“Can she win?” I asked, noting the look that took root in Esme’s stare. Hope. That single word that had ended countless lives and left our entire race scrambling into the shadows, filled her violet depths.
“Honestly? I think we shouldn’t underestimate Aria. She’s sleeping with our enemy and plans to bring him to his knees. I think any witch that is suicidal enough to be riding the cock of the King of Norvalla, shouldn’t be underestimated, Soraya. I don’t know, but she’s more powerful than Ilsa. She’s a purebred witch of the Hecate bloodline, and something else. She’s something frighteningly close to that murderous bastard who hunts us down and takes our heads. I watched her fighting men like they were child’s play, ending lives without blinking while she slaughtered them, dancing around the street like she was merely playing. So, again, I ask you, what other witch has done these things?”
“None,” I admitted, considering what she was saying.
I studied Esme’s eyes, noting she didn’t back down. If this Aria was that powerful, could she kill Ilsa? Or would she end up dead like all the others who had tried and come before her?
“Stop that shit,” Esme snorted. “Stop thinking she’s like the others. How many have taken in witches? How many have brought keeps held by Ilsa to their knees, single-handedly? Aria has and continues to do so. I know because I didn’t trust Aria either, so I followed her. She’s strong, Soraya. She’s so fucking strong that I have never seen or met anyone like her before. If Aria Hecate combines her magic with the King of Norvalla, and together they go against Ilsa,” Esme paused, whistling with a smile burning in her eyes, “it’s a sure win. I guarantee you that together they will change the world, but they’re fighting each other. We need to change their focus and move some parts together.”
“And do what together?” I snapped, glaring at her. “My sister is still inside the palace, and if I fuck up, Ilsa will add Julia to that grid. And your girl is currently the King of Norvalla’s newest fucking pet witch. If I were her, I’d stomp his ass and end it.”
“So don’t fuck up, Soraya. Do as that evil bitch instructed you, but don’t give her information to harm the one bitch who may be our savior. If she’s not, we’ll know soon enough. I have to get back to the castle, but find us if you need someplace to hide. Aria has gathered enough of us to start a small rebellion, and she put me in charge of collecting witches worth saving.”
“Aria may be smarter than she looked. She faced off against King Oleander,” I muttered.
“What?” Esme gasped.
“Yeah, your girl took the lightning magic into her soul, and she lived.”
“I can’t believe she would do something so stupid!”
I snorted, studying the look of worry in Esme’s eyes as she sucked her plumped lip between her teeth. “If you don’t believe in her, then why should we?”
“I do believe in Aria, but I also don’t know her well. She challenged the Queen of Nymphs and slaughtered the warriors sent to remove the unmarked witches from their land when I took her there. She made them float and then splattered them while standing beneath them. Nymphs are no joke, and Aria popped them. Of course, she also showered in their entrails, which was disgustingly cool.”
“And then abandoned the witches to their fate? She sounds like a great savior.” I tapped my fingers on my thigh, watching the guards moving through the terrain toward the palace.
“No, she took them to her sanctuary and has gathered those who aren’t evil as shit. Tell me any of the others we trusted who did that? Aria’s new here, that much is a given. She’s so strong and powerful. She stood up against the King of Norvalla, to his freaking nose, and smiled in his face. I’ve seen no one with enough balls to do that, ever. She’s fearless. I think she’s backed by her family as well, or at least some of them.”
I slid my eyes to the palace where Julia would bathe in the black tar to renew the darkness within her. I could believe Esme, and risk my sister’s life by rolling the dice with Aria, or I could tell Ilsa where Aria was, and who had possession of her.
“If Aria took the power of the land, then she might also be able to pull the darkness from people,” Esme mused, chewing her lip before her eyes locked with mine. “If she can do that, she’s not our savior. She’s the monster we need on our side to battle against the ones slaughtering our kind without prejudice or reason.”
Twigs snapped behind us, and we vanished, disappearing into the veil between worlds before escaping through separate portals. If Aria was what this world needed, then she’d need to prove it to me.
