Another rises from its shards.”
“Holy harpies’ heat.” Graves muttered under her breath. “The Goddesses favor you indeed.”
“Well, what are you waiting for, wizardling?” Divinas nodded back toward the citadel. “I’m not getting any younger. Lead on! Greatness awaits.”
I gulped. No pressure.
Looks like we weren’t storming the citadel alone after all.
45
When Twig returned from the galleon, he wore a beige linen tunic and rumpled trousers, easy to remove if he needed to shift. If he seemed surprised by the circle of witches clustered around Divinas, he didn’t show it. We weren’t much of an army, though once Twig and I handled Hallewell, the rest should be easier. I hoped. I’d never overthrown a government before. Since meeting Twig, I’d had a lot of firsts.
I stepped close to Twig. He lifted an arm, draping it over my shoulders. I melted against him, and the pinched lines near his eyes relaxed. Even in the sultry heat, I’d rather be near him than not.
We stared up at the mountain. With such a large force, an hour’s walk. We could fly in—had planned to—but I didn’t wish to leave our small army unprotected. I bit my lip and considered.
We’ll walk. They know we’re coming anyway. Twig’s gravelly voice came through loud and clear. Just be aware that you can’t protect them all. They’ve made their own choices.
He knew me too well. I can try.
He dipped his chin in acknowledgement before addressing the growing crowd. “We plan to overthrow the Council of Divine Magic. We won’t stop until we’ve taken out the High Rei. It’s technically treason. If this makes you squeamish, you shouldn’t come. You’ve been warned.”
“We’ve already committed treason by attacking the City Patrol,” Captain Lore called. “We’re here for the fight.”
“You got that right,” Two-Toes bellowed, a butcher’s knife in one meaty fist.
Cheers went up among our rag-tag group.
I began organizing our small army into a loose formation. Meanwhile, Twig waded through the crowd until he reached Beckett. They put their heads together as I gave the town witches my thoughts on the upcoming battle. There would be casualties, but if some of them helped defend, Twig and I would lead the offensive.
By the time I looked around, Twig, Beckett, Lore, and their crews were nowhere in sight. Perfect.
“We’re going straight to the citadel gates.” I raised my voice over the din. “It’s not ideal, but we can’t afford to wait.” I pointed to the sky as ominous clouds formed over the Council’s stronghold. Even so, the sun shone bright as heat shimmered off the flagstone. Many pirates and townsfolk used makeshift fans or held miniature chill sticks to cool off.
Graves pursed her lips. “A direct attack’s not a good idea.”
“Advice, Commander? Aren’t you sitting this one out?”
“Divinas Fortuna spouts her first prophesy in over twenty years and takes up arms in your name. We’ve established there’s something greater going on.”
“The High Rei is out of control and needs to be stopped. I’d love to have you by my side. I’ll understand if you refuse.”
Graves didn’t answer immediately. She stood ramrod-straight, the heat of the day not seeming to bother her, even in her heavy uniform. Her gaze raked over the assembled group. Not a very impressive-looking crew, but we’d get the job done.
“If I join, I’d like to bring some of my most trusted Patrol. They’re as unhappy as the townsfolk and wield a mean sword. They’ll fight for you, if you let them.”
“Didn’t you claim I trusted too easily?” I quirked a brow.
“I did.” She readjusted her scabbards, totally serious.
“Fine. Select your soldiers.”
We added nearly thirty men and women to our army. Graves spoke to each and gave them a choice. All but one joined. We rearranged our forces into sections on the wide flagstone road. Pirates with their cutlasses and colorful flowing clothing on one side. City Patrol with their heavier swords and gray, starched uniforms on the other. I stuck the townsfolk wielding their homemade weapons in between. I hoped it would keep our own forces from coming to blows.
“Are you sure you don’t want them to come to you?” Graves absently ran a thumb across her scar.
“If we try to wait them out, they’ll burn the town and everyone in it. Children. The elderly.” I shook my head. “We can’t risk it.”
“A single dragon isn’t good odds against a thousand witches.”
“We’ve survived worse.”
She snorted. “I believe that.”
