by Holly Evans
An angel in full armour drove six pure white horses down the road in a battle chariot. My mouth fell open. I recognised that angel. It was one of the statues from the national theatre. Its pair charged down the road from the other side. They proceeded to crush everything at the edge of the courtyard before they leapt off their respective chariots and hacked down the enemy with swords bigger than I was. The angels went toe to toe with the stone creatures, their swords hacking off lumps of stone that flew through the air and collided with clusters of imps.
I let out a howling cheer of pure ecstasy. We hadn’t won yet, but I felt the need to express the sheer relief at seeing what Elise had pulled out of the bag. My cry was echoed by those around me. The enemy began to shrink back. Some tried to slip past the angels who guarded the exits; they were cut clean in two. Others were crushed beneath the horses’ hooves when they tried to flee. Those who were foolish enough to try and take them on lasted mere seconds before they were thrown like rag dolls or torn asunder by the swords.
Glee filled me and washed away the exhaustion and pain. I pushed forward, driving back the enemy. A small group of witches surrounded a Sidhe as the Sidhe’s eyes rolled back in its head. I ran at them and was greeted by a volley of curses. A kaleidoscope of magic hurtled through the air towards me. Each curse was a bundle of sheer agony designed to strip away the victim’s life force one heartbeat, one breath at a time. The curses bounced off an invisible wall, a small flare of silvery light appearing where they vanished barely a foot in front of me. I muttered a thanks to the priestesses before I continued my charge.
Two of my beasts circled around behind the group of witches, causing the oldest woman with greying brunette curls and watery grey eyes to try and run. My beast swatted at her with one of its dinner-plate-sized paws. The amusement of my fiery hound echoed somewhere in the back of my mind. She yelped and fell back, tripping over the bottom of her orange and red robes. The other witches weren’t quite as easy to rattle. They stood strong; magic flickered around their hands as they began a dance around the Sidhe at the heart of them.
The Sidhe’s muttering took on a frantic tone. A sickly green light began to form around his feet. The witches started throwing curses at me with more speed and accuracy. My sight was blurred by the constant silvery flashes in front of my face where the curses were stopped. I hacked and tore at the witches blindly, determined to reach the Sidhe before it could do any real harm. My beasts were clawing at them on the other side, yet they didn’t make as much progress as I expected. One of them roared, the sound of a furious inferno, when its paw was deflected off one of the witches.
“Need a hand?” a smooth familiar voice purred almost in my ear.
I risked a glance around and saw Tiel. For once, I was glad to see the pompous celestial. He grinned at me, a vicious predatory expression on his painfully beautiful face. He spun his swords in his hands, his eyes never leaving mine as he twisted and decapitated the closest witch. Her head thumped against my boot as I drove my blade into the chest of her sister.
“It feels good to be fighting again,” Tiel said with clear glee.
“What took you so fucking long?” I shouted back as I ducked below a short sword that had appeared out of the maelstrom.
“Oh you know,” he sliced off a blonde witch’s hands, “this and that.”
Her head came off next. He was brutally efficient in his movements, each strike precise and clean. Where I twisted and danced around my foes, he cut clean through them and blocked at any attempts they had to harm him. He even raised an eyebrow when a pixie threw a bright blue curse at his pretty face.
“That was rather rude,” he said before he thrust his sword into her stomach and quickly sliced it upwards.
I side-stepped the organs that tumbled out of her body before I plunged my blade into the eye of a redcap that had the gall to try and dig its fingernails into my neck. I wondered if I could get away with wiping out the redcap population and call it useful collateral damage.
Tiel and my beasts remained close at hand as we pushed the dwindling enemy back into the courtyard area. The stone angels held back, standing guard against any who dared try and slip through our grasp. The priests and priestesses stood up on the rooves, their glow a soothing presence. The gods were on our side. Lysander’s rage and anguish cut through the bond. I frantically looked around, trying to locate him. I ran around a collection of pixies that my beasts took great pleasure in chewing on and finally saw him.
