He was worried about the possibility that Doyle had allowed himself to be found for the sole purpose of leaving the city unprotected while they pursued him.
Arryn wasn't worried, though she was cautious. She had a feeling they were getting ready to walk into something terrifying, but she knew it would be well worth it.
The house Doyle was staying in was a few hours outside the city. Only a single Hunter had returned to warn Amelia, the rest having fanned out around the perimeter at a safe distance where they couldn't be seen, but close enough to see any activity if those inside tried to leave.
It had taken a few hours, but Amelia was sure they were coming up on it.
"While I'd like to pretend I’m a battle genius," Amelia said. "I'd have to say you guys are probably a little better at this than I am. We need a plan."
It was hard to talk or hear over the loud hooves, but they couldn't stop their pace. Not yet.
"We need to get close enough you can use your mental magic, and I can use my nature magic to sense how many people are in the house. We need to know what we're up against," Cathillian said.
"If anyone in there is sensitive to mental magic like I am, we’ll give ourselves away," Arryn said.
"She's right," Amelia said.
"OK then," Cathillian said. "Well, I have another plan. Arryn, you'll come with me. Amelia, order your men to spread out around the building."
From there, they rode in silence. As they saw the building coming up in the distance, Arryn found a few Arcadian men hiding in the tall grass and watching for any movement. Amelia signaled for everyone to stop, and they all slowed their horses.
"Have you seen or heard anything?" Amelia asked, getting off her horse and kneeling next to a couple of the men on the ground.
One of the guards shook his head. "Nothing outside the house, but we see movement inside. We think there are at least twenty people in there."
Arryn heard that number and cringed. She'd been training for a long time, and she’d trained with others besides just Cathillian. Still, even after all that and after passing the trials, she'd never faced a human enemy. This would be her first time.
And it scared the hell out of her.
Then, as she stared forward, thinking of all the people inside the house that were plotting against her city, threatening to undo all the good that had just been done, a dark smile spread across her face.
The chance that had been robbed from her when Elysia and the Chieftain had decided not to tell her about the Founder coming was now right in front of her. On a much smaller scale, but there it was. Her excitement grew, and suddenly, she couldn't wait to get in there.
"Cathillian, what’s your plan?" Arryn asked. "I'm ready to go. I wanna do this."
Cathillian shook his head. "This isn't like sparring, Arryn. This is battle. We took on those lycanthropes, but they’re straightforward. No tricks. These are magic users."
"I'm ready!" Arryn said. "Call me a bitch or something to piss me off real good and send me in." She smiled, but she was only partially joking.
"Arryn," Amelia said. "Don't go in fireballs blazing. If you do, you'll exhaust yourself very quickly. It's dangerous. Do what you can do—as much as you can do—physically before you resort to magic. Whatever happens, though, don’t let them use their magic on you."
Arryn nodded. "Noted. Now, let's go save our city."
Cathillian shook his head again, sighing as he did. "If you get killed, I swear to the gods, I will find a way to bring your ass back, and then I’ll kill you again. I'll do it repeatedly until I run out of energy and can't do it anymore."
"Well, what if you ran out of energy after you kill me? Then I'll have to stay dead since you won't have the energy to bring me back."
Cathillian smiled, his left brow rising. "Then I guess you shouldn't piss me off and take the chance, huh?"
"Damn. What a bitch," Arryn said.
Cathillian winked. "OK, Arryn, follow me. Do exactly as I say. Amelia, give the men their orders."
Cathillian rose into a crouch, running as low as he could, Arryn following close behind, doing the same. They came to a stop about two hundred feet away from the front of the house, each of them kneeling to the ground.
Cathillian looked to Arryn. "Place your hands flat on the ground. We're gonna give Amelia just a couple minutes, and then we're gonna announce ourselves."
"Announce ourselves? How are we gonna do that?"
