The royal healer continued to move forward.
“Mrs. Rathbrook,” Aerity warned.
“Move away,” Mrs. Rathbrook demanded.
“I will not,” Rozaria fired back.
As the women eyed each other, Furball snarled, and Harrison bent to pick up the dagger Nicola had thrown.
Mrs. Rathbrook moved closer yet, causing Rozaria to rise, facing her, but still not within reach. Wyneth took a step forward on Rozaria’s other side, and pointed to Harrison.
“Move away, Rozaria, or you will have a dagger in your heart.”
Wyn was standing too close. Aerity was about to tell her to move when Rozaria charged toward Wyneth, her hands outstretched. Shouts and screams split the air. In a flash, Furball was there, bumping Wyneth out of the way. He let loose his most vicious roar yet, towering over Rozaria, who was suddenly immobilized by shock. Mrs. Rathbrook took the opportunity to fall to her knees beside Nicola’s feet and grasp her ankle. Nicola, in a burst of renewed energy, sat up and grasped Mrs. Rathbrook’s arm. Her hood fell back, her scar shining in the moonlight, eyes gleaming with passion. Aerity screamed. At the same time, both Mrs. Rathbrook and Nicola crumpled forward.
“No!” Rozaria shrieked.
“Mrs. Rathbrook . . . ?” Vixie whimpered. Neither of them moved or breathed.
Furball growled when Rozaria stepped closer, and she turned on him. “Enough! I created you, stupid creature, and I will kill you as I should have months ago!” She dived for the beast, but before she could lay her hands on him, Furball sliced a paw through the air. His massive claws slashedher abdomen. Rozaria looked down as blood began to pour from the gashes through her dress, and she rocked back on her heels. Her eyes lifted to her creation as if searching for answers to an unfathomable mystery.
And then Rozaria Rocato fell.
Paxton heaved Prince Vito’s body across the back of a Kalorian horse who’d lost its rider, and began leading it toward the clearing at the edge of town where fighting could be heard. He was shocked to see hundreds of soldiers, and a mass of Kalorian carnage. Most standing appeared to be Ascomannian and Lochlan. The Kalorians who weren’t dead were being subdued, pushed to the ground as prisoners, though some seemed to prefer fighting to the death.
His eyes rose up the hill at the sound of Furball’s brutal roaring. Were the girls up there?
“Oy there, Pax!”
He looked over to find Lief jogging toward him. The coldlands man, splattered with blood, looked at Prince Vito’s body and stopped short, his surprised gaze going back to Paxton. Leif raised his eyebrows in question.
“Aye, it’s him,” Paxton said. “Dead.”
“You killed him?”
Paxton nodded. A grin split Lief’s face, and he grasped Paxton by the shoulder, laughing heartily and giving him a good shake.
“Well done!”
Paxton handed the reins to Lief and left him standing there as he headed up the hill to find Aerity. As he got closer he saw people standing, as well as bodies lying.
Nervousness twisted his insides as he ran the rest of the way.
“Pax!” The sound of Aerity’s beautiful voice filled him with immeasurable joy.
She ran to him, and they collided in an embrace. Coconut and berries filled his senses and he held her tighter, thanking the seas.
“Come,” she whispered. She took his hand and led him the rest of the way up the hill, where Wyneth and Harrison stood. Aerity’s eyes lowered to the bodies, filled with dark pity.
He peered down at Vixie leaning over a very still Mrs. Rathbrook.
“Is she gone?” he asked. Vixie looked up and nodded, sniffing. His heart gave a tight squeeze.
Beside them was Nicola, who also appeared dead. Then, to his complete shock, his eyes landed on Rozaria, whose bloodied hands were splayed across her abdomen, a tremor ratcheting through her. She slowly reached a hand up to Paxton, her eyes beseeching him to heal her. His stomach knotted with the same pity he’d seen in Aerity’s eyes. He knew he shouldn’t feel bad for this woman who’d caused so many others to suffer, but he did. And he knew what he had to do.
Paxton looked at Harrison. “Hold down her wrists. Don’tlet her fingers touch you.”
Harrison, though he didn’t seem thrilled, nodded and bent at Rozaria’s side while Paxton moved to her head. The others watched in silence. Paxton lifted Rozaria’s head to his lap and when she whimpered he said, “Sh. It’s almost over.” He held her face in his hands, and concentrated. Inside, her body was a jumbled mess, just as Tiern’s had been the night he’d healed him. Paxton’s energy searched for what he wanted, and then finally found it.
