Black lightening shot from Lord Henry’s fingers, but a golden glow flew up in front of Sapphire, diffusing the dark magic.
“Ah, little Knight. Ever the pest.” Lord Henry motioned to the guards surrounding him.
Sir Matthias was back on his feet, his sword glowing white.
Fear pooled in Sapphire’s stomach. She didn’t want to lose him, not now, not ever, but not even the light of Dracor could save him from the mercenaries her grandfather had hired.
Sucking in a breath, Sapphire stared at her grandfather. “Let Sir Matthias and Mr. Hewitt go, and I’ll give you the shard.”
“No!” Sir Matthias eased in front of her. “Whatever it is, he can’t have it.”
“She’ll tell me where it is, eventually. And I’ll enjoy breaking her. She’ll be licking my boots when I’m done with her.” Lord Henry Carsons pointed, and the four mercenaries closed in on Sapphire and Sir Matthias.
Chapter 43
Sir Matthias shoved Sapphire behind him, but she could not lose her husband. Would not, but she didn’t know what to do.
She whispered a silent prayer to Thalia and tried to remember everything Mara had taught her.
The first mercenary grinned as he closed in on the Knight of Valor. The other three circled around the room as Lord Henry eased back to the doorway, and a smile colder than a winter’s night curled his lips.
Panic slid through Sapphire’s veins.
Her grandfather would not take the man she loved from her. Would not destroy her happiness. Would not enact Rashalee’s will by recovering whatever her father had hidden.
She prayed to Thalia to be merciful, Dracor to see justice done, and Serena to show her the path forward.
Sir Matthias parried the first blow and dodged a second. But there were four men against him, and there was little room to maneuver in the office.
Another mercenary swung his sword at the Knight. Sir Matthias blocked the blow, but a second one used the distraction and slashed across the Knight’s arm.
Sir Matthias roared in pain, beating back the mercenary’s advance, then drove his own sword through the man’s chest.
With his blade buried, the other mercenaries closed in on the Knight of Valor.
Her grandfather had already promised to torture and kill her. Sapphire wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Throwing her reticule at the mercenaries, she tackled the closest one around the knees. They tumbled to the floor together.
The mercenary threw her off him and buried his blade in her stomach.
“No, you fool!” Lord Henry screamed.
Sapphire barely registered her grandfather’s words as her blood soaked through her gown. She gasped, each breath harder than the last as pain burrowed through her.
Behind the pain lurked never-ending darkness.
Her knees buckled, and Sapphire pitched forward as she heard the faint cry of a raven.
“Heal her!” Lord Henry pushed past the mercenaries. “I’m out of time. She has to tell me where the shard is!”
Sucking in a pained breath, Matthias knew he shouldn’t. If he and Sapphire died here, Lord Henry Carsons would never get what he sought.
They would stop Rashalee.
But those weren’t the vows he’d made.
Not to Sapphire. Not to Dracor. Not to the Holy Trinity.
He at least had to try to help her.
Whispering a prayer to Dracor, Matthias focused on his faith. On his love for Sapphire and his devotion to the Trinity. The holy light came, filling him and healing the deep wound in his own arm as it cascaded through him and into Sapphire.
The golden light filled her and the entire room, forcing Lord Henry Carsons to avert his eyes.
Sir Matthias was certain he’d die once the mercenaries came at him again, but at least he’d die as a Chosen of Dracor doing the work of the gods.
Doing all he could to save the woman he loved.
Sapphire coughed and wiped blood from her mouth as she pushed herself up to sitting. Blood covered her, her blood, even as Matthias channeled the power of Dracor through her.
She touched a hand to her chest and yanked out the glass tear drop. It pulsed with a brilliant light that shimmered through the web of cracks in the black paint.
Lord Henry’s eyes widened, and he dove towards Sapphire as she wrapped her hand over the pendant.
Her blood touched the glass, and the black coating melted away.
The holy white light shone brighter, stronger, forcing the mercenaries and Lord Henry to shield their eyes.
Sir Matthias thanked the gods as he used the opportunity They had given him and snatched up the blade that had been used to injure Sapphire. Holy fire hotter and brighter than he’d ever summoned lit the blade as he buried it into the chest of the closest mercenary.
A silent scream escaped the man as the flames enveloped him, and he turned to ash.
The remaining two mercenaries eased back from Sir Matthias as they hid their eyes from the radiant light.
“That’s mine!” Her grandfather lunged at Sapphire, but Sir Matthias blocked him.
“Leave. Now,” Sir Matthias growled. He didn’t understand all that was happening, but he had to protect Sapphire.
“Not without the shard! It’s mine!”
Sapphire stared down at the brilliant teardrop filling the room with light. “It’s not yours. It never was. Rashalee stole it, and Uzakiel hid it.”
Lord Henry swiped at her, but Sir Matthias stood between her and her grandfather.
Pushing herself up to standing, Sapphire raised the glass drop. “My father was protecting this, keeping it from you, so you used my mother to steal it back. But it was never meant to be ours. It belongs to the Holy Trinity.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. What you’re giving up. Give it to me, and I will show you its true power!”
Sapphire took off the pendant.
“Don’t listen to him. He’s lying. He’ll say anything to get it,” Sir Matthias said, panic creeping into his words. With his entire soul, Matthias knew Lord Carsons should not have the shard of light. He would pollute it, corrupt it. “Please, Sapphire.”
She smiled at him. “I love you, Matthias, and your faith in the Trinity will show you how to use this.”
She slid the tear drop over Matthias’s head.
The pendant sucked in the flame from his sword, then amplified it a thousand times.
Sir Matthias felt the full weight of the Holy Trinity, and he fell to his knees as he stared up at the ceiling, his prayers inadequate for the magnitude of power flowing through him.
The entire room burned with Their holy light, and for a moment, it was as if the silver flame of Thalia enveloped him.
The two remaining mercenaries screamed as the light consumed them.
Lord Henry Carsons stumbled forward as he tried to grab the teardrop.
The holy light burrowed through him, holding him immobile in front of Sir Matthias.
Then the Knight let out his breath, and Lord Henry Carsons fell to ash.
Chapter 44
The holy light faded, reduced to a pulsing glow buried deep inside the teardrop. Sir Matthias whispered another prayer as the remnants of the power cascaded through him. The prayer focused his vision and allowed him to again see through his own eyes.