An almost evil, yet playful smile spread across Cathillian’s lips. "I think I’m gonna split that bitch in two, but I might not have that much power."
“Please tell me you’re talking about the house,” Arryn quipped.
Cathillian laughed. "I’m gonna shake the house, let ‘em know we're here. I’d say one big ass tree should do the trick. As soon as it starts, they're gonna start running out the door, scattering in different directions. Amelia's men will be able to step in then. I want you to stay back as much as possible and don't be afraid to use that bow."
With a brief nod, Arryn turned forward, watching the house. She was ready.
After almost ten minutes, Amelia ran up behind them, causing them to jump because of how quiet she'd been. "They’re all ready. I have no idea what you're planning, so I just told them to watch for the sign. I figured they'd know when they saw it."
Arryn snorted. "Oh, they'll know it all right."
Cathillian faced forward, placing his hands on the ground in front of him.
Arryn could feel Cathillian casting next to her, his energy connecting with the ground below him, urging it to move.
She remembered back to the dark forest barrier. This felt exactly like the magic he cast then. So, she decided to repeat what she'd learned.
As Arryn began to push, Cathillian spoke next to her. "Save your energy if you can. I don't want you to push too hard, too fast. You'll weaken yourself.”
"Uh... What exactly are you doing again?" Amelia asked. When no one answered, she just said, “OK, then. I’ll just sit here and watch, I guess.”
“Me, too, apparently,” Arryn said sarcastically, clearly not happy about Cathillian stopping her fun.
Arryn saw Cathillian dig his fingertips into the dirt as his magic pushed through his palms and raced through the ground toward the house.
The ground shook, breaking open just in front of the house, traveling underneath. From that distance, it was hard to hear, but the sound of broken glass rang out as the building shook.
Just as Cathillian had predicted, screams erupted as almost thirty people ran out of the house—all adult men and women.
"No one else is in the house; I checked," Amelia said.
"Crush it?" Arryn asked with a smile on her face. “We don’t want them to be able to run back in and force us to go in after ‘em.”
“I’ve got it,” Cathillian said. “The tree is through the floor, and everyone’s out.
"Holy shit," Amelia said. "I see him. That's Doyle, I can see him from here! Yes! Crush it! Keep ‘em out in the open."
“Hell yes!” Arryn said excitedly, no longer caring about Cathillian’s macho request.
Arryn grinned before leaning over, pushing her magic forward into the ground. She began to push harder and harder, urging the magic to carry forward while digging her fingertips into the ground as she did.
Within seconds, the sounds of the house breaking and tearing apart echoed through the sky as a massive tree ripped through the roof, the entire building crumbling before them.
"Go! Now!" Amelia shouted to her men.
Cathillian looked to Arryn. "Holy… shit. Well, now—I wasn’t expecting you to pull that off.”
“That’s what you get for doubting me. Also, instructions are great, but no one is making me out to be a delicate flower. In case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t need to be protected all the time. I’ll always need your help, but I’m not a little girl anymore.”
He smiled. “Sorry I doubted ya. Maybe you could be a rose. They’re all thorny, y
ou know.”
“I seriously thought you said something else there for a second,” she said with a relieved sigh.
He laughed. “Well, that, too. How are you feeling? We just used a lot of magic."
She shrugged. "It was a lot, but so far, I feel fine. I doubt I could do that again, though."
Cathillian shook his head. "You shouldn't have to. Just do what you do best. Get your bow and take ‘em out from a distance. If they don't cast magic, use non-lethal shots. But if they try attacking in any way, well, you know what to do."
Arryn nodded. “And if they get too close—” she started.
“Kick their asses like you kick mine,” Cathillian said, giving her a wink. “Or you could just insult them to death. That also works great.”
Before Arryn could insult him again, Cathillian ran off. Arryn shook her head as she readied her bow, excited to find the man that might be able to tell her what happened to her father.
Amelia ran for her men, making sure everyone was fighting and safe.
