Hope didn’t let me give up on Harvey and Nevaeh because I was sick and tired of the entire kingdom mourning the two people who I knew were still alive.
Out of reach but alive.
The day our future Death and War were taken, the entire kingdom was shaken to the core. We have enemies just like every other kind, but no one has ever dared act on it. Then, out of nowhere, two young royals were snatched from their homes with no traces, clues, or proof of life.
That was until last night when one of the many spies I had spread around all realms came rushing to the Horsemen’s castle with a location. My troops were ready to attack at the first sign of light without any qualms about sneaking into enemy territory.
The crescent moon covenhas always been a menace. Creating problems, showing up places uninvited and causing unnecessary disarray with intentions no one could put a finger on.
There were times I personally wanted to visit and warn the dark queen to stay within her limits. My Warriorhead was all too happy to deliver the message on my behalf, but searching for my fellow Horsemen and overseeing three large kingdoms kept me occupied beyond my capacity.
The coven was high on our list of suspects