The cause of his fury stood in the middle of the courtyard area with Zair and the other celestial almost toe to toe with it. The demon stood some ten feet or taller. Thick red skin covered corded muscle with pitch black horns sprouting from his bare skull. Heavy claws tipped each of his long fingertips. The celestials swiped at him with their blades, keeping him occupied while those around them continued to fight the witches and their allies.
“He is mine!” Lysander shouted out over the chaos.
The demon slowly turned to face him. He swatted at Zair when he sliced through the muscle on his back. The demon grinned, a gruesome expression that split his face and bared twisted yellow fangs
“Marrok Lysander. I have missed you,” he said.
Its voice rumbled and filled my head despite my protestations. Lysander pushed through the enemy to stand in front of his ex-master. This was his fight.
I couldn’t watch what happened with Lysander. I couldn’t interfere, and the battle was far from won. We’d closed in around the enemy, but that had only pushed them to desperation. A group of redcaps and pixies threw themselves at me. My legs buckled beneath me as they piled onto me. Claws and teeth raked down my flesh and searched for vital organs. I thrashed and stabbed at anything that I could. My blades cut through flesh. Blood coated everything. The vile stench of organs and rancid redcap breath filled my nostrils. I choked and continued to fight with everything I had.
My fire wasn’t doing a damn thing to them. The witches must have gotten wise to it. Suddenly, the weight lifted off me and I could breathe again. I gulped down air and tried desperately not to vomit. My vision cleared and my legs finally supported me enough to stand. Raif held out his hand for me. Bryn and Leif were fighting around us, giving me the room I needed.
I pulled the cub into a quick hug. “Thank you.”
He grinned at me before I took another deep breath and drove everything I had back into the fire. They might not catch fire at my touch, but my beasts were still doing some good. I stepped up to Leif’s side and hacked open the throat of the elf that tried to decapitate him. The Sidhe flashed me a grateful smile before he sank his fingers into the forehead of a pixie. The pixie’s bright pink hair shrivelled and crumbled away before his skull cracked and turned to dust. The rest of the pixie folded downwards before it disintegrated.
“You’re not the only one that Kadrix gave some alchemical boosters to,” Leif said.
I had no idea the Sidhe could pull shit like that. There was no time to consider it; more witches pushed in around us. I stole a glance towards Lysander and saw him down on his knees. I swallowed down my fear and used it to push me on. The glassy, dead green eyes of the blonde witch that Raif had decapitated next to me stared up at the priestesses over my shoulder. I kicked it away, tripping up the elf that lunged at Bryn.
The enemy was weakening. Robes and puddles of black gloop covered the floor where the witches and fae had fallen beneath our blades and magic. The angel statues were closing in around the edge of the courtyard, driving the enemy back towards the demon. Towards Lysander and the final fight.
Pain clouded my judgement and began to slow my movements. We were so close. I couldn’t give in. A scream of pure pain cut over the chaotic chanting and shouts of anger. The ground shuddered. A blood-red light filled the air. Everyone stilled for a brief second. I took the opportunity to slice the redcap from sternum to navel. Elise was fighting someone on the roof. Her bright white light shone against the pitch black of night. The other person, a woman in
blood-red robes, lost her footing and slipped. No one paid any attention. All focus was on the hulking mass in the centre of everything. Lysander jumped onto the back of the fallen demon. He threw his head back and howled. The sensation of happiness and freedom flooded the bond, fuelling me for the final push. He had won.
A bright blue-white light flew through the air and hit Lysander in the head. The bond instantly went icy cold as he crumpled. A woman in icy blue robes appeared on the rooves near Elise. I turned away and ran for my hound; the bond was weakening between us. I was losing him. I was vaguely aware of allies around me helping me cut down the enemies between me and Lysander. My legs carried me over the stone. My blades cut through flesh and ended lives. There was only one life I was interested in, and I could feel it fading.
