“Nick, mate, one of the males has gone,” Leith stated.
Bloody hell.
They were initiating.
Nick did not break contact with Rory’s eyes as he commanded Leith, “Go after him.”
He heard Leith’s boots on the boards.
“Highwaymen, helping to save all realms,” Rory muttered in disgust.
“That’s about it,” Nick confirmed.
“If I get dead in gods-damned Mar-el, trying to save all realms, I’m dragging you to the under-realm with me,” Rory declared.
Nick grinned at him.
Then he looked back out from the loft to see another of the creatures in human form steal away.
“I’ve got that one,” Kaden called.
“That means we’re on the last,” Nick murmured.
“Fantastic,” Rory replied.
Nick grinned again.
Even if his stomach felt sour.
This did not stop him from saying, “Let us move.”
And this, they did.
Galbdor and Welbrix
Nautilus
MAR-EL
They made the roof and raced across it.
Gal made the leap to the next roof, and Brix jumped after him.
Gal then took a turn, dropped down, caught a finial, swung around it, launched himself across the alley, and landed on his feet on the roof opposite.
He did not wait until Brix had landed solid with him.
He kept running.
Though he was glad to hear his friend’s boots hit tile.
They made many jumps, swings and heaves before, thanks be to their Green god, they made the roof they sought.
Gal dropped to shimmy down a drainpipe. He then swung to the window ledge and did not hesitate a moment before he kicked the window in with his boots.
He landed on the floor inside amongst a sprinkle of glass, only to face Serena and Chu, both of whom, in the commotion, had drawn their arms and were at the ready to attack.
Brix landed beside him as Gal said, “The priests were wrong. They have venom. You need to gather the others. They need to ride. Now.”
“Venom? They can freeze people with their poison?” Serena asked in a grim tone.
“No,” Brix answered. “They can turn them.”
“Turn them?” Chu queried.
“There’s no time to explain. They are not only here,” Gal began. “They have created an army.”
“By the goddess,” Serena breathed.
“That’s what they’ve been doing,” Chu bit.
But no one said another word.
They all raced out.
Teddy
Smuggler’s Den Inn, Nautilus
MAR-EL
Faunus had barely dropped his bag in their room when he turned to Teddy and declared, “We need to report we’ve arrived.”
Teddy nodded and said, “But you’ll be back.”
Faunus came to him. “I’ll be back. Tonight, I stay with you. Tomorrow…”
He didn’t finish this, but he didn’t need to, for Teddy already knew what would happen on the morrow.
Or what they all hoped would happen.
They both tensed when they heard a faraway scream.
Faunus moved swiftly to the window and looked out.
Teddy quickly joined him, and as he was taking these strides, another scream could be heard.
There also seemed a muted commotion from belowstairs.
“I don’t—” Teddy began to say he didn’t see anything amiss, as he gazed out the window at the meandering lane very close to which attractive, very seaside-city-looking (to his estimation, though this was the only seaside city he’d visited) buildings were built.
The view they could see from their vantage point at the back of the inn.
There were pedestrians, not quite going about their business, for they’d all turned their attention in the direction of the screams.
Teddy startled and stopped speaking, and Faunus shifted to stand before him, when they heard a thump belowstairs.
Faunus then moved directly to his bags, unbuckled them, and pulled out his two long kris blades.
“Faunus,” Teddy murmured as they heard fast steps ascending the stairs down the hall from their room.
Because of this, and more screams from outside, when Faunus handed him the blades and unsheathed his sword from his back, Teddy did not demur in taking them.
He barely had a handle on them when the door was kicked open.
Faunus prepared to attack but did not for Moira came careening into the room because Saturn had hurled her inside.
Faunus caught her one-armed and tossed her to Teddy, who carefully, seeing as he had two daggers in his hands, shunted her behind him just as what looked like three Airenzian males came storming into the room behind Saturn.
They were armed.
And they did not hesitate to attack.
By the gods.
What was happening?
“Give me one of those!” Moira shouted, wresting the dagger from his left hand as sounds of steel striking steel filled the room.
“Get to the other side of the bed!” Faunus roared as he held a sword from striking him from above with his own at the same time, he plunged a dagger into the gut of one of the males and dragged it upwards.
Teddy grabbed Moira and hauled her toward the bed.
They jumped it and made the other side, Teddy shoving Moira in the corner and standing strong in front of her, his weapon raised, just in time to watch Saturn swinging his sword low and cutting another of the males off at his knees.
Gruesomely, the man toppled to the ground.
The one Faunus had injured was also down.
The last man was rounding the bed to get to Teddy and Moira, but he didn’t make it as, in a gods-awful spray of blood, Faunus took his head.
They heard more screams, shouts, and noises of panic outside as they all stood frozen inside, everyone’s eyes to the door.
It was Saturn who moved to shut it, but as he’d broken it to enter, it did not latch.