Twig rejoined us and nodded. We were off. Up the wide road that led to a battle we had to win.
We marched. The townsfolk, City Patrol, and pirates sang bawdy tunes as we wound up the mountainside. Their favorite seemed to be one I’d never heard, but they all knew, and belted out.
Witches and bitches, brimstone and fire.
We lot be pirates, Argh, Argh, Argh!
Fucked a young lass, both salty and curvy.
And now she too, has a case of the scurvy.
The cook’s an odd one, a frightful mess.
Dropped his pantaloons, for easy access.
The captain’s drunk, from whiskey and ale.
Played with his cock, so little and pale.
The first mate shouted, are we pirates—or not?
Sharpen your swords for the treasures we’ve sought.
So, we boarded a ship, laden with gold,
But the major surprise we found in the hold.
A crusty old pirate, lying in bed,
His asshole so sore, he prayed to be dead.
So, me good brigands, I sing ye with pity.
The life of a pirate is nothing but shitty.
“A Pirate’s Lament.” Divinas grinned from her perch on Bitsy’s back. “Such a way with words.”
“It’s not Tuuk Chingle, is it?” Wouldn’t surprise me.
“No, they don’t write songs as far as I know. This one’s Bairre Fooltin. A bard with no peer.” When the song began for the third time, the seer sang louder than anyone, waving her staff like a baton.
After a little more than an hour of marching, we rounded the last bend. The citadel’s enormous purple gedodrite gates stood wide open. As if welcoming visitors. Except for the ominous hum of magic in the air. And the abandoned kiosks. Not a vendor in sight. No smells of spicy, roasting meat or malty ales.
The citadel itself glowed an eerie lavender in the mid-afternoon light. Silence from the courtyard and the palace. Nothing suspicious there.
I held up my hand to halt. Several pirates and townsfolk rushed past.
“Stop!”
Too late. The moment they crossed the threshold, the gates swung shut like the maw of a hungry creature, crushing them. They opened and closed wildly, almost as if they were chewing. Bodies and severed limbs littered the entryway. Wow, one hell of a defense.
“Stay back!” I called to our rebel army. I struck the gates with dragon’s fire. While the gedodrite glowed hot, the fire didn’t destroy the defenses.
Twig stripped to the sound of whistles from some townsfolk. And Divinas, of course. Possessiveness drew my brows together, though Twig didn’t seem to notice the prurient attention. He handed me his clothing to add to my well-worn knapsack, then stepped away to transform.
Once in dragon form, he thundered toward the entrance. Before he reached the gates, they slammed shut. I shielded my eyes, figuring he’d smash through the gedodrite as easily as glass. He hit the gate with a loud thud! The defenses shuddered yet didn’t give. Twig roared. Backed up and tried again. Same result.
Never one to give up, he switched to teeth and claws. Not a single dent. We could fly over the gates. Unfortunately, that would leave our allies on the outside, and whatever I’d said to Graves, I didn’t relish taking on an army of hostile witches by myself.
Pirates came forward with grappling hooks and ladders. They leaned them agains
t the walls on both sides of the gates. Not ideal, but we’d manage.
As the first pirate crested the wall, a fireball struck her dead center, and she flew off the ladder. Then a hail of fireballs, lightning, and other nasty spells came our way from the citadel’s parapets, along with a volley of arrows. Damn witches. We weren’t in any position to fire back.
“Shield!” I called to the other witches. Soon a multi-hued magical shield took the worst of the damage.
“This isn’t going so well,” Graves commented, her dry wit not exactly welcome.
“The Commander means you need to do something. Can’t collapse an empire if we can’t get inside the walls,” chimed Divinas.
“Do tell,” I shot back. “There has to be a way.” My bracer tingled to get my attention. Ah, yes, of course. I called forth Scrodbun’s war hammer. If it worked on shell golems, what would it do to crystal? The weapon gleamed in my fist, vibrating in . . . eagerness? Since Twig’s magic became mine, the war hammer had been quiet. Too quiet. Now it practically yanked me toward the gate.
Be careful, wizard. Twig moved close, kept me tight against his side.
