Chapter Thirty-Two
BIRDIE
Looking back over my shoulder, the tears fall down my cheeks at the sight. These men that are opposers, they aren’t just some random people who have gathered in someone’s basement, they are organized. They are organized and they are strategic.
What happens now? I ask Arion.
I’m taking you to safety, we’ll hide out just beyond this ridge, then we’ll go back when the fighting has stopped and I have the all clear from Colton.
Take me to Sybilla.
I think about Martha and Florence and wish that they could be with us, but selfishly, I don’t want to chance going back. I want my sister and I want her now. If I go back, I may be convinced to stay.
Colton will not be happy, Birdie.
I know.
He doesn’t question me further. Leaning forward, I lay my chest against his back and I pinch my eyes closed as the air flows all around me and he speeds through the clouds. It’s an amazing experience that I’m not sure I ever want to relive, because by the time we make it to our destination everything on my body is freezing ass cold.
I don’t realize that he’s landed at our destination until I hear his voice calling my name in my head. Slowly, my eyelids flutter open and I look around. I gasp aloud, probably loud enough for the entire country to hear me.
“The grass is purple,” I breathe.
Arion neighs. Yes, Sybilla has mentioned this is not normal to your lands.
“You can say that again,” I mumble.
Arion doesn’t say anything else and neither do I, because in the next breath there are men surrounding us. They don’t do anything other than surround us, though.
They’re dressed much like the messenger that we left behind in Devilrise. They have thick tights, chainmail, and wear a belt around their hips with swords sheathed at their sides.
“Arion,” a deep voice growls.
The men part ways and I watch a man storm toward us. My breath hitches at the sight of him. His body is tall and strong, ruggedly beautiful as he walks toward me, and when he lifts his eyes to look up, I almost swoon off of this damn horse. He’s got a scar running the length of his eye, from forehead to cheek, but it is sexy as shit.
His eyes widen at the sight of me, then his lips slowly turn up into a cocky grin. “You must be one of the sisters?”
“Birdie,” I whisper.
His grin widens and he holds out his hand. “I’m Elias, it seems as though I am your brother-in-law.”
Slipping my palm in his, his fingers tighten around my hand and he gently tugs me off of the horse. “Thank you, Arion. I have her safe and sound from here.”
There is a moment where he watches Arion, his eyes widen before he turns to me. “Your husband knows not of your whereabouts?”
Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I turn and look over my shoulder at Arion, narrowing my gaze on him. He neighs, stands, and walks away as if he doesn’t have a single care in the world. Asshole. Just like every other man I know right now.
“He doesn’t. He was under attack. I ran,” I say with a shrug.
“Where were you actually supposed to go?” he asks.
His expression is serious, but I can hear the humor in his voice as if he’s trying to keep from laughing. I shrug a shoulder, looking down at my feet, then let out an annoyed sigh and lift my gaze up to meet his.
“Somewhere not too far, until the battle was over. I demanded Arion bring me here.”
Elias’ brows rise and he lets out a chuckle. “You are indeed my Sybilla’s sister, aren’t you?”
“Damn skippy,” I say firmly, with a nod.
He shakes his head, still laughing at me and I know it’s at me because I’m not laughing, but it doesn’t matter. This is my brother-in-law, and all I want right now is to see my big sister.
“Come on, she will be angry with me if I make her wait much longer.”
I smile, this is what I want. He loves her and I haven’t even seen them together, but I can tell that he does. I hold back my tears of self-pity. I can’t think about Colt anymore. He may love me and I may love him, but there isn’t acceptance or true desire.
There is only what the gods have put inside of us to make us feel a physical pull. Without that, he would turn his back and never look back, because at the end of the day, he doesn’t have room for me in his heart or his head.
The castle, and seriously it’s a freaking castle of epic proportions, comes into view and I tilt my head back to look up at the huge stone walls in awe. My sister is a fucking queen. I’m the equivalent of the first lady, but Sybilla is a queen.
Walking into the foyer, Elias guides me over to a sitting room, and offers the sofa to me. Sinking down on the soft cushion, he tells me to relax and stay there, that he’ll have some refreshments brought to me while he goes and gathers Sybilla.
“Thank you, Elias,” I murmur.
His bright blue eyes find mine and he dips his chin. “You’ll tell me why you ran and if I need to wage a war with this man?”
My heart warms immediately. “I will,” I agree, dipping my chin.
He jerks his own chin up before he turns on his heels and hurries away. A few moments go by and I do nothing but stare at the way my fingers twist in my lap. There is a sound at the door and I turn my head before lifting my eyes as two women walk into the room.
They look much like Florence, older and mystical. I assume they are the witches of this land. I open my mouth to ask them who they are and if they are indeed mystical when there is extreme pain that slices through my middle.
Lifting my hand to my belly, I cry out as I fall forward and land on the hard floor on my knees. “The separation,” one of them says as they rush forward and help me back to my seat.
“What?” I croak.
“I’m Aleida and this is Godiva, we’re women of the crystals or witches. The pain you feel is because you’re away from your match, your other half.”