I wouldn’t chance my sister’s life on the mere fact that a Hecate witch had finally shown up to the party. They’d been gone far too long, abandoning us to the evil growing within the land. It was time to put up or shut up.
My one goal in life had always been to protect my baby sister, and I’d failed. Making my choice, I appeared in front of the palace. The guards raised their weapons until they caught sight of me.
“The high queen isn’t seeing her slaves today,” the guard snorted, spittle painting my face.
“Tell Ilsa that I know where Aria Hecate is, and who holds her.”
“There are no Hecate witches left within the land,” he snorted, his pig nose making gross noises while he looked down my body. “You smell nice, girl. Ever had a hog fuck you before?” he asked, and I swallowed bile, shaking my head.
“Tell the high queen that the King of Norvalla has Aria Hecate. Tell her I’m going in to get closer to Aria, and I’ll bring back her head. Tell the queen that when I come back, I hope she keeps our agreement to release my sister in exchange for the Hecate witch.”
“I’ll tell her, but I doubt she will care for your lies.”
“She’ll care because Aria Hecate just removed Lady Asil from power and took down an entire stronghold by herself. I know she felt it and will want to know immediately. She’ll probably reward the one who tells her greatly.”
The guards watched me, studying my lifeless eyes while they looked from me to where the interior gate was closing. Once the gate closed, it would seal for the entire night. Both of them rushed away at once, fighting amongst one another while they ran toward the high queen’s quarters, leaving the main entrance unguarded. The moment Ilsa discovered their failure, she’d slaughter them both.
Whistling, I started away from the palace. If Aria Hecate’s head was the price of Julia’s freedom, I’d pay it tenfold. Esme had searched for saviors endlessly, never finding one who could stand up against Ilsa and her power.
I doubted Aria Hecate was our newest hope, even if she’d done impossible things. Who said she was any better than Ilsa? We didn’t need to replace Ilsa. We needed a witch who didn’t care about the bloody throne.
We needed a witch who wanted to end the deaths of the innocent beings and would stand against all tyranny we’d faced in the last five hundred years.
That wasn’t a Hecate-born bloodline witch. They only hoped to rule over our kind without bothering to help. No, we needed someone strong enough to square off against evil, while never needing the darkness to fuel their light.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Aria
My fingers touched metal, and a violent shiver rushed through my body. The sound of men speaking in low muttered voices forced my eyes open, but my vision wouldn’t gain focus. My heart thumped rapidly against my chest, and sweat coated my palms.
My skin grew clammy, covering in goosebumps as the chilled air fanned against the sweat layering my body. A terrified scream began building deep in my throat at the memory of my last cage, where hands had pushed my legs apart, groping my body painfully.
I groaned, trying to escape their touch, escape the pain of them exploring my body roughly. The horrifying noise of their dark laughter caused my blood to turn to ice in my veins.
They held my mouth open, pushing something inside, even as my head shook to dispel the object as they shoved it deeper into the back of my throat, holding my mouth closed around it. Tee
th pushed from my gums and howls of pain erupted as something slammed against my head. My body jolted as more pain assaulted me until finally, it abated all at once.
The sound of hooves moving over gravel filled my ears, and I yelled, a blood-curdling howl of fear mixed with remnants of pain. My vision blurred through the hot tears that pricked my eyes. I screamed and cried while my body convulsed.
Everything within me fought to live, fought to get out of the cell where death awaited me. Sobs rocked my chest. I begged for Garrett to stop hurting me, and for Amara to stop him.
The scream ripped from my throat, filling the cell as his inhuman cock aimed for my flesh. I sat up, pulling magic to me, and yet nothing came. My only defense was gone, just as it had been in the dungeon cell.
“Aria,” Knox’s deep, rich baritone filled my mind while I continually begged for them to stop hurting me. Shadows rushed around, touching my flesh. I sobbed unabashedly, begging to be freed and allowed to live. “Aria, you’re safe,” Knox’s voice whispered before his purr slithered over my body.