This wouldn’t work. I tapped one of his thick scales. At first he refused to budge, going so far as to tuck me under a gossamer wing.
Dragon, move. I can’t do this if you’re smothering me.
Twig huffed, then stepped away grudgingly.
Not as far as I’d like. His protective instincts meant his fiery breath ghosted down my spine as he loomed over me. At least he repelled any spells that came my way.
Wielding the hammer in both hands, I rushed forward and swung at the deadly gates.
Clang!
A reverberating ripple spread across the defenses and down the connecting wall. The power of my blow shot pain up my arms, but I swung again. Twig took another step back, the sound probably too much for sensitive dragon ears. The gedodrite cracked where I’d struck, spiderwebbing outward until it splintered. The gates didn’t collapse, though. Where the crystal had been, two scratched-up, thick metal doors now stood. The whole defensive wall seemed to groan and shake as more gedodrite shattered, leaving stone peeking through in places.
Twig roared. I scrambled out of the way as several tons of dragon crashed against the gates. They gave beneath his bulk and flew off their hinges, sailed inward, crushing the frontline forces rushing to intercept us. A battle cry went up, and our rebel army stormed inside. Twig stomped into the midst of an enemy company, his fiery breath and towering form wiping them out. The stench of burning flesh and singed fabric quickly filled the courtyard.
But more witches came.
Our own witches had their hands full. Some worked to shield us from spells and arrows from above, while others took a more offensive stance and lobbed their own forms of destruction at citadel guard and witch alike.
I rushed in, swinging the hammer at first, then channeling more dragon fire. I surrounded a company of enemy witches with it. Instead of keeping the ring of fire as a cage, I clapped my hands. Before they could defend themselves, the circle closed, burning them to ash. I winced but kept moving.
Chaos reigned. My personal shields kept me from getting fried, though the amount of concentration required to keep them strong enough to repel constant attacks meant I didn’t have as much offensive fire power to wield. The arrows and spells being flung from the parapets were more than a nuisance. Unfortunately, with witches and citadel guards rushing my way, I couldn’t spend the time to take out the ramparts, too.
A scream rose from a parapet, and a witch sailed off the wall and crashed down in the courtyard, taking out some citadel defenders. Two more enemy witches and a soldier tumbled down. A moment later, Beckett poked her head over the rampart and gave a thumbs-up before darting back behind the walls. Seemed her team had navigated the secret passage just fine.
Screaming from above mingled with the clashing of magic and swords in the courtyard. Soon the magic and arrows from the ramparts targeted the citadel defenders.
Twig thundered across the courtyard taking out dozens at a time. A company of green-clad soldiers threw an array of nets over him, trying to pin him down. Since my magic wouldn’t hurt Twig, I sent a blast of dragon fire to burn the nets to ash. I left the rest to Twig. A moment later, a couple guards went down Twig’s gullet. Eww. But very effective.
They tried grappling hooks next. Anything to contain my dragon.
Not on my watch. I torched those as well. After disposing of the soldiers, Twig skidded to my side and lowered his neck so I could climb on. Once onboard, we rampaged. I called up rings of dragon’s fire to reduce whole companies to ash, while Twig used his own fire, teeth, and claws to decimate citadel forces. As the witches weren’t anywhere near as powerful as I had become, I took them out easily. The smarter ones pooled their magicks. Twig deflected a lot of their blows, and my shields held strong and sure.
Every so often I’d glimpse Commander Graves—usually lopping off someone’s head—or hear Divinas Fortuna’s laugh as she and her wolf-dog made quick work of attackers. Who knew a seer could be so bloodthirsty?
Where in harpies’ heat was Hallewell? Or any of the reis? Had they fled or were they holed up, letting others do their dirty work?
A huge explosion rocked the center of the courtyard, hitting citadel loyalists and rebel fighters in equal measure. Another explosion hit beside of the first. And then another. Each explosion tore up ground and people like so much old parchment.
Speak of the harpy, and she shall appear.
