Page 104 of The Ashborn

Connak didn’t answer, leaving no time for Kienna to think before the Vorthakai slammed into her at lightning speed, pushing her body against the wall. She gulped for air, moving swiftly before wooden boxes could tumble on her. She stood, quickly rebalancing to take a low position and watch the creature. Another was slithering through, slamming its body to create a wider opening for the rest of the wave to come in.

Tension built in Kienna’s legs. She knew she had to take care of this beast before the next one, or she wouldn’t stand a chance. She lunged, plunging her makeshift weapon into the beast. It yelped, but she didn’t get it in far enough. The Vorthakai created space between them, putting her at a disadvantage.

“Come on!” she yelled.

The Vorthakai screeched, a high metallic sound of warped violin strings filling Kienna’s ears. The creature leapt through the air to her. Kienna grabbed hold of its body and took it to the ground with her, pulling her legs around the beast to catch a better advantage. Her hands furiously slammed against the wooden stake until its chest cracked, and she waited for the life to drain from its eyes.

Hot blood poured onto Kienna’s clothes, stained black as the Vorthakai dropped lifeless to the ground. The smell of burning copper soaked in ash filled the space. She wanted to vomit. She wanted to mourn. She wanted to curl up and die from the threat that loomed in front of her.

All she could do was blink.

Kienna stumbled as the room filled with Vorthakai, followed by Umbrin. The Umbrin were swift and fluid in their movement. Their smell was distinct from the Vorthakai—like soot and moss. Not death. Only shadow-touched. Kienna’s body shook at the sight of them.

If she let these creatures through the tunnels, they would reach every other barricade and the others she sent through. Their lives… She couldn’t bear knowing she wasn’t enough for them. She would die for them. Kienna closed her eyes for a moment and stepped back to the opening of the path she had to protect.

Her fingers brushed against her wrist, pulling her charm away from her skin. Kienna dropped it at her feet and then summoned enough energy in her body. She thought of the spells she had known her whole life. The barrier. She dedicated everything to the River Storm barrier, putting all she could into it to keep out the demons. She was born for this, finally strong enough to push them out where they didn’t belong.

The wall appeared in front of her, magic surging through her spine. It held her upright.

Magic that once formed from duty flowed through her, deep and pure, from the love of the people around her. How long she could hold it without imploding, she did not know. All she knew was she had to try.

Chapter 41

—Connak—

Connak wrenched his bowstring back, muscles tight, and released. His last arrow soared through the air and straight into the face of a Vorthakai. He’d have to scavenge more on his way. He dropped his bow and unsheathed the sword at his side. He twisted furiously, slicing an Umbrin from behind. Connak screamed to the heavens as the beasts fell in front of him.

His chest rose with fury. Damn, he was tired. He wanted a break, and Kienna wouldn’t quit checking on him. He couldn’t allow the distraction. The city was flooded. Bodies burned all around them, and the stench of scorched flesh singed the air. The streets were pure chaos. Rain lashed the rooftops as the wind howled alongside screams of the dying. Thunder cracked above. Each flash of lightning revealed the insanity below. Elvish soldiers clashed with feral River Storm men, shrieking Vorthakai, and the shadow-slicked Umbrin slicing through the fog.

Danek was in the fray, ahead of Connak, pressing his palms to the chest of a wounded soldier and muttering as he healed, even as blood soaked through his own sleeves. Cuts framed his face, his eyes weary. He barely had time to finish healing before leaping back and slinging a shield of light around another warrior.

Connak fought from the narrow eastern alleys, where the city thinned toward the hills and the homes pressed close. The sound of clashing steel funneled toward him like a threatening chokehold. He turned on instinct, spinning low as a River Storm soldier lunged toward him. His blade met resistance, then blood. A blast of magic burst to his left with raw force, light erupting from an Elvish mage. The entire army was overwhelmed and desperate. Keeping up with the dead rising limited their spirits. Connak was sure he saw Baila on the streets raising more before they could be burned by the Emberreign.

Tislin moved like a shadow incarnate, his daggers an extension of the darkness. He slipped behind a Vorthakai, severing its spine in a silent motion, then vanished into the shadows again, only to reappear behind a River Storm brute and bury a blade into the base of his skull.

“We could do without the extra flair,” Connak gritted through his teeth, though he couldn’t help but smirk. He slid his sword through the gut of an Umbrin.

Tislin didn’t answer, but his smug grin said it all. He, too, was in his element of fighting.

A rumbling growl reverberated in the shadows behind them. Through the smoke and rain, a sleek form bounded across the cobbled road. Ruva, with her fur slick with water and blood. She barreled through a Vorthakai, sinking her teeth into its side before disappearing into the alleys.

The rain continued to pour, slowing the burning of bodies. The Elvish worked hard to keep the flames going, but it wouldn’t be fast enough. Connak leapt to the roofs with Tislin, taking a moment to rest. An earlier cut to the side gnawed at him. He strung bits of his magic into the wound, piecing it together as best he could. With the lack of energy in his soul, he knew what little reserves he had left would be better spent trying to end this battle.

“Think we’ll make it out of this one?” Connak asked Tislin.

Tislin stared off into the horizon. “That doesn’t look too promising.” He pointed over the Goldmere as the wind shifted.

Above the waters, shadows twisted around each other like smoke from a wildfire. Connak’s blood froze. “We should have expected it after Alverton,” he said, gripping the hilt of his sword.

A figure glided forward from the edge of the storm.

A Shade.

The tall, humanoid shape cloaked in thick, blurring shadows moved like night itself. The remnants of whom it had once been flickered beneath its surface. A flash of bone, mouth curled in preservation of a scream. Eyes sunken beneath a charcoal mask. Its cloak, or perhaps its body, trailed behind it like black mist, bleeding darkness into the earth.

Its arrival chilled the air. Whispers slithered through the alleys, voices that didn’t belong to anyone crawling behind their ears. It tore across the Goldmere, cleared the farmlands, and dropped into the city’s eastern edge. It landed near the rooftops, absorbing the darkness pooled between the narrow homes and drinking the shadows. The storm swallowed the moon whole, casting enough cover for the thing to feast. Its dead stare tilted upward, locking onto Tislin.

“No fucking way,” Connak said, stepping in front of his friend.