My eyes regained some focus, and I peered out of the bars, staring into oceanic eyes that sent soothing waves rushing through me. My sobs lessened, and I looked at my surroundings, noting Lore, Brander, and Killian were close, and staring at me with pity.
“It was just a nightmare,” Knox growled, holding my stare, locked in silent comfort. His jaw clenched like he knew exactly what I’d dreamed, and whom I’d tried to escape.
“Yes. I dreamed I was with you again. It turns out, some monsters are real, and don’t leave when the dream vanishes.” I pushed the sweat-drenched hair away from my face and fought the deeply sated fear that wrapped around my throat. I stared through the cage bars, hating that I was as helpless now. I’d been in the Kingdom of Unwanted Beasts.
I pulled the blanket tighter around my body, closing my eyes, and I chanted inside my head, while I rocked. I did this often when the nightmares visited. I told myself Garrett couldn’t reach me anymore, that I was safe from him.
Amara was dead and couldn’t gift me to her husband or father-in-law to be raped and murdered. I lied to myself, telling my sub-conscious that nothing could hurt me again, and yet here I was, in a new cage, with a man who wanted to do just that.
Technically, Knox only wanted to destroy me in a deliciously enticing way, and then use me against my people. I didn’t fear rape with him because Knox knew he only had to outwait my hormones to get what he wanted. What worried me was how he intended to break me while forcing me to wield my magic against my people.
I couldn’t escape the memories of the cell in the Kingdom of Unwanted Beasts. My nose inhaled decay and the scent of rotting flesh as it fell from the bones of the dead or dying. My body trembled violently, and no matter how much I tried to stop it or dispel the images playing out in my mind, I couldn’t.
My knuckles were white from holding the blanket tightly as my body rocked faster, trying to escape the memories.
Other images and memories I must have suppressed were surfacing in my mind, haunting my sleep, creatures that had been with Garrett when he hurt me. I wasn’t sure if I’d conjured them from my imagination or if they had actually been there, partaking in his exploration of my body within that cell.
I silently took in the sprawling forest in which we moved. The marching army was daunting, but they were silent, the sound almost hypnotic. It was as if they were waiting for something to attack, or for something to happen.
The hair on my neck rose, and my heart continually thundered, consumed by the hopelessness of the cage, and my vulnerability during an attack with me stuck inside.
“Cold?” Knox asked, frowning as my head shook in response. “Then why are you trembling?”
“Just remembering the last cage that held me,” I admitted through chattering teeth, fighting to calm my body from the turbulence rushing through it. “Just another monster who wanted to hurt and use me.”
Leaning back, I dismissed Knox to gaze at Lore. He nudged his horse closer to the wagon that my cage sat within, removing his cloak, and pushing it through the bars. Accepting the much thicker covering, I brought it to my nose, inhaling Lore’s masculine scent, and my body heated from it alone.
I dropped the thin blanket and wrapped my body in the dark cloak, pulling the comforting, fragrant smell to my nose while studying the surrounding area.
Knox reached through the bars without warning, ripping the cloak from my body before tossing it back at a chuckling Lore. Knox removed his thick cloak and pushed it through the bars, his eyes narrowing to angry slits when I refused to accept his offering.
“Put it on, woman,” he demanded, frowning as thunder clapped above us.
“I prefer Lore’s scent to yours, Knox.” Blue eyes narrowed as he turned to Brander.
“Get her out of the cage and hand her to me. Now!” Knox snapped, glaring murderously at Lore, whose amber eyes danced with mischief.
“I prefer the cage to you as well,” I grumbled, glaring at Knox.
“I didn’t ask what you wanted, Aria,” he hissed. Brander dismounted, and the entire procession stopped their forward march, waiting for him to retrieve me from the cage at Knox’s bidding.
Pulling me gently from the cage, Brander handed me to Knox, who righted my legs astride the giant warhorse. One arm slipped beneath my bound arms to pull my body against his, and I sank into the heat he offered.