Hallewell swept forward with her personal contingent of dark-purple-clad women, hurling spells as they came. Had to be several hundred of them, spreading out in a protective arc around the High Rei. These weren’t your garden variety witches, either. Power radiated off them, yet none so much as Hallewell. My bracer vibrated, feeling almost painful, angry even. I knew exactly how it felt.
And she wore that ring. Where had she obtained it? Didn’t matter at this point, as her contingent slaughtered everyone in their path. Hallewell had yet to lift a finger, seeming unconcerned about the uprising. A glowing shield surrounded her, the same color as the citadel.
Bet she’ll taste bitter when I crunch her up.
Do what you gotta do. Who was I to stop my dragon?
Hold on, wizard.
Twig bellowed and charged, flames out in front of him. Several of Hallewell’s personal guards turned their casting our way. Between Twig’s imperviousness to harmful magic and my shields, we barreled forward and trampled several under his feet.
Twig crunched others up, always keeping Hallewell in sight. I aimed a blast of dragon fire her way, hoping to trap her as I had done to so many others. The fire ringed her. Success! I clapped my hands, bringing the fire together. Instead of incinerating her, it blew out as quick as a puff of air over a candle, leaving her unscathed. What in the deep red sea? How much power did that ring possess?
Twig trampled more of her personal guards, the sharp tang of blood filling the air. Breaking through the defensive line, he charged Hallewell full out.
Careful, dragon!
The High Rei watched us come, a small lift to her lips.
Something wasn’t right. Twig!
He closed the distance, his flame bouncing off her shield, so he opened his maw to shred it.
Her shield lowered for a split second as she opened a hand. A pile of white powder. She hurled it our way, then reactivated her shield. It struck us both. Cockatrice’s curses, she’d used candied hydra-bone powder!
Twig slammed into her at full force and careened off her shield. He crashed and rolled, sending me hurtling from his back. I cushioned the blow with my shield only to collide with a gedodrite column, my breath squeezing from my lungs.
I barely kept my shield around me as Hallewell’s protectors aimed deadly strikes my way. It bent, but held. I sent my dragon’s fire back at the group. Only a trickle poured out. The fire didn’t even pierce their shields, and my shield slowly winked out.
Several more blasts came my way, too close for comfort. No way I wouldn’t take a hit, my shield almost gone. I braced for it.
“Aieee!” Bitsy leapt in front of me with Divinas on her back. The other witches’ magic disintegrated against their shield. Bitsy howled in bloodlust, her muzzle covered in gore. She charged. Divinas crowed and held tight as they charged into the fray. Commander Graves attacked Hallewell’s protectors from behind, wielding both deadly blades and sending fire in all directions. I’d guessed Graves was powerful, but damn. She scorched everyone in her path, shield or no.
I stumbled, gained my footing, ran toward my mate. Twig!
He lay on his side, gasping for breath, his pupils a filmy white. No magic, so I called upon the war hammer again. It appeared in my grip, quivering like a hellhound on the hunt. Almost there.
Hallewell reached him first. She placed a booted foot on his neck. Her hands glowed a malevolent violet. She grinned as I approached.
“We meet again. And I see you’ve brought me the war hammer.” Her eyes glowed the same purple as her hands. She definitely drew on a power source outside her own. “Give me the hammer, or I promise you, your dragon dies.”
She didn’t bluff. She had the magic to do it. That damn ring. If only I could . . .
The sky darkened, and several witches recoiled as they looked up. Hallewell’s gaze and mine stayed locked.
A loud burst of laughter from Divinas as her voice took on an otherworldly intonation, echoing throughout the battleground. “As the sky turns dark, an empire shatters; another rises from its shards. Your rule and deceit comes to an end, High Rei.”
Hallewell glanced at the sky. I lunged, swinging my hammer toward her face. She moved to block my blow, her hand in front of her, her shield glowing brighter. Even so, the hammer struck her shield. And then . . . and then her hand shattered like glass, the ring with it. She screeched and shot backward as though magically shoved. She crashed straight through the citadel’s defensive wall. The hammer hummed in . . . satisfaction? Burn me, it didn’t mess around. Unlikely she’d recover from that blow.
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