by Skye Horn
“Guys… It’s not just Ainé,” Caden interrupted, pressing his fingers to his temples. His eyes were closed, and Thea knew he was trying to focus on whatever glimpse of the future he was seeing. It was clearer to her now that Caden’s gifts could be useful if he learned to control them like Aragon had. Perhaps it was something her great-godfather could even help him with if they got out of this alive.
“What do you mean?” Adrian turned toward his friend. The tips of his ears were bright red.
Right on cue, a raven soared far above their heads through the cloud of smoke Thea had created. There was a swoosh of wind and Thea saw an arrow soar directly into the raven’s chest, causing it to fall from the sky. She looked in the direction the arrow had come from to see Haven gripping her wooden bow. Her face was grim, but Thea understood.
“Morrigan,” Caden breathed.
“I’m going to tell Declan to run. Can you buy me time?” Thea’s eyes met Adrian’s, pleading for him to understand. He looked angrier than she’d ever seen him before, but he nodded his head anyway as he climbed onto Sorlas’ back. The dragon let out a roar that sent the birds of the forest flying into the air. If the army didn’t know where they were before, they did now, but it didn’t matter. “Haven, give Kieran a weapon.”
The leader of her guard stared at her for one moment before she unsheathed one of her own two swords and handed it to Kieran. He wrapped his fingers around the cool metal and gave it a single swish through the air, getting used to its weight, as Thea looked toward her cousin.
“Caden, you should ride with Adrian. If this goes badly, you are all that Blackmire has left.”
“I will not flee from a fight like my father does,” Caden said, withdrawing his own sword. There was a no-argument look on his face that made Thea proud, even if she did want to protect him.
“It’s settled, then. Adrian will buy me time to tell the others to run, and then we will fight until we cannot fight anymore.”
“And if we die?” Haven asked, eyes darkening.
“Then we die making sure our friends get away safely. The most important thing is that that weapon survives.”
There was a shadow over each of their faces, even Kieran’s. Death was coming for them, whether they were ready or not. Thea’s heart raced, but she took steadying breaths to calm her nerves and removed the bow and arrows from her back. She walked toward Sorlas and held the weapon up toward Adrian.
“Shoot them from the skies with fire and arrows. Don’t hold back.”
He took the weapon from her and smiled sadly. It was a look that conveyed all the wishes they’d left unspoken, a stolen secret between the two of them that no one else could take away. She hoped he would not go into battle angry with her, but by the expression he now wore, she knew his anger had faded. His hazel eyes traced the features of her face before he placed a fist over his heart and bowed his head.
“I’ll see you on the other side,” he murmured, just loud enough for her to hear. She took a step back from Sorlas as her wings beat against the air. And then the dragon was soaring through the skies above, heading for a destination only they could see.
“We have to hurry,” Caden said, placing a hand on Thea’s shoulder as she watched Adrian and Sorlas. She nodded her head and slowly lowered herself to her knees. The armor on her legs protected her skin from the coldness of the ground, but she placed her palms against the hardened snow, drawing from the magic of all life around her. The trees were full of ancient power; their roots pulsed deep within the earth beneath her. She started with that, beckoning the life of the woods to her in an attempt to reach Declan’s mind once again. It was different to draw from nature than it was from another Fae—easier, really. Thea smiled as the earth responded to her call, listening to her whispered plea for help. This magic was pure, light and beautiful.
“Declan,” she called, and in an instant his reply came. His face appeared more clearly than before, but regardless of the strength of her vision, Thea knew she had less time to spend with him now, less time to warn him of what would come.
“Have you arrived?” Declan asked, smiling as he saw her. “You’re going to have to show me how you do this when I see you.”
Thea smiled, but apparently her eyes gave her away, because he immediately stilled and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Ainé and Morrigan are closing in on the Southern Forest. Dec, you need to run.”