I threw myself onto Lysander’s cooling body. “I can’t lose you. I won’t.”
Tears streamed down my face as I gathered up everything I had. The fire formed in my chest and erupted around me. I kissed Lysander hard and bit his bottom lip while I drove every ounce of fire I had down into his cold body, down our bond. I was not going to lose him. He was my hound. I needed him.
A flicker of warmth came down the bond for a second before it sputtered and died.
“No. Don’t you dare leave me,” I shouted as I hit his chest.
I kissed him again, harder. I dug down deeper into myself and gave him everything I had. We went up like a funeral pyre. Everything around us flickered and burned. Our allies were forced to step away from us. Wails of anger and pain cut through the air.
Lysander took a breath, a shallow gasping breath. I hugged him tight and wrapped him in the fire.
“Evelyn, I love you, but I need to breathe,” he whispered.
I held onto his shoulders and looked into his eyes. The glassiness was clearing. He was returning to me. I gulped down more tears and helped him stand.
“Sorry to ruin your moment, Sis, but we kinda need you guys,” Quin called.
Lysander squared his shoulders and stepped up next to Quin. The remaining enemy forces were circling around us while Elise fought with what I had to assume was the ice witch, the leader of all of this.
Both women were glowing as they spun and danced around each other. Ice wolves snapped at Elise’s heels, trying to throw her off balance while the witch herself kept lunging in at Elise. Elise was clearly tiring, her movements were slowing, and the witch managed to get a strong blow into Elise’s ribs. Red stained her crisp white robes and she faltered. My heart was in my throat.
I had to look away when a blade-wielding witch tried to gut me. Bryn stepped in and distracted her with a big swing to her head. I took advantage of the opening and thrust my blade into her thigh. She screamed and rewarded with me a deep cut to my temple. I was running on adrenaline and beginning to grow weary. My muscles were getting heavy, but we were so close.
Bryn struck her hard in the back of the neck, throwing her forward. I drove the hilt of my blade into her upper back, pushing her down to the floor, where I stamped on her neck. A blinding white light filled the sky. Everyone froze.
Elise was standing with her arms spread wide and her head tilted skyward. The white light flooded her, giving her a slightly hazy outline. The witch threw a savage curse at her, a large ball of pure pain designed to strip away Elise’s life force. Elise batted it away as if it were nothing more than dust. The witch took a step back.
The enemy forces began trying to slip away into the darkness. Elise’s lady had stepped in, and she was pissed. Elise walked with the grace and dignity of a prima ballerina. The witch stumbled backwards and tried throwing another curse as she scrambled back to her feet. The wolves had stopped; they stood with their heads slightly cocked to one side, watching.
In one quick motion, Elise had the witch, who was quite a bit bigger than she was, by the throat. She looked her in the eye before she plunged a blade into her chest. The witch shuddered and gasped before Elise threw her from the roof. Her lady had spoken.
I was in a state of shock. We’d done it. We’d won. A great cheer went up around the square before we gathered up and killed the remaining enemy forces. They had made their decision, and they paid for it.
A party had filled the streets, with the lycans carrying Elise up on their shoulders. We were all exhausted, but by the gods we were going to celebrate our victory. It was hard won. We had lost many good people, including Azfin. The Sidhe were still in disarray a week later when all of the funerals were carried out.
For once, I was glad to have the city quiet and peaceful; it didn’t seem quite so boring to be curled up with Lysander watching a cheesy daytime movie. Kadrix had been going back and forth between the regal elf lord that he apparently was and the screeching bride-to-be. Quin couldn’t have been happier about the entire thing, and that was all that mattered. Everything was as it should be.
