by G. Bailey
"Princess Izora, what an honour it is to have you in my company," Nikaia comments, bowing her head to me. "And dawn is rising slowly in the east. At Dawn, all alive fae are allowed to wander the city for essentials. I will take you, alone, to the place you seek."
"That is too much of a risk. We must be with her," Luke commands and I place my hand on his.
"No, Nikaia is right. Two female Light Fae will not be looked at twice," I tell him. "We can fit into the crowd and hide well."
"The war is brewing, everyone knows it is on its way. Let me do this one thing for the Light Fae," she asks us all. "I may be sided with the dragons, but I am a light Fae in blood. I do not wish to see the titans destroy what is left of the forest and this city."
"None of us want that," Scott agrees.
Nikaia claps her hands, standing up and grabbing her cloak. I have to admire Nikaia for the simple fact she has had a lot of information thrown her way and she has taken it in her stride, planning right away for her next move.
"Be safe. I will not be far," Gold promises, lifting my hand and kissing the back of it gently. Nikaia's eyes track the movement and a ghost of a smile fills her lips.
"I am so glad to see you with a mate. I almost thought it would never happen," Nikaia comments.
"It would never have happened with anyone but Izora Dawn," Gold smoothly comments.
Axel whistles and ends it with a laugh. "Has he always been a charming, possessive asshole?"
"Always," Nikaia agrees.
Axel kisses me on the cheek and Luke hugs me as I head to the door.
Scott tugs me to him when I get to the door, whispering in my ear. "Run if anything goes wrong."
I nod, squeezing his hand once before pulling my cloak up. I look once more back at my guys, knowing there is nothing I wouldn't do for them before Nikaia opens the door and we head out into the light. Nikaia is right, dawn is slowly breaking above the houses, the sun reflecting off the white stone and making the place so bright it hurts my eyes at first. Nikaia moves quickly down the street and I stick to her side, following her movements and keeping my head down. My feet brush across the white pebble footpath and I nearly stumble when I step in blood. I lift my head for the first time, sickness building in my throat at the sight of dozens of Light Fae and Darke Fae bodies piled up by the side of the river. Prisoners, changed Shadowborns just like me, drag bodies of fae down the street, carelessly throwing them on the pile before walking away.
"Don't look," Nikaia warns, grabbing my arm and forcing me away, even when I feel like I can't move. I have to push the horror of what I just saw to the back of my mind as we get to a crowd of fae, and Nikaia forces us into the middle. Her hand finds mine and I look up for a second, meeting her bright blue eyes.
"It will be okay," she whispers to me. "Gold would never tell you this, but he used to be scared a lot as a child of what would happen to him. Of the life he was destined to have. One day I told him he shouldn't be scared because he was a dragon and dragons don't get scared of the sky like sheep in a field do. But you, you are more than a dragon. More than a shadowborn, or a Light Ffae, or a Dark could ever be."
She pauses as a few of the crowd look our way but soon carry on their conversation as we come out to a big clearing. "You, Izora Dawn, are blessed with the blood of the gods. And gods? They do not cower or fear their future. They choose it."
I smile brightly, feeling more brave and strong than I have in a long time because Nikaia is right. I can choose my future and save my people. I can take my throne, with my sister as the queen of the Dark Fae at my side and show the fae what compassion is. See, fae are enchanting and beautiful, but Shadowborns have something they usually lack. Compassion and understanding for the forest and a love for all things inside it. We walk for a good half an hour before Nikaia pulls me away from the bulk of the group and down a long alleyway. At the end of the alley, we both pause as a group of guards walk past us and out of the way.
Nikaia moves first, rushing around a brick wall and into another alleyway. We both run down the alleyway and out into a massive clearing, exactly as I saw it in my vision, but this time my parents are not here. I run over to the wall, knowing I don't have a lot of time to find this key. Nikaia stays back as I climb over the green stones to the gap in the wall and feel for anything, a hidden compartment of some kind.
When nothing happens, I lean back and think about it. If my parents hid the key here together, it would have been for me to find.
And only me.
I pull my sword out and cut my hand, flinching as it pours with blood. After putting the sword back, I lift my hand and place it on the stone wall. Immediately the wall shakes, cracking down the middle and bursting with green light. I cover my eyes until it fades and I look back to see a key hovering in the air. Reaching out, I grab the key and turn around to show Nikaia, but she isn't looking at me. I follow her gaze to the dark figures of giants in the distance and not far from there are hundreds, if not thousands, of dragons flying right for us.
The alarms blast in the distance, right before the haunting sound of screams fill the night.
Chapter 19
“Hide!” I shout at Nikaia as we run to the house, the crowds of fae hiding us well. Nikaia ducks under a house and I pull out my sword as two fae guards run at me. Before they get close, Gold and Luke step out behind them and together they take them down in a matter of moments, leaving their dead bodies on the floor. Scott and Axel rush over to us and I look over to see Nikaia bow her head at me before disappearing into the darkness of the alleyway.
Thank you for your help.
“We must fight,” Gold suggests. I nod and take a step back as Gold’s eyes light up, magic flooding the air as he shifts into his dragon and Scott jumps on his back. The rest of us don’t need a lift.