“No!” Declan strode toward her, taking her hand. Despite the fact that she could see him touching her, she felt no warmth from his skin. “We won’t leave you to defend yourself like that. I have to tell you something…”
“You must,” Thea urged, trying to convey how serious she was just by the tone of her voice. She tightened her hands around his. “We know you have the weapon, Declan, and we can’t allow them to have it. You need to go before it’s too late.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Thea!” he argued. “I don’t have the weapon. You do!”
Thea looked at him, furrowing her eyebrows. “What do you mean I have the weapon?”
“I couldn’t tell you before. I didn’t trust Kieran,” he said quickly. “Aragon made me swear to tell no one. But Thea, the gemstone… you still have it, don’t you?”
Thea thought of the small pouch attached to her hip and nodded, but her eyes must have shown her confusion, because Declan continued to explain without waiting for any other answer from her.
“You need to take it to Lake Wysteria. That’s where the weapon is.”
Thea’s head spun with questions, but she didn’t know where to start. “What does the gemstone have to do with the weapon?”
“It’s a key,” Declan said. His usual lighthearted smile was gone, replaced by a seriousness that didn’t fit his personality. “I know you have questions, but you have to trust me. Aragon wanted the Goddesses to think I had the weapon. You can’t let them know you have it.”
Kieran had said Aragon had sent Haven to protect her, and Haven had brought her the gemstone, but Thea was sure Haven knew nothing about it being some key to getting the weapon. What would she need to do at Lake Wysteria with it in order to get this weapon? And how would they ever get there without the Goddesses knowing what they were up to?
“They’ll come for you, though!” Thea wanted to rip her hands away from his and scream at him for agreeing to this idiotic plan. Had her great-godfather truly sent her friend out as bait while secretly giving her what was needed to find the weapon right under Morrigan’s nose? Declan could be hurt—or worse—killed, and she’d been completely left out of the plans.
Thea was furious, but Declan only smiled. “I’m a scholar of Gimmerwich. It is my duty to protect the weapon, and if this is how I do it, then so be it. I was hoping to go to the lake with you myself, but it appears that won’t be the case.”
“You’re going to run…” The world around them flickered as the connection grew weaker. She needed to preserve her strength, especially if she was going to survive long enough to get the gemstone to Lake Wysteria, but she was terrified to say goodbye to Declan now.
“It’s the only way they’ll believe I have it. I’m going to try to get to Gimmerwich, but if they catch me, they’ll know this was all a lie and come after you next.”
“Then we won’t let them catch you…” Thea knew how insane that sounded, but if the Goddesses knew about the gemstone she carried, then they’d have already come after her. They truly believed that Declan had the key, and it was Thea’s job now to keep it that way. “I have to go, but we will buy you as much time as we can. Promise me you’ll return to Gimmerwich. Promise me that you will prepare our people for war.”
Declan met her gaze with a steady nod and said, “I promise. Get the gemstone to Lake Wysteria, Thea. It’s our only hope,” just before the vision faded away and Thea came back to reality. Haven was shaking her shoulders violently enough that she nearly toppled over.
“Thank the Goddess!” Caden said, and Thea shook her
head.
“I’m starting to really hate that saying.” She frowned, but became aware of a warm trickle of liquid just above her lip. She reached up and wiped away the blood that dripped from her nose.
“You overdid it,” Haven accused. “Why did you stay in for so long?”
“Declan told me something,” Thea said, feeling breathless. She reached for a canteen and downed the rest of the water in it as Haven waited for more information. “But I can’t tell you. Not yet.”
“Good, don’t say anything,” Kieran said suddenly. “If Ainé gets into my head again, she’ll know… Don’t risk it.”
Thea nodded, staring at him in confusion. Sometimes she trusted him, and sometimes she reminded herself not to, but right now, he was doing everything he could to be on the right side. What did that mean?
There was a loud roar not far from where they remained, and then the scream of men. Thea turned to stare in the direction of the sound, seeing the rising pillar of smoke. They were less than a mile away, that much was clear.
Sorlas and Adrian had entered the battle.
