“I love you, Lan,” Ian whispered, squeezing me back just as hard as I did him.
“I love you.”
He pulled away and turned toward our forces. “We march for the throne room,” Ian shouted. “The dark ones are likely stronger there, but we’ll meet them the entire trek through the palace. Work together and stay alert.”
The instructions passed among the front lines of soldiers, on and on toward the back.
Chants rose up, battle cries filled with vengeance echoing throughout Ellevail. Our army stood tall, weapons at the ready.
Kalliah appeared by my side, panting. “Just in time,” she said, drawing her blade from a sheath at her side.
“What are you doing here, Kalliah?” I gasped. “I thought you were staying at Dukes Pub to help with the injured.”
Kalliah chuffed. “There is no way I am letting my best friend fight this battle on her own. This is my home too, and besides now that I know Leif is alive and well, I refuse to be without him any longer.”
I hugged my friend hard. Kalliah had been with me through so much and was one of the only friends I ever had until now. That was, until I found my mate and those from Mysthaven I now loved like family. She was right though, and as much as I wanted everyone to be safe and away from this fight, they had as much right to be here as I did. “Together, then.”
She nodded once before standing beside me, dagger in hand.
Kade’s shadows slithered up my leg and formed their protective armor around my chest. It felt like home, and the light within me purred in response. With my shadow armor in place, Kade sent ribbons of shadows toward the chained gates. They glided silently along the grass and up the pathway until reaching their destination.
One by one the locks holding the chains in place were released and landed soundlessly on the ground.
“Fates, if you ever heard my call, now would be a really great time to listen,” I prayed. “Please protect my friends, my people. Our world depends on it.”
Even with the chill in the air, a warmth skittered across my arms. The wind danced around me, into my hair, before leaving again to blow across the rest of us. Nature’s embrace, its encouragement. It had to be. I inhaled, readying myself to lead and fight for my kingdom, no matter the cost.
The gates to the palace creaked open and I shouted, holding Apollo above my head, backed by the voices of an army a hundred strong. We marched up the remaining hill. A rallying cry sounded, and the clang of metal on metal finally filled the air.The dark ones rushed toward our group of Fae and attacked with a fervor unlike anything I had ever seen before.
Leif was right. These dark ones were strong, faster. Much more like the group we’d encountered in Eomer Forest before the marriage trials.
Earth Fae sent vines to wrap around the legs of the dark ones, tripping them over rocks protruding from the ground. Torrents of wind whipped around us as the air Fae attempted to knock the dark ones off balance. But with each attack, they countered, sending rocks and vines of their own flying.
Everyone around me used their magic in ways I had only dreamed of. The sheer magnitude of what these Fae pulled off when working together astounded me. My light flickered inside of me, pleading for release, but I kept it locked away. For now.
I ran to help one of our soldiers laying on the ground, overtaken by a dark one.
“Don’t expect mercy from me,” the dark one seethed as he inched the dagger closer to the soldier's throat. “Your death is my victory.”
“Not today, asshole.” I stabbed the dark one in the back. An inky mist left his body, but no sense of relief graced his expression as he tipped to the side, rolling once down the hill. Unadulterated anger lined every wrinkle.
There wasn’t time to think about what it all meant. There were more people who needed saving and more evil to kill.
It didn’t take long to dispose of the dark ones in the courtyard, due to the sheer numbers we possessed in our army. The fighting ceased, but the lawn now looked like a sea of dead bodies. Some of which were our own. I closed my eyes, swallowing before setting my sights on the palace doors up the winding hill. Their burial would be another day. Once Ellevail was ours, they would be honored.
“Come on, Little Rebel,” Kade called. “Let’s go take back your throne.”
Vengeance lapped at my mind, surging, fueling my need to win, knowing we were close. “Let’s go.”
Before entering the palace, Ian and Kade instructed our remaining forces to form groups and search the outer hallways and rooms while we focused on a direct route to the throne room.
Walking up the entrance stairs, my pace slowed, breathing in the scent of where I grew up. It didn’t smell the same. It didn’t feel the same.
“Andras,” I bellowed in the hall as I finally made my way into the grand foyer. “Come out, you coward.”
“Come on, Lan,” Ian urged. “We need to keep moving.”
We ran down the halls, getting closer to the back of the palace. We could hear fighting, so the others must be getting close to joining us.