He thus simply set it to and walked back to the legless man on the floor.
He lifted his weapon and cut off the fallen man’s sword arm at the elbow.
Teddy’s lip automatically curled.
Moira groaned.
Hearing it, Teddy turned to her and pulled her into his arms, putting a hand to the back of her head and tucking her face to his chest.
Saturn kicked the man’s weapon away (indeed, he kicked his entire forearm away) and straightened, still staring down at him.
“He is not dead,” he stated.
Faunus did not move from his position of barring the path to Moira and Teddy.
But he did ask, “What?”
“He is legless and has lost an arm, but he is not dead, and yet he does not moan,” Saturn pointed out.
Teddy let Moira go, jumped the bed, and hastened to Saturn on Faunus’s growled, “Tedrey.”
His whole name.
Tedrey.
Gods, save him from overprotective warriors.
He ignored his warrior’s warning, squatted beside the Airenzian and studied him, feeling cold enter his chest as he did.
“Moira, stellina,” Faunus murmured as Teddy heard Moira jump on and over the bed.
He loved it when Faunus called her stellina.
His little star.
He let that love settle, as it always did, but he could not think much on it.
“This man is gone,” he stated, staring into eyes that were open, alive, but there was nothing there.
No pain. No emotion.
Vacant.
There were noises from the room beside them as it occurred to him.
“The venom,” he whispered.
“We must leave this place,” Faunus declared.
Teddy straightened and pulled Moira away, turning her into him again as he instructed Saturn, “Put him out of his misery.”
Saturn did not delay.
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Moira pressed close as her warrior moved to perform what was now an act of mercy.
Teddy looked to Faunus.
“The legends of the Beast said he could freeze humans,” he said. “That was always the worst part. That you could be there, alive, paralyzed, helpless to help yourself, and you would just waste away.”
There were more screams, more commotion outside the window, and thus Faunus grew visibly more impatient.
“I know the lore, amore,” he growled.
“What if it’s the same, of a sort, but actually worse?” Teddy whispered and indicated the men on the floor with a dip of his head.
After hearing Teddy’s words, Faunus moved to the man he’d gutted.
He was still alive, lying on his stomach, staring blankly at the floor.
Faunus studied him a moment before he crouched, pulled the man’s head back and drew his blade across his neck.
Blood poured forth, and Faunus straightened and stepped away from it.
“We must leave here, amico,” Saturn warned.
“We go to the Mouth,” Teddy said quietly.
Faunus’s gaze jumped to him. “No.”
“It will be the safest place,” Teddy said.
“The rulers will know this happens and they will drive them there,” Faunus retorted.
“And they will be there to stop them. It’s the safest place, Faunus.” He indicated the window with a jerk of his head. “Listen to it out there.”
Faunus had excellent hearing, but you didn’t need it to know something was very amiss in Nautilus.
Faunus’s mouth tightened.
He looked to Saturn.
Teddy looked to Saturn.
His mouth was tight too.
“Let us go see if we can find our horses,” Faunus muttered, but moved to the men on the floor.
He took their weapons, disbursed them between their crew, and unsurprisingly, he then took the lead as he carefully guided them into what sounded like pandemonium.
Queen Farah
Queen’s Study, Keel Castle, Nautilus
MAR-EL
It started as the sound of running feet.
Then the door burst open and Nav was there.
We all slowly stood from our seats around the table even as he spoke.
“Lock this behind me and do not leave this room.”
“What’s happening?” Ha-Lah asked.
He didn’t answer.
He slammed the door.
Ha-Lah rushed to it.
I rushed to the window.
“Do you see anything?” Ha-Lah called.
I did not, except for the lovely grounds of Keel Castle and the back of Medusa’s Gate at the end of the lane.
Thus, I answered, “No.”
But I whipped around when more running feet could be heard as well as some shouts.
“We have no weapons,” Ha-Lah hissed, standing several feet back, but staring at the door.
The screech of steel against steel could be heard, and I turned my head toward the fireplace.
Ry stood there holding the fire poker. “Yes, we do.”
Ha-Lah and I rushed to him.
He gave Ha-Lah the poker, me the shovel, and he took the tongs.
Even less optimistic noises came from beyond the door.
We all took hold of our makeshift weapons, steadied our stances, and kept our gazes alert on door.
King Mars
The Beach, Keel Castle, Nautilus
MAR-EL
“True! True!”
Both men turned from their study of the sea, only to see Florian sprinting their way.
They were on their feet in less than a breath and tearing through the sand to him.
When they met, Florian did not delay.
“They attack.”
“The Beasts?” True asked.
“No, their army,” Florian answered.
True recoiled.
“What army?” Mars barked.
Florian looked to him. “I don’t know what army. But they have a gods-damned, bloody, fucking army.”
“We must instigate the plan,” True declared. “Immediately.”
