Page 223 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
Her path was clear now.
Adriana needed to face Eris.
And she needed to bring this war, and the goddess behind it, to an end.
Adriana guided the wyvern further north, towards the heart of the battle where the fighting had thickened into a brutal storm of steel and spellcraft. Below, bodies collided in violent waves—sword against sword, shield againstshield.
But the witches had woven magic into their weapons.
Their blades glowed faintly with dark enchantments, turning even the lightest strike into something deadly. Against such power, the wyverian steel seemed almost mundane.
It was a bitter sight.
Wyverian soldiers were among the finest warriors in the kingdoms, trained from childhood with relentless discipline. They were not meant to fall easily. And yet Adriana watched them collapse, one after another, cut down by magic that cared little for skill or strength.
Then her black eyes caught a strange movement amid the chaos.
A lone wyverian.
Marching straight through the battlefield.
No sword in his hand.
Adriana’s breath left her in a sharp gasp.
Her heart lurched so violently she nearly slipped from the wyvern.
Keir.
Her husband walked steadily across the scarred earth, moving through the clash of armies as though the battle did not exist at all.
Without a second thought, Adriana forced the wyvern into a sharp descent. The beast folded its wings and dropped from the sky, landing heavily only a few paces in front of him, cutting off his path.
The ground shuddered beneath its talons.
The battle still raged beyond them, a storm of steel and screams, but Adriana scarcely heard it now.
She turned to one of the nearby commanders.
‘Take the wyvern and return to the skies,’ she orderedsharply.
It was far too dangerous to leave the beast on the ground.
Adriana rushed towards her husband, her body colliding with his as she reached him. Her hands gripped his arms as though afraid he might vanish if she let go.
‘Keir, what are you doing?’ she demanded breathlessly. ‘Why are you not in your tent resting?’ She glanced over his shoulder, searching the battlefield behind him.
‘Where is Cronan?’ she asked sharply.
She had left the enormous wyverian in the tent with Keir for that very purpose, to watch over him, to make certain he did not attempt something reckless.
‘I sent him back,’ Keir said quietly.
Adriana stilled.
‘What do you mean?’ she whispered.
Without waiting for an answer, she guided him away from where they stood. Though they were not at the very heart of the fighting, the land around them remained dangerously exposed. She led him towards a small cluster of trees and helped him settle against the rough bark of one of the trunks.
