Read Online Queen of Hearts (The Risen King) by Samantha Warren - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Samantha Warren
Ads: Link
asked as he pressed his hand to his head.
“ I don't know. Did we fall asleep?”
Two sets of eyes went wide and they both scrambled to their feet as fast as they could go. They looked around, but no one was near. One pounded on the door. “Hey, you in there. Are you all right?”
Guinevere grinned on the other side of the door. She sniffed and called back, “No. You have me locked in a cell and won't let me go help my husband. Of course I'm not all right.”
Audible sighs of relief reached her ears through the wooden door. She settled back onto the bed and began plotting her next move.
*~*~*
NINE
*~*~*
Aiofe raised her bow and began plucking faeries off the stone guardians as they struggled to close the gates. The vile creatures dropped like boulders from the stone arms, falling into the surging bodies below.
Around her, the knights had formed a circle to protect her and the other archer, Eden, from the attacking horde. On either side of them were the shouts and calls of the other forces of Faery coming to the aide of Castle Daor.
Excalibur pierced through the chest of a glassy-eyed knight of the North. The man grunted but did not fall. He lifted his own sword and swung it clumsily at Arthur's side. The king batted it away with his chain-mailed arm and raised a booted foot. He kicked with all his might and sent the knight stumbling backward. Aiofe swung around and sank an arrow through the knight's eye socket. He dropped in an instant.
Arthur spun and sank his sword into the cheek of a faery that was battling Bors. It collapsed to the ground. “The heads,” he called to those around him. “Aim for the heads.”
Bors nodded and brought the ball of his flail whipping around. It collided with the skull of a fire sprite and sent it sprawling into a pack of pixies. “Happily,” he replied.
The knot of knights and faeries protecting the castle moved further into the fray, leaving a trail of bodies between them and the stone giants at the gates. The arches on the wall continued dropping any stragglers that managed to escape the fists of the guardians.
“Do you still love her?” Aiofe's voice came from behind Arthur and was punctuated by the cry of a faery as her arrow met its mark.
Excalibur collided with the sword of a blond-haired faery that used to serve Titania. “Do you really want to discuss this now?” He swung, ducked, and swung again before separating the faery's head from her shoulders and turning to face Aiofe. Her back was to him and he watched as she reached for another arrow. Her quiver was empty, though, and her hand grasped at the air.
“To me,” she shouted at the top of her lungs. The air filled with a buzzing, shimmering light and suddenly the quiver was full once more. She snatched an arrow, nocked it, and spun. The arrow sang through the air to sink into the gaping maw of a goblin about to bite one of Mab's soldiers. The man gave her a nod and switched opponents.
“ Well, do you?” The bow string twanged again, but she didn't turn to face him.
Arthur sighed and looked around. The air was thick with the sounds of battle and all his knights were engaged in fierce combat, but the area immediately around him was clear.
“Aiofe, look,” he began. “She was my wife. It was a long time ago, a very long time ago, but she was still my wife, my queen. It's very complicated. I--“
An arrow shot past his head so close it took several strands of blond hair with it. A banewolf's howl was cut short and Arthur spun in the opposite direction of the sound. Eden was putting another arrow on her bow string.
“Less talk, more bloodshed,” she commanded.
He glared at her a brief second before heeding her command. He raised Excalibur and drove the point into the eye socket of a nearby imp.
Aiofe had moved on by then, advancing further into the fray, flanked by Balin and Balan. They made a formidable trio and Arthur almost pitied any faery they came up against.
“ I don't know. Did we fall asleep?”
Two sets of eyes went wide and they both scrambled to their feet as fast as they could go. They looked around, but no one was near. One pounded on the door. “Hey, you in there. Are you all right?”
Guinevere grinned on the other side of the door. She sniffed and called back, “No. You have me locked in a cell and won't let me go help my husband. Of course I'm not all right.”
Audible sighs of relief reached her ears through the wooden door. She settled back onto the bed and began plotting her next move.
*~*~*
NINE
*~*~*
Aiofe raised her bow and began plucking faeries off the stone guardians as they struggled to close the gates. The vile creatures dropped like boulders from the stone arms, falling into the surging bodies below.
Around her, the knights had formed a circle to protect her and the other archer, Eden, from the attacking horde. On either side of them were the shouts and calls of the other forces of Faery coming to the aide of Castle Daor.
Excalibur pierced through the chest of a glassy-eyed knight of the North. The man grunted but did not fall. He lifted his own sword and swung it clumsily at Arthur's side. The king batted it away with his chain-mailed arm and raised a booted foot. He kicked with all his might and sent the knight stumbling backward. Aiofe swung around and sank an arrow through the knight's eye socket. He dropped in an instant.
Arthur spun and sank his sword into the cheek of a faery that was battling Bors. It collapsed to the ground. “The heads,” he called to those around him. “Aim for the heads.”
Bors nodded and brought the ball of his flail whipping around. It collided with the skull of a fire sprite and sent it sprawling into a pack of pixies. “Happily,” he replied.
The knot of knights and faeries protecting the castle moved further into the fray, leaving a trail of bodies between them and the stone giants at the gates. The arches on the wall continued dropping any stragglers that managed to escape the fists of the guardians.
“Do you still love her?” Aiofe's voice came from behind Arthur and was punctuated by the cry of a faery as her arrow met its mark.
Excalibur collided with the sword of a blond-haired faery that used to serve Titania. “Do you really want to discuss this now?” He swung, ducked, and swung again before separating the faery's head from her shoulders and turning to face Aiofe. Her back was to him and he watched as she reached for another arrow. Her quiver was empty, though, and her hand grasped at the air.
“To me,” she shouted at the top of her lungs. The air filled with a buzzing, shimmering light and suddenly the quiver was full once more. She snatched an arrow, nocked it, and spun. The arrow sang through the air to sink into the gaping maw of a goblin about to bite one of Mab's soldiers. The man gave her a nod and switched opponents.
“ Well, do you?” The bow string twanged again, but she didn't turn to face him.
Arthur sighed and looked around. The air was thick with the sounds of battle and all his knights were engaged in fierce combat, but the area immediately around him was clear.
“Aiofe, look,” he began. “She was my wife. It was a long time ago, a very long time ago, but she was still my wife, my queen. It's very complicated. I--“
An arrow shot past his head so close it took several strands of blond hair with it. A banewolf's howl was cut short and Arthur spun in the opposite direction of the sound. Eden was putting another arrow on her bow string.
“Less talk, more bloodshed,” she commanded.
He glared at her a brief second before heeding her command. He raised Excalibur and drove the point into the eye socket of a nearby imp.
Aiofe had moved on by then, advancing further into the fray, flanked by Balin and Balan. They made a formidable trio and Arthur almost pitied any faery they came up against.
Similar Books