I had no idea what to expect. Kadrix had waved me off when I asked for details. It seemed quite reasonable to me, to be given some clue as to what I had gotten myself into. My heart fluttered as I stood in the small room formed of young trees and vines, interwoven to form the walls. The floor was coated in clover and grass. I dug my toes down into it, grounding myself in the cool sensations. My twin was getting married. My dear Quin had fallen head over heels for an elf, and I was going to walk him down the aisle. I swiped at my cheek, trying not to damage the make-up that the Sidhe woman had spent an hour perfecting.
Music, sounding something like bird-song with light bells layered in there, started playing from beyond the door. I swallowed down my nerves. It was Quin’s big day. I couldn’t fuck it up. He emerged out of the long passageway to my right. It was just us standing in the small room. I grinned at him, desperately fighting back the tears of pride and joy. He had chosen to wear quite traditional clothing. His pitch-black suit was beautifully tailored. The electric-blue tie had faint silver threads woven through it, giving it an interesting shine. He grinned at me. He radiated happiness. His green eyes danced as he pulled me into a tight hug. We didn’t need words.
The music took on a more intense beat; the moment had come. The door before us swung open and I froze. The main ceremony area was breathtaking. Lush green grass carpeted the huge area. The walls were woven branches and vines, each with a soft golden colour to them. Small birds fluttered high overhead. The ceiling must have been almost three stories up. Quin gently pulled my arm around his and took a step forward. This was his moment.
I took a deep breath and walked him up the aisle. Fae of all forms stood and clapped as we slowly walked past them to Kadrix. The elf was wearing an emerald green and white silk suit, his house colours. His face had been painted with silver markings in preparation for the oaths he and Quin would share. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes, but he kept them restrained; his mouth, however, pulled up into a large smile. He watched Quin’s every move with adoration. I knew that he’d look after my twin; he wasn’t my first choice, but there was no denying the emotion that filled the elf in that moment.
Lysander stood slightly to the side and behind Kadrix, his hands behind his back as he stood military straight. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as his eyes met mine. Our day would come. Once Quin stood at the head of the aisle with Kadrix, who struggled to keep his hands off Quin, I stepped back and assumed a similar guardian pose to Lysander. The congregation rustled as they seated themselves before Elise and Bryn emerged from the front of the church. Elise was in her full ceremonial priestess garb: a long pure-white dress, with white skin and sky-blue lips. Her expression was carefully controlled glee; she was here in an official capacity, after all.
A hush fell over the room as all eyes fell on the couple.
“We are brought here today to witness the union between Kadrix and Quin,” Elise said.
My heart fluttered again as I watched Quin grin goofily at Kadrix.
“They are entering into a contract that will bind them for life.” Elise paused and looked between them for a moment.
“They have each made a token to give the other, as a symbol of this union.”
Kadrix pulled a simple silver necklace from the inner pocket of his suit. A small emerald green vial hung on the delicate silver chain. He held it between himself and Quin, in front of Elise. Quin pulled out a similar necklace made of rose gold, with a silver and blue circle amulet.
Elise gave a nod of approval before she addressed the room. “These necklaces contain a small fragment of their essence. This will finalise the ceremony and solidify the contract.”
A murmur of understanding went around the room. They were going to be soul-bound the same way Lysander and I were. A circle of wispy white flowers formed around Kadrix and Quin as Elise began whispering something, her eyes half-closed. Bryn slowly walked around the edge of the circle, scattering a fine blue and lilac dust over the flowers.
When Bryn had returned to his initial starting place, Elise said, “If you would exchange the oaths.”
Quin and Kadrix looked at each other for a long moment before they took a step closer to each other, standing almost toe to toe.
They spoke in unison, “I give you my heart and soul, to hold, cherish and protect. In exchange I accept yours.”
Kadrix placed his necklace around Quin’s neck, and Quin placed his around Kadrix’s neck. When they were both settled in place, a bright white light flashed.
Elise held up her hand when the room began whispering. “It must be acknowledged that if either of you break this contract, you will forfeit your life, and those of your family. Do you agree?”
I swallowed. My life now depended on the loyalty of the elf. I had to trust him, and Quin.