Path of Exile: Darkness Prevails, #2

By Ciara Graves

A black-eyed, white-haired dark fae with a short fuse.
Her resume: Dark Fae. Assassin. Badass. Now she's added exile to it.
She's hellbent on redemption. Maybe even a little bit of vengeance. Okay, maybe a whole lot of vengeance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CiaGra
• Release date: May 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393401704

Book preview

Chapter 1

Iona

Three miles out, Henson’s voice came through the com in my ear.

Copy. How many vehicles?

Seven. Two armored. Two carrying. Three support with mounted guns.

I hung my head as snow continued to fall around me. Of course there are, I muttered and put the binoculars back to my eyes. Take them out first. Snipers in position?

Ready and waiting.

Good. Let’s try to make it out of here with all lives intact this time.

It wasn’t a jab. The last three missions had gone well enough, but we hadn’t been able to save everyone, and we lost several fighters in the process. Right now, the goblins and fae willing to stand against the new monarch were few and far in between. We needed every able-bodied fighter we could find. They couldn’t fight if they were dead and rotting in the snow.

In the two months following my attempt to kill Mariana, the dark fae kingdom of Charus had undergone major changes. Most of them occurred under everyone’s noses. Our new queen—monster was more like it—started to round up goblins from outlying towns and farms. We hadn’t even known what she was up to until a small group of goblins escaped and made it to Timber Falls. Orion ordered the town emptied but kept a rotating watch in case anyone came looking for residents. The goblins were brought to our current location far away from Timber Falls. There we learned royal soldiers, along with several bands of militia, had been charged with bringing in goblins who were suspected of plotting against the crown. It was all bullshit, but none of the fae seemed to understand that fact. Or to care.

For the last six weeks, Henson, myself, and any other fae and goblins we could find had been tracking down convoys carrying goblin prisoners. We, in turn, saved whomever we could.

We hadn’t been able to track down where the convoys were headed yet, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out it was nowhere good. After what we’d learned from Mariana’s late head bodyguard, she planned to use them as soldiers in an upcoming war. A war I failed to stop because I failed to kill her and Venkalth, the assassin that had become her new head bodyguard.

Iona, do you copy?

I hadn’t heard Henson’s last transmission, too lost in our current predicament. My fingers were numb. I stretched them, then put a finger to the com in my ear. Repeat.

One mile out. You sure you’re up for this?

Too late to turn back now.

You can hold your position, he argued. Iona—

Stick to the plan, I said, cutting him off. I’m not having trouble tonight.

I didn’t hear his sigh over the com but was damned sure he did it anyway. I hunkered down in the snow within the line of trees at the sound of roaring engines. Flanking me were six other guards who had been more loyal to me than Mariana. Henson had managed to get in touch with them, and they joined our cause. We were level with the two-lane blacktop road running through snow-covered fields in. The convoy was headed north. They had all been headed north.

Headlights cut through the snowfall which was quickly turning into a blizzard. Visibility was going to be shit for the snipers atop the ridge a hundred yards away. Henson was with them. He was a better shot with a rifle than I was. We couldn’t make a move on the ground until those mounted guns were taken out.

I held up my hand just enough to tell the others to stay low. The first truck came into view. It was armored. One of the mounted guns was right behind it. Behind it were large trucks with canvas covering the backs. The goblin prisoners would be in those. Then the two gunners and the final armored vehicle. Mariana was taking no chances. I squinted through the snow when the symbol on the door of the last truck caught my eye.

That was not the royal seal of Charus. It was that of Jolian.

The trucks were just about to drive around a turn when a gunshot boomed over the fields. The last gunner slammed on its brakes, red lights cutting through the blizzard. Men shouted as doors opened. The fae who’d overseen the mounted gun was slumped over the side. One of his comrades grabbed him, threw him to the road, and took his place. Three more shots took out him and the two fae in the other gunners.

I shifted in the snow, my numb hands moving for the daggers sheathed at my hips. My forearms warmed as fire swirled around the markings and to my fingertips.

Firing the big guns, Henson said over the com.

I smirked as the enemy guards continued to yell orders to spread out and find the attackers. They barely made it to the edge of the pavement when a grenade landed near the first armored vehicle. One of the guards saw it and yelled to take cover. His final word was cut off by the resounding blast that put a crater in the middle of the road and blew the armored vehicle off the road and into the field. A second explosion did the same to the first gunner.

The goblins might not have had weapons to work with before, but they sure as hell did now; I’d called in a few favors of my own these last few weeks.

Gunfire erupted from the fae not killed by the initial attack. They shot at the ridgeline and turned their backs to me and the soldiers with me. I gripped my daggers tightly in my hands and pushed up out of the snow.

Instead of wearing our usual black, we’d opted for white camo to blend in with the snow. Our gear was another present that had been delivered with the arsenal of weapons.

The guards didn’t see us until it was too damned late. My flaming blades tore through the first fae I reached. His blood painted the snow as he gurgled, fell to his knees, and bled out. I stepped over him and turned to greet the next one. He aimed his rifle at my head, but I ducked low and jabbed him in the stomach with both blades. I tore them free, spun around and grabbed for the gun, tearing it out of his dying hands. I tossed it into the field behind me and zeroed in on my next target.

