by Raven Storm
“You said the witches denied aid to the drakens, but your issues with them feel more personal than that.”
He froze, as I knew he would. I pushed forward. “You know we need them to fight the Overlord. Would it kill you to be polite, or at least civil?”
I took the dagger from his hand, tracing its edge along my own neck. His eyes sparked in interest, and I smirked.
“Tell me why. I want to understand.”
Benedict snatched the knife back and tucked it into a sheath along his waist. He sighed, and I nuzzled against his side. His arm came around me, stroking gently along the smooth skin of my bare abdomen.
“You are a conniving little sneak, but I will tell you.” He gazed into the fire and began to speak.
“I knew my father was planning a suicide mission to rescue Rhyfel. I begged him to reconsider. We had so few drakens left that killing more was a waste. He refused.”
Benedict paused to gather his emotions, and I waited patiently for him to continue.
“I went to the blood witches, the strongest coven at the time. I asked for aid—to use their skills to help find Rhyfel and lend what they could to our cause. They refused.”
His body trembled, his fingers at my stomach curling and clenching around my skin.
“I crawled on my hands and knees like an animal, begging them to intercede.” He looked at me then, with a face full of such pain and remorse it stole my breath.
“They laughed at me. Those women, high on their power and their own sense of worth, spit on me and banished me from their forest. I admit—it was foolish, but...I attacked the coven leader in a rage. They wounded me and left me for dead on the coast of Dorea. The injury kept me from going on the mission with my father. If I could have gone with him, he might not have died. Instead, I nearly died.”
His fist unclenched, and his body stilled.
“Sometimes I wish I had.”
I jumped up, glaring down at him.
“Don’t say that, never say that.”
I sat, hot tears threatening to spill from my eyes. I buried my head in my hands, trying to think, trying to understand.
“You think that if you’d gone with your father you could have saved him? That’s ridiculous.”
His muscles went rigid against me, but it was vital that I made him understand.
“If D’Arcy survived, so could I. I—”
“You would never have hidden in a tree. You’d have taken half those demons with you and died beside your father. That would have left D’Arcy to be king, Sabien likely still dead, and me still with Crullfed, and who knows what the Overlord would have done with your people. I wouldn’t wish for anything that didn’t bring me to you.”
His head dropped to mine, his hands tightening a fraction around me.
“You have led your people home and offered them a future. Is that not enough?”
My hand slid down his face, down the amethyst scales that perfectly matched his eyes. His wings twitched, the only sign he was affected at all by my touch.
“I fear it will never be enough.”
The pain in his eyes was raw, and he drew away from me. I reached out for him, missing the warmth of his body. Benedict turned away; his wings already flared.
“I will send Kieran back to keep you company.”
Benedict disappeared into the night.
Eleven
“Fire witches prefer to live in natural stone but were chased away during the Demon Wars, forced to make do with the most northern forest, to the utter consternation of the earth witches.”
“So you have been quarreling among each other?” I clarified, as we continued our trek deeper inland. Benedict could have transported us there, but as a group we had decided it was better if he conserved his strength. We weren’t sure who or what we may meet along the way. Meruse laughed when Astrid declined to answer
“The covens have been at odds the last few centuries. The Overlord achieved his purpose; we are scattered and ineffective.”
Astrid said nothing, knowing Meruse was right. Benedict sighed, impatient.
“If the plan is to simply wander through the woods—”
A fireball slammed into the tree behind him, missing him by inches. We took to the air immediately in instinct, circling around as the witches dove for cover. Another fireball burst through the trees, and Benedict and Kieran leapt after its source.
“Shift back,” Astrid urged me, and I saw the sense in it even if my instincts screamed in defiance. I dropped to the ground next to the witches as a human, my daggers twirling in my hands. Three figures wreathed in flames sprung down from the trees, fiery demons with no recognizable form. I threw my dagger anyway, and one of them fell. Astrid thrust her hands out and the fire was squelched, leaving three gasping, writhing female figures on the ground. I hurriedly pulled my dagger free of the first, noticing that I had only gotten her in the shoulder. It wouldn’t be fatal if she took care of it.
“Air bitch—” One of them mouthed, as the lack of air stole her voice. Meruse was there a moment later, seaweed whips flying as they snaked around the three women and bound them tightly.
“A sea witch?! What madness is this?” Meruse rolled her eyes as Kieran and Benedict returned, dropping two more unconscious figures next to the others.
“Farran!” One cried, flinging her body over the other.
“Oh for crying out loud, she’s just unconscious,” Meruse sneered, and we all sheathed our weapons.
“Are you fire witches?” I began, glaring at Meruse to back off. All five women had flaming red hair, with eyes as red as Kieran’s scales. With a glare at Meruse they lit her whip on fire, and Meruse squawked and dropped it. Astrid looked bored as she vanished the air again, and the fire witches growled. The unconscious one moaned, and then slowly sat up with the help of one of her sisters.
“We would like to speak with you,” I continued, pretending nothing was amiss. The one in the middle looked ready to fight back, then balked as she truly looked at me. I looked down, cursing at the white scales. It seemed my instincts couldn’t hold my draken form back while fighting.