“Now or never,” Thea whispered, tying her hair back behind her head. Although she had fought before, she knew this would be her first real battle and she was terrified. There was so much at stake if they didn’t get out of this alive, but they needed to buy Declan time and keep the Goddesses convinced that he had the gemstone. Thea placed a hand on the small pouch at her side, making sure it was secure. It felt far more heavy than it ever had before.
“Haven, stay beside Caden. Kieran, you’re with me,” Thea said, taking on her role as queen once more as she marched toward the noise. Kieran moved to stand by her side, sword in hand, and she launched herself into the air, wings spread wide behind her as she buried her fear of death as deep as she could and flew toward war.
Chapter 30
The smell of blood and burning flesh assaulted her senses as soon as they reached the battlefield. There were bodies scattered already, mostly Fae; Thea’s stomach twisted at the sight. She had to fight back the bile as she scanned the skies for Sorlas and Adrian, instead of looking at the carnage below.
Ainé’s army was large, but they’d apparently scattered as soon as the dragon had attacked. Many had fled for the woods, trying to use the trees as cover from the onslaught of fire, but even those were up in flames now. Sorlas soared nearby, roaring as arrows and spears were thrown in her direction, bouncing off her scales. Nothing penetrated her thick hide. Thea could see Adrian seated on top of her, firing arrows into the battalions of soldiers. He rarely missed his mark.
“Do you see either of the Goddesses?” Thea called out to Kieran. He soared close beside her, eyes searching the wreckage below. Ainé would be their biggest threat. They needed to keep her and her men distracted long enough for Declan and the others to escape. Morrigan might be shocked to see them there, but hopefully she was still counting on Thea’s help to take Ainé down.
Screams sounded from the battlefield as fire rained down on their enemy. Sorlas’ flames were unforgiving, engulfing every being they touched. Thea tried not to watch as men and women flailed in the snow attempting to extinguish the flames that devoured their bodies, only to fall still moments later. Thea could see Haven and Caden entering the fray with swords drawn. Haven was quick as lightning, striking down one opponent after another, with Caden close beside her. They never let their enemy come between them. It was clear they’d both been trained well, but Haven was remarkable in battle. Thea couldn’t help but stare.
“There!” Kieran pointed toward the outskirts of the range of hills. As if sensing them, Ainé’s golden eyes lifted to meet theirs, and Thea fought the urge to dive and attack. She’d been preparing for this for weeks. If she could manage to conjure enough power, maybe she could do some real damage to the Goddess, but if she couldn’t, her friends would die and so could her child. Her free hand immediately went to her stomach, and she frowned. There, just beneath her armor, a small bump had formed. She wasn’t sure when the changes had started happening, but she felt it all the same, pressing against her armored coating.
She needed more support.
They needed their own army.
But most of all, they needed the weapon.
“We have to help the others first,” Thea said, looking below to where Haven and Caden had been surrounded by enemy forces. Thea saw them now—Morrigan’s army emerging from the opposite tree line. The Goddess herself led the mass of soldiers as ravens flocked in the skies above like a cloud of ash about to descend upon them all. They would be surrounded soon, with an army on each side. Kieran nodded his head, albeit reluctantly, and followed her to the ground.
Despite the terrified thrash of her heart, Thea focused on her anger and rage at the lies she’d been told by both Goddesses, letting it be the driving force that sent her into battle. Adrian was watching them from the distance, and seeming to see the issue at hand, led Sorlas to the skies above them as they landed. Thea knew he was ready to jump in to aid them if necessary. His eyes were glued to Caden in the scuffle below.
“About time!” Haven called out, and to Thea’s surprise, she was grinning ear to ear as she slashed her sword against yet another Fae. Everything inside Thea screamed that this was wrong. They shouldn’t be fighting each other. They should be fighting together, but unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about that now. It was kill or be killed, and she needed to accept that. “We were beginning to think you’d just fly around and miss all the fun!”
“Morrigan’s army is coming!” Thea said.
