Chapter 52: A Massacre In Darkholme I

✧••{NAYEESHA’S POV}••✧

The throne room is filled with the sound of screams and the clashing of blades as the servants loyal to us fight against the traitors.

My gaze lands on a small group of traitors running toward the throne room doors, desperate to escape the chaos. The moment they try to cross the threshold, they’re violently thrown backward by my magic barrier. It shimmers yellow, rippling like a wave before turning invisible.

"And where do you all think you’re going?!" I shout, sparks of magic bursting to life in my hands as I storm toward them. "The only way out is over my dead body!"

"Then so be it, witch!" One guard snarls then turns to the others. "Kill her!"

Three of them raise their swords and charge at me with terrifying speed.

When the first one reaches me, he swings his blade for my head. I duck under it just in time, the wind from his strike grazing my cheek as the sword passes over my face.

"Ætherre!" I roar, thrusting my hand toward him.

A bolt of magic erupts from my palm, tearing a hole straight through his chest.

The guard staggers as he looks down at the gaping hole where his heart used to be, then he collapses to the ground.

Just as the second guard approaches and thrusts his blade toward me, I scream.

"Æthyrix Bæli-or!"

Two portals appear instantly, one right in front of me, and the other right behind the guard. His sword disappears into the portal before me, plunging straight through his back the second it emerges from the one behind him.

His eyes widen as a choked gasp leaves his lips before he drops lifeless to the ground.

The moment I see the third guard about to reach me, I shift the portals immediately, placing one on the ground before him, and the other floating a few feet above it.

He falls straight into the portal beneath him. Just before his head can go through, I snap my fingers and both portals close. His severed head sits on the floor, and his body drops from mid-air with a sickening thud.

As soon as I turn, I find two maids a short distance from me, hissing as they bare their fangs. The second they draw their daggers from under their skirts and lunge at me, I shout.

"Leveryn!"

Two swords from dead guards rise from the floor and shoot through the air like spears, driving straight through their skulls.

But the battle is far from over.

Seven more run toward me, closing in from every direction.

I thrust both my hands outward and a powerful gust of wind erupts around me, knocking some of them to the floor and the others into pillars.

But still, they push themselves to their feet, hissing wildly at me.

Fire roars to life in my palms, but just as I take a step toward them, a stabbing pain pierces through my skull and the flames die instantly.

As a cry of raw agony leaves my lips, my vision blurs and I feel the barrier around the entire castle beginning to falter.

But I can’t stop.

Not now.

Not when Rhiannon is counting on me.

In an attempt to resist the pain, I grind my teeth together until my jaw aches.

Fire flares to life in my hands again, burning hotter and brighter than before as I hurl it at the nearest enemy.

꧁ ✧༺ ❦ ༻✧ ꧂

𖤐••{AZERIA’S POV}••⛧

Three guards surround me at once, their blades swinging toward me from all sides.

I duck the first guard’s strike, dropping to the floor and sweeping his legs out from under him with my foot.

Just as the second brings his sword down on me, I roll away then spring to my feet before kicking the blade out of his hand.

The third guard is relentless, growling as he swings his sword wildly at me. I dodge every strike effortlessly, then I grab his wrist and twist until the bone bursts out from beneath his flesh. As he screams in agony, I grab his head with both hands and twist until it tears from his shoulders, then I spin around, hurling it at the first guard just as he’s getting on his feet.

The head smashes into his face with a heavy thud, sending him stumbling backward. In a heartbeat, I cross the space between us and land a fist to his chest, sending him flying across the throne room. He crashes through one of the stained-glass windows, his screams fading as he falls out of sight.

The ground is far below. His body will probably scatter into pieces when it lands.

I glance over my shoulder just as the second guard picks up his sword and bolts toward me with a wild cry.

My lips curve into a smirk as I extend my hand.

A sword from one of the dead guards rises into the air, spinning rapidly as it flies across the throne room. It slices through his neck before he can reach me, and his body drops to the floor while his head rolls to a stop at my feet.

Suddenly, multiple arrows whistle past my ears. I spin around to find a maid with a crossbow, firing bolts at me from behind a pillar.

A sharp hiss leaves my lips as I bare my fangs, then I bolt toward her, weaving between each arrow with ease. Within a second, I close the distance between us, slashing my nails across her face and sending her stumbling back.

Before she can regain her balance, I seize her head with both my hands and plunge my thumbs deep into her eyes. Her piercing wails echo above all the noise, but they die when I wrap my hand around her throat, choking the air from her lungs.

My feet leave the ground as I rise several feet into the air. She gasps, her eyes wide as she claws at my hand while her feet kick helplessly.

I spin her around with terrifying speed before throwing her down onto the floor so hard that it cracks. Then I descend with all my strength, and her head bursts across the floor the second my heels meet her face.

The pounding of footsteps coming from behind me immediately draws my attention.

I turn just as a guard swings a double-edged axe for my head, but just as I move to dodge, his armored fist slams into my nose instead.

Stars explode behind my eyelids as I stagger backward.

By the time I open my eyes, the weapon is already coming down on me. I manage to escape the strike, but the blade slices down my arm.

I let out a pained cry, clutching my bleeding arm as the nightbane burns like fire.

As the guard raises the axe to strike again, I drive my heel into his knee and he loses his balance, then I plunge my hand right through his chest, ripping out his heart.

His body collapses to the floor while his heart still beats in my palm. I let it go, crushing it under my heel as soon as it lands on the floor.

The moment I turn to move, a sharp wince escapes me. The wound on my arm throbs viciously, the blackened edges spreading across my skin like veins as blood trickles down my hand, dripping steadily onto the floor. My expression twists with agony as I grind my teeth together, pressing my free hand against the wound.

I look up to find even more traitors charging in from every direction, their weapons raised as they close in around me.

I let out a long, miserable sigh.

"Great," I mutter through clenched teeth. "Just what I needed."

I guess I have to fight the rest of them with one good arm.

How wonderful.