The guards had picked up on the double-sided attack. Half swung around to fire at us. Bullets struck the pavement around my feet as I sprinted through the line of soldiers. Several fell, without my even touching them. I’d have to thank Henson later for being a good shot and not taking me out in the process.

I slid under one of the trucks, then out the other side, slashing a guard’s legs. He sank to his knees with a shout of pain. I stabbed him in the jugular and dodged a kick from the right.

A fist crashed into my face, but I shook off the hit and retaliated. My blades cut through the air, aiming for flesh, but the guard was too fast. He smirked as he blocked my jabs, then captured my wrists. His grips were like iron. I hissed in pain, twisted, and the blades clattered to the ground. He tossed me to the side, and as I tried to get up, his hand grabbed my hood. I tore away from him, but the fabric came free.

The blustering winds caught my hair and sent it flying wildly around my face. The fae’s eyes narrowed then widened. You’re her, the traitor.

That the best you can do?

King-killer, he snapped, and my blood ran colder than the air outside.

Jeric’s face flashed before my eyes. Despite the strange visions I had back when Aiden first saved me, and I tried to kill Mariana, Jeric had gone silent. I hadn’t heard a single whisper from my dead king. No matter how loud I screamed his name out in the woods or cursed him for abandoning me a second time, there wasn’t even a whisper of his presence. He was gone. The fear that I would never hear his voice again turned to anger all over again. I stretched my hands, my black claws more than ready to spill blood.

Venkalth will be quite happy when I bring you in.

You know how many of you have said that? I stepped to the right, and he mirrored me.

We circled slowly as the fight carried on around us. His forearms were covered, preventing me from seeing his guild or rank. The patches on the shoulder of his black coat told me he was a royal guard, but not one of Jeric’s. Mariana’s most likely.

You going to stand there all night or get this over with? I raised a brow, daring him.

He scoffed, then planted his left foot. As he turned to kick, I braced to block the hit, sank low and took out his legs. Just as I made ready to move, a black spot filled my vision. I stumbled off-balance.

A boot collided with my left knee. I gasped at the sharp pain but managed to block his second strike, which was aimed at my chest. I grabbed his foot and twisted as hard as I could. He flipped over but was right back on his feet and charging toward me.

The darkness in my vision spread, and suddenly I couldn’t see him. A punch to the side of my head sent me sprawling. I snarled as I lashed out with my claws, somehow snagging flesh. Warm blood dripped down my hands. I spun around. The guard stayed just out of my sight, which I quickly realized was being hampered by my right eye.

I couldn’t see out of it. Not one damned thing.

This is the great Iona? the guard scoffed. I think you’ve lost your touch.

Half-blind, I listened for his boots scraping against the asphalt instead, but there was too much commotion going on around us. My head flew back as he decked me.

I ducked and dodged to the right in time to avoid the second hit. If I could keep him on my left, I’d have a chance of winning this damned fight. I lunged forward and struck him with a flurry of blows to his abdomen that had him gasping for air. I doubled up my fists and delivered an uppercut that had him falling back. I rode him to the ground, grabbed him by his jacket, and punching him over and over until blood drenched his face. I was about to slash my claws and finish him off when a searing pain on my right thigh caught me off-guard.

I staggered away and caught the briefest glimpse of a blade in his hand.

Pressing my right hand to my wound, I waited. He cursed at me as he pushed his fingers to his split lips and broken nose. Venkalth won’t mind if I bring you in bloody, he said with a sneer as snow fell on the dagger, sticking in my wet blood, coating it. Very bloody.

He lashed out and disappeared from my sight when he went right. Stinging pain trailed down my arm, and another slash to my back had me reeling forward to get away. When black spots filled what remained of my vision, I gritted my teeth and shut my eyes. I scrunched them tight and listened. The guard was behind me, maybe a foot away. His breathing was punctuated by a whistling sound, coming from his disfigured nose. I ducked, and a rush of air flowed just above my head. I spun around and nailed him in the gut with the full weight of my body.

I fought to get the dagger from him, but he struck me in the face with his elbow. He rolled us over and held the dagger over my head. I could hardly see his outline at all now. I brought my hands up to catch the blade as a last resort.

A gunshot echoed over the fighting. A bullet hole appeared in the guard’s forehead. He slumped, and I shoved him off so he didn’t collapse on me.

Iona? Henson said loudly through the com. Iona, either say something or move, damn it.

I lifted a hand as high as I could, then let it fall back down.

You gonna live?

That’d be a question for the healer, I muttered, groaning as I sat up. Shit. I shook my head, waiting for the black spots to clear.

I’m on my way down, just stay put.

The fight’s not over.

Look around. It’s over. They’re dead. I’m coming down.

It was going to be a damned long night now. I opened my eyes as wide as I could, trying to make out shapes. I could tell where the vehicles were and saw figures moving around me, but other details were lost in the darkness clouding my vision. The heavy snow falling around us didn’t help. A gust of wind blew my hair around my face and sent a freezing cold shiver down my back. My butt grew numb from sitting on freezing cold asphalt. When a hand fell on my shoulder, I jumped with a curse.

Just me, Henson said as he crouched in front of me. He held up his hand in front of my face, and slowly, my vision returned. Very slowly. Henson held up his hand with three fingers. Can you see this?

Yeah, told you I’m fine.