Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Even though Bastian would be livid with me, I dropped the bow and unsheathed my own blade. I charged forward.
“No.” Queen Rolfe shoved me aside and sent me to the dirt as she continued to fight.
I got up and came again, trying to slice my blade into the opening between his torso and his hip.
He struck my blade down and punched me so hard across the face I hit the earth. I couldn’t roll out of the way, not when the world was spinning, not when I couldn’t feel my hands or feel my face.
Then I saw her on top of me, blocking the blade that was meant for me. Her arms shook as she held back the weight, but she was losing. Her blade shook in her hand as he lowered them toward her, as Haldir forced the blade back toward her neck.
I grabbed my dagger and stabbed it into his leg.
He roared as the blade sank into the flesh of his knee, and he lost his force for just an instant.
It was enough for Queen Rolfe to get back to her feet.
But Haldir spun and stabbed his sword directly through her armor, right into her stomach, and impaled her straight through.
Everything stopped.
Went still.
I must have gone deaf because I didn’t hear a thing.
She stood there with a brave look on her face, doing her best not to shuffle left or right, to face her death with as much bravery as she could. Her knees buckled, and she lowered herself to the ground, her breaths becoming deeper and harsher.
Haldir stared down at her, his grin disgusting.
“No…” I reached for my sword on the ground, but I knew I would never make it in time.
Haldir pulled out his sword and prepared to swipe her head clean from her shoulders.
Queen Rolfe looked him in the eye, unafraid. “Huntley…”
“Your son won’t save you.” He stood over her and readied the sword.
“N-n-ooo.” She could barely speak. Her head turned slightly left as her chin rose, looking at the sky behind him. “But he’s here to save everyone else.”
ROOOOAAAAARRRR.
Huntley dropped from the sky out of nowhere and landed straight on Haldir just as Queen Rolfe collapsed.
THIRTY
Huntley
I recognized Haldir from the sky, saw his large form exchange blows with none other than my mother. Queen Rolfe took up her blade to a foe she could never defeat, but she did it anyway, did it for her people.
The army of Necrosis was far bigger than I ever anticipated. No fewer than a hundred thousand. This wasn’t an army meant to conquer.
It was one to destroy.
The Teeth approached from the east, catching part of Necrosis off guard, but it wasn’t enough to distract from the front. Even with two dragons, this battle would rage on for quite some time. “Tell Ivory to protect the wall.”
Yes.
We flew over the castle, and that was when I saw my mother fall.
The blade stabbed her deep, right through the abdomen.
My hands went so weak I lost my grip on the pommel and nearly fell off. Storm redirected his body to catch me so I wouldn’t spiral to the earth. “Noooo!”
She fell to her knees and looked up.
As if she knew I was there.
“Dive!”
Storm dived his body down and headed straight for the earth.
She dropped to her knees, and Haldir moved farther over her, ready to saw her head off her body.
Storm lifted at the very last minute so I could jump off and straight onto Haldir. “Tell Ivory what’s happened.” I fell through the air and landed right on his large body, making him drop to his knees and crumple to the stone pavers that lined the city. His body broke my fall, and I took advantage of the moment to stab my dagger straight into his neck over and over.
He released a roar and threw me off, sending me several feet away.
“Huntley…” My mother fell back, moving to her side to avoid the blade through her midsection.
Adrenaline as hot as lava sparked in my veins and gave me strength that I’d never felt before. Haldir had been a ferocious opponent that challenged decades of skill, but he suddenly seemed inconsequential. I had rage on my side, rage that couldn’t be defeated by his smug grin.
“Sorry for your loss, Your Majesty.” He spun his blade around his wrist.
I charged and performed a flurry of hits, striking his bracers then dropping to hit his greaves. I ducked several times and avoided the swing of his blade before I rose up and slammed my fist so hard into his face I heard the crack of his cheek. I kicked him back then slammed my sword on his bracers, cutting through the surface and revealing skin below.
“Huntley!” Elora slid her sword across the ground toward me. “Take my sword.”
There was no time for questions, so I abandoned mine and took hers. It felt lighter than mine, and the blade sliced through the air as if it was as thin as a hair. Elora ran behind him to a man who had fallen near the wall.