Mars looked back to the sea.
“Mars, Farah is in that castle!” True bit out.
He looked to his friend. “Silence.”
“Warn her and let us go!”
But True did not wait.
He and Florian raced back to the castle.
Mars raced back down the sand.
Quickly, with his boot, he gouged out one word.
Only when he was done did he sprint to the seat of the King of Mar-el.
Leaving behind a message that couldn’t be misread.
DANGER.
Queen Ha-Lah
Queen’s Study, Keel Castle, Nautilus
MAR-EL
The fighting could be heard outside the door.
However, it didn’t last long before the door burst open with the force of five men rolling through it.
One was Nav, one was Xi, one was Wallace, and two were men I did not know, but I could see one was Dellish and one was Airenzian.
But several more of the last barreled through the door, plus a few Mar-el, walking right over them as if they were floor, not men.
Ry scuttled forward, raising his long tongs, and striking the first man to approach us with a hearty clout upside his head.
He staggered to the side.
Only for another to take his place.
More were coming through the door, and Farah and I as one engaged, because we should, but also because we had to.
My poker was not my first choice in weapons, but at least it was strong, a good defense, but within blocking three strikes, my arms were humming with the effort of deflecting the blows.
I was not quick enough for his recovery, and made to duck to escape his next attempt, when the point of a sword came through his chest from the back.
It was swiftly pulled out, the man fell, exposing Wallace behind him.
He did not even meet my eyes.
He whirled to become my defense, and I was heartened to see Ore and Luther had joined the fight in the room.
But there were so many of them.
Why were the Airenzian, Dellish and Mar-el fighting kings’ men in a king’s castle?
With no way to find an answer to that in the now, I squatted to pull the weapon out of the hand of the man that Wallace had wounded, chilled when I saw from his face that he had not died, but even so, in a manner, he looked like he had.
Alive.
But gone.
I could also not think on that.
I took his weapon from his hand and stood just as Farah shrieked, “Ry!”
My eyes went to our friend to see him reeling from a blow.
This, right before he took a mortal strike to the side of his neck.
He collapsed to his hip and a hand.
I screamed in fury and charged the man who had taken him, swinging well right with the hefty weapon (we should have asked Serena to teach us swordplay, too late now).
Before he could recover from the blow he dealt Ry, I swiped him across his gut.
His innards spilled forth as he fell to his back.
I then found my arm in a clench, and I was being dragged.
I began to fight but saw Bram had hold on me.
“We make the stables!” he shouted, not to me.
He did this just as True’s green filled the room and he stormed in behind it.
Only for red to wash through it in waves and Mars roared in.
Bram shoved me against the wall, Ore tossing Farah to it beside me, they stood in front of us as True and Mars turned a gruesome scene grisly.
I sensed it was done at the same time as Farah, and thus we both dashed around our protectors.
Straight to Ry.
“We must go,” Mars grunted.
We both hunkered down beside him.
He was on his side, blinking, his neck covered in bloo
d where it wasn’t opened flesh.
“Ry,” Farah whispered.
“I…” he pushed out.
“Darling,” True said to his wife between gritted teeth.
“Believe,” Ry whispered.
We did not stay with him in order to be with him as he met his end.
For we were taken hold of and hauled from the room.
Nick Walsh
Outside Nautilus
MAR-EL
They reined in as one.
“Bloody hell,” Rory whispered.
Nick clenched his teeth.
Before them, over the rock of Mar-el, the army of the Beasts was obliterating the fighting charmed folk.
Gods, he had seen many ugly things in his life.
But he’d never seen anything as ugly as a dead pixie.
“We must stop this. They’re going to decimate them,” Rory bit out.
They couldn’t stop this.
But they could try to ride through it and assist what was left of them in beating their retreat.
Both men drew their blades and hunched over their steeds in preparation to launch forth when both men sensed it and wheeled their horses to face a new threat.
Immediately, Nick had to drop his reins to catch the thing flying at him.
He also had to snap his head back so the edge of it didn’t hit him and render him unconscious.
When he’d adjusted the long, curved, rectangular, wooden shield and held it by the leather strap attached at the back, he looked at the sea of Zees on horseback before him.
“You’ll need that,” a man he did not know was named Silvanus advised. And then that man shouted, “Heeyah.”
And Nick, nor Rory, had any choice but to join them as a sea of Zees charged a battlefield.
Princess Serena
On the Road to Keel Castle
MAR-EL
They were going to be overcome.
She hacked at one, screeching, “Goddess damn it!”
He fell away only for another to take his place.
The enemy was so thick, their horses couldn’t get through.
They’d never make the castle.
Goddess, she was going to die on a road in bloody Mar-el with the man she loved at her side and the two best friends she’d ever had riding point.
She hacked at another one.
“Gal!” Brix yelled from his place astride his horse in front of them.
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