“Do you honestly think you can beat me?” he tisked.
Aiden returned him smile. “Yes. I do.” He reached inward for the power that had been building there for weeks. It had scared him at first, but now he knew it was something that was simply a part of him, and he wasn’t afraid anymore. He would use whatever he had to put an end to this man. Pushing back he felt the hold on him evaporate a second before he fell to the ground, landing neatly on his feet. He saw the surprise on Aziz’s face, quickly hidden as a sudden ball of flame appeared in his hand.
Aiden darted to the side again as the flames hit the wall where he had been. Fight fire with fire, he thought inwardly. A warm feeling spread over his free hand. He didn’t need to look down to know he had conjured the same thing as Aziz had. He threw it, knowing Aziz would be able to dodge his attack. He didn’t wait to see. He moved forward, his body practically gliding on the floor he moved so fast. He briefly wondered if the others could even keep track of what was happening between them.
He slashed out with his axe, slicing through the fabric of Aziz’s clothes as he jumped back just in time. He pivoted, striking out again just as Aziz let loose another ball of flame. This one hit, sizzling against Aiden’s back. He could smell his clothes and flesh burning, but paid no attention to it. Pain erupted from the spot – it didn’t faze him.
Wind pushed against him as he went on the attack again. This time he was ready for it, pushing back with his own force as he tried to move his body as well. It was like trying to walk into a wall where their two forces collided.
“You won’t win this, Aiden,” Aziz said.
“The hell I won’t,” he gritted.
“Are they multiplying?” Logan gasped. “Seriously! Where do they keep coming from?”
Elisa notched another arrow, hitting one of the small beasts between the eyes. Wolf and Moose stood on either side of her, insuring no one got too close. They were all positioned in front of the entrance her father, the King, and Prince Callum had disappeared into. She had no idea what was happening in there and it terrified her. Another arrow flew through the air, embedding itself in a soldier’s ear.
“Gods I love you,” Wolf said, having watched her shot. She threw him a quick wink and grin before concentrating again. She was worried about how he was handling seeing his sister again, but there was no time to ask. Hawk had moved away from them some time ago, fighting with a new ferocity she hadn’t seen before. He was hurting – badly. It never ceased to amaze her how many twists and turns life threw at you. There was so much pain and heartache, she wondered if it would ever end.
“Wolf!” Logan called out in warning, “behind you!”
Elisa turned before Wolf and shot the beast, jaws wide in attack, right into the center of his mouth. The point of the arrow poked out the back of his neck. “No one bites him but me,” she said.
She heard Logan and Moose chuckle. Wolf looked down at her, eyes wide, with a new sort of amazement and appreciation that made her blush. She’d been trying to put what they did last night to the back of her mind all day, but it was a lot harder when he looked at her like that.
“I think I’m going to marry you,” he proclaimed.
“Glad you decided,” she replied dryly.
“Well unless you want beastly, the yellow eyed monster to be the one to wed you, I suggest you both start killing again first,” Logan suggested.
They gave each other a quick smile before turning their attention back to the fight. Elisa was running out of arrows, and she could see the fatigue in the men around her. The beasts were hard to kill, and part of her was starting to worry just how long they could keep this up.
Aiden pushed harder, both physically and mentally against Aziz’s invisible wall. He could hear his muffled voice from the other side when he spoke to Callum.
“Really, why are you still crying?” he asked, disdain lacing his voice. “I did you a favour.”
Aiden heard Callum growl in outrage and then he was running at Aziz from the other side. The distraction was all Aiden needed to gain an upper hand. Aziz turned to throw up another wall, sending Callum flying backwards when he ran full tilt into it. The wall Aiden pushed against weakened considerably when Aziz constructed the other, and soon Aiden’s powers were overwhelming his.
