“That’s how this always makes me feel,” Kirsten said, tucking the crystal in her pouch. “What, ah,” Kirsten said, now noticing the bodies in the street around them. “What happened?” 

“You and the demon hit heads. I came in. We fought; I stabbed it in the face,” Britt explained quickly. “Then a massive fairnheir arrived.” 

“Really?” Kirsten asked. 

“Yeah, and Red lured it away, saving me…” she said, sounding confused. 

“Wow, I thought he didn’t like you much,” Kirsten said.  

Britt scratched her head, “Yeah.” 

“Come on, we should get back. I bet Thomas is worried after seeing me hauled away by a demon,” Kirsten said. 

Britt fought back the pain where the demon had cut her side. The bleeding slowed to a weep and then she could no longer see any evisceration. She looked down the street where Red and the fairnheir had disappeared but couldn’t see them.  

When they caught up with the back line of their forces, Kirsten split off to search for Thomas. Britt searched for Max. It took her a moment to find him. He hadn’t moved far from where she’d left him near the dead dragon. Forcing her way to the front, Britt called out, “Max!” 

He turned and rushed to her.  

“You’re hurt?” he said, seeing her bloodied side.  

“I’ll live,” she said, hugging him.  

“I should’ve come with you,” he said. “We shouldn’t split up, it’s too dangerous.”  

“You were needed here. Kirsten is okay too,” Britt said. 

“Good,” Max said. “I helped a little. The fairnheir are all but finished. The last of them are fleeing back to their army.”  

As he finished recounting the fight, Britt heart the sound of thousands of feet in the distance. “And now the rest are coming to finish us,” she said before noticing the enemy armies had not yet charged.  

Max frowned, just as confused as she was. Shouts erupted among the warriors and elves. Britt and Max swiveled to see the entire army of Westlanders, Lumbapi and dwarfs filing through the streets. “We made it; we held out until their arrival!” Max said.  

Britt stepped aside to allow the fresh soldiers to pass by eager to join the fighting at the front. With fresh soldiers spelling the elves and warriors, the new army took to the battlefield, once again taking hold of the ground in front of the city.  

*** 

Kirsten found Thomas frantically searching for her among the soldiers. After speaking to each other quickly and explaining she was okay, they saw the first of the soldiers from Westland arriving.  Her heart leapt into her throat as she began calling Bo’s name. She moved through the crowd now searching for his face.  

She felt Thomas tap her on the shoulder, “There he is.” 

He was forcing his way through to her. She pushed between people until she reached him. She wrapped her arms around him and he held her tight. “I told them to wait for you. I didn’t mean to leave without you,” Kirsten said, repeating herself.  

“Kirsten,” Bo said. 

She continued to apologize for leaving him at the camp. Bo kissed her repeatedly to keep her from going on.  

“Kirsten, it’s okay. I’m here now. I tried to make it back to our camp in time, but Tony and Evans almost caused a huge fight. He didn’t know that Evans was with you guys and the crystals. When he saw the dragon taking him, he tried to kill the dragonrider. I was right there and got dragged into trying to stop him. I saw the dragon that had been waiting at our camp fly away before I got there. If I hadn’t stopped, I would’ve made it.”  

“It doesn’t matter now. You’re here,” Kirsten said.  

They joined Thomas and let the bulk of the army pass by. While they waited for the soldiers to file out onto the plains, Kirsten had time to convince Thomas to help Rune and Ophelia with the injured.  

“They were going to set up on the south end, near the ships,” Bo said.  

Thomas nodded and grabbed his bow as he prepared to leave.  

Kirsten stopped him, “You’re sure about this?” 

“I’m sure. It’s where I can help the most,” Thomas said.  

“Be safe,” she said.  

“Make sure she doesn’t get carried off by any demons,” Thomas said to Bo. 

Bo raised an eyebrow in surprise.  

“You know I can take care of myself,” Kirsten said. She brought her brother in for a hug and whispered, “I love you, Thomas.”  

“Love you, too, sis,” Thomas replied and backed away from them, making his way to the medical tent.  

Kirsten and Bo filed in with the soldiers as they grouped into formations on the field. Before they finished lining up, Nadir, Remli and Britt rang above the others. They shouted the orders for their reinforcements to charge. The men, elves and dwarfs ran in a widespread mob east toward the enemy. Kirsten stayed at Bo’s side, moving fluidly with the crowd. The tides of orc and kurr slammed into the humans and dwarfs and the battle launched into full swing. 

Chapter 98

Desperation

“You killed my boy!” Tony bellowed as he rushed Max on the battlefield. 

Max fought among the allied ranks against Merglan’s army late into the night. Hearing Tony’s threat before he attacked gave Max enough time to pull his hand with the sapphire off the hilt of his sword. Blocking him just in time, Max deflected Tony’s sudden attack. Max exchanged two more blows in self-defense before leaping away from him and shouting, “Stop!”  

“You tricked him into using magic and it killed him!” Tony spat in a blind rage.  

“Evans made his own choices,” Max managed to get in before Tony struck again. He backed away from his foster father, bumping into a hard body. Glancing, Max saw the mottled skin of an orc. He narrowly ducked the orc’s swinging blade. As it followed through, whiffing over his head, Max slid the tip of his sword into the thing’s gut and rose to meet it face-to-tusks. Before the orc had fallen dead at his feet, Max was already swiveling back toward Tony. He found him exchanging blows with an orc. Hoping he would be too distracted to come at him, Max turned his attention on the moshing crowd that had once been the shield wall front. He scanned quickly for Britt, but still couldn’t find her.  

“Max! Don’t you walk away from me, boy!” Tony cried. 

Max looked to see Tony lopping the head off of an orc as he charged through the gap in the fighting directly toward Max. Defending himself as best he could, Max tried to apply the defensive maneuvers he’d learned from the Rollo Islanders. It became clear, however, that Tony was superior with a broadsword.

“Tony! I don’t want this!” Max shouted as he desperately managed to block several deadly swings. 

“You are a demon in human disguise,” Tony growled through clenched teeth. 

Max’s arms were growing numb, already heavy from the fighting. Without the aid of the crystal’s power, he was quickly feeling the effects this warring had on his body. Seeing the hate burning in Tony’s eyes, Max knew he had to stop him or Tony would kill him.

“Enough!” he shouted at Tony as he sent out a small pulse of energy that pushed Tony back onto his rear.  

Tony stared up in surprise for a moment, then started to scramble to his feet, broadsword in hand.