“No!” she screamed again. “No! No! You bitch!”
Talaith didn’t cry. She didn’t allow herself that luxury. Instead, she jumped to her feet and charged from the room.
She ran down the stairs, barking at one of the healers to go to a thankfully still-moving Achaius, and then out of the Great Hall past the other healers asking her questions and for further assistance. She stormed out into the courtyard, nearly getting herself trampled by a young soldier on horseback. Angry, the soldier pulled his horse back and glared at Talaith.
“Be cautious, wench. You’ll get yourself killed.”
Snarling, she reached up and dragged the soldier off his warhorse. She put her foot in the stirrup and hauled herself up into the saddle. She turned the horse toward the gates leading to the battlefield. “Take me to, Annwyl.”
With those few words, the horse bolted.
* * *
Brastias could feel Annwyl’s growing impatience with the battle. Soon, she would turn toward Hamish and go after their leader. He didn’t know what happened in that hall before he arrived, but something had brought back the Annwyl he remembered so well. He hadn’t seen her like this since they first found her in wedding clothes and heading toward Madron to be Hamish’s bride.
Although she remained a brutal warrior—he knew that would never change—she’d calmed down a bit since meeting Fearghus the Destroyer.
Whatever happened couldn’t be good. She’d annihilated most of the Madron army by herself while the dragons destroyed troops and supplies from the rear. Even Morfyd, who usually fought by her side as battle mage, kept to the air this day.
As it was, a little while longer, Annwyl’s army would have Hamish surrounded and then Annwyl would finally get her chance to destroy the man.
“General.”
He looked at his next in command. “What?”
“Talaith.”
Brastias followed Danelin’s eyes and watched as Talaith rode up to them on a warhorse most of the men stayed away from.
“Why is she here?”
“I have no idea.”
Brastias called to Annwyl, “Talaith approaches!”
Annwyl pushed the body off her sword and turned to face the woman originally sent to kill her. The horse slid to a stop in front of the queen and Talaith dismounted like she’d been born in a saddle.
“Arzhela’s taken Izzy.”The queen’s green eyes darkened with intent. “What do you need?” Annwyl never wasted time with useless questions like “What happened?” or “When?” Those questions would come later.
“I need Hamish.” She looked at the hundreds of troops between themselves and the Madron leader. “He has the key that will take me to Izzy.”
“I doubt he will just hand it over.”
“He will to me…when I’m done with him.”
Annwyl nodded. “Then follow me. And prepare to put your skills as a killer to use, witch. Brastias, Danelin. Stay behind Talaith.”
Annwyl faced the hordes of warriors, her two swords at the ready. “Anything not in our colors…dies.”
With those last words, Annwyl moved forward and destroyed all in her way.
* * *
In the time it took Annwyl to cut through the line of men to get her to Hamish, Talaith had only killed three soldiers. The rest who dared to approach them, the queen dispatched with a swipe of her steel.
No wonder Fearghus didn’t stop her from going into battle. Her rage combined with her battle skills made her one of the deadliest warriors Talaith had ever seen.
Good. She needed this deadly warrior to take her to Hamish. Then she would take it from there.
“Take him, witch. We’ll need to deal with them.”
Hamish’s soldiers attacked the small group, forcing Annwyl to focus her attention elsewhere.
Talaith looked up to see Hamish, in full armor, standing on a high battle carriage so that he could survey the battle around him. He called out orders to his commanders and they called orders to runners. It was a good system, but no one counted on Annwyl’s desire to kill absolutely everything at the moment.
“Well, well. The Betrayer.” Hamish leaned over, staring down at her with a smirk she couldn’t wait to slap off his face. “What’s wrong, love? Missing something?”
His commanders surrounded the carriage, protecting him from the ground soldiers. She had no doubt as soon as the dragons reached this far, he’d move his location. But for now, he was feeling extremely safe.
“You cross worlds to get to your goddess. I need the key that allows it,” she said simply.
“I’m sure you do, but you won’t be getting it from me. Perhaps if you beg her or—”
Unwilling to waste her time, Talaith slashed the throat of the guard nearest her. Another moved on her, but she slipped out of his reach and slashed the throat of another. She went low, slicing the inside thighs of two guards. The back of the ankles of two others. She stuck her blade in the kidney of another, then grabbed hold of the side of the carriage. The blood-covered blade between her teeth, she climbed quickly using only her arms.
Talaith reached the top, but she had to release one hand and lean back to avoid the sword of another soldier. He extended to grab her, allowing Talaith to take hold of his arm and yank him off the carriage. She easily swung herself over the top with her one arm, landing in a crouch in front of a startled and clearly frightened Hamish.
Finally, he went for his sword, but it was too late. Talaith removed one of the pins from the leather of her dagger hilt.