I engaged a second warrior then a third, grimly cutting through the ranks to peel away their triple advantage of numbers.
Nails drove into my temples in warning, forcing me to drop both the invisibility and return to regular speed before I burned out.
I’d tried pushing past burn out once. With unpleasant results.
Fortunately, my Fae side had healed the brain bleeds within a month.
Numair and Juliette returned to my side as I became visible, and was subsequently swarmed.
Juliette cried out in pain, and I spared a second to determinethatshe hadn't fallen.
We fought, evenly matched, and I thought the battle might go in our favor—
—until my illusions disintegrated under a new bite of power.
ChapterFour
Two HighFaeemerged from the trees. Our opponents retreated, no longer needed.
“HighFae!” I shouted in warning, though no one would have failed to recognize the weight and metallic tang of their power.
They weren't fromEverenne: our city claimed only three now that my mother was dead. Renaud, Nora, and more recently, Baroun.
I gripped the hilt of mysabre, hyper-focused on the new threat, curses hovering on my lips. I’dtoldÉdouard this didn’t feel right.
“Setup. Montague distracted us with a shinysafehousefull of toys while they recruited allies.” I'd failed as a leader of my House. “This feels like Baroun's doing.”
I wanted to spit the thought out of my mouth. Fuckingpolitics.
“Fuck,” Juliette muttered, her face pale with the fear of any LowFae. Most of us wielded only a trickle of magic. Few of us possessed Skills.
“Retreat and scatter!”Édouardroared. If we closed ranks, the mages could crush us in one blow and walk away.
Tereille jogged up, pausing at his mate’s side to grin at the High Fae, eyes sparkling to match the loops of silver chain around his arm, the end tipped with a spiked metal ball.
“What fun!” he singsonged. “Out powered, out planned; out maneuvered, out manned.”
Édouard growled. “Nosinging.”
“Rinne, my thornbeauty, don’t tell my love I told you so. It will drive himmad.”
We tried to retreat, slipping into the trees, and encountered an energy shield, pushing us back into the clearing.
Trapped.
Montague warriors observed from behind the mages’ shield line.
Darkan! I need you.
He stirred in response to my inner tug, his attention turning towards me with the pulse of a silent question.
I flung everything at him. No time for conversation. I needed him toknowthe trouble I was up against and tell me what to do.
We wouldn't survive two battle trained HighFae.
HighFaeweretoLow, what Low were to humans.
Out powered, out manned, indeed.
