Of course, the human troops would still fight, but would they be willing to give all? Talan didn’t know and he wasn’t going to think about it now.

In this moment, all he and his sister were concerned about was getting Annwyl the Bloody back. No matter whom they had to sacrifice.

As they entered the camp, Talwyn’s war horse and battle dog joined her. She’d left them behind this morning because the red eyes of the horse and the horns on both animals upset the human soldiers. The fact that they were gifts from the Kyvich—warrior witches from the Ice Lands—meant nothing when watching a red-eyed horse eating human flesh after stomping a soldier into the ground.

Without having to say a word, the twins headed toward the same place. General Iseabail the Dangerous’s tent. They’d start there and work their way out, bringing in their cousin Rhianwen and their aunt Morfyd. Strong witches who could help them—

Talwyn stopped first and Talan stopped beside her.

“What?”

“You don’t hear it?” his sister asked.

“Hear what?”

Then he did.

A beautiful voice, soft notes, coasting through the crisp morning air. A powerful spell sung to a god. Talwyn’s hands curled into fists, her body vibrating on the spot where she stood.

“Talwyn? What is it that?”

A screech exploded from Izzy’s tent and they watched their cousin Rhianwen, another powerful Abomination like them, stumble out, her hands over her eyes, blood pouring through her fingers.

Talan caught his cousin in his arms.

“Make it stop!” Rhian begged. “Make it stop!”

Talwyn pressed her fingers against their cousin’s forehead and Rhian passed out. A protection spell also surrounded her. Talan could feel it encasing her body like a thin sheet made of iron.

“Put her on my horse,” Talwyn ordered and Talan set Rhian on the beast’s back, allowing her to slump forward so that her head pressed against the animal’s neck.

“Protect her, Aghi,” she told her horse.

“There,” Talan said, pointing out the spell caster.

A beautiful, eyeless woman on one of the high hills.

“I’ll—” Talwyn began but then everything changed.

The ground beneath their feet moved and cracked, jerking them hard, startling the soldiers around them.

Talan knew then there was no time for plans and plots. They had to move.

“Pull back!” Talwyn yelled at the soldiers. “Pull back now! Go!”

The pair took off toward the hill, both of them now screaming for the soldiers to get out.

“Go! Don’t look back! Just go! Run!”

Thankfully her mother had trained the legions to listen to Talan’s and Talwyn’s orders as if they were coming from Annwyl directly.

So the soldiers ran. They ran fast and hard. Many grabbed the reins of their horses and made a break for it, few willing to leave their loyal mounts behind.

As Talan ran by an archer, he grabbed the woman’s bow and yanked the quiver from another’s back. When he was close enough, he knelt, knocked his arrow, and released.