She reached Fordham by that point, and he’d taken out a half-dozen on his own. His sword was slick with blood, and his face was perfectly blank as he stared down the last pair.

“You are on the wrong side of this fight,” Fordham growled.

“We fight with the king,” he said, holding his amber orb aloft.

Kerrigan shuddered at the sight of it. Was it the same one that Basem had used against her in their final fight? She didn’t want to find out.

“Don’t let him…” she began.

But then he threw the amber orb at Fordham’s feet and spoke the ancient Fae word to activate it, “Carthai.”

“No,” Kerrigan shrieked as the world exploded around them.

She covered her ears as they both dropped to the ground. It was as if she were back in the Dragon Ring, back with Basem’s knife at her throat, back at the riot with the Red Masks tearing down buildings. It always came back to this.

Her eyes watered as she reached for her magic. Her ears were bleeding, and still, she forced herself to pull the damn thing toward her. She got her hands on it, and it all evaporated in an instant. Then, she threw the damn orb into the river, so no one could ever use it again.

The pair of Fae stalked toward them, presumably to finish them off, but they missed Alura dropping in behind them. She swept the legs out from one and thrust her sword into the other, making a full three-sixty to plunge her sword into the gut of the second. She kicked the black orb, which Kerrigan guessed was their escape route, out of reach.

“Are you two insane?” Alura demanded. “We’re not on the first wave of this battle. We’re taking down the boats, not fighting! Call your dragons and get back in formation.”

Kerrigan and Fordham stumbled to their feet. Her ears were ringing, but she was still there enough to see who stepped out of the fortifications to meet them.

“I believe this has been a long time coming, brother,” Wynter said from the head of her acolytes.

59

The Shadows

“Do not engage,” Alura said as she drew her sword up and came between them and Wynter’s dozen zealots. Aisling coming to stand just off of her lover’s right side.

“You can’t stop this one, Alura,” Fordham said. “Take Kerrigan and go.”

Alura snorted. “You must think me insane to leave you here to take on twelve soldiers and your crazy sister alone.”

Two more bodies dropped onto the docks at their backs. Kerrigan whipped around, prepared to engage more fighters, but it was Audria and Roake. Audria sauntered forward, as if she were here for a party. “Can’t let you have all the fun, now can I?”

“I guess we’re all in this together,” Kerrigan said.