Grabbing the sword she had lashed to her hip, Amelia found her first target and ran for him. They circled one another, each eyeing up their opponent. Finally, the man spoke. "How did you find us?"
Amelia kept her sword out at the ready. While his shook slightly, hers was as steady as a rock. "We kept the name Hunters for a reason," Amelia said.
The man laughed. "Well, you just saved us a trip. We were coming for you anyway, and now that you're here, we're gonna finish you and your little minions off before putting the city back the way it belongs."
The man arced his free arm over his chest, but he didn't have the chance to pull it away before an arrow whistled right past Amelia’s head and went through his heart.
Amelia jumped, her own heart suddenly racing as she turned to see Arryn more than a hundred feet away with her bow raised. She doubted that Arryn could see her expression, but if she could, she would see just how shocked Amelia was.
Arryn was a damn good shot.
Shaking it off, Amelia left the man's corpse and went for the next one. Now that it had been confirmed that everyone here wasn't just harboring a fugitive, but had been prepared to kill them to bring back Adrien's ways, Amelia felt perfectly justified in taking each and every one of the bastards out.
A fireball hit the ground next to her, and she turned to see a woman in her late twenties standing there. She had another fireball in hand, ready to launch. Shoving the tip of her sword in the ground, Amelia stepped forward, readying herself for the attack.
The woman smiled as she pulled her arm back before throwing the fireball. Amelia recognized her as one of her former students. She remembered teaching that girl just how to form a proper fireball.
And here she was… trying to kill her.
Without hesitation, Amelia's arm whipped to the side, the fireball veering off course and hitting what was left of the toppled house.
It immediately burst into flames, unfortunately giving each physical magic user in the area the ability to pull from that fire without using as much of their own magic to create their own.
Amelia didn't plan to give this woman the chance.
She lifted her hand, palm facing up as her sword levitated from the ground. She then swung her arm again, the blade flying through the air and impaling the woman in the stomach.
Not wanting to burn all of her energy conjuring fireballs, and not yet having the best aim while throwing knives or blades of any kind, the minuscule amount of power it took to send the sword seemed the best course of action.
As the woman fell to the ground, Amelia ran up, pulled the sword from her stomach, and drove it through her heart.
Now, time to find Doyle.
Cathillian had already dispatched five people, hoping he wouldn't kill the one Amelia had promised to Arryn.
In his peripheral vision, Cathillian saw a sword swinging in his direction. Without hesitation, Cathillian lifted his arm, catching the blade with his powerful wooden bracer made from the powerful Heilig tree.
As expected, the sword did nothing to the wood, failing to make even a single scratch.
He swung his sword, knocking the Arcadian's blade away to the right, as he spun left, slicing out to the side. The man screamed as the blade cut through his thigh, bringing him down to the ground. Cathillian then wrapped his arm around the man’s throat and, with a swift jerk, he ended the fight.
As Cathillian turned to run to the next person, a large fireball hit him directly in the chest, throwing him back to the ground. He tried to inhale, but his chest was burned so badly it felt like the oxygen was being pulled right out of him.
A woman came to stand over him, laughing as she looked down at him with wild eyes. "Hmm. Pointed ears. A druid, huh? You're not anything like I expected."
Cathillian flattened his hands on the ground, feeling for the energy all around him as he pulled it into himself, the woman oblivious to what was happening right in front of her eyes.
A mountain of a man had spotted Arryn and was now running directly for her, but that wasn't her biggest worry.
Someone was standing overtop of Cathillian while another was coming up on him from behind. She'd seen the fireball hit him, but she could sense his energy now. He was healing himself.
Looking at the man that was coming for her, and then over to the one coming up on Cathillian, she made her decision.
Arryn nocked an arrow, letting it loose and shooting the man coming for Cathillian through the throat, effectively dropping him to the ground.
