by Candy Crum
Arryn glanced behind her to find looks of confusion that mirrored her own, then turned back and gave Snow a mental shove. The tiger leapt forward, her long, powerful legs propelling them after Samuel at speeds even the horses couldn’t match.
Within only a few seconds, Arryn caught up to him, but she didn’t need to ask why he had taken off. She could see the reason.
Ahead on the road were rearick fighting what looked like Arcadians. Given the way they were dressed, though, she assumed they were more likely from the small villages that were scattered throughout the Valley, or even from farmhouses.
Dozens of rearick fought twice that number of Valley men amid carts that were probably filled with the amphorald crystals the Chancellor had ordered as soon as the factory was up and running.
It was a good sign that the city was still functioning, even under the new management, but that was about it. The crystals were supposed to be used to create magitech lighting for the homes they were building in the Boulevard, but these would more than likely go to magitech weapons.
“You take the right, and I’ll go left. The others will catch up,” Arryn shouted.
Samuel only nodded in response as he steered his horse to the right of the battle. Arryn focused, a silent signal from Snow to hold on tight making her get a better hold on the tiger’s fur.
Once she was near the battle, Snow let out a monstrous growl and leapt into the air to pounce on the first person Arryn had targeted. The bond was fun and amusing in private, giving her a comfortable feeling that she was never truly alone.
But in the face of danger, it became something else.
The tiger became an extension of herself, something she had been told about, but had never expected to experience herself. It was almost like being in two places at once. The connection allowing Arryn to fight twice as many—or more—enemies at once, since she was able to target them for the tiger without a word being spoken.
Excitement and pride welled in Arryn’s chest as she and her colossal, magical beast went airborne, eager to test their bond in their first true battle together. What they had accomplished in Arcadia the night Arryn had killed Talia had been stealthy, but not what she would consider true battle.
This would be.
A tall man looked up, his eyes widening and his cocked fist dropping as he realized what was about to happen to him. Snow’s paws—each twice the size of his face—hit his chest as she descended, taking him to the ground as her powerful jaws bit down on his head.
Blood sprayed into the air as Arryn jumped from Snow’s back and landed on her hands. She collapsed her arms to somersault once and rolled onto her knees, bow in hand before the tiger and her target had even hit the ground.
Arryn released her first arrow, aiming high because the rearick were short. It pierced through the back of the man’s skull and dropped him. She was no mystic and therefore couldn’t read thoughts, but nature magic allowed her to sense the good and bad in others.
These men were dark. They weren’t much better than the remnant she had encountered. They were only better-looking, though that wasn’t saying much with this group.
Arryn released three more arrows before anyone realized a woman was taking them down one by one.
A growl sounded out, causing Arryn to spin and grab for the ram’s horn-handled knife in her belt, but it wasn’t needed. Blood spattered Arryn’s face, coating whatever hadn’t been hit by Snow’s last kill.
A body hit the ground in front of Arryn with a heavy thump as she blew air hard out of her mouth, trying to use the blast to rid her lips of some of the arterial spray before wiping the rest away.
Reaching up, Arryn cleaned her pursed lips and squinted eyes before looking into the icy blue orbs of her familiar, who seemed surprisingly apologetic.
“You know, I’d like to not wear at least one of your victims. If you could manage that, I’d sure appreciate it,” Arryn said, a sarcastic tone to her voice.
The tiger’s mouth opened only a little, a low rumble coming out that Arryn translated into, “Then save yourself next time.”
Arryn’s eyes widened as she saw several men pile onto Samuel, war hammers, axes, and swords raised.
“Snow!” Arryn shouted, pointing.
The tiger didn’t wait for another word, turning and leaping toward the group.
“Bitch!”
Arryn finished pulling the knife from the back of her belt, dropped her bow, and turned on her knees in time to narrowly avoid a hammer smashing down next to her. She thrust forward, the knife easily sinking into the man’s belly.
“Thanks for the compliment. She’s quite the badass. Tell her I said hello before she sends you to hell,” Arryn responded, pulling the knife free and shoving it through the spongy part of his chin straight into his brain.
She yanked it out, allowing his body to drop to the ground as a fireball whizzed past her head. She saw Amelia to her left, eyes as black as night and a fireball in one hand. Another orb was quickly replacing the one she had thrown with only the flick of her wrist.
You look terrifying—like you bathe in the blood of your enemies, Amelia sent to Arryn.
With a smile, Arryn nodded in Amelia’s direction. Good. That’s what I want them to think, she sent back. She wiped the blood from her blade before sheathing it and pulled her staff from her back.
“Come and get it, boys!” she shouted, garnering the attention of several men in her general area.
Cathillian urged Maia, his horse, to run as fast as she could. He had seen Arryn and Snow take off after Samuel, but he hadn’t understood what was happening. There couldn’t have been anything wrong, or Arryn would have said something.
Within moments, the sounds of battle—faint as they were from that distance—reached his ears, and he understood.
Samuel must have seen the battle.
Upon realizing that, he urged Maia ahead of the others and saw what the rearick had—countless men fighting on the road.
