Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 117167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
The words had barely tumbled free from his lips when the ground under their feet violently shook. Trees creaked as if they were lifting up their roots to march back to the Zhang clan house with them. And the magic that had been building quietly in the background since he’d stepped into the clearing finally exploded outward.
Apparently, they had one last problem to deal with before they could celebrate their victory.
Chapter 29
Wu Yichen
The ground roiled and rumbled underfoot. Yichen grabbed Rei’s arm to steady his lover, and just maybe himself against falling over. The relief he’d felt at seeing the king’s headless body was draining away almost as fast as it appeared. There was no time to celebrate their victory. Mostly because it was starting to feel less and less like a victory.
“What’s going on? What did he do?” Yichen demanded.
Rei shook his head, his eyes wide with fear. “I don’t know. The king had the spellcasters working on a spell when we arrived, but I don’t know what it was.”
“And they killed themselves rather than risk you forcing them to divulge their secrets?”
“No,” Trin interrupted before Rei could speak. “Their sacrifice was to power the spell.”
“What?” Yichen shouted as the creaking of the trees grew louder.
Trin pointed to the body of the king as blood poured from the open wounds into the ground. “He’s the king because he possesses royal blood. There’s power in that.”
“Fuck!” Rei snarled. He pulled free of Yichen’s hold and dropped to the ground. He dug his fingers into the soft soil and even pressed his cheek to the ground as if he were listening to the secrets it might still be able to tell him.
“I don’t understand. What’s going on?” Yichen’s heart had climbed into his throat. This wasn’t right. They defeated the king of the fae. They should be in the clear. It should be kisses and celebrating now.
“Killing him and the fae spellcasters didn’t stop anything,” Rei grumbled, pushing up to sit on his knees. “It actually looks like he was planning on dying here tonight. The spell the casters were creating is for spreading the woods outward and it’s fueled by the magic that lives in the blood of the court magicians as well as the king. You need to call Xiao Dan and the others. Tell them to get out of the woods now. Head west immediately.”
Yichen didn’t question it. He pulled out his cell phone and typed out a quick message to all the vampires and witches leading this fight, ordering them to pull back and head west as far from the woods as they could get.
He’d just pushed send on the message when Rei leaped to his feet and pulled him close. Just outside the circle, trees and other plants punched through the earth and raced toward the sky, blotting out what little he could see of the starry sky. Tree after tree grew, appearing to accumulate decades if not a century of growth in a few seconds. Shadows deepened as the forest around them became denser.
“I’m sorry,” Rei whispered, drawing Yichen’s eyes away from the trees.
“For what?”
“We failed. This is how he planned to take over Coldwater and wipe out the humans. I thought it would be a direct attack, but it was a spell. Right now, the forest is spreading outward to the east and south, taking over Coldwater as well as other cities in its path. Any human that doesn’t get out of the way fast enough will be consumed by nature…just like how I disposed of the bodies at Moon’s house.”
Yichen said nothing as he pulled Rei in for a tight hug, his chin resting on Rei’s shoulder. “You didn’t know.” There was no way they could have known. All their focus had been on killing the king in the belief that it would stop his plans.
“Yichen!”
He released Rei and lifted his head at the sound of Xiang calling his name. A moment later, Xiang and Xiao Dan squeezed between some trees to enter the circle. Both were splashed with blood and sweaty, but otherwise they appeared to be in one piece. Both he and Rei ran across the clearing, past Trin and his army, to join them.
“Are you all right? Where are the others?” Yichen demanded as he reached them.
“We’re okay. The rest of the fae army are either dead or on the run,” Xiang proclaimed with a wide grin.
“Chen and the others are protecting the earth witches. They’re trying to use roads as a barrier to block the new forest growth from the humans. Or at least buy them some time to escape,” Xiao Dan explained.
Xiang placed a hand on Yichen’s shoulder and squeezed. “We came back to get you. It might be hours before sunrise, but we need to start heading home now if we’re going to make it in time.”