Blood of Two Crowns (Hallowed Fates #2)

Chapter 47

Chapter

Forty-Seven

NAKOA

A sterion, as promised, had reduced Azrael’s palace to a 200-foot wide crater of scorched ruin in under thirty minutes. And now I could only pray that the very fragile and desperate plan I’d hewn together at the last minute would actually work.

We’d all nearly been destroyed along with it if it hadn’t been for the female that had reappeared behind him in the portal. Her strange magic had the power to control emotions, and she’d succeeded in calming him with nothing more than the touch of her hand. She’d nearly died in the process, and I’d urged a few of my soldiers to take her back to the palace.

Shouts went up at the sight of beasts and creatures of all kinds beelining for the portal, some folding just in front of it to attempt to dive through.

Malekai roared orders at our soldiers above the building chaos “Guard the portal!”

Drawing his swords, he turned back to me—eyes suddenly widening in hope and recognition. I twisted to follow his gaze to witness the darkening of the skies. Not with ominous clouds, but drakonati.

Mareina.

“Go get her.”

My gaze snapped back to Malekai’s at his demand. The realization that followed them was like a bludgeon to my heart. Considering the state of our relationship, I doubted she would want to come with me. She might fight against me… But Malekai…

“She wants you. I’ll guard the portal.”

“I hate to break it to you, but there’s no way you can guard the portal better than my drakonati.”

The weight of a terrible magic manifested at my back, and I turned to find a subtle frown creasing Azrael’s face at the sight of his decimated palace and thousands of our enemy soldiers. If anyone were to guess based on his expression alone, they’d assume he’d merely found a stain on a white shirt.

Azrael’s four wings gracefully pounded the air to keep him hovering a few dozen feet before me.

“I tried. I really did, Nakoa. I tried to be nice. I tried to be fair. I tried to be considerate. And look what it’s earned me.”

His eyes dipped to the hole in the ground and the battle behind me for emphasis, raising mildly accusatory brows.

“I will happily open Atratus to your denizens so long as you return our soulbound.”