Tears of War (66 page)

Oksana cut people down searching for the one man in the battle she wanted more than any other. He was here, somewhere. Today she would make him pay. Quillan landed with a heavy thud next to her, crushing several of the Turindari around her.

“We have to pull back,” Kovan shouted over the din.

She slashed a man across the face, nearly taking the top of his head off. “What do you mean pull back?” she yelled. “They are dying all over the field.”

“So are our forces. We are losing too many younger Shadow Riders and mages.”

Oksana shot him a venom-filled glare. “No! We aren’t done here! We haven’t won yet.”

Kovan shook his head. “And we won’t today, Oksana. This battle is a draw. Stay and die if you want. We are pulling out and taking as many of the Kojen with us as we can salvage.”

Oksana cut through the men rushing at her, anger making her take it further than needed to kill them. She hacked at their bodies in frustration as Quillan took off. Around her, the Kojen pulled back. Sadira already took a number of them through a Jump.

Fury boiled in Oksana’s veins but she had no choice. She wasn’t going to stand here until she was alone and vulnerable. She called Dusa to her with a furious shout, feeling only a twinge of relief that the dragon was still in good enough shape to fly in and pick her up.

K
ellinar felt exhaustion seeping in around the edges of his concentration as he fought through the endless battle. Too many had died. Where were the men of the Mallay? His zahri weighed heavy in his hands as he saw a Ke’han, the red handprint on his chain mail ripped open. Sightless eyes stared back at him. He turned to the next opponent and moved without thought, instinct carrying him forward.

Less and less Kojen engaged him, several Turindari and Hanoverian soldiers threw down their arms and ran.

And then, as soon as it began, it ended.

Kellinar stood in an expanse of bloody mud and bodies. Smoke blocked out the sun as ash drifted on the air like snow. He turned slowly. A field of death stretched all around him.

Dead black dragons lay among the bodies. Sorrow wrapped around his heart as his eyes found Tania’s blue Aylene lying with her throat ripped out. He walked slowly toward her but stopped when he came across Tania’s trampled body.

He closed his eyes to the sight of a friend lying lifeless in the dirt. So much death. So much blood.

Screaming pulled him away from Tania and he searched for the source. His heart stopped. Mernoth and Bardeck lay among the dead. A dull numbness crept over him as he sought Emallya. Maleena knelt in the mess on the ground, one of Emallya’s hands clenched in her own as she screamed for Serena.

Emallya took in sips of air as tears leaked out the corners of her eyes. Bardeck and Mernoth were gone. Nothing remained to hold her in this world anymore. Maleena’s calling for Serena and her pleas to Emallya to stay finally pulled her from her reverie.

Her breath shuddered as she squeezed Maleena’s hand weakly. “Shh… Do not cry for me, Maleena.” With great effort she raised her other hand and stroked the hair away from the face that looked so like hers. “I am not ending today. I will go on through you and the babe you carry.”

“What?” Maleena asked as more tears fell down her cheeks, making tracks through the soot.

“Eileana was my youngest sister. You are of my blood. The last of my family. The only thing the Shadow Riders have not taken from me.”

Serena appeared at her side and moved to lay her hands on her. Emallya used the last of her strength to stay her.

Emallya took another shuddering breath. “Save your energy for others. I have no wish to be healed.” She smiled weakly into the stricken faces gathering around her. “My embers. You are everything I hoped you would be. I spent my life waiting for you.” Tears spilled over the corners of her eyes and ran down her temples into her hair. Cold seeped into Emallya’s limbs and crawled its way into her body.

Another shuddering, shallow breath pulled into her lungs as her heart labored. “I have spent…over five hundred years…making sure the embers burned again…it is…my time…”

She looked away from their faces. Above her the smoke swirled in the breeze. To her eyes, it almost looked as if ethereal dragons soared in the smoke. The world grew dark and the warmth of Maleena’s hand faded.

Icy cold washed over her and once again she stood in front of a translucent veil. Rylin waited for her on the other side. Beside the silver, Bardeck and Mernoth stood along with Ilyana and her blue, whole again, their scars gone. Bodies broke or grew old, but the spirit never did. To the other side, her children stood, along with Eileana, her mother, and her siblings. As she stepped through the veil, warmth spread over her. This time, nothing held her back.

Rylin lowered her great silver head.
“I have missed you.”

Tears overflowed as she embraced the dragon.
“I have missed you too.”

Maleena couldn’t stop the tears. Her heart felt as if it was breaking into a million pieces. Even the warmth of Mckale’s arms didn’t ease the hurt in her heart. Emallya was gone. Bardeck and Mernoth were gone. How would they go on without them? How would Galdrilene survive?”

Kellinar turned and walked away. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t believe they were gone. They were the Guardians’ rock. Everywhere he looked death overwhelmed him. Tallula and her golden Seri lay in the battlefield as did Tania and her blue, and too many allies to count.

His only comfort was his bondmates had survived and Loki had remained in Markene. A tremor ran through him as sorrow overwhelmed him. Taela knelt in front of Maleena, smoothing her hair and talking to her, though Kellinar sensed Taela’s own terrible grief through the bond.

He watched Serena turn and make her way across the battlefield, searching for wounded to heal. Kellinar knew she was doing her best to think about something, anything other than the deaths of Emallya, Bardeck, and Mernoth.

Anevay walked up and put her arms around him. Kellinar clutched her to him and buried his face in her hair as her tears soaked the front of his shirt.

She cried out as something slammed into them, making him stagger back as a flash of pain dug into his chest. “Anevay?” A flash of black made him look up. Oksana looked him in the eye for a split second, malicious triumph twisting her face and a heavy black bow in her hands. A dark Jump opened as Oksana flew into it with her dragon.

“Kellinar…” Anevay breathed.

He looked down, his heart slammed in his chest as Anevay stared up at him, her dark eyes filled with pain. Her breath shuddered in her chest. Agony tore through him, her agony, it overwhelmed him.

“Anevay? Serena!” he yelled, panic flooding him.

One arm tightened around Anevay’s waist as her legs gave out and he raised his other hand to catch her head when it fell back.

Taela’s terrified and pain filled cry echoed across the battlefield as she raced toward them.

His heart pounded in his ears. “Serena!” Kellinar sank to his knees, easing Anevay down. Latia roared and landed next to them. Something had her pinned to him. With trembling hands he had to push Anevay away, barely registering the pain of something pulling out of his chest or the warm blood that spilled from the wound.

The broad arrowhead of a pure black bolt jutted from Anevay’s chest. “Oh no, Fates no! Anevay…” her name came out as a choked sob. “Serena!”

Kellinar looked frantically for his friend and healer. Serena ran toward him through the smoke and falling ash.

“Kellinar,” Anevay’s voice was no more than a whisper. “Always…loved you. From the first…”

“Shh...shh...” The sound came out shaky around the tears clogging his throat. He smoothed the ringlets of dark hair back from Anevay’s face. “Hold on, baby. Please hold on. Serena is coming. Please just hold on…”