Worry seizing him, Cathillian repeated Arryn’s actions, taking off in a flash and leaving everyone else behind—or so he thought.
Amelia stayed right beside him; more than likely she had listened to his thoughts as he figured out what was taking place. While he didn’t like the idea of someone in his head, he was grateful for it then.
Amelia’s horse was faster, and she was on the ground before Cathillian arrived. He clearly hadn’t taken care of Maia quite as well as he had thought, and made a mental note to remedy that later.
Amelia threw her first fireball as Cathillian stopped to find Arryn. Fear gripped him when he saw the violence, but didn’t see her. Blood, insides, and dead bodies littered the ground, but Arryn was nowhere to be seen.
She’s fine, Amelia sent to him, quickly followed by the image of Arryn standing in the middle of four men. Her staff whirled, parrying their attacks as she landed blow after blow. She looked like a dancer as she moved. She doesn’t need you, Cat. Stop worrying.
He wanted to argue, but he knew Amelia was right. He also knew that his worry for her could cost someone else their life. He needed to help that someone else.
Turning for the opposite side of the battle Amelia had shown him, knowing Arryn and Amelia had that side covered, he began to run, pulling his sword free of its sheath on his side.
Though he hadn’t seen Snow, he heard a loud growl rip through the air just before a rearick fell from the sky and landed at Cathillian’s feet. He stopped in his tracks.
It was Samuel.
“Holy shit, man!” Cathillian said, his eyes widening as he dropped to the ground to help his friend. “What the hell?”
Samuel grumbled as he rolled to his belly, then got up on his hands and knees. He was covered in cuts, bruises, and a lot of blood, but otherwise he seemed fine.
“That damned cat of Arryn’s,” Samuel grumbled.
Cathillian’s brows creased. “What?”
Samuel looked at him incredulously. “That furry she-beast apparently didn�
��t think I could handle me own fight. She showed up outta nowhere ‘n started cuttin’ men down before grabbin’ onta me backside and throwin’ me outta the way.”
Cathillian clapped a hand over his mouth, trying desperately not to laugh at the rearick. The tiger had continued to grow even after reaching the Dark Forest, though the cub remained the same size, despite his mutual bond with Arryn.
He hadn’t even grown naturally, remaining stunted in size—though no one seemed to mind. He was quite adorable and had won the hearts of everyone in the villages.
Though it seemed that Snow had finally stopped growing, she was big enough now Arryn could ride her even more easily. The cat could almost look Chaos, Elysia’s horse and oversized familiar, in the eye.
He imagined the tiger—big as she was—locking her jaws around Samuel’s waist and literally throwing him out of the way.
Finally, he lost his battle and began laughing, his head falling back as he howled at the mental images.
“Ah, fuck ye!” Samuel said. He threw a hand out and hit Cathillian in the shoulder, effectively knocking the laughing druid off-balance. “Her mouth is a lot bigger ’n it looks. Crazy beast. I’ll show her.”
A shadow fell over them, and Cathillian’s laughter immediately halted. A low rumble echoed as both men looked up to see the tiger, covered in blood and filth, glaring at the rearick.
Cathillian swallowed, realizing just how terrifying she looked. “Uh… she says you’re an ungrateful little beast.”
Samuel’s eyes widened at Cathillian before he turned toward the tiger, jumping to his feet and pointing a finger at her. Even at full height, the rearick was still a few inches too short to look her directly in the eye, which only made his anger and threat more amusing. Once again, Cathillian was on the verge of tears from laughter.
“Listen here, lassie,” Samuel started, but he was quickly interrupted.
There was a loud, angry shout from the edge of the battle and Snow let out an ear-piercing, pain-filled cry of her own. As soon as she did, Cathillian snapped to attention. He heard Arryn’s pained cry over the sounds of battle as well.
Without a doubt, she had felt Snow’s injury.
Cathillian leapt up as Snow’s head whirled, throwing the bloodied battle axe she had just pulled from her shoulder to the side. She took a step forward, lowered her head, and roared so loudly that Cathillian could actually feel the vibrations in the air around him.
The man who had thrown it suddenly looked terrified, his eyes widening as he turned to run. Unfortunately for him, his axe hadn’t left more than a scratch on an animal like Snow.
She pounced, easily covering the fifty or more feet between her and her target. She landed on him with all her weight and crushed him instantly, though she still bit down on him, ending his life as she pulled him apart.
Cathillian almost threw up when she dropped the top half of his body, his guts spilling onto the ground beneath him.
“I need to get to Arryn,” Cathillian said, trying to distract himself. “I know she can fight, but she felt Snow get hurt. She’s distracted.”
Samuel nodded. “Aye. Keep our girl safe.”
Without another word, both men headed back into battle. As he ran forward, Cathillian saw a young rearick boy hiding next to a cart with his knees tucked into his chest and tears streaming down his face. He couldn’t have been more than five or six.
A heavy sigh of horror left his throat, and his heart broke for the young boy. Looking around, Cathillian immediately judged the scene before him and formulated a plan to get the boy out.
“Thank the Bitch you’re here.” Cathillian turned to see Celine. “I’ve been trying to find a way to get him out of there, but I’m not that great in hand-to-hand yet. If I threw a fireball they’d be on me like a remnant on a fat man.”