I shake my head, unbelieving in what they’re saying. I open my mouth to ask them what the hell they’re talking about, but another excruciating wave of pain slices right through my entire midsection, rendering me completely debilitated.
“It will intensify the longer you’re away from him.”
“Why?” I whisper, opening my eyes as I try to take a few calming breaths and look up at them.
My gaze shifts from one woman to the other as I wait for the answer. Aledia shrugs a shoulder, taking a step forward.
“Because the gods have designed you that way. What they bring together, let no man tear apart, not even yourselves.”
“Well, that’s annoying,” I grumble.
I hear something, a door closing, then I shift to look behind the witches and that’s when I see her.
Sybilla.
Sybilla with a baby in her arms. A baby that just at a single quick glance is without a doubt related to Elias.
Standing, I brush past the witches and with tears in my eyes, I open my arms and wrap them around my sister.
Then.
I cry.
I let myself fall apart for just a moment, and I know that Sybilla does too, then we both inhale a big shaky breath and take a step back from one another. I lift my gaze to meet my sister’s and I have to blink, twice, at the sight of her.
She’s stunning.
Sybilla has always been beautiful, but seeing her in all of her fineries, in a dress that is describable in no other way than indeed fit for a queen, I can’t help but just stare in awe.
“Birdie,” she murmurs. Snapping my lips closed, I give her a grin. “I’d like you to meet your nephew, Elias.”
Sybilla turns the baby around completely and my heart melts. At the same time, pain slices through me again, and I’m completely breathless. Aleida rushes up behind me and wraps her arms around me, keeping me from sinking to the floor.
“Oh no,” Sybilla whispers. “Where is your match?”
Lifting my eyes to hers, I wince. “I ra
n away.”
“Oh, dear.”
COLT
The members of the Assembly are bound in my office. The invaders all dead or abandoning their posts, they started running away when the signs of defeat were too strong to ignore. Smirking, I turn toward Jeremiah who is covered in blood and looking as weary as I feel.
“You look about as good as I feel,” I grunt, jerking my chin toward Jeremiah.
He chuckles, shaking his head, then returns his gaze back to the battlegrounds where we’re watching the dead being burned. The smell assaults the senses, but it is one of the many costs of war and duty.
“The Assembly knew,” I murmur.
“They did?”
I nod my head. “Birdie heard them plotting and scheming by accident.”
“Are you sure she isn’t part of it?” he asks.
I would think the same thing, in fact, I have thought such things, but deep in my heart, I know that she isn’t. She is different, she isn’t like the women here and I know that it’s because she is not from here. She has abilities and powers, but nothing has been malicious. Not really, not even when she could have been.
“I am.” I nod.
He doesn’t say anything for a long moment. “Me too, sir. She is good, to the core. I have known many people and seen a lot, but she is good and she was a wise choice for a wife, prophecy or not.”
“I’m beginning to think the same thing, Jeremiah.”
He chuckles, but neither of us looks at one another. “Let’s deal with these traitors, then have Arion bring her home to us, to a safe place.”
Without another word, I turn around and Jeremiah follows me. Making my way inside, I turn toward my office where the three Assembly members are bound and gagged.
Markus, Thatcher, and Samuel are staring directly at them, their arms crossed over their chests, their gazes menacing. They don’t even flinch when I walk into the room.
The Assembly members visibly shake in their seats though and my lips turn up into a grin at the sight of their fear, I can practically smell it.
Chapter Thirty-Three
BIRDIE
I hold the squirming baby in my arms. He wants down. He is going to be a wild one, I can see it in his eyes. He’s already confident, challenging, and ready to explore the world. He’s probably going to be a knight like the rest of the hot guys I see around here, like the men who met Arion and me at the entrance.
“He wants to roam,” I mutter as I tickle him.
She sighs. “He has discovered crawling and he even pulled himself up to standing the other day. I don’t know what is normal for his age, considering I can’t Google anything, I’m kind of just going with the flow here,” she admits.
“Is all this really real?” I ask on a whisper.
The witches are standing in the corner of the room, their eyes focused on me as they huddle together and whisper amongst themselves. I ignore them and turn to Sybilla.
“Do you have magic?” I ask her.
Sybilla’s eyes widen and she presses her lips together before she nods. “I do too. I can tap into people’s heads, transport myself, and mess with the weather, but I can’t control it.”
“I can’t do all that, oh my gosh, that’s awesome. Liv can control the weather and the water. One of many reasons they call her the Sea Queen.”
“She’s okay? You’ve seen her?”
Sybilla nods. “She is, happily married and pregnant. Have you seen Dru?” she asks.
Inhaling a deep breath, I tell her about Dru calling me, and then about being able to hear Dru talk about trying to find us and still being back in Florida.
“You couldn’t reach out to her? Tell her we’re okay?”
I shake my head. “I don’t have control over it. Not like that. Florence, the witch in my area tried to teach me how to control it, she even tried to absorb my magic so that she could try to help, but I grow stronger every day and I don’t know what to do about it.”
Sybilla reaches across the small distance that separates us. Her hand wraps around my wrist and she squeezes gently.
