I jerked as her words cut off, ending in a gurgle. We both looked down at her chest, where a shadowstone blade protruded.
The soldier yanked the blade free, and Hisa folded, her body hitting the ground, limp, and her eyes open. I knew that if a shadowstone dagger to the heart could kill a god, it surely killed an Atlantian quicker. I locked eyes with the Revenant who’d killed her and launched forward, my swords slicing through leather and bone. I cut through the Revenant’s shoulders, severing the arms as the back of my throat burned, and eather pressed against my skin. I leaned back, kicking the Revenant into the path of Reaver’s fire, and then spun back to Hisa. I started toward her—
“The dagger!” Millicent thrust her sword into a Revenant’s chest. “We need to get the dagger out!”
My attention snapped to Isbeth, to where her hand was on the hilt, her eyes closed. Hisa. Oh, gods, there wasn’t time. Fury poured into me as I cursed, forcing myself away from Hisa.
I caught a dakkai as it leapt, bringing my sword down on the back of its neck as its claws grazed my arm. The pain was fiery hot, but I ignored it as I whirled, slamming the wolven dagger into a guard’s chest. Through the chaos of death, smoke, and mist, I saw Casteel spinning as he struck dakkais and guards alike. He had blood on his throat. His arm. I saw Kieran closer, his body not faring much better as he kicked a dakkai off a soldier. A high-pitched yelp spun me around. Dakkais swarmed the black-and-brown wolven, taking Rune down. I started forward, my path cut off as a Revenant came through the mist and smoke.
“Shit.” I blocked her swing with my forearm as I searched for Rune with the notam, my throat burning more and more when I felt nothing. The eather pulsed violently in my chest as I twisted, kicking and catching the Revenant in the chest. Ignoring the call to use the essence, I spun and dragged the sword across her throat, severing her head—
A blur of white leaped out of the smoke. I sucked in thick, blood-heavy air as Delano’s paws landed on my chest, knocking me back, out of the path of a stream of fire.
“Thank you,” I gasped, briefly clasping the back of his neck as I kissed his forehead. “We need to get to Malec.”
I’m with you, came his answer.
We rose, fighting our way across the Temple. Delano leapt, taking down a guard racing along the lower walls of the structure. I shot forward, thrusting my sword into another just as a dakkai took down a guard, its jagged teeth tearing into the man’s throat. It became really clear that while the dakkais avoided the Revenants, they did not make an exception for the mortal guards.
“Naill!” Emil shouted, shoving the body of a dakkai off him as he rose, the chest of his armor ripped open. Crimson streaked his stomach. “Fuck!” He grunted, jabbing his sword back as another dakkai leapt toward him.
And Naill…he was down, on his back, his hands open, his armor torn apart. My heart cracked.
“No.” Casteel spun, golden eyes flashing as a beast launched off the wall, knocking a wolven aside. Picking up speed, he slid under the creature, dragging his sword across its belly. He popped up to his feet and took off for Naill.
“Get to her!” Millicent shouted as she grabbed Malik’s arm, thrusting him to the side. His armor had been splayed open by dakkai claws, as well. My breath caught as Millicent went flying backwards, a dakkai on top of her. There was no time.
Shutting down my senses, I whirled back to the altar. Isbeth had retrieved a sword.
Shouts went up from behind us. I skidded to a stop, looking over my shoulder to see the guards along the Carsodonia Rise rushing the battlements, arrows lit with fire as they aimed. Instead of at us, they fired upon the dakkais climbing the Rise. My heart stuttered. If the dakkais got into the city…
Letting my will stretch out to the draken, I saw Nithe’s midnight wings turn sharply as he aimed at the Rise. I didn’t look for Aurelia. I couldn’t. I couldn’t let myself do that as I started running, leaping over a body. My grip tightened on my dagger. Every part of my being focused on Isbeth as she lifted the sword, her hands and arms trembling as the blade hovered above Malec’s throat. My heart lurched as I realized what she had planned. I cocked back my arm and let the dagger go.
I held my breath as the blade flew through the air, headed straight for Isbeth. Her head jerked up, and the dagger spun backward.
“Shit.” I skidded, slipping as Delano crashed into me, knocking me aside.
Air punched out of my lungs as I hit the floor—hard. Delano landed half on top of me, and I groaned, planting my hands on his shoulders as I lifted my head to meet his bright blue eyes. “That was unnecessary. I would—” Something hot and wet dripped against my hand. I looked down at the streaks of red in his fur. With dawning horror, I saw my dagger protruding from his chest. The sword slipped from my hand. “No.”