Then, she turned to the man running for her before dropping her bow to the ground and using her foot to kick her staff into the air. She caught it before swinging it around and jabbing him hard right in the stomach.
As he doubled over, she drove her knee into his face, sending him stumbling back. Not one for wasting time, she took a few steps forward and swung her staff, striking him hard across the head and taking him down.
Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she stepped forward and brought her foot down hard on his neck, ending him.
She looked back to check on Cathillian as she heard a feminine scream rip through the air. Vines had burst from the ground, wrapping around the woman’s limbs before Cathillian waved his hand, throwing her across the field.
Her screams abruptly stopped when she hit the ground.
Another scream called out, and fear chilled her from head to toe. She knew that voice. Arryn's heart jumped as she turned to see a man run Amelia through the gut with the sword.
Amelia stood, doubled over with her hands wrapped around the blade of a sword, her mouth hanging open as tears ran down her cheeks from the pain, blood bubbling on her lips.
"You shouldn't have come for me," Doyle said. "Should've known better."
"Killing me won’t solve anything. The city’s stronger than ever. You'll never win." Amelia spat at him, the blood dotting his face.
Doyle yanked the sword free of her stomach and punched her hard in the face, sending her to her knees. Amelia could hardly move as blood pooled in her hands. If it weren’t so permanent, she would almost see dying at the hands of Adrien’s kiss-ass funny. But since it would mean actually letting that happen, she didn’t.
The wind began to pick up, bringing with it the stench of death and causing the fire in the distance to grow. Amelia thought she heard a rumble, but she couldn't be certain.
She couldn't believe anything she thought right then, knowing that the blood loss was about to make her delirious, if it hadn't already.
"You have no idea what's going on in your city, do you?" Doyle asked. "Do you really think I'm the only one?"
"Bullshit!" Amelia choked out. "The city has been cleaned of assholes like you."
Doyle laughed, the sound was surprisingly cold and confident. She'd met Doyle a thousand times, and he'd always been a pathetic piece of shit.
Adrien's death must have broken something in him. She’d always assumed he was subservient out of fear, not out of actually
caring for the man, but she’d been wrong.
"Adrien had me deliver a letter before he died. That's how I got out of the city before you bastards ever showed up. He had someone outside the city, you clueless bitch. I don't know the woman's name—not that I’d tell you anyway—but I’ve seen her. I never opened the letter, out of loyalty, but I know she's in your city, and she's coming for you."
"Lies!" Amelia shouted. "Lies from a desperate man."
He laughed again and then shrugged. "Who’s the desperate one bleeding out in front of me? You won't live to find out who the enemy is. She’s going to rip that city apart, one Boulevard bitch after another. It's a shame you won't live to see all of those traitors die."
The sky suddenly began to darken as Doyle raised his sword, that rumbling very close now. Amelia cringed, knowing she had no way to defend herself as her vision grew cloudy, the blood loss taking its final toll.
She looked to the sky as it quickly turned grey—and then black.
"Arryn! No!" Amelia heard Cathillian scream.
Arryn stood there, tears filling her eyes as she saw Amelia on her knees. She could feel her energy waning, and instead of forcing her into swift action, it stopped her in her tracks.
This woman, who had not only welcomed her into the city, but had liberated it, was about to give her life to protect it—just like her mother had.
Amelia had trusted her. Had even brought Arryn along on this mission because she’d placed so much faith in her, that she believed Arryn would be able to keep everyone safe, everyone alive.
Amelia had wanted to give her a chance to fulfill the promise she'd made to her parents, while also having the opportunity to learn what had happened to them.
Suddenly, everything drained out of Arryn, her brows furrowing and her teeth grinding as her jaw tightened.
Everything except for rage, guilt, and a searing hatred for the man standing over Amelia.
Thunder cracked overhead, lightning webbing across the sky as she began walking forward. Her eyes locked on her target. She kept her hands out to her side, the tip of her staff dragging along the ground as she headed in his direction.
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