Marked (The Coldest Fae Book 3) by Katerina Martinez (novel24 .txt) 📗

If we could get Lora and Praxis away from the Wenlow, then maybe they’d be able to get back in the fight before more of those monsters arrived.

All we had on our side was speed. They had the numbers; an endless supply, it felt like. A horde of lost souls, former humans turned cannibals, of hungry monsters capable of decimating the fae if they got close enough to them. I had seen what one of these creatures had been able to do to the castle fae.

I had now also seen what they could do to the moon children, given enough time.

We needed to win.

“How are you holding up?” Gullie asked as soon as I was close enough to them.

I laid Lora on the floor and looked up. “My mouth is full of blue blood and my muscles are sore,” I said, “But I’m okay.”

“Yeah, that blood dripping down your face makes you look absolutely terrifying,” Mel said, “Kind of suits you.”

I wiped the blood off my lips with the back of my hand. “It’s disgusting.” Turning my head around my shoulder, I noticed just how close the Wenlow were. We had beaten them here, but not by much.

I stood upright again. “They aren’t stopping,” I said.

“Did you expect them to?” Mira asked.

Looking up, the Veridian was all around us now. The sky churned, black and grey, and deep red. Lightning grumbled, the wind howled and raced, but the circle of light remained, a beacon in the dark, shining brightly against the underside of those horrible clouds.

“How long do you think she has to go?” I asked.

“It’s hard to tell,” Toross said. “It could be minutes, but it could be hours.”

“We need to buy her more time.”

“That means we’re up,” Mel said, stepping toward the trees with Gullie on her shoulder.

“Hey, wait, what are you doing?!” I called out.

Mel angled her head around her shoulder. “You didn’t think we wouldn’t have a part to play in this, did you?” she asked, grinning.

I frowned. “Just… don’t get hurt.”

Mel turned to face the woods. “Ready, Gull?”

“I’m ready,” I heard Gullie say.

I had no idea exactly what they had planned, but the Wenlow were charging through the woods at an alarming rate. In less than a minute, I thought, they would be on us. I could already feel my muscles tensing, my chest tightening. My heart couldn’t pound any harder than it already was, otherwise I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stay on my feet.

Ahead of me, Mel stretched her hands toward the trees. I felt a sudden buildup of power, I heard the snow crunch around her feet as an invisible force flattened it to the ground. Gullie floated out of Mel’s hair and took up a position between her hands, and then a rainbow of prismatic light erupted out in front of them.

The light shot toward the trees, blooming in all directions as soon as it reached the darkness and showering the surrounding woods with lights of all colors. It was a wall of shifting light, changing from red, to green, to purple, to yellow, and it seemed to stretch all the way around the clearing, encircling us and the smaller ritual circle at the center.

The Wenlow were momentarily stopped, startled by the sudden brightness.

“What… what the hell?” I asked.

“Neat trick, huh?” Gullie asked.

“Is this you?”

“Lora helped us figure out how to combine our magic,” Mel said, though her voice was shaking from the concentration she was exerting. “Pixies and moon children have been doing this for centuries. The castle fae are really missing out.”

One of the creatures approached the barrier and raked its claws along the shield of light, which shimmered as it was touched, but didn’t break. The Wenlow hurled its fists against the shield, and though it wobbled, it didn’t crack or shatter. It held firm and strong, and it kept the Wenlow on the other side of it.

“How long can you hold that?” Mira asked.

“I don’t know,” Mel called out, “It’s my first magic shield.”

I turned and tried peering into the brilliant circle surrounding the Prince. I could just about see his shadow as the light shifted. It didn’t look like he was on his feet, but on his knees, with his hands wrapped around his head. I thought he was screaming, but I couldn’t hear him, and I could barely see him.

Ashera hadn’t once stopped speaking. All this time she had spent reciting the ritual of exorcism, trying to cast the spirit out with her words and the magic of the will-o-the-wisps, but the Veridian didn’t seem like it was pulling away, and as more Wenlow approached Melina’s shield and bashing it with their fists, I knew she wouldn’t be able to hold it for long.

I rushed over to the three moon children, who looked like they were starting to get back up on their feet. “Can you fight?” I asked.

Praxis glared at me, his jaw clenching. “We will fight until we’re dead for our Alpha,” he growled.

“Your Alpha is busy, and your Beta and I just saved your lives. If you want to help Ashera, you’ll listen to me. Is that understood?”

“I won’t—”

“—Praxis, enough,” Lora cut in. She stepped in front of him and looked at me. “What would you have us do, white wolf?”

I nodded at her. “Get in front of Melina. Don’t let the Wenlow get anywhere near her or Mira—the paralysis will take them far quicker than it will take you. Then when the Wenlow come, coordinate your attacks. Take them down one at a time. Wait for—”

—the magic circle behind me exploded, the shockwave sending all of us hurtling to the ground. I was vaguely aware of the will-o-the-wisps frantically fleeing, their little lights whooshing past my head and disappearing into nothing. My head was throbbing, my ears were ringing, and every inch of my body screamed something just went horribly wrong.

Angling my head up, I saw the shield Mel had put up a moment ago was holding, though it