“Seeds,” Galen mutters. He stands shoulder to shoulder with me. He’s as annoying as a button that is holding the fabric too tightly around you. I just want to rip it open and be free.
It makes sense now. Galen tilled the land. The soldiers throw seeds into the air, which the wind magic spreads.
I know why he needs me here.
What I don’t know is why he needs more humans. “Why?” I whisper.
“Because humans need food, and I can provide that endlessly,” he retorts.
Galen wouldn’t lessen his barracks to hold human warriors unless he was plotting a battle I could never have predicted. Capable of not only dethroning a king, but setting siege upon the entire species.
“Now tell me the real reason you want more humans.”
Galen slides in front of me like a cornerstone, holding up all the weight and knowledge. I’m just a small brick in this grand scheme. However, removing just one brick can have a significantimpact. It might not cause the wall to crumble, but it will affect its longevity. That’s what Everett would have told me.
“I told you we are hunting bunnies.” His smooth fingers snake around my neck like phantoms. “Humans procreate like rabbits.”
I wish I could stop the chills that flare over my skin as he runs his nose over my flesh.
“Your father received the news of my killing spree. He’s quite upset.” His hot lips press a kiss over my pulse. “Hmmm, do you smell that?”He runs his tongue along my throat. “War. I love that smell.”
“You’ve never smelt it.” I try to jerk away, but his left hand grabs my lower back, and his right digs into my neck as he holds firm.“When were you on the battlefield?” I challenge.
“Why would I need to be? Soon, I’ll have humans in my army. I will far outnumber your father.”
It all makes sense. He’s luring humans here with farmlands, but the cost will be their lives, either as a blood bag or a soldier.
I don’t have the magic of foresight, but I do see the future if Galen succeeds. He will kill my father, invade the fae territories, and slowly, both our people will be killed off. Vampires will grow desperate and start hoarding humans as cattle.
Humans will revolt. More death.
So much more.
Then, the mages will strike because we will all be weak. Those who are left will fight; they will have no choice.
I look out at the field. Death is here, taking root in the soil, and we are all nourishing it.
This is the outcome Everett saw.
But runes can balance that.
I want to cry, scream, and shout. To tell Everett that I understand. I know why he never flat-out told me. I had to see it to believe it—not just me, but everyone else. We had to endurethe wars and suffering; we had to learn so that in the future, we never slip this far off the scales of balance again.
Clouds eclipse the sun in a poetic moment of realization and symmetry. Two more vampires step out onto the field, their hands raised high as they tug on the clouds that do not want to cry today. They have water magic, forcing the clouds to bleed and suffuse the land.
Darkness blinds me as my sight is taken in an instant. Galen blocks my view; his lips cover mine. It’s a long kiss, gentle yet so threatening it feels like a dagger gutting me open like a fish.
“It’s a very long game, sweet wife.” He pulls away and cups my cheek. “I hope you pick the right side.” Turning his back, he uses his magic to till the land, ensuring the seeds are buried. “Now,” he grabs my hand and drags me out into the fields. “It’s your turn. Give life,” he orders.
His eyes are cold, a frigid warning not to deny him in front of his people.
My throat thickens like metal in a fire, and then it all melts and expands. I know the consequences of not pouring my life magic into the fields. Galen would kill more of my people.
He’s going to kill them anyway…
This is a game. I have to play.
Stepping forward, I flex my fingers, feeling my magic quiver with excitement. Bending down, I press my palms into the soil, feeling its coolness as I dig my fingertips deep into the earth.