“How good are you with magic?” Cathillian asked.
Celine smiled darkly, her eyes flashing black after a single blink. “Trust me, nephew, you won’t have anything to worry about. Get the boy; I’ll handle the rest.”
He smiled because she called him ‘nephew,’ though he knew that little expression would have earned him a punch from Arryn.
He and Celine had been in battle together only once, on the way back to the Dark Forest when they had fled Arcadia. He hadn’t seen her fight, though she had certainly done a good enough job—that was evident enough from her not dying.
After having spent time with Elysia, Nika, and eventually Arryn once she had returned, Celine was learning more and more all the time.
Without any hesitation at all, Cathillian trusted her.
He nodded once before running straight into the fray. He didn’t pay a single bit of attention to the men running after him, knowing Celine would be watching.
As men ran for him, Cathillian looked straight at the boy. In his peripheral vision, he saw shards of razor-sharp ice ripping through the attackers as they approached. He silently took a moment to be impressed by her control—she had missed him entirely—as he dropped to his knees and slid to a stop in front of the boy.
“It’s okay. I’m here to help you,” Cathillian said.
The boy was terribly afraid and looked at Cathillian like he might lash out at him at any moment, but slowly, he extended his hand toward the druid.
Bodies dropped around him, and he turned to see both Celine and Amelia, their black eyes focused, throwing fireballs and blades of ice to protect him.
Cathillian grabbed the boy and ran for the women behind him. At that moment, he realized it was the women holding down the battle and not the men.
Arryn had run in without hesitation and started dropping men right and left, and her familiar had thrown their one male ally to safety. All Cathillian had done was rescue a kid; the women had protected him from behind the lines.
He found it kind of badass.
It was strange for him to be so useless, but instead of feeling that way he actually felt pride. He would head into battle with them any day.
As soon as he set the boy down behind Celine and Amelia, Cathillian said, “Now, if it’s all good, I’d like to get my hands dirty. I’ve been rather useless, except for saving an innocent little boy.”
Amelia smiled. “Go right ahead. Or, you could continue to play search and rescue and use that magic of yours to get fallen rearick to safety.”
He sighed and smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
Snow pounced on Arryn, knocking her to the ground before catching a sword in her mouth. Arryn saw blood drip from her already gory mouth as she lunged for the man.
Arryn had suffered several bruises as well as a broken arm and nose that she had healed under Snow’s protection, but she was undamaged otherwise. Feeling exhausted, she jumped to her feet and looked around.
Cathillian was checking the fallen for signs of life. When he found them, vines burst from the ground outside the skirmish and swooped in to grab the injured rearick before pulling him free of the battlefield.
There weren’t many enemies left, but there were several dead or injured rearick on the ground. They wouldn’t have the ability to heal them all, and it crushed her to realize that.
Arryn raised her staff and swung it, cracking a large man on the side of the head. He fell, and she raised her staff over her head before bringing it down hard on his once again.
Screams and cheers erupted, and she turned to see those left standing—covered in blood, filth, and only the goddess herself knew what else—smiling, their fists and weapons raised over their heads.
With a heavy sigh of relief, Arryn collapsed to her knees, allowing exhaustion to take her.
Although barely able to move now that the adrenaline was gone, she lifted her staff into the air and cheered, “Yeah! We didn’t fucking die!” before collapsing to her side, smiling as a worried tiger licked the side of her face.
8
It took more than an hour for Cathillian, Arryn, and Samuel to help heal those on the verge of death just enough that they could w
ithstand the trip back to Craigston.
Luckily for Arryn, she had mainly used physical force instead of relying on her magic. It allowed her to do a bit more than Cathillian and especially Samuel, who had only barely begun to learn to use his gift.
“I didn’t want ‘nybody ta know I’d been practicin’,” Samuel said, “but when I saw me brothers damn near dead, I figured nunna that mattered.”
Arryn felt as though he was holding something back, but she let it go, knowing the rearick had overcome a large hurdle by admitting he had an affinity for magic at all.
Healing was hard to learn. Even the druids didn’t learn how to do it right out the gate. Growing and creating plants was how things usually got started. Healing came much later.
Samuel was an anomaly. He had begun with one of the more difficult things to learn, though he hadn’t tried anything else as far as she knew.
Arryn was exhausted, both physically and mentally, now that she had used so much magic. Snow had been wounded several times, and she had been Arryn’s first priority.
Once the battle had been concluded, Arryn had healed Snow and sent her off to retrieve Dante from where they had left him when they headed to battle.
Now, everyone rode in silence, having reached the vast southern hills that led up the mountains to Craigston and the Heights.
They were certainly moving a bit slower now, but it seemed that they would make it to the rearick town shortly after nightfall. Samuel had said that there was a lake close to his home where she and Snow could bathe and clean the blood off. They had been covered worse than anyone.
Dante yawned from the ground below his mother as they walked, and Arryn almost laughed at him. He was a cute little guy, and his size puzzled her, but he made her happy. He was still very young and dependent on his mother, and he tired quickly on long walks.