Aziz’s head swung back, his eyes wide and bright. Aiden pushed harder, letting the energy flowing inside him lose with all he had. The sorcerer cried out before being thrown back onto the floor. Aiden stopped, the air stilling around him. He walked slowly to the crumpled figure of Aziz, axe in hand. He stopped when Aziz looked up at him. Gone was the strong, youthful man with dark hair and bronze skin. Now there was only a shell of a man before him. Grey skin sagged on sunken bones. His eyes looked hollow and empty. White, sparse hair covered his head making him look twice his age.
“Not so strong now, are you?” Aiden pointed out. He stepped closer, crouching down in front of him. “This is what you truly are,” he said softly, “nothing more than a weak, pathetic fool. I hope whatever afterlife awaits you is exactly what you deserve.” He stood again looking down distastefully. “May the Gods show you the same mercy you’ve bestowed upon others.” With a final swoop, Aiden brought his axe down, slicing through the sorcerer’s neck cleanly. His head rolled away, eyes still wide in horror.
He turned slowly, taking in the scene around him. Melissa sat with Lily whose eyes were now open, watching Aiden carefully. Turk stood defensively in front of the fallen brothers. Aiden’s eyes landed on Callum anxiously. “Is he…?”
Turk shook his head. “Only knocked out.”
Aiden nodded, relieved. His eyes moved to Jameson and he found he could not look at him for long without wanting to turn back around and chop Aziz into tiny little pieces. He instead turned his focus to Ethan who stood against the wall behind the girls, his face pale and stricken.
“You ready to go home?” Aiden asked evenly.
Ethan swallowed, his eyes darting to the headless corpse behind Aiden then back to him. “More than I can say,” he replied.
Elisa notched her last arrow. She wasn’t sure what would happen after this, but her gut said it wouldn’t be good. The men were tired, even though they outnumbered Aziz’s. The fact that the beasts were three times harder to kill than a regular man was taking its toll. She waited for the best opportunity before letting her arrow fly, watching it hit one of the larger beasts in the eye so the men around him could deliver the fatal blows.
“I’m out,” she yelled to Wolf.
He looked over, his brows furrowed in concern.
“I’m out too,” Logan called.
“Out of what?” Moose asked.
“Energy mostly,” Logan replied seriously. Elisa laughed despite the circumstances. At least if they were going down they would do it together. She couldn’t imagine being in better company during a time like this.
“Don’t you dare think that way,” Wolf said sternly. She looked over at him in surprise.
“Think what way? How do you know that I’m thinking?”
“It’s written all over your face.” He stepped forward, cupping her chin gently in his hand. “We’re going to see it to the other side of this, I promise. Aiden won’t let us down.”
She opened her mouth to argue, to say Aiden was just a boy, but she closed it again. He wasn’t just a boy. She wasn’t really sure what he was, but he wasn’t just anything. Maybe Wolf was right. But in the face of what they were dealing with now, it was hard to believe.
“Don’t worry, Elisa,” Moose smiled. “We’ll protect you. Just stay back, out of reach.”
“Yeah, Elisa,” Logan added. “We shall never let harm come to you!” he proclaimed gallantly. “Do you hear that, you disgusting monsters?” he yelled. Wolf and Moose broke out into wide smiles, while Elisa shook her head at Logan’s typical dramatic flair. “You will not harm a hair on her pretty little head!” he hollered. Suddenly the air seemed to vibrate and Aziz’s creatures fell one after another in an
unnerving way. Everyone froze, no one knowing what to do or make of it.
Logan turned around slowly, his mouth hanging open. “Did you just see?” he turned away from them and then back around. He puffed his chest out, a pleased smile spreading across his handsome face. “Did you see what I just did for you Elisa? I scared them so bad they just dropped dead!”
“Your powers are simply astounding,” Moose muttered dryly.
A victorious cry ran throughout their men as their focus turned to the remaining human soldiers, making quick work of them. Wolf turned to face Elisa.
“What just happened?” he asked.