I fly through the dark clouds with my guys beside me. The smell of blood permeates the air before any of us hear the cries from the battlefield. My hands shake as I grip my bow. A tendril of fear snakes its way through me, but I muster every scrap of strength I possess and put on a brave face for my guys. We're about to go into battle. They need me to be brave.
I need me to be brave.
The entire forest is relying on us to send the Titans back.
We have to win.
The keys hanging around my neck glint in the sunlight, almost like Kaelah is with me. I glance over my shoulder. Gold's dragon brings up the rear, his huge wings outstretched beautifully. His eyes cut to me and he nods before he scans the earth again. We're getting close. Only a few more minutes and we'll be fighting for our lives. I don't even know if we'll make it out alive. All I can really do is pray that the Zorya Sisters will protect us.
"Gold, Luke, Axel, Scott... I love you," I say, tears gathering in my eyes and it's not from the wind. "I want you to know that in case anything happens to me."
"Nothin’ will happen, jaybird," Luke growls, though I know it's from sadness not anger. "Nothin’."
A weak smile pulls at my lips. "I know, but I just wanted to say that. My life's been so much better since I met you all. You guys gave me hope when I thought there was none. I will always love you for that, in this life, and the thousands after it. Now let's go kick some ass."
It pains me to think that I'll be fighting my own people. I just hope I can send the Titans back before any blood is spilled. Going by the chaos carrying on the wind, it's unlikely.
The war has already begun.
"Stay with Izora at all times," Axel orders, and the guys nod.
Gold roars and breathes blue fire as he descends through the clouds. It looks like we've arrived. I swallow my fear and nock an arrow despite my trembling fingers. I can... No, I will do this. I've got to. Not just for my guys, but also for my sister, for the people of the forest, for those who have already fallen, for my mother, for the father I never knew, for Danica and Selena.
I fly down and hover in the air above the battlefield, looking for the Titans. Fire covers the ground like a mo
lten blanket, devouring everything in its path. Dragons fill the blackened sky and tears prick my eyes, relieved that King Cyrus decided to fight with us after all. And his warriors are a force to be reckoned with. They slam into the Titans, knocking them to the ground and gnaw at their limbs. But the Titans are so much taller and stronger that it takes five fully grown dragons to bring one to the ground. Still, the Titan rises.
I need to get into the middle of the battlefield.
I land on the ash-covered ground and aim my bow, my guys landing beside me. A Light Fae throws a knife and Axel pulls me out of the way. I release my arrow and it hits the Light Fae in the thigh. I do this for any Light Fae I see, hitting them so that they're unable to walk and fight. I'd rather injure them than kill them. Since injured fae can still be healed, we can give them a second chance. Once they see Eva for who and what she really is, they'll see the light again. I just need to make sure the Dark Fae don't kill my people in the meantime.
It's strange to be fighting alongside the Dark Fae. Narah was the villain of this tale in the beginning, but then she found something worth fighting for—her daughter—and now she's fighting with us. I search the sky for Corvina, but there's too much chaos going on. I do, however, hear a howl that forces me to spin around.
A white wolf with gleaming blue eyes snarls at me from across the field. It runs forward, mauling every and any fae in its path. I shrug my bow over my shoulder and shapeshift, then run to meet it. We stop just out of reach and circle each other slowly, two predators about to go in for the kill.
The wolf snarls at me and bares its blood-stained teeth.
Eva is… dead? But who killed her? Rage cuts through me until all I can see is red. I wanted to be the one to kill that psycho bitch. After everything she did, after all the pain and suffering she caused, she deserved a slow, painful death. And I wanted to be the one to give it to her. But no, this can’t be true. If Eva died then why is everyone still fighting?
I barely finish speaking when my wolf lunges for the creature, and the other wolf pounces to meet her in the air. They crash against each other, two powerful opponents consisting of snarls, gnashing teeth, and elongated claws that slice into each other.
"Izora!" I hear Scott’s frantic scream, but my wolf keeps fighting, desperate to kill the enemy wolf; we’ve waited enough time for it.
Eva's loyal wolf pierces its fangs into my shoulder and I let out a yelp. Twisting my canine body, I bury my fangs into its back and bite down until I feel the bones crunching between my jaws. The wolf is injured but not dead, snarling as it attempts to pin me to the ground. I overpower it finally.
My wolf stands over the other, growling and snapping my teeth.
the wolf growls at me.
A black-winged chariot swoops down overhead, drawing my attention. Sniffing the air for my mates, and sensing that one of them is injured, I run off.
Queen Narah unleashes a torrent of black magic that cuts through dozens of Light Fae until their bodies collapse to the ground.
Pain crashes into me like a tidal wave and my wolf howls before shifting back. My boots slam into the earth and I instantly take to the sky after Narah’s chariot, screaming for her to stop. But she doesn’t and more of my people die. With all this death and destruction, maybe I'm crazy in thinking that I could save lives. Maybe there is no sunlight within this battlefield, only darkness. And yet I cling on to that sliver of hope. Even if I only save one life, it's still worth fighting for.
