The king’s magic dropped entirely for a moment as he cried out in pain. Rafe latched onto his arm.
I need one more big push of magic, love,Krew sent me.Now.
The pause was enough of a distraction to the king for Krew’s magic to reach him and waste no time in beginning to encase him in navy and silver, starting with the hand Rafe hadn’t attacked. I directed both hands and everything I had at Krew’s magic, strengthening it. Imagining cement as strong as the castle walls immobilizing the king. Immobilizing his cruelty.
The king winced as Krew’s magic hit his skin and shook Rafe off his arm. Black magic delivered Rafe to the same wall he’d thrown Maurice at.
There was a crunch as Rafe hit the wall, followed by a yelp when a dagger wrapped in black magic sunk deep into his fur. I knew that sound would haunt me for the rest of my days. Green magic immediately sent the dagger flying back at the now restrained king, and he grunted when it stuck into his leg.
Meanwhile, I had already sent magic out to catch Rafe as he fell, a thin streak of blood smearing the wall as he slowly and softly landed into my cushion of silver.
Tears fell down my face as I felt a trickle of blood flow from my nose, but I refused to shut my magic down. While the king still breathed, I would keep sending it until I was either unconscious or it was gone. I needed to get to Rafe to see if I could heal him, but I couldn’t move while I concentrated on sending more magic at the king with Krew. Not when we finally had the chance to end this.
Our magic wrapped around and around, tightening our hold on the king. His second hand now covered, he couldn’t move, so he couldn’t get toward the sword either.
I heard an odd rattle of a noise and then Keir was there. His magic added to our own, surrounding it as he walked over to his father and slammed a gauntlet down onto one of the king’s arms.
I staggered a step, burnout now crawling throughout my skin, but refused to stop sending magic to help the princes. Even just the king having only the use of one hand helped the pressure we felt working against our magic.
The second gauntlet slammed shut. The king’s hands were immobile. And though he could try to use magic elsewhere like I had, he was currently encased up to the neck in our joined magic. Short of spitting his magic out like I had, he was stuck.
“Love,” Krew said gently. “That’s enough.”
I dropped my hands, wiping at my nose, and staggered toward the sword which now lay next to the knocked over throne.
My eyes went to Maurice’s eerily still body and Rafe. The king’s guards now all contained, Owen had made it over to Maurice and was checking for a pulse.
He looked at me and gave a slow shake to his head.
I tipped my head back to the ceiling and let out a scream of fury.
Looking back to Rafe, I saw him put his front paw toward me but whined, the pain too great. I feared he was paralyzed from the impact his body had made with the wall. His back legs were oddly angled and still behind him.
I leaned over and lifted the sword. As soon as I grabbed the royal blue handle, I felt the buzz and burn of the queen’s magic. And when I brought my thumb over the gem setting centered in the hilt, I felt it pulse. As I stood back up, I took in our surroundings. The kitchen staff, Owen, and Keir had taken care of the guards. The ones still breathing were being held in blue or green magic. Meanwhile the king himself was currently encased in navy, blue, and silver magic, wearing gauntlets, and on his knees.
I slowly turned toward Krew. We had the sword. We had the king on his knees. This was as good as over.
Blood still trailing out of my nose and down my face, I looked to the king, never feeling more hatred toward a person than I did at that moment.
“Love?” Krew asked.
I could do it. I could drive the queen’s sword right into the king’s chest this very moment. Owen had taught me a chest blow was too difficult to be efficient. But I could drive it right down his neck at his collar bone. I could do it now and end this.
But I couldn’t.
Not yet.
I held up a finger with my free hand. “One moment.”
I staggered over to Rafe where he laid and put the sword on the ground next to me. The queen’s magic was in that sword, but I didn’t know how to use it to amplify my own. Did it only work with the king’s magic because they were bonded? I had no idea how to tap into the queen’s power and I was desperately running out of time.
“Really? The wolf?” the king bit out.
Krew’s magic still pouring out of his hands tightened further, a tendril of navy magic wrapping around and squeezing the king’s neck. The king stopped talking.
I put my hands on Rafe and thought of all the healing I had done in the forest. How I wanted Rafe running through the forest, healthy and alive. That I wanted every bone in his body healed, I wanted him to not just survive, but trulylive. I called my magic forward, but I had only whisps of magic left. And though the magic I could send immediately wrapped around his body, I knew it wasn’t going to be enough.
I didn’t have enough magic left. And the queen’s power was right there beside me at my knees, yet I didn’t knowhowto use it. All I could feel while holding the sword was the buzz of power. I didn’t even need the queen’s power in this moment, I just needed more of my own.
