by Emma Hamm
Then, miraculously, she heard a scream on the parapets. Not the scream of a Dread, but of a man.
His shout echoed loud and clear before ending in a gurgle. Silence rang louder than his scream as everyone realized the battle had changed.
Another soldier cried out, only to be silenced in the middle of it. As if someone had sawn through his throat in hopes no one would hear what was happening.
Danielle pressed closer to the bars, even though she couldn’t get any closer if she tried. She peered down at the parapets but could see nothing. The soldiers all clustered together in confusion.
As she watched, one man leaned over the edge. A clawed hand reached up and grasped the straps of his armor. The Dread pulled him over the stone. This one didn’t scream, but now she knew what they were doing.
“They’re on the walls,” she whispered. “They’re on the walls.”
“There!” Milo exclaimed, pointing at the other side of the palace.
One of the Dread clung to the white marble tower. She’d seen such a sight before, when she was very little exploring in the attic. A bat had gotten into the palace and clung to the rock with its wings and back legs. The Dread looked like the bat she’d seen. It held on with the claws at the tips of its wings, gaze forward, watching the top of the wall. The moment a soldier looked over, it reached for the man and tossed him over the edge.
Sunlight hit the man’s gleaming armor and a spear of light mirrored across the entire palace.
Perhaps that was the signal to attack. A call went up among the soldiers of Hollow Hill. They screamed for drawn weapons and mustered courage.
The Dread pulled themselves up from the walls and lunged for whatever human they could reach. Claws slash and teeth bit. Swords hacked and shields held strong.
Now the real battle had arrived. All along the walls of the palace, men and Dread fought.
Blood soon coated the parapets. Danielle couldn’t stop staring at the pools dripping down the white walls and into her home.
She didn’t know if she should be happy the Dread seemed to be winning, or if she should be sad at all the lives lost. Her own people were dying on both sides.
A horn blared from within the palace. Men poured out the gates, some riding horses so both their hands were free. More soldiers, far more than the Dread.
Every moment seemed to be filled with another death of someone she loved. Danielle could hardly breathe knowing that all this was happening because of her.
Perhaps not because of her existence. She wasn’t so selfish to think that. But she was the catalyst. The alchemists used her image to get her kingdom to do what they wanted. They had twisted the minds of her people and her family. The Dread were here because they thought to protect her from the creatures who had tormented them for so long.
But also because the Dread knew something the humans didn’t. If they didn’t stop the alchemists, no one else would.
She stepped away from the screams and angered shouts. She stepped away from the sight of blood and so much death.
Milo moved with her, reaching for her arms. “Danielle.”
There was nothing more either of them could say. So much loss could only be mourned in silence.
Her brother drew her close to his thin chest and held her against his heartbeat. She pressed her face against him and let the tears fall from her eyes. Sobs shook her shoulders and made her stomach roll.
Danielle wanted to help them all. She wanted to free the Dread from their bonds and prove to the humans they weren’t monsters. She wanted to save the lives of Hollow Hill and redeem them in the eyes of the Dread.
But these were all impossible things. She was just one woman, with little control over the thoughts and minds of so many.
“It will be all right,” Milo murmured in her ear. She could hear he didn’t believe the words himself.
“I don’t want anyone else to die.”
“Neither do I, sister. We don’t have a choice locked up in here.”
Gods, he was right. He was more than right, because Diana stood outside their door and there was no way they could overpower their warrior sister.
Once again, she was the weakling. But Danielle had promised herself she wouldn’t fall prey to such thoughts again. The Dread had trained her. Perhaps not in warfare or battle, but he had shown her there was so much more to a warrior than being able to lift a sword.
She picked her head up off Milo’s shoulder and shook her head. “No, we have a choice. We can stop this if we try hard enough, if we just put our minds together.”
“We can’t convince Diana to let us out.”
“Then we convince one of the Dread to come get us.”
“How do we do that?” Milo helped her to the window, where they both leaned against each other and stared down at the battle. “We can’t shout louder than they’re fighting.”
“No, but we can make a banner to let them know I’m here.” Danielle pulled off her shirt and then held her hand out for his. “Off with it, Milo.”
He made an unimpressed face before he reached down and grasped the hem of his own shirt. “You realize I’ve been locked up in here for weeks, and that I’m already freezing.”
“If we get the Dread to know we’re here, then you won’t have to be cold anymore. They’ll free us.”
He handed her the shirt. “And if the Dread don’t notice us?”
“They will.” Danielle knotted the two shirts together at the wrists, then hung it out the window. She held onto the other end and watched the fabric flutter in the breeze. “They’ll notice because they’re looking for me.”
She watched with rapt attention, trying to figure out which of the Dread was closest to her. A few of them were fighting with soldiers. One of the Dread fell with a bitter scream as a sword sliced off its wing.
Another Dread looked up and noticed the fluttering fabric. Before it could scream, a Hollow Hill soldier impaled it with a sword.
