FAZER LOGINCeleste"No!"The command tore from both our throats at the same time.Neither army listened.The first soldiers reached the ridge.Steel crashed against steel.The silence shattered.The commander shoved me away.I stumbled back as one of his men lunged between us, shield raised.His sword came down toward my head.I sidestepped.My dagger slipped beneath his arm.He gasped.His weapon clattered onto the rocks as he collapsed."Protect the commander!"The cry echoed across the ridge.Half a dozen enemy soldiers surged forward.Before they reached me, my own men crashed into them.Captain Rowan slammed his shield into the first attacker, sending him sprawling over the edge of the slope.Sergeant Elric buried his axe in another man's shoulder.The ridge dissolved into chaos.Blood sprayed across the stones.The commander looked as furious as I felt."I gave the order!" he roared."Stand down!"No one obeyed.Battle fever had taken them.Reason had vanished.He cut down one of my soldie
CelesteHis sword dipped.Only by an inch.It was enough.I rolled toward my fallen weapon, fingers scraping across the hilt.Steel kissed my palm.I came up swinging.He barely managed to intercept the strike.The impact drove him back two steps.His injured shoulder sagged.The arrow protruded through the joint, the shaft trembling with every movement.Whoever had fired it knew exactly where to aim.Not to kill.To break his rhythm.Rage flashed across his face.He snapped the shaft with one hand and let the broken wood fall.The arrowhead remained buried beneath the armor.Ignoring the pain, he raised his sword again."You've got loyal soldiers.""So do you."Below us, someone shouted."Archers! Hold your fire!"Another voice answered from the enemy ranks."No one interferes!"Neither army moved.Hundreds watched from the blood-soaked hillside.No one dared dishonor the duel.The commander attacked again.His speed hadn't vanished.But it had changed.His left arm no longer moved f
CelesteOur swords met before either of us finished the first step.The impact echoed across the ridge.He drove forward.I gave ground.Not because I had to.Because I wanted him committed.His blade came from the left.I caught it.He reversed the strike instantly, aiming for my ribs.Steel scraped steel as I twisted my wrist.Sparks burst between us.He spun with the momentum, his cloak sweeping across the stones.The next strike came from an angle I'd never seen before.I barely caught it.The force numbed my fingers.He was changing his rhythm.No longer measured.No longer testing.He wanted this finished.Good.So did I.I stepped inside his guard.Our shoulders slammed together.His breath escaped in a sharp grunt.I drove the pommel of my sword toward his temple.He ducked.The blow glanced off his helmet instead.He answered with a savage knee to my stomach.Air exploded from my lungs.Pain folded through my body.I stumbled back.He didn't hesitate.His sword flashed again.
CelesteSteel met steel.The impact rang through my arm.He didn't test my guard.He attacked to kill.Three strikes came in quick succession.High.Low.Then a thrust aimed straight for my heart.I turned the blade aside and stepped to my left. The point slipped past my ribs close enough for me to feel the rush of air.Fast.Faster than anyone I'd faced in years.His sword flowed back into guard without a wasted movement.No flourish.No arrogance.Only precision.Good.Those were the opponents worth remembering.He advanced again.I answered.Our blades collided in a blur, each searching for an opening the other refused to give.Around us, the battle continued.The clash of armies faded beneath the sharp rhythm of steel striking steel.He feinted toward my shoulder.I didn't bite.Instead, I drove my boot into his knee.He twisted away before the kick landed cleanly, losing only a step.A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth."You learn quickly.""I've had good teachers.""
Celeste The first volley struck before the echo of my command had faded.Arrows poured from the ravine in a black wave.The front ranks had nowhere to run.Men threw up shields. Others stumbled into those behind them. Horses screamed somewhere below as panicked handlers lost control.The enemy line folded in on itself."Second volley!" I shouted.The archers moved with practiced precision.Draw.Aim.Release.Another storm swept across the ridge.This time the arrows found gaps between shields. Soldiers dropped one after another, their careful formation dissolving into chaos.The commander reacted faster than most."Shields! Forward!" he roared.His officers repeated the order.Discipline returned in patches. Small groups locked shields together, creating pockets of resistance.Better than average.Still not enough."Mara."She was already moving.Her squad surged from the rocks on our left, slamming into the exposed flank before the enemy realized anyone had left cover.Steel rang t
Celeste The enemy kept climbing.One rank.Then another.Steel glimmered beneath the moonlight as shields rose over the lip of the ridge. Their commander was careful. He refused to rush, forcing his soldiers to secure every step before committing the next line.Smart.Very smart.I counted silently.Thirty.Forty.Fifty.Still not enough.Behind me, someone's breathing quickened."Captain..." Tomas whispered.I raised one finger.Wait.He fell silent.The enemy spread wider across the crest, expecting arrows that never came. They advanced cautiously, weapons drawn, eyes sweeping every shadow.One soldier kicked over an abandoned shield.Another prodded the ground with his spear."They really think we fled," Mara murmured."No," I whispered."They think we're hiding.""There isn't much difference.""There is."I watched their formation loosen."When people believe danger is close, they stay together.""And when they believe it's farther away?""They stop protecting each other."Almost
Celeste I stepped out of the infirmary after the doctor had checked up on Selene and confirmed she was still too weak.The bastards that had kidnapped her had given her something strong to make her loopy enough to extract information from her.He said it was some kind of aphrodisiac, and it had ca
Edgarpresent day "Is that all?" I asked, my voice calm but threatening."Yes," Sylvester nodded.the whole point of hiring Sylvester and sending him off to Celeste was for him to watch her closely, but for the week and a half she had been here, he had not been able to come up with anything concr
CELESTE I held onto my sword, watching Edgar closely. Ever since, he began this ridiculous sparring bonding exeeciss with me. He had been happier. The fact he thought it was better than intercourse was laughable. Did he honestly believe that or was it just another game of his to seduce me? I
Celeste“Are you okay?” I asked Selene as we destroyed the chains, and bright hr down.“Celeste,” she managed to choke out, her eyes closing even though she was trying to open them.“What did they do to you?” I asked, feeling all over body. She was burning up.I carried her, and placed her on one o