Elisa was about to reply with “I don’t know” when her eyes focused on one of the dead beasts. The matted hair looked like it was receding, smooth skin revealed in its place. Her breath caught in her throat as the size of the beast shrunk, more hair disappearing.
They were human.
The grotesque features of the beast melted away to reveal the pale skin of a normal man, his eyes closed in death. A scream worked its way up her throat as she heard others discover the gruesome truth.
She turned her head slightly to look at the body of one of the smaller beasts, now no longer that, but the body of a black dog, its fur still clumped together with blood. Logan cursed, all humour gone from his voice. Someone was throwing up close by, she could hear them heaving.
“Does his insanity know no end?” Wolf said, stepping forward to stand beside her.
“How many innocent people do you think we killed here today?” she asked, her voice thick with emotion.
Wolf’s hands gripped her upper arms, turning her to face him. “You didn’t know. None of us did. If you hadn’t killed them they would have killed you.”
“Not because they would have wanted to,” she said. “You can’t stand there and tell me you actually believe anyone would have voluntarily let Aziz do this to them,” she continued, motioning toward the body.
Wolf shook his head, eyebrows pulled together. “It’s not your fault. We did what we had to.”
“What do you think happened to them all?” Moose asked, his face paler than usual.
She was about to respond when it dawned on her. “Aiden,” she breathed. Wolf’s eyes widened. They both turned at the same time to run inside the passageway.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The army did a vast sweep of the mountain fortress, destroying anything of Aziz’s that seemed dangerous. Despite her grief, Diana had spoken up when the sorcerer’s office was discovered, demanding his books be kept and put into safety. Aiden had spent hours walking through the dark, damp tunnels. Partly to make sure they weren’t missing anything, and partly just to get away from everyone.
Jameson had been set up in the room he had died in, his body laid out on the long, wooden table. They wouldn’t be able to carry his body back to the Capital, so a funeral pyre was being constructed outside. The injured were now in the large cavern that had most likely housed the beasts Aziz made – not beasts, humans. Aiden felt sick just thinking about it. The healer they had brought arrived not long after, Diana with him. Aiden didn’t want to recall the look on her face when she learned of the King’s demise.
Lily was there now, being looked after by Diana herself. Aiden thought, perhaps, the witch needed something to focus on during this time. He had stood around nervously for a while, but ended up leaving. It was too much for him. There were so many injured or dead. Lily didn’t seem to be getting much better, even though she had been awake for a while. The thought of losing someone else was agonizing. He couldn’t just stand there and watch it happen.
Ethan and Melissa were also being looked after. Both of them were severely dehydrated, and pretty battered from their experience. Aiden imagined the mental scars would be the worst. He still couldn’t look at them without feeling an unbearable amount of guilt. If it hadn’t been for him…
He walked on, letting his hand ghost across the walls as he did, feeling the cold stone against his fingertips. Everything was so silent inside the mountain. There was no daylight, no sense of the outside world. A part of him actually liked it, while the other didn’t want to appreciate anything Aziz had created. He blanched at that thought, reminding himself of just what exactly Aziz had made. He wondered if he’d ever be able to fully absorb it all.
An opening ahead lightened some of the darkness. Aiden walked toward it, finding himself in the same throne room Rain had brought him to earlier. He slowly walked up to the thrones, still glittering in all their magnificence. He sat down on the one that would have been Aziz’s and looked out at the room. His thoughts seemed to go everywhere and nowhere at once as he just sat and stared, seeing nothing. How long he sat there, he didn’t know, but it wasn’t until a small cough echoed off the walls that he finally looked up and focused his eyes.
“You’re a hard man to track down,” Lily said casually. Aiden blinked slowly, praying his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. He moved, eating up the space between them in long strides until she was crushed against his chest, his face buried in her hair.
“You’re okay,” he breathed, squeezing her tighter. Both arms wrapped around his neck as her body vibrated slightly from her laugh.
“I’m perfectly fine, Aiden,” she said lightly. “I told you, we’re a hard people to kill.”
