Page 137 of Avalon Tower

But the barricades near us have already been breached, and Fey warriors storm into the streets of Dover.

I unshoulder my bow and let an arrow loose, hitting a warrior’s side as he’s about to batter a human soldier to death. Another arrow flies over the mark.

More guns fire—marksmen we deployed in surrounding buildings. Anarchy reigns around us, and the smell of blood mingles with gunpowder. At least the barrier protecting the Fey is gone now.

And yet, some of them seem nearly impervious to bullets. A Fey warrior gets shot in the chest, but it barely slows him as he storms into a building with one of the snipers. A few seconds later, a dead human soldier crashes out of a window on the top floor.

As I nock another arrow, a Fey leaps in front of me. He’s six feet tall with silver hair, and his mouth is open in a feral roar. He swings his battle-axe at me.

I roll away, and he bounds after me. As he tries to strike again, he stumbles, a shocked look in his eyes. He falls to his knees, blood pouring from his chest. Raphael stands behind him, his blade dripping scarlet. “Nia, we need to go.”

I nod and get to my feet. “Sergeant, sound the retreat.”

Raphael wipes his sword clean. “The sergeant is dead.”

I follow his gaze and see the sergeant lying a few feet away from me in a puddle of blood. His eyes stare emptily at the sky.

“Retreat!” Raphael shouts at the soldiers. “Go, go!”

The soldiers obey, firing the occasional volley as they fall back. Atkinson has trained them well. The marksmen cover for each other, managing to get further away while slowing pursuit.

Raphael takes my hand and drags me out of the line of fire. I’m practically tripping over my own feet to keep up with him. We run toward the docks, the sounds of guns and screams filling the air. I’m already running out of breath.

“We need to get up the cliffs and out of the city!” I shout at Raphael.

“We won’t make it,” he says. “Too many Fey are already here.”

“Do you have a better plan?”

“Back to the boat.”

He’s right. Miraculously, the boat we arrived in is still intact and docked at the far end of the pier. Although the Fey came with an entire fleet, they’ve mostly landed on the other side of the port.

“What about the sea serpents?”

“They won’t go after one small boat. They’re here to protect the fleet from the British navy. I hope.”

“You hope?”

“We don’t have a ton of options.”

We reach the long pier and start running down it, waves crashing to each side of us. The boat is just a couple of hundred yards away. In five minutes, we’ll reach it and get out of—

Oh, fuck.

Some warriors are still debarking, and five of them are marching toward us on the dock, blocking our way to our boat.

“Raphael!” I cry out.

We skid to a halt. Two of the Fey warriors at the rear of the group are among the most terrifying I’ve ever seen, a man and a woman, each nearly seven feet tall, clad in black armor. Their matching red cloaks flutter behind them like battle standards. The woman holds two battle-axes, one in each hand, and the man wields an enormous sword, the blade glinting in the sunlight. Compared to these two, the Fey in front of them seem like toy soldiers.

“The twins,” Raphael says grimly.

“Who?”

“Maertisa and Vidal. Two of the fiercest captains in Auberon’s army. They must be in command of this force.”

I swallow. “Oh.” I turn to retreat and find our way blocked by three more soldiers. They’re advancing on us. “We’re trapped."