed in a blur of steel, wood, and magic, blood flying, gears grinding, roots shattering. Crane fought like a man possessed, but War’s taunting never faded, even as blood dripped from his wounds and the ground became a red lake.
Crane was knocked to the ground, his body saturated with blood.
“I’m not going to beg you for my life!” Crane said, wheezing for breath.
War stood over him. “I almost don’t want to kill you—you’re way more fun than your pops,” he teased.
