Page 176 of Prince of Darkness and Deceit

But I don’t stop. I breathe through my nostrils and unleash another wave of power, another searing attack to burn my enemies to a crisp.

Masculine cries and screams fill the air. The arms holding me fall away.

I land on the ground, my palms sinking into something liquid and warm that would make my stomach churn if the organ wasn’t currently overwhelmed by the power pulsing through me.

The light continues. Screams echo against the trees.

I don’t know how long the moment lasts, how long magic flows out of my body like a human torch with endless kerosene.

But when the light does fade and I crack my eyelids open, bodies with charred holes puncturing their chests litter the ground, their skin and muscle dried husks of what they used to be.

I retch dryly, gagging, but then Ferria is there, clutching me, eyes wide with awe.

“Gods, Elara. That was…incredible.”

My gaze drops to her chest. “I didn’t hit you?”

“No,” she confirms. Her grip tightens. “I’m okay.”

My shoulders slump as fear I hadn’t given voice to flows out of me like water. “Good.”

“Let’s get off this field.” Ferria helps me stand.

With her arm around me, I hobble toward Darius’s tent.

Hooves thundering across the ground charge the air.

Ferria and I whirl around to see a group of stallions break through the trees.

The cavalry is here.

And at the front is none other than Lev. He charges across the clearing. Bones crunch and metal clangs as he stomps over his fallen brethren.

Is this a second wave of attack?

Idiots.

Surely they know they don’t stand a chance.

Because while the human soldiers were obliterated by my magic, the Fae soldiers were not. Like Ferria, my power left them unharmed.

“What is Lev doing?” Ferria asks. Her face pales.

I swallow. “He’s against the Fae… He knew I was locked in the dungeon.”

“WHAT?”

My reply is thwarted when, as one, the Fae turn toward the oncoming cavalry and lift their weapons.

Thick black clouds churn overhead, swallowing the clearing in an unnatural dusk. Lightning cracks across the sky, striking a tree with a deafening snap.

I flinch, every nerve on edge.

“Elara!”

The deep, urgent shout snatches my attention. I spin around. There, centered in the blood-soaked field, is Rian.

Where did he come from?