Page 99 of Gilded Curses

Orin wasn’t exactly in the loop when it came to the plans of the Golden Ones, but he was sure he would have heard if Belda and some others had decided to try escaping again. Not to mention, he’d just listened to her voice in the pub earlier. There was no way she’d crossed the Barren Lands that fast.

It was impossible.

Orin didn’t have an answer for what was happening, but if Sahira was here, he had to get to her. As adrenaline flooded him with fresh strength, he renewed his fight against the guards. Revitalized by whatever was happening, Alda did the same as she kicked at her captors.

One of the guards hit Alda in the head and knocked her to the ground. When one of his guards swung at him again, Orin dodged the blow and threw his weight into the man’s side.

His broken ribs protested the movement, but his determination to get to Sahira kept him going. He flung himself to the other side and hit the guards with enough force to shove them back a couple of steps.

Nearly free of their grasp, he dug his toes into the ground and leaned forward as he strained to tear himself away. Before he could escape, Boris and Zeth broke through the grouping of guards ten feet away.

Orin gawked at them; he was seeing this. He didn’t have a concussion and they were using weapons to destroy the dagadon.

The ground shook beneath Gromuck’s feet as she barged through the crowd, shoving aside guards like they were nothing more than toddlers. She lifted one guard over her head and smashed him into the wall.

Orin had no idea how it happened, but immortals from the Cursed Realm had arrived in Epoch. And they were pissed.

CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE

Sahira spotted Orin caught between a group of guards. Their jaws dropped when Gromuck stormed onto the scene.

The orc used the guard she’d captured to beat the shit out of another one. Their bodies broke as bones snapped and blood sprayed the walls.

All around her, the immortals from the Cursed Realm continued to flow through her open portal. They grinned as they unleashed years of frustration, sadness, and rage on those who had relished in their misery.

Sahira sank her spear into the belly of a guard and twisted as she thrust the man back and pulled it free. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Blair and Carmella weaving a spell to create a burst of air that flung back the five guards charging them. They landed in the jaws of waiting, transformed lycans.

With the way to Orin cleared, Sahira lifted her spear and sprinted toward him. Elsa ran with her as the brownies rushed across the ground in a tidal wave of tiny bodies and feral screams.

They poured over the guards holding Orin, and as the guards tried to kick them away, the tiny creatures scampered up their legs. The brownies sank their teeth into the men, tore out handfuls of their hair, and ripped away skin.

They brutalized the screaming guards, who slapped themselves as they tried to knock the creatures away. The brownies were too fast for them, and the guards succeeded only in beating themselves while the brownies tore them apart.

Determined to save themselves, the guards released Orin, who staggered forward and nearly went down before righting himself. Blood coated him, and his face was a bruised, lumpy mess, but when he lifted his eyes, they were clear as they focused on her.

He stepped toward her as something crashed into her side. Sahira’s cry cut off when the impact knocked the air out of her.

The spear tumbled from her hand as she hit the wall. Knowing she couldn’t hesitate, she spun to face whoever attacked her. The sword of a guard glinted in the light when he raised it over his head; determination etched his face as the sword arced downward.

Sahira didn’t have time to cast a spell as death swung toward her, and she had no weapon to defend herself. Lurching to the side, she tried to avoid the deadly blade, but it was too late as the guard followed her movement.

The blade was nearly to her when the guard flew to the side with a loud grunt. The blade’s tip skimmed her nose and drew blood that dripped off to hit the ground.

Her shoulders sagged, and her heart resumed beating as she sucked in a breath. She snatched up her spear and turned to discover Orin, on top of the guard, pummeling him with his fist. Even with only one hand, the guard’s face caved beneath Orin’s blows.

He’d looked so battered when she first saw him, but the abuse he’d received didn’t slow him as the guard went limp beneath him. That didn’t stop Orin as he punched him a few more times before pulling his arm back and smashing it into the guard’s rib cage.

With a sound more animal than man, Orin tore out the guard’s heart and tossed it aside. Perched on the man’s chest, he turned to face her; his face was twisted into a snarl, and blood ran down his face as malice blazed from his eyes.

The animalistic look left his face as his eyes scanned her; he shoved himself to his feet and stalked toward her. “Are you okay?”

Sahira wiped the blood from her nose. “I’m fine. Are you okay?”

She didn’t think he realized it, but he limped a little as he walked and his breath rattled. When he stopped before her, they studied each other before he opened his arms, and she stepped into them.

For a minute, she forgot about everything else as his strength enveloped her. She didn’t care about the blood coating him but was mindful of his injuries, so she didn’t squeeze as hard as she would have liked.

Tears of joy and relief filled her eyes, but she refused to shed them in this place where a handful of guards were still trying to break free. She shut out the sounds of the dying as she focused on the beat of his heart beneath her hand. It was one of the most beautiful things she’d ever felt.