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toward the attacking ilken.
She began falling back, shield lifting in her
only defense, still too slow to escape those
reaching claws.
The poison-slick tips brushed her legs just
as his sword went through the beast’s skull.
Lysandra hit the snow, shouting in pain,
and Aedion was there, heaving her up,
yanking his sword from the ilken’s head and
bringing it down upon the sinewy neck. Once.
Twice.
The ilken’s head tumbled into the snow and
mud, the other beast instantly swallowed by
the Morath soldiers who had paused to watch.
Who now looked upon the queen and her
general and charged.
Only to be met by a surge of Terrasen
soldiers racing past Aedion and Lysandra,
battle cries shattering from their throats.
Aedion half-dragged the shifter deeper