Her breathing ragged, Danielle prayed. She didn’t know who she was calling out to, what god might help them in their hour of need, but all she needed was a single person to find her. To see her. To know that the princess was here, and she wanted to help them.
Danielle didn’t know what she could do, of all people, but she knew getting out of this tower was the first step toward freedom. For all of them.
“Danielle?” Milo asked, frowning at something in the distance. “Forgive me, but do the Dread get even larger than these?”
A bolt of excitement rushed through her chest and made her heart squeeze hard. “Only one.”
She rushed to her brother’s window. Face pressed to the bars once more, she followed the line of his finger to the largest outline in the sky.
“He’s coming for me,” she whispered. “He made it back in time.”
Raphael flew through the volley of arrows as though they were nothing more than rain. A few sliced through his wings and new holes appeared where beams of light speared. But he didn’t stop. He didn’t hesitate.
He circled the soldiers on the parapets, still shooting Dread from the sky. With a single flex of his wing, he caught one and knocked him off the wall. The scream echoed for only a moment before the man struck the ground and was silenced.
A few of the Dread called out to him.
Even amongst the heat of battle, a cheer rose above all the sounds of war.
“Emperor!”
The guttural calls of the Dread overpowered any sound of sword hitting flesh, screams of the dying, or even the thud of wings hitting shields. The call was repeated until the spine chilling cheer was the only thing which could be heard in all of Hollow Hill.
Every soldier with a bow turned to point them at Raphael. Danielle wanted to scream in warning, but she couldn’t make a single sound.
A wall of arrows were released, but not a single one touched her Dread. He dropped out of the air with precision and grace, dodging them all, and then opened his wings wide. He flew across the parapet, his body
a battering ram which knocked off every single soldier on that wall.
Raphael had done this before. He knew battle well, and he’d fought against the humans for many of his years. If they thought they could kill the Emperor of the Dread so easily, then they wouldn’t know what hit them before he sliced their throats open with his claws.
“I recognize him now,” Milo muttered. “I don’t know how I forgot such a beast.”
“He’s no beast,” she replied, her heart fluttering in her throat. “He’s an Emperor.”
One of the Dread pointed up at the silver tower, and Danielle watched Raphael look up at her. He couldn’t possibly see her from their distance, but she felt his soul reach out and call hers. He was coming.
“Step away from the window,” she said.
Milo didn’t ask why. He backed away faster than she thought he could move. They both pressed their backs against opposite walls and Danielle counted to ten.
Breathlessly, she waited for him.
With a resounding crash, the wall caved in from impact. Stones flew in all directions, dust gathered in the air and plumed around them. Danielle lifted her arm and covered her face, but she knew it wasn’t an attack upon them. Diana let out answering screams before she fell silent.
The Emperor of the Dread had struck the silver tower with such force he’d broken through the wall.
When she could breathe again, she lowered her arm and opened her eyes. Sunlight spilled in around his dark form. His wings barely fit in the opening, and he had to lean down to fit through the hole in the wall. He braced his arms on either side and grinned at her.
“Hello, Danielle,” he said, his voice a low growl. “What have you gotten yourself into this time?”
She launched herself at him, racing without fear toward the edge at the tower. She threw her arms around his neck and pressed against him. Breathing in the scent of warfare and clean, crisp air. “You’re here,” she whispered against his throat.
He wrapped her in his arms and stepped into the silver tower. “Did you think I would let you fight alone?”
She snuggled against his heat. Gods, he was here. He was alive and everything outside these walls didn’t matter. She could feel his heartbeat against her lips where she pressed them to his neck. He was finally here.
Raphael held her close but leaned back enough to stare down at her. “Are you ready, Princess?”
“For what?”
“We need to end all this. No more death. No more fighting. No more battle between our people.”
She’d never been happier to hear him say anything. Nodding, she held onto him tighter. “Let’s go then.”
Raphael turned them, only to pause at the last second and glance back at Milo. “Are you coming, Prince?”
Her brother looked down at himself and then at Raphael. “Do I look like I know how to fight?”
“Not really.”
“Astute.” Milo crossed his arms over his chest and wave them off. “I’ll be fine here. You go save the kingdom and do whatever it is you two do. Just don’t forget I’ve been locked up in here forever, will you?”
“I won’t forget,” Danielle replied.
“Good. Now go save the kingdom, sister.”
Raphael stepped forward, held her close to his heart, and plummeted into the middle of war.
Chapter 35
Danielle clutched his neck as they soared through the clouds. Arrows rained down upon them, but he didn’t let a single one touch her. She could hear them whistling, screaming in her ears as they just missed their targets.
She didn’t feel fear, however. He wouldn’t let anyone harm her. She knew this to be the truth. If anyone could protect her, it was Raphael.
Raphael tilted in the air, gliding sideways past an empty parapet. Blood leaked down the edges in rivers, flowing so freely she wondered how many had died.
