Page 299 of The Edge of Darkness

Off to my left, I caught sight of Roirdan as he skewered a creature through the gut with his sword, and with his empty hand, punched his fist through its chest and ripped its heart out.

Savage, I thought to myself, but I sent it into his mind too. He grinned wickedly and let out a laugh as he charged on, not taking his eyes off his enemies.

Between sword-wielding fae and snarling beasts, I saw a glimpse of pale blonde hair and blue light. Nivelle was keeping close to Roirdan and tapping into a multitude of different powers, working her way through every adversary.

A flash of auburn hair and tawny wings broke my focus.

Saxon.

He hadn’t been far from me this entire time—a shadow amongst my own. His movements were smooth and efficient, and he was light on his feet, seeming to glide over the battlefield as he shredded through each opponent and kept me from taking on too many at once.

“Niall,” he said, panting. “There are more creatures incoming.” I looked to where he pointed . . . to where a wall of darkness was rolling over the far plains of Salterra.

Shadows. Skadi’s shadows. An entire legion of them.

Clamor, and the panicked sound of rising voices, sent an immediate pang of alarm through my gut.

Another line of Lyceius’s abominations was already much closer, heading in our direction, and closing in fast.

Torin was already leagues away, moving west. I could mind-walk, but whatever was coming was already here. I threw my shield up over Auren and Saxon just as a wave of bodies surged forward like a wall, overwhelming us.

What the fuck!?

Teeth and claws gnashed against the shield, and Auren pressed into my side, stunned by the sheer number of creatures and their mania.

I couldn’t see Saxon. Couldn’t even see his wings from the way the entities were thrashing wildly against the shield.

“Where did they come from?” Auren cried out over the chaos.

“I don’t know⁠—”

“ARGHH!” An agonizing groan of pain cut through the bluster of snarls.

My heart stuttered in my chest.

I knew that sound.

“No . . . No⁠—”

I pushed forward through the madness, commanding my shadowfire to strike down anything that got in my way as I pulled Auren behind me.

A Dreki slammed to the ground to our left, blasting fire against the throng of creatures, causing them to finally disperse and find their way past us.

And then, as the flames chased away the darkness, I saw him.

Saxon staggered, then fell to his knees before me, clutching his chest. The spear protruding from it had torn clean through his heart.

My shield . . . it hadn’t made it to him in time.

The world around me fell away as I stared down at the exact scene that always unfolded in my dreams. I choked on a strange sound as a knot built in my throat.

I pushed out the barrier of my magic one more time, watching as it settled around him, making sure it was where it should be. And no sooner had it solidified into place than the keres and other creatures slammed into it, desperate to get at the three of us. Their claws and teeth and shrieks of anger were muffled against the shield, and I found myself watching them, wondering at the force that drove them to fight with such ruthlessness. Wondering what I could have done to change this outcome—to change everything.

I was in shock.

I’d never felt so hollow.

The atmosphere around us was thick with death, and I felt the overwhelming weight of it as I stared down at my Dionach.