“A female draken?”
I smacked my head lightly as the others visibly had to restrain themselves from laughing.
“Yes, and the drakens along with the other covens plan to make a stand against the Overlord and take back Dorea. Are you in?”
Meruse and Benedict’s jaws dropped, incredulous.
“Wren! You can’t just go around announcing—”
“We’re in.”
The fire witches answered as one, ending any argument. I turned back to Meruse, grinning.
“That was easy.”
Meruse threw her hands in the air and walked away. Astrid smiled, and launched into immediate negotiations. We learned several things: there were around one hundred fire witches who survived and continued to live in small groups across Dorea. Some had moved south, fleeing towards Aldur.
“I am Farran, and these are my hearth sisters. If we split up to find the small bands, we have a good chance of uniting the coven once more. When do you plan to strike?”
Astrid threw an anxious glance to Benedict, who only raised an eyebrow.
“I see,” Farran murmured, unimpressed.
“The air and earth covens have gathered on Lyoness, but it is heavily watched by the hordes. I don’t recommend you go there.” Astrid shot a look to Benedict, who nodded.
“Where then?” Farran asked. Our group fell silent, unsure.
“Cantrada,” Kieran answered, his eyes lighting with fervor. Meruse whipped around so fast, her dreadlocked hair nearly smacked me in the face.
“Are you out of your mind? That is a demon stronghold—”
“Ruled by vampyres ready to turn or flee according to you and filled to the brim with humans. Thousands of allies are already gathered in one spot!”
“Slaves are not allies,” I protested, needing him to understand. Meruse hurried to back me up.
“
If the Overlord finds out he could send his forces to the city and ransack it. Then what?”
Kieran’s brow furrowed, unsure what to say. Benedict shifted, his voice rumbling deep within his chest.
“Then we will ensure he doesn’t find out.”
We all grinned, except for Meruse who rolled her eyes. Astrid and Farran looked at her expectantly.
“Fine. You will have our support. If we can find my missing witches.”
I couldn’t help but feel hope swell in my chest as three of the five witch covens were represented in front of me. Had it truly been a millennium since they were together? This moment had to mean something, a promise of a better tomorrow.
“There is one more issue before the alliance is settled,” Astrid added, her voice taking a serious tone.
“The witchling Luci.”
Farran’s face paled, and the other fire witches immediately looked away.
“How do you know that name?” Farran whispered.
“I think you know,” Astrid flung back, and I stepped in between them, putting a hand across Astrid’s chest. “How could you abandon her like that? She is a child! Your witchling!”
Kieran grabbed Astrid and pinned her arms at the same moment Benedict did the same to Farran. Farran’s skin erupted in flames and Benedict yelled, dropping her.“
Please tell me she is not with you.” Farran looked terrified, her expression halting any attempts to fight from Astrid. Kieran let her go and she straightened her robe hissing at him. The fire witch’s tone was the only thing that quelled the rage in Astrid’s face.
“Why?” She asked warily, her hands still raised in the air.
Farran glanced back at the other fire witches, whose horrified expressions mirrored her own.
“That child is no witch; she is a demon half-breed.”
There had nearly been another fight after that revelation, Astrid screeching in disbelief as Benedict and Kieran held her back. After a few minutes Benedict sat her down roughly and demanded that the fire witches explain further. We all decided to share our supplies, though Astrid refused to eat, and instead glared with frigid coldness at the fire witches. Farran took a bite of bread, then brushed the crumbs from her hands.
“Fifty years ago, the blood witches and the fire witches lived very closely; almost as neighbors.” Astrid started, not knowing that.
“One day, twenty years ago, a small band of fire and blood witches went off to the mountains, wanting to spy on the Overlord.”
“Insane,” Kieran whispered, and even Benedict looked grudgingly impressed.
“Insane, and stupid.” Farran muttered “They were immediately caught, and we never saw them again. Except...except—”
One of the other witches put her hand on Farran’s shoulder, brushing her fiery hair out of the way.
“One day, there was an explosion from the mountain. It shook the forest and the very earth, and there was an aftershock of white magick so powerful it knocked us out.”
Kieran stood.
“I remember that!” He grabbed Benedict’s shoulder. “Remember? The mountain shook and groaned for days afterwards. We thought it was an earthquake!”
Farran shook her head.
“When we awoke, we crawled to the edge of the forest and plains and found her. This young witchling, burning with unquenchable black fire yet unhurt. She had all the fire of our coven, but her hair and eyes were black like the demons. She reeked of white magick; it was terrifying. We tried to take her in, but she was too destructive.”
“My coven managed just fine!”
“SHE KILLED A QUARTER OF MINE!”
Our group went dead silent as Farran and Astrid’s noses almost touched, each of them panting heavily. Farran broke away, her face crumbling as tears fell down her eyes.
“I... I don’t understand.” Astrid managed weakly, unable to come to terms with the Luci she knew, and the one Farran knew.
