Chapter 24

My heart pounded, realizing I was running out of time. Every strike, every surge of lightning that crackled from my fingertips brought me closer to my ultimate goal. She would try to kill me either way, so going straight to her was still the best option. If I could make it in time, maybe I could stall her long enough to kill her before she could kill me.

Through the din of clashing weapons and anguished cries of the fallen, I pushed forward. My senses honed to a razor"s edge as I sought out the figure of the Queen amidst the tumultuous fray. I dispatched a naga that had stepped in my path, when a large, burly fae with a thick broadsword blocked my way. He was already swinging at me with an attack I wasn"t going to be fast enough to block.

A dark streak darted between us as Callan lunged at the man, teeth clamping on his exposed throat with ferocious precision. He ripped it clean off and spat the carnage from his mouth.

"Rowan!" Engar called, his voice barely heard over the sound of battle as he pushed his way to me. Oliver pulled in from the other side of me, flames blasting at anyone who dared to get in his way. "We"ll get you there. Keep pushing!"

All three men closed ranks, and with the four of us in close quarters, we were able to make a dent in the fray. Carving a path that brought us closer to the temple where the Queen stood. We were close enough now that I could hear Roxy"s chants echoing in the air. A haunting melody that sent shivers down my spine, but I refused to falter.

Failure was not an option.

As we neared the temple, the intensity of the battle reached a fever pitch. Our forces locked in a desperate struggle against the Queen"s relentless minions.

"Almost there!" Oliver"s voice rang out as he blasted a naga off his feet with an incinerating fireball. We hacked, slashed, and blasted our way until finally, we stood at the base of the temple.

The Queen"s silhouette loomed in the entrance, her eyes ablaze with unholy fervor as she saw how close we had gotten. With a flick of her wrist, Oberon"s ring adorning her finger, dark tendrils of magic snaked through the air. Like black lightning projectiles aimed squarely at our group.

"Get down!" I shouted, diving to the ground as the first volley of energy bolts streaked past. Narrowly missing us by inches. We all dropped, taking cover between crumbled stone pillars that lined the temple entrance.

The Queen"s laughter echoed through the air, heard even above the sounds of fighting. It sent shivers down my spine. I"d thought she was unhinged before, but she sounded even worse. She had no intention of letting us reach her unscathed like I had hoped. Her twisted delight evident in every malicious strike she sent our way.

"Keep moving!" Engar shouted over the chaos, his eyes blazing with a determination that I felt mirrored in myself. We pushed forward, taking advantage of a pause in her attack, making a final push toward the temple entrance. The ground trembled beneath our feet as we approached, the air crackling with arcane energy as we closed the distance, but we stopped in our tracks as she restarted her barrage.

"This isn"t working," I pointed out. Just as I looked around for another way to her, a loud flapping noise sounded from above us and my head darted up, Varus and Aura hovering above us. "We won"t be able to hold her off for long," Aura warned us, her red eyes pinning a look on Roxy, who had continued her chanting throughout, her eyes closed as she stood.

It was almost like she was in a trance, but she was the one doing magic. What would happen if we interrupted her?

"Aim for Roxy," I shouted at them, and then they were gone, taking advantage of the crumbled ceiling of the temple, diving in talons first. The Queen shrieked as they came down on her, wildly flinging her hands, her inky power shooting off in all directions.

The Queen sensed the threat to her ally, unleashing a torrent of magic that forced them to fly back, breaking off their assault to avoid getting blasted. With a wave of her overpowered hands, a lightning dome surrounded the building, cutting us off from the outside world.

Their distraction had given us the time we needed, and we"d reached the temple steps, lightning springing to both of my hands as we confronted her. She whipped around to look at us, Roxy still chanting in rhythmic patterns behind her.

The Queen"s eyes blazed with malevolent fury as she took in our approach, her lips curled into a twisted smirk. "You"re too late, daughter. The ritual is almost complete."

"I know about your little ritual. I won't let you kill me so easily," I told her, nodding to Engar by my side. She looked at him with a sneer, no evidence of the love they had once shared. "I should have killed you when I had the chance," Tantaii spat, hatred fueling the fire behind her eyes.

"Don"t you realize how dangerous this is?" I urged her, my voice ringing out like steel. "Destroying the mortal realm could destabilize everything, destroying both realms. You may have power then, but what will be left for you?"

The Queen"s smirk widened into a mocking grin, her gaze flickering between me and Engar with a cold, calculating glint. "I know what I'm doing. Your kind is disgusting, polluting our bloodlines. There will be no more halflings, no more true mates to challenge my throne."

"I will take my own life before I let you kill me," I retorted, and I meant it. If I had to die so she couldn"t use me to finish her spell, then I would.

She scoffed. "I"ve already gotten what I wanted from you. You are nothing to me, and you will die with your realm. Just shut up and watch." Her eyes narrowed on Callan, and I knew from her face she could tell what we were. Tendrils of black lightning crackled into existence, snaking out from her fingertips like serpents. They darted out at us, faster than they had before, and before we could react, the crackling tendrils wrapped around our limbs in a vise-like grip.

I struggled against the dark magic, feeling my movements become sluggish and heavy as they tightened their hold. The edges were sharp, not electric like I had expected. The more I moved, the more blood dripped down my limbs so I paused, trying to stay as still as possible. One wrong move and this thing might cut my arms off.

I tried to call my magic, but none came. Callan was on his side, the magic restraints pinning him to the floor, effectively immobilized like the rest of us as we all realized we had blades against our skin. Tantaii approached me then, confident I wouldn"t be able to lash out at her.

"Hear me well," she hissed, so close to my face that if I could only move forward a few inches, I could bite her pointy little nose clean off her perfect face. "The only reason I haven"t torn you apart yet is because I want to see you suffer. I want you to watch as first, I destroy your realm. And then, I kill all your friends, followed by your father. The last person I kill will be the panther." Her eyes met mine with deadly malice, and I could do nothing but stare back, helplessness seeping into my soul as I realized how stupid we"d been.

"You will suffer for the way you made me suffer," she continued, her breath blowing hot on my face as she spoke the words, satisfaction permeating her tone. "Until you wish that I had never let you be born. Thank you for making it so easy for me to gather you all."

A choked sob escaped me as she turned away, moving toward Roxy now with determined precision. As she moved, a chilling realization dawned on me then. She wasn"t going to kill me for her ritual.

Roxy"s chanting had reached a crescendo, and it was then that I realized there was one more body lying on the floor than I had realized. A pale sickly body with trimmed blonde hair and a sharp, pointed nose that mirrored my own. Cas. He was dead, just as we had left him.

Roxy"s voice was so loud now that her throat went hoarse, and with a final shout, she fell completely silent. A lattice of black appeared between her two hands that she held outstretched in front of her, and finally, she opened her eyes.

I expected their usual brown, but instead they were completely white, her long intricate braids trailing down her back as she approached Cas"s lifeless body. She placed the magical lattice on his chest, taking only three steps back from him as his entire body began to glow.

A surge of energy rippled through the temple from all directions. The patterned magic dissolved, replaced by shadow as it wrapped around his prone figure. His body gave one violent convulsion before it stilled again. Horror filled me as I watched, unable to pull my eyes away from what was happening before me.

With a sharp snap, the shadows disappeared entirely, and Cas did something I never thought I"d see him do again, not since I drove my blade through his chest.

He opened his eyes.