Another body dropped in front of Haven and she spun just in time to meet the sword of a new foe. Caden let out a yelp as a blade caught his arm and Thea ran to his side, sword drawn to block a second blow. Her arms reverberated with the contact, but her training immediately kicked in and she counter-attacked. She watched the stance of her opponent falter. He hadn’t expected that. Kieran had already started fighting another soldier. Thea tried not to look in his direction with worry.
“Thanks, cousin.” Caden grinned, although there was a swelling of red against his tunic. They’d all worn armor, knowing what might come, but no one’s was quite like Thea’s, not even the crown prince’s.
Thea grinned, too breathless for a response as she struck again and saw her opening. She spun on her left heel, sending a powerful kick into the chest of her attacker. He flew backward just as another soldier took his place.
“There’s too many!” Kieran growled. “We need to get to Ainé!”
“We need to buy time!” Thea yelled. They were getting closer together as the troops circled in around them, but Sorlas was now sending waves of fire down, creating a barrier to keep any more soldiers from closing in. Unfortunately, the snow kept the ring of fire from staying lit and the dragon had to keep using her strength to keep them safe. Thea wondered just how long she’d be able to hold up, especially after two days of travel.
Thea wasn’t sure how much time had passed or how many of her own kind she’d struck down, but her heart ached with each and every kill. She wanted to scream at them all to stop. She wanted to end the death the Goddess had brought to them, but there was no escaping the battle now.
“Thea, look out!” Adrian called from above just in time for Thea to duck an attack from behind her. She swept her leg out, sending the man to the ground, and slammed the tip of her sword into his neck. Blood immediately spurted around, splattering her face, and she fought tears as she watched the life fade out of his eyes, before turning to face her next opponent.
A moment later, Adrian had dropped from Sorlas’ back, landing smack in the middle of the conflict with a sword drawn. Apparently, he was out of arrows and had come to join the fight. She watched as each of her friends fought to keep one another safe. Even Kieran had become part of the team, but there was no end in sight. Exhaustion was wearing on all of them and soon they would fall.
“Watch my back,” Thea told Kieran and Adrian, who were the closest ones to he
r, as she dropped to her knees, digging her fingers beneath the snow and into the earth. Almost immediately the ground began to tremble. Hardly any were using magic in this fight. Adrian and Kieran had both told Thea once that soldiers were taught to use magic as a last resort, as it could deplete their energy supply too quickly, but Thea knew her magic was the only chance they had right now.
A war raged inside her as she made the decision to use magic. She’d been warned that it could harm the baby, but if they didn’t get out of here alive, then there would be no baby to harm anyway. Her instincts told her to be careful, to use her magic in increments and to stay as far away from the meltdown she’d had in the garden as she could, but there was no other choice now. The army was too powerful, too great. They’d bought Declan as much time as they physically could, but now they needed to do the running or they would all die here.
The soldiers nearest to them stumbled back in surprise. The wind picked up around them and Thea knew that Kieran was using his own magic to push the men back even farther. Haven, seeming to catch on that it was time to go as well, pulled the water from the snow, sending a rushing wave toward the men, while Adrian conjured magic like nothing Thea had ever seen before. Bolts of red lightning traveled from his fingers, fiery and wild. His eyes darkened as they lashed out against the few soldiers that were left, but his hands trembled with each movement. Whatever dark magic this was, he struggled to control it.
“Enough!” came a voice Thea would hear in her nightmares for the rest of her life. Ainé was making her way through the storm of magic, mounted atop a chestnut mare whose hooves barely graced the ground beneath her steady canter. Thea raised herself to her feet and reached for the darkness within for protection. The curse could kill her and her child, but they faced certain death if Ainé reached them as well. She pushed herself in front of the rest of her friends, walking forward.
Thea’s fingers curled into fists, smoke rising between her knuckles. Her veins, blackened by the magic she wielded, splintered up her arms, climbing toward her heart, but she didn’t hesitate. The shadows lashed out around her, keeping the soldiers back as Ainé appeared through the wall of fire Sorlas had thrown between them.