The sky chose that moment to release a downpour, forcing me to curl closer to Knox for what warmth I could get, trembling as the nightmare’s remnants mixed with the chill in the air from the storm.
“You’re freezing. Bloody hell, Aria, next time say something,” he snapped, turning to Lore. “Send a team out to scout the area. We’ll camp here for the night before moving deeper into the mountains.”
Lore nodded, nudging his mount toward the front of Knox’s efficiently moving army. I silently watched as men broke from the large assembly, rushing toward the meadow ahead of us to secure a perimeter. Fires lit around the edges of the clearing, and people started dismounting. Knox handed me down to Brander, then dismounted his horse. He pulled me to where a small table sat under a tent, to protect us from the rain and elements.
I’d assumed Knox would sit me beside him, but he didn’t. Instead, he pulled me into his lap, and before I could argue, pushed a drink of warm whiskey into my hands. I lifted it in my bound hands to my nose, inhaling the woodsy scent.
Tipping the cup back, I downed the fragrant liquid in one solid swig to warm my insides. Brander chuckled, refilling my glass while Knox slowly ran his nose over the back of my neck. His heated breath offered some relief from the chill of the night.
I drank the second glass of whiskey slower while my aching body grew pliant in Knox’s arms. I curiously watched as they erected the camp without a problem. The rain relented and became a light shower instead. If the weather bothered anyone, they kept it to themselves.
Women moved with the men, assisting them to get a sea of leather tents assembled to stave off the rest of the rain. Blankets were handed out or placed into tents while everyone moved to secure the area, building a small village in the meadow.
Fires lit the perimeter of camp even with the rain thwarting their efforts. I watched as several fires glowed, offering some light against the darkening night. Narrowing my eyes, I noted all the witches were eyeing me as I sat with Knox. They all wore Knox’s insignia on their wrists and didn’t seem unwelcome by the people within the camp. Knox brushed his fingers over my thigh, forcing my gaze to turn to him.
It intrigued me that with this many creatures together, they effortlessly built a village as if they’d done it a million times. Maybe they had, and perhaps that wasn’t a good thing either. My army of corpses probably couldn’t erect a tent against the rain without losing an arm or another body part in the progress.
I knew I was in over my head. I wasn’t stupid, but I also wasn’t going to give up. I’d find my footing, and I’d rattle this man u
ntil he felt me in his bones.
Brander approached, nodding toward a giant tent, constructed by several of his men completing the last stages of its preparation. It was huge, almost like an army command center, set up in the middle of the field with all the other tents surrounding it.
“They’ll have your quarters ready within a few minutes. There’s no food to prepare tonight, but I’ll have some dried venison brought to the tent. The men are already noticing Aria’s scent, and even some of the women warriors seem enticed. I’ll be right back,” Brander grunted as a growling male started toward us, coming to a stop when he heard Brander rattle a warning. The man’s hooded eyes slid over me before he slowly stepped back, glaring hungrily as he moved deeper into camp, away from where we sat.
I looked around, noting that everyone did their best to ignore us for the most part. Knox rattled against the back of my neck, causing my spine to arch as his breath tickled my hairline. Knox’s legs parted mine, allowing him access.
His hand slid beneath my bottom while his fingers slowly pushed against my core. Heat entered my belly, along with a throbbing ache in my sex. I moaned softly, unable to prevent the sound from escaping.
“Shhh, if you moan, I’ll be forced to divert into the woods, and show you why running from me wasn’t such a good idea.”
“Stop touching me then,” I hissed.
“Why? Because you liked it?” he laughed darkly as his other hand slipped around my belly.
Knox pulled me back, wrapping his enticingly scented cloak over my lap. I anxiously watched his men moving around us. Knox pulled me further against his body, once again using his legs to spread mine apart wide, his cloak preventing others from seeing.
Heat flushed my cheeks as his men paused, glancing at where he held me tightly, his cloak the only thing protecting them from witnessing where his hand was touching me.
Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms Book 2) Page 26