Shadow Realm: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Kat Drummond Book 17) by Nicholas Woode-Smith

Author:Nicholas Woode-Smith [Woode-Smith, Nicholas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-10-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22.

Fairness

The world isn’t fair. It has no rules. No karma. No cosmic justice.

There is only chaos. Chaos and some fools pushing against it. Some fools fighting for some order and reason in a world of fuck ups.

And I am one of those fools.

“Kat!” Treth shrieked. A bloodcurdling cry that I hadn’t heard from my friend for ages. Not even when a monster’s maw was coming down on me. Threatening to end it all.

This was far worse.

I didn’t need to ask about the cause of his hysteria.

A crack of a rifle was followed by the rattle of a machine-gun. The crunch of brick. And then…the whistle of artillery shells flying through the air.

I shot out of bed. My coat flared to life. I’d gone to sleep in it. Old habits died hard, even if this had been a safe place to sleep. Well, I thought it had been safe.

An explosion sent a quake through the building, causing dust to cascade from the ceiling. A cacophony of booms and crunches flooded the once still night air. Through the window, the night had become orange and red. I smelled the stinging acrid stench of fire and smoke.

“We have to get out, Kat!” Treth yelled, panicking over the sound of war.

“What’s happening?!”

He just shook his head, as I dove into the hallway. Brett, Candace and the knights were all there already. The single-sized beds hadn’t been large enough for Brett and me to share.

“What’s happening?” I repeated.

The knights were swearing, strapping on their armour as the world shook all around us.

Candace was pale.

“I hear voices on the air. Spell-work.”

Her head snapped to me. “War magic!”

“We have to make sure Lucie and everyone else is okay!” I snapped.

No one argued as we made our way downstairs. Screams and shouts punctuated the whistles and booms of artillery fire.

Another shell hit. My teeth chattered and my head rang at the sound of the impact. That was close. Too close!

“Down!” Candace yelled and blurted out a spell.

We all hit the deck as a wall of fire erupted over our heads. White hot! Sweat broke out all over my flesh and even my coat flinched at the inferno.

Candace strained as she held a magical shield over our heads, veins showing across her face as she chanted the spell that meant life or death for us.

The fire passed and she dropped the spell, spitting up bile and gasping for air.

I stood, hastily looking side to side at the scorched and destroyed house. The sky above us had no stars. Just the red and orange reflection of the blaze. The air reeked of smoke, burnt flesh and death.

“Lucie!” I shouted. “LUCIE!”

Brett pulled me down as a shell hit a building near us. Shrapnel and debris flew over our heads. Figures covered in flames left the carcasses of their home, collapsing to the ground.

We left the flaming remains of Lucie’s home and hospital. More shells rained down upon us, destroying homes. The sound of screaming children and sobbing mothers filled the night air.

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