“We called the Overlord to us, to take her. She was sick with fear, but what else was I supposed to do? None of us could control her power, so I figured they would help her! When they came, she exploded the village and ran. Then you found her.”
Astrid shook her head.
“The Overlord killed the rest of the coven, though a hundred or so managed to get away. That is what your little half-breed did to us.”
Astrid drew in a shuddering breath and let it out.
“Why didn’t you ask us for help? We could have helped.”
Astrid’s eyes shot to Meruse, to the fire witches, and then finally rested on Benedict.
“We should have all helped.”
Night fell, but I was in no mood to sleep despite my exhaustion. I couldn’t imagine that what Farran said was true; that the small child who had saved my life, and now resided at Lyoness was some sort of demon half-breed.
“It makes sense,” Benedict murmured to Kieran. Both lay a few feet from the fire, my body wedged protectively between them. I certainly wasn’t complaining. Kieran sighed.
“I’m sure they realize the implications as well; they just don’t want to admit it.”
“Admit what?” I interjected, annoyed. Kieran ran a hand through my hand, and I was too slow to repress the satisfied purr that curled from my throat.
“Get some rest.”
My body quivered with indignation, and Benedict pulled me tighter against him, one hand gripping my hip bone with my back pressed hard against his chest.
“As if,” I hissed back, and he shared a look with Kieran, “I would just go to sleep while you two plot?”
“Go to sleep, siren.” Benedict repeated, though it was the first time the word held any endearment. I narrowed my eyes.
“Make me.”
He shot another look to Kieran, and a growl rumbled in my chest.
“If you insist,” Kieran said, and then his hands were running through my hair and stroking my wings. Benedict’s fingers drifted to my breasts, caressing the skin but staying away from where I truly wanted to be touched. My surprised yelp was covered by Kieran’s mouth on mine, our bodies covered as they both flared their wings to give us privacy. I heard a grumble, and then footsteps retreating. Benedict’s chest rumbled with mirth, then I gasped quietly as his fingers trailed a light path down my body. Kieran followed suit, his lips leaving mine to lick and nip along my neck and collarbone.
“This is doing the opposite of making me tired.”
Kieran bit down on my neck, effectively silencing me. Benedict’s hand paused right above the juncture between my legs, and I made a sound of impatience.
“Siren…” he breathed into my ear, and I melted into his body as he grinded his own erection against my behind. He teased me for a few moments, Kieran’s fangs trailing along my skin. Then, then, his fingers dipped below the waistband of my trousers, stroking the lightest of touches against my center. I froze, forgetting to breathe.
“Relax…”
Both of their mouths on either ear undid me faster than I thought possible. Benedicts fingers worked a dangerous rhythm, in and out, in and out. My body moved with him, all thoughts in my head gone as I rode his hands, Kieran’s teeth continuing to nip along my collarbone. They worked me like a precise machine, and it didn’t take long for the pressure to build, to become nearly unbearable. The moment I came Kieran crashed his mouth harder against mine, muffling the sound of my cry as every muscle in my body tensed. Benedict grinded himself against me, groaning as my inner walls clamped down on his fingers, spasming as I rode out the wave of my own release.
Both rubbed gentle circles on my back and wings, my body so relaxed afterwards that my eyes drifted closed. There was something I had wanted them to tell me, but it hardly seemed important now. I yawned and snuggled deeper into them warm bodies. I was asleep so fast that I missed the smug, victorious grin Benedict shot Kieran.
Twelve
The next week passed in an exhausting haze of walking, shifting, and more walking. It didn’t matter where we looked—there wer
e no more witches to be found after we had stumbled across Farran and her sisters. Benedict thrummed with impatience, his irritation putting everyone else on edge. I couldn’t figure out what the problem was other than the obvious—we hadn’t found any blood witches yet or come any closer to solving the problem of how to find them if they were taken by the Overlord. The mountains loomed closer, each step we took bringing us closer to the demon hordes, yet no closer to answers.
“We need to decide soon when to abandon our wandering and try something else,” Astrid prodded, glancing up at the foreboding mountains in the distance.
“Any ideas?” Benedict snapped nastily, but Astrid ignored him. As we all had done the past few days.
“Other than getting captured and taken—” Benedict hissed, and Meruse lost her temper. Her whip was free from her holster a second later, cracking in the air as she snapped it a hair's breadth from Benedict’s face.
“Tell us what the matter is or stop sulking like a child.”
“That would be an affront to children,” I added, my own frustration getting the better of me.
Benedict’s mouth opened in betrayal, then his eyes widened. He whipped around, and a bush about fifty yards away from us rustled softly. Meruse got there first, snarling as she shredded the bush with her whip. No one was there. A soft chirping call filled the air, and the trees around us shook in answer. Kieran and Benedict flanked me, ready.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Something we should keep an eye out for,” Meruse said grumpily, shoving her whip back into its compartment.
“Who lives out here if there aren’t blood witches?” I had thought perhaps the rustling had finally been one, caught spying on us.
“There are other races that lived near these mountains—in them, as a matter of fact.” Meruse stated, her eyes still darting all around us.