Ferona’s eyes snapped open, and she jumped up, yelling, “The Lycanthropes have allied with Meir and Neoma. Benny, Ojore, and Sephyr are dead! Meir and Neoma are pretending to be Ael and Seda! Vira’s headed here with Askold. They’ve escaped! But the Lycanthropes have gathered and are making their way here!”
“What the fuck?” Praxis shouted. “How do they know it’s Meir and Neoma?”
Luelle looked at the damn fool sharply. “Because that fucking woman turned you into Ael, idiot! Remember? Can you reach Roya?” Luelle asked, turning her attention back to Ferona as her panic rose. Were the Jotnar with Meir? How could that have happened? She silently scolded Ael. He should have had Meir and Neoma killed for conspiring, not sent away as he had.
Ferona shook her head. “Roya’s unreachable.”
Luelle gasped, unsure of what that signified. Was Ael alright? She narrowed her eyes and glanced back at Praxis and the distant Jotnar, feeling a surge of resolve grow within her.
“Kill them, Praxis,” she said calmly. “We need to protect Umbrea at all costs.”
Praxis gave the orders,and the Fae guard began to form. Luelle stood over the gathering crowd and looked down, seeing both the citizens and the guard look up at her with a mixture of fear and determination. Umbrea had never been attacked like this before, and their king was not here. It was her responsibility to speak on his behalf, even though she didn’t want to.
She had no idea what to say, but she ground her teeth together before saying, “Citizens of Umbrea. Today marks a day in history. We’ve never had an attack on our soil before. We’ll do everything in our power to prevent the Jotnar from advancing.” She looked over the crowd, feeling like she was doing a shit job at this. “We move forward and kill those fuckers!”
The crowd responded loudly, a mix of cheers and cries. Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say in her position, but she had no other words. She really wasn’t cut out for this.
“Captain Praxis!” she shouted and pointed down at him. “Fire on those assholes!”
Praxis raised his sword in the air and turned around, giving the command of the guard. Loud bangs erupted from dusty canons that Ael’s father had installed during the first monster war as a preparation, and shot across the green grass beyond to where the Jotnar stood. They didn’t move as blasts exploded around them, one meeting its mark on the Jotnar’s arm.
Luelle turned to Ferona and asked, “Are they idiots? They aren’t moving away!”
Ferona’s eyes widened. “Look!” She pointed out to the Jotnar. They slowly walked beyond the range of the cannons. They sat down and stared at the city once more, watching as the blasts rained down ahead of them.
Luelle shouted down at the guard, “Form a protective barrier!”
The Fae guard awkwardly assembled and made their way through the city gates, forming long rows of lines that shielded the entire city in a magical glow.
Luelle bit her nail, chipping the polish, and watched the scene as nerves wrapped around her throat.
Why weren’t they advancing?
Chapter 43
Ael
Ael saw a large cloud of his breath escape his lips with each gasp. His father’s head, alongside a piece of his body, had been staked to the center of this cavern, on display like a prized possession.
He felt no remorse for his father’s fate. Though it was revolting and malevolent, he wasn’t here to save that asshole. Let him rot in this cold, unforgiving purgatory for the way he treated him and countless others.
“Don’t go in, Ael,” his father’s tormented face said. “She died. That’s not her!”
Ael averted his gaze from his father toward the glow from the amethysts, the light unable to reach into the dark network of alcoves that extended beyond this lair. He heard a chuckle coming from a recess along the ceiling, and his eyes shot upward.
“I’ve missed you, my son,” the voice said, sounding just as he remembered. He felt a sudden surge of sorrow at the soundof the voice.
It wasn’t her. It couldn’t be.
Uncontrollable emotion began to blur his vision as memories of his mother flooded through him—her tickles and laughter, and her pain-filled eyes as she watched him being torn from her for the final time.
Roya and that asshole, Kalon, were trapped on the ground in a thick, gummy paste, desperately trying to escape, but only tangling themselves further. He saw Seda kneel to help them and reached out to stop her, shaking his head as he pointed up toward the dark pit. If she touched it, she would get trapped, also.
Ael blinked away his tears, slowly unsheathed his sword, and stepped further into the cavern, distancing himself from his father’s mangled head.
“My Cahir…” the voice cooed.
The amethyst stones began to pulse vibrantly, partially highlighting the darkness beyond. A long, pointed tip, like the end of a black widow’s leg, wrapped around the edge of the opening.