“Absorbing your magic is not okay, it is not something you share. It’s yours and yours alone. Don’t try to fight it, Birdie. Embrace it, then maybe you can try to control it. I think that Aleida and Godiva may be able to help, but your pain will only worsen the longer you stay here without your man. It could seriously hurt you.”
Licking my lips, I let out a sigh and lean back in my seat. Sybilla takes little Elias from my arms and bounces him for a moment, then stands and walks him over to Aleida. She talks in a hushed tone for a moment, then I can feel Aleida’s gaze on me.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she rushes toward me. “You transported yourself?” she demands.
“Only once. I don’t know how. I transported Colt and me to a lions’ den, his lions.”
“Lions?” Sybilla gasps.
Nodding, I press my lips together before I speak. “He can telepathically communicate with lions.”
“Elias can with horses and Arion of course, but Aaric can with the dragons.”
“Dragons?” I breathe.
Sybilla nods her head. “Freaking dragons. It’s seriously so cool. I saw the dragon once, he’s beautiful. I wonder what kind of animal the other guy can talk to?”
“Who the hell knows, this thing is so crazy, all of it.”
Sybilla nods. “It is, but you know what?” I tilt my head to the side, watching her and waiting for her to tell me. “It’s better now that you’re all here, well almost all here. Even if I miss mom and dad.”
My lips twitch. “Mom knows we’re okay,” I whisper.
“What?”
I tell her about our mom’s dream, how she was totally at peace with Liv being gone and knows we’re safe.
“Wow,” she breathes.
I laugh. “No kidding, right?”
“Let me see what you have going on,” Aleida murmurs.
Before I can tell her no, that it’s fine, I’ll just live my life and pretend I’m not magical because I have no desire to go back to Colt anytime soon. She holds up her hands and they start to glow. I close my eyes as warmth fills me.
My back arches forward, my head falls back between my shoulders and my breath comes out in a long moan before everything goes dark around me. In the distance, I hear shouts, but then there is nothingness.
COLT
The Assembly members stare back at me in silence. I’ve removed their gags, but they think that by being silent, they’re somehow winning something over me. They aren’t. I will prevail, I always do.
My stomach twists, but I ignore the pain, knowing that I need to get through this and to the bottom of it. Clearing my throat, I tilt my head to the side as I lean against the front of my desk. The woman narrows her eyes on me, and I know without a doubt that she is the one in charge.
“You thought that you would come here and your band of rebels would take me out and you could control the country yourselves or put someone weaker in power, am I correct?” I ask.
They all silently stare at me, but my lips turn up into a grin. The men are shifting in their seats, the woman sitting tall and firm. Walking past her, I make my way over to one of the men, crouching down in front of his bound body.
“You’re nervous,” I point out. “Why?”
He presses his lips together, shaking his head a couple of times. Leisurely, I take my small knife out of my pocket and flip it open. Lifting my hand, I extend it toward the man’s face. Touching the point of the blade against his cheek, I grin when he starts to tremble.
“Tell me, who do you have in mind to replace me?” I ask on a whisper.
He shakes his head, almost violently. I press the point of the blade a bit deeper into his cheek, watching a bit of blood trickle down, wondering how far he will push this. It’s been a while since I’ve needed to extract information from an enemy, but I have zero qualms about doing so.
“An Assembly member’s son,” the other man cries o
ut.
Turning my head, I am surprised that this other man has spoken out. That is, I’m surprised until I see the way that he is looking at him. They are lovers. Though not something that is widely done here, it is not something that is uncommon, especially with so many men out in this area, away from the city and few women.
“Why?” I demand.
“Convenience. You’re not moving the way that some of the Assembly wishes you to with the railroad. You aren’t taking control of the country with an iron fist the way the Assembly wishes you to. You aren’t controlling the people.”
“I’m allowing them to be, what? Too free?” I ask.
He nods his head up and down several times. Removing the knife, I straighten and look between the three of them.
“The entire Assembly voted for this play?” I ask.
The men look to one another, then over to me, shaking their heads a couple of times. Crossing my arms over my chest, my gaze locks in on the woman across from me. Her lips are pressed together, in a way where I know without a doubt not even torture would split them apart.
“It was not unanimous, only a majority, by one vote.”
“You’ll give me the names?” I ask.
The woman narrows her gaze, then the men look at one another, then to me. “You’ll spare us?”
“Did you vote for or against?” I ask, arching a brow.
Shifting my eyes to them, I flick my gaze between them and watch as their faces pale and their lips part.
They voted for murdering me.
They voted for treason.
They voted for corruption.
They voted for it all without a single care in the world.
I have only been in this position for less than a year and they were quick to get rid of me. What happens to the next, and then the next, and the next?
When does it all end?
Never.
That’s the answer. Just like in war, it will not end until you completely decimate your enemy. In this case, my enemy is domestic. My enemy is scheming and crooked. My enemy is a group of reclusive, secretive people who think they know what is best for an entire country.
Bride of the Frontier (The Prophecy of Sisters Book 3) Page 22