He straightened, looking down on her. “We never would have found you if it weren’t for you and your people.”
“I know,” she smiled. “It was the least I could do.”
He shook his head, brushing off her modesty. “You did so much to help us, Lily. I’ve always been able to count on you.” He leaned in, kissing her lightly on the lips. “I missed you so much. I was so worried.”
When their eyes met he saw tears filling hers. He pulled her head to him, letting her nestle into his chest. “How are you feeling…about everything?” she asked. Aiden rested his chin on the top of her head, letting his breath out slowly.
“I’m still trying to accept it,” he replied honestly.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he replied softly. “It’s nothing I can’t handle with time.”
They stood together in silence. Feeling her tiny body against his was like having the missing piece to his heart back. He felt like he could breathe easier than he had since the moment he saw his brother swoop down from the sky.
“They’re getting ready to do a short service for Jameson,” she said finally. “I think you should be there for Diana. I’m not sure how well she will take it.”
Neither was he, he thought. They broke apart, linking hands and walking back down the tunnel he had come through. Everyone was already outside when they joined them, Melissa and Ethan standing awkwardly to the side. Ethan smiled when he noticed him, giving Aiden a nod when he saw Lily with him.
“I’ll go stand with them,” she offered. He looked down in surprise. She shrugged. “I’m the only person they know, and we’ve sort of become friends after being locked up together.” He could feel his face fall and Lily gave him a reproaching look. “Don’t do that,” she scolded lightly. “None of this is your fault, so don’t think it.”
“Hard to say it’s not my fault when the only reason the three of you were taken in the first place was because of your ties to me,” Aiden argued.
“None of us blame you,” she countered, stepping closer so her face was only inches away from his. “And don’t forget that it was you who came to save us. We all love you.” She went up on her toes, kissing him softly on the lips. His head swam from her last words, his own reply frozen on his tongue. She turned and joined Ethan and Melissa, their faces smiling genuinely at her as she did. It was so strange to see his two worlds come together before his eyes. Not once had he ever imagined Lily meeting Ethan or Melissa. The fact that he could even talk openly about it to them was an unexpected gift.
Turning, he walked over to where Diana stood before the pyre. Jameson’s body already lay on top, wrapped securely in the finest clo
th they could find in the fortress. Without saying a word, he reached for her hand, holding it firmly in his. She looked up at him, eyes red and puffy.
“It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” she said quietly, her voice cracking.
He gave her hand a squeeze. “I know,” he replied, unable to find the right words.
She looked back at the covered body, her breathing ragged. “I wasted so many years not loving him the way I should have, Aiden. Now I’ll never be able to make it up.”
“Be glad you had what little time you did,” he offered. “It’s more than some people get.”
She looked back at him with a weary smile. “When did you become so wise?” she teased.
He shook his head with a snort. “I’m not,” he said. “I’m just trying to make sense of this all. I don’t know how to accept what I am, and what I’ve been told my whole life. Or everything I’ve seen and done here. It’s all starting to hit me, and I find myself struggling with it. I just want to see one person not have to struggle with things the way I am,” he continued. “Don’t live with regrets, Diana. He wouldn’t want to see you so unhappy. He knew the dangers, as did you, and he made the most of the time you had at the end. He died knowing in his heart you loved each other. What else can a man hope for?”
She nodded slowly without saying a word. They stood, hand in hand, as the fire was lit, flames rising quickly into the darkening night. As it burned, people slowly made their way back inside the fortress to rest for the night. But Aiden and Diana stood just as they were well into the night, until they were the only two left.
Aiden sat atop Ty, looking down at the walls of Capital City. Lily sat in front of him, snuggled into his lap. They had ridden hard to get here before sundown. The noise from inside the city was already filtering up the hill to where they sat. The scouts sent ahead would have already announced the army’s return. There would be celebrations as well as mourning happening within the city walls tonight. All he wanted was a bed to sleep in.
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