AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He walks with a grin on his face. A twisted smile that screams victory.
“Your Daughter of Ice is dead!” he bellows. “The reign of the Son of Flame has begun! You will bow to me or die!”
“Never!” Lacrae yells. He turns to the army behind us. Dwarves and humans who are frozen in fear. “We do not bow to him!”
Griffyn races forward, the once-head of Soreno’s guard coming to stand directly beside Harmonica.
“Griffyn, my old friend,” Patrick greets.
“You do not dare call me that,” the guardsman growls. “I am no friend to you. You have unleashed destruction upon us!”
The giants let loose a horrific growl. A warning of what’s to come.
Patrick snarls. “You will die first.” He looks up at the giants. “Kill them all.”
They laugh, a chilling sound that raises the hair on the back of my neck. I grab Lacrae and pull him in. “Get them to retreat. Spread the word to meet us near Navalis—but do not take the city until I arrive.”
Lacrae nods and takes off running as the giants run down the hill. The ground shakes with their every step. I grab Harmonica and drag her away from the fight.
“No! We must fight!” She squirms against me, trying to get free, so I’m forced to throw her over my shoulder and run as fast as I can, despite the deep snow. I make it to the edge of the mountain, right beside the Cerulean Seas. I set her down and hold both hands in mine. Water crashes below. She looks down at it then back up to me, eyes widening.
“You need to warn Alastair.”
“You wish me to leave you?”
“No. But you’re the only one who can reach him in time.” Doing what I’ve wanted to do since we first met, I release one of her hands so I can reach up and run my finger over her cheek.
“I can stay and fight.”
“Then everyone will die. You speak of destiny; this is yours. Get to Soreno, warn him that the giants are coming, for I’ve no doubt Patrick is going to try and take his kingdom back.”
“Why do you think he will go there first?”
“Because it is what I would do. Please, Harmonica. You’re our only hope.”
Behind me, men scream. Horrific, blood-curdling, agonizing screams.
“Please!” I beg her again, gripping both of her arms.
She looks to the water. “I do not wish to leave you.” A tear streams down her cheek.
“Then come back and find me when it is done.”
Harmonic throws both arms around my neck and rips me toward her, slamming her mouth to mine. Passion thrums in my veins as her kiss consumes me. It heats my blood, melting away at the ice that has settled since we first ventured into this frozen land.
And then, she’s gone. Diving off the side of the cliff before I even have a chance to open my eyes.
All I see is a splash of water, and she’s gone.
I take a deep breath to steady myself then turn and run back into battle to save who I can. Sword in hand, I dodge a Tenebris blade, spinning out and cutting the back of his legs. He roars and falls forward, so I drive my blade into his throat.
I long for my bow. For the pluck of an arrow, but Patrick saw to it that it was destroyed when he claimed our camp. So I fight with the sword, a weapon I’d been reluctant to train on but am now more than grateful Alex had insisted.
A soldier rushes me from the front, another from the side. I duck down, hitting the snow as a giant’s club swings out, killing both Tenebris in one single blow.
Rolling to the side, I miss being hit again and again as the creature slams his weapon against the snow.
“Bowman! Run!” Lacrae bellows as he charges, jumping up and driving his sword into the thigh of a giant. He hangs on as the thing spins, jerking the elf around with him, until Lacrae rips his blade free and falls to the snow.