Ignoring the blood trickling down my shoulder, I clench my bow and spin around in the air, looking for the centre of the field. Two of the Titans are close by, the others are at opposite sides, all four of them tearing through the fae and dragons mercilessly.
I aim another arrow, but this time I imbue the head with shadow magic. The blue flames shoot through the sky when I release the arrow, landing in the earth and exploding in a circle. I fly down, ready to use the area so I can do the spell. But a glowing handcuff latches around my wrist and pulls me back. I scream as my body is launched into the side of the cliff, knocking the air from my body before I suddenly start falling.
And then I'm flying.
I hold on to Gold's dragon as he soars over the chaos. At the sight of Gold's dragon, the Titans stop what they're doing and charge across the field toward us. I stand up on Gold's neck, and when he flies over the ring of fire, I jump, landing in the middle of the circle, my wings fluttering again.
Another gold dragon swoops overhead, almost the same length as Gold. They stop in the air to look at each other, but then a Titan grabs the smaller dragon's tail and throws him aside.
Gold roars and then he flies down, shifting back into his male form.
"THAT'S! MY FUCKING SON!" He screams as dark blue magic blasts off him in waves. It's the first time I've ever seen Gold use magic like this, and it's utterly mesmerizing. And terrifying. "Izora, open the portal. I'll take care of these fuckers!"
I'm snapped out of my stupor and I nod, flying just above the circle. Untangling all four keys from my neck, I hold them out and whisper the spell. The second the words leave my mouth, all Titans stop fighting and look at me. The ground trembles and cracks, followed by a blinding white light, and a portal appears behind me.
A thread of silk, glowing like the sun itself, slithers out and lassos one of the Titans. The other three are captured by the same magical string, and with an echoing boom, they are dragged down onto the ground. Their roars carry on the wind like thunder, shaking the earth around it. Everyone flies away from them, running as fast they can and dropping their weapons. I watch as the magic drags the Titans through the portal, my breathless body hurting like a thousand needles are stuck in me.
Through the blinding light, I see Kaelah, and she's smiling at me and holding out her arms as if welcoming me home. And wherever she is feels exactly like home. My feet move on their own accord and I walk over to her, but a cloud of dark, powerful magic crackles above me, striking the ground like lightning. I immediately stop and look around, my heart falling to the pit of my stomach when I see Corvina.
She hovers in the sky, wielding a sword wrapped in ancient dark magic. Her blue hair floats around her as if she's captured underwater. She releases a deafening cry, but her mouth remains clamped shut as her pain cuts into me like shards of glass. I stumble to the ground, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it. It's consuming her from the inside. My vision blurs and I scream, too, unable to stop the agony.
Hands grab me and pick me up. I can hear my guys’ voices, but I can't seem to register their words. The only thing I'm able to comprehend is the agonising pain that is killing my sister and in turn killing me.
"Corvina..." I barely manage to whisper her name, my entire body trembling.
Black spots dapple my vision, yet I search the sky for Corvina, desperate to save her.
I shake my head and step forward, my legs collapsing underneath me. Still, I get up and keep walking. My guys guide me, but I need to do this on my own. So I gather the last of my strength from deep within my core and I rise into the sky, through the waves of darkness.
The only blood family I've got now is Corvina. From the first day I met her, she's always been there for me, and now it's my turn to be there for her. When I reach her side, dark magic oozes from the sword and spits at
me, trying to knock me back. I dodge them and shoot an arrow, but it bounces off the sword and spirals into the clouds.
I gather magic around me, both light and dark , and raise my hands. "Corvina Charles is my sister and I will not let you take her from me."
More darkness seeps from the blade of the sword and tries to hit me. I move to the side, my gaze locked on Corvina. The magic isn't just coming from the sword, but her, too.
"Vina!" My voice echoes on the wind.
Corvina's eyes are pure black, and the same poison that had spread through Eva now spreads through her. She's almost gone.
My hair whips around me as I wipe the tears from my face. “Sister, you know me," I shout over the wind and battle cries. "You know who you are. Don’t let the magic take you away. We have lost our father, our kingdoms are ruined, but we have each other. Come back to me.”
A glimmer of light flashes in her eyes, but it's fleeting. "Izora?"
Then the darkness returns and kills the light. I can't let this sword kill her, too.
“Yes. Yes, it’s me,” I say, reaching out. Her tears stream from her eyes and splash my hand, burning me, but I keep trying to get closer to her. “I’ve opened the portal for the Titans and they are gone. It’s just you and me, sis. Give me the sword.”
She yanks back, her features twisting into a snarl. "It's mine!" And then her lips part again, but the voice that comes out doesn't belong to her but to the sword. “The princess is mine. You cannot stop me. She is mine to control!”
With the sword controlling Corvina, I don't think I'll be able to get through. How can I be her light when so many shadows surround her?
“No, Corvina Charles is my sister. My blood and she belongs to her mates and family. Remember them, Vina? Pitch, Jonah, Zander, and Gage?” I cry out, reaching for the sword. The instant I touch it, agonizing pain sears across my hand, and I scream, the smell of my blood invading the air.