Total pages in book: 210
Estimated words: 200096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1000(@200wpm)___ 800(@250wpm)___ 667(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 200096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1000(@200wpm)___ 800(@250wpm)___ 667(@300wpm)
The second we’ve stepped into the empty bakery, I release the cloak and sigh heavily.
Zander presses a finger to his mouth, then points to the shattered windowpane.
I fill the space with my gargantuan Saur’goth form while Jarek slides his palm along the brick wall, searching for the trigger.
“We could really use Lucretia right about now,” Zander whispers.
I agree, but hopefully the sylx is proving useful with gathering information in Cirilea.
A click sounds and a panel in the wall next to the oven swings open. Abarrane snaps her fingers to beckon us and then disappears down the narrow stairs.
“You will not fit like that,” Zander whispers.
I slide off my mask. “Neither will the Saur’goth soldiers, which means these tunnels are clear.”
He smiles, ushering me ahead of him. “Exactly.”
The five of us rush down, Elisaf shutting the secret door behind him.
“Not exactly.” I freeze at the bottom of the steps, Jarek herding me to stand behind him with a wordless swat of his hand against my thigh.
Abarrane is pinned against a wall with three swords aimed at her throat, her chest, and no more than an inch from her eye. Torchlight flickers in the tunnel, revealing a huddle of guards surrounding us. More guards stretch out beyond them, lining the wall. The air is rank with urine and sweat.
Zander eases in front of me, he and Jarek forming a protective wall that I can barely peek around.
“Your Highness, please inform these imbeciles that I am your Legion commander and if they do not back down immediately, it will not end well for them,” Abarrane growls.
“These imbeciles bested you,” Jarek teases.
“It was that or I kill them all.”
The soldier in front, an Islorian with lengthy brown hair tied at his nape, lowers his blade and the others follow suit a beat after. “Your Highness?” His attention flips between Zander and Jarek, not knowing who he is addressing.
Zander steps forward. “And you are?”
“Adar, Your Highness. I lead Lyndel’s guard now. What’s left of it, anyway.”
“How many of you are down here?”
“Nearly two hundred.”
“That’s not nothing,” Elisaf murmurs from behind me.
“Down here, it feels like it. We have been trapped since the attack. The enemy destroyed most of the tunnel exits. Only two are accessible beyond this one, but it’s impossible to move without being spotted. A few scouts have gone out and not returned. We have not been able to exit for a coordinated assault.”
“You would all be dead if you had tried. The city is overrun with the enemy.”
Adar frowns. “Pardon me for asking, Your Highness, how did you get in?”
“With the help of casters,” Zander answers vaguely. “What about the tunnel closest to the gate?”
“Destroyed. The closest one is two alleys away, in the smithery.”
Zander’s jaw clenches. “That will have to do. What about the one leading into the tower?”
“Intact, and I do not think they know it exists. But it is heavily fortified.”
I curse. “I have to get up there, or this plan all goes to shit.”
“We will get you there, but we are quickly running out of time. The Shadows will not be able to hide forever.”
“If you have a plan, then you have our swords, Your Highness.” Adar dips his head. “What do you need us to do?”
Zander shifts into king mode. “Split your men into two groups, one for each exit. Elisaf, you will lead one group to the gate and open it upon Romeria’s signal. Jarek and Abarrane, lead the others to free as many of the hostages as you can and get them back into these tunnels or at the very least deep within a building. You do not want to be above ground when the dragons arrive.”
Adar’s eyes widen.
“Through that door and then straight ahead and up the stairs,” Adar whispers. “But there are at least two dozen of those creatures waiting and more outside. Hundreds of them.”
“We will take care of them. Your soldiers must focus on getting as many civilians into the tunnel as possible,” Zander orders.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Gruff shouts sound somewhere in the city, signaling that either Elisaf and the others have attacked or the Shadows have been spotted.
“Stay and fight with them. I’ll be fine.”
“Romeria—”
“They need you down here. And I have my mask. Besides, I trust the Shadows to do what needs to be done.”
Tension ripples through Zander’s frame as he peers down at me. “If anything still lives in that tower, kill it without hesitation. I will meet you there. Ready?”
I reach for all four affinities, letting my glowing silver eyes answer, even as my panic ignites.
Jarek drops a hand on my shoulder—a silent gesture to protect myself—and then he, Abarrane, and Zander charge out with blades swinging. I follow closely behind them, an air shield around me for protection.
Chaos erupts.
I run through the clash of blades, narrowly avoiding a flying Saur’goth body as Jarek cuts him down. The clatter of pounding boots rises behind me as a hundred of Lyndel’s soldiers rush from the tunnel, heading for the square.