Images like this would forever be burned in her memory. Danielle feared she would dream of them for years to come. Men and women she loved reaching out for her in the middle of the night, blood leaking from their eyes, nose, and mouth.
Shivering, she tucked her face against the side of his neck and resolved not to look. Not until she had to.
Raphael tightened his hold around her waist, pressing her against his heat. “We’re almost there, ma tigresse.”
“Then what are we going to do?”
“Whatever we can.”
She didn’t know where he was taking them, but she had a feeling it was the heart of the battle. He would want to make some kind of big statement. How else would they stop anyone from fighting? They needed to make an impact when no one else would.
Raphael beat his wings harder, slowing them down with great gusts of wind. Shouts echoed behind her head. He was pushing soldiers away from wherever he wanted to land.
She gazed over his shoulder at the Dread who were rallying behind their Emperor. A few had already made it, landing in crouches upon the stone walkway which lead up to the palace. A few were still fighting against the Hollow Hill soldiers on the walls.
The shouts of warfare died down, however, when the Emperor landed with the Princess in his arms.
The silence was almost louder than their screams of battle and hatred.
His arm around her waist loosened, though not by much. “Are you ready?” he murmured in her ear.
She squeezed her arms around his neck tighter, but then released her hold. “I still don’t know what we’ll do.”
Raphael grinned down at her, and for the first time, she noticed his teeth were normal. Not pointed or fanged, but the teeth of a man. Even his lips had softened, plumped into something different. Something unlike the visage she had grown used to.
“We can only control ourselves, my love. What other people think of us doesn’t matter, remember that in the moments to come.”
He released her and set her aside. Raphael spread his wings wide. The ragged edges and worn holes through the thin membranes only made him look even more aggressive. Even more powerful.
Danielle stepped to the side, letting him make the display, which should have frightened the soldiers even more than the other Dread. He was larger. More intense. Far more capable than the rest.
And yet, all she could think of was his words.
My love.
Did he love her? It wasn’t possible. They hadn’t known each other long enough for something like that, and yet... she thought she loved him too.
She feared his death more than she feared her own. She wanted him by her side for the rest of her life, she knew that for certain. No one could satisfy her curiosity for knowledge more than he.
But he’d also protected her. Ensured she was safe, even when she hadn’t liked his methods. He was more than just a beast or a monster.
He was Raphael.
The monster who had tried to kill her. The man who had saved her from her family. And the god-like being who spread his wings wide before the soldiers of Hollow Hill so he was the only target they could strike. The one who walked toward them with such confidence, she feared they would all lose their minds and shoot as one.
What was he doing? He wasn’t large enough to create a blanket of safety between himself and the other Dread. There were still soldiers on the walls. Still Dread dying as they struggled to reach their Emperor.
If he wanted to approach the soldiers of Hollow Hill, then she wouldn’t let him do it alone. Danielle raced in front of him and stood between him and the drawn bows.
“Stay your arrows,” she called out. Her voice rang through the courtyard of the palace, clear and true.
The men in front of her shifted. As if they heard their Princess and something changed inside them. As if a light glowed where there had only been darkness before.
The alchemists, she thought.
They hadn’t just turned her family against her, but they’d done something to her people. She frowned and said over her shoulder, “The alchemists did something. I don’t know what, but there’s dark
ness in their eyes that wasn’t there before.”
Raphael hummed low in his throat. “Perhaps they aren’t as weak as I thought.”
“Weak?” The oily voice called out, exiting the palace doors with a grand flourish. The leader of the alchemists strode to the top of the stairs, walking through slick blood until she couldn’t tell which was her peoples’, and which was the alchemists’. “Such has always been your greatest flaw, Emperor. Respect for the alchemists is something you must learn. I’m sad to say, you will learn it in the most difficult way.”
Danielle stared at the monster walking down the stairs toward them. She held her ground, although she didn’t want to. The alchemist paused just behind the line of soldiers.
She eyed him, then her people. Some guards were still blindly angered, their eyes almost red with rage. But a few of them looked around themselves, as though they were coming out of a dream.
Giving up now wasn’t an option. She would fight the alchemists until the bitter end, even if it meant her own people caused her death.
She lifted her arms and ignored the alchemist speaking to them. “You don’t have to fight,” she said. “Lay down your weapons and all this will end.”
The alchemist burst into laughter. “What a lovely way to think of war. If only we were all as innocent as you, Princess.”
His words were laced with poison that flooded the air. She could smell it. Metallic and greasy.
She took a deep, clearing breath. “This man does not know Hollow Hill. He doesn’t know you like I do.”
Or at least, she thought she knew them. The people she held in her heart couldn’t have started a war without reason. That’s why the king always walked on broken glass. Their image of him meant far more than any other kingdom, for the people of Hollow Hill would remove a king from his throne.
A guard at the end of the line wavered. His aim lowered toward the ground, and he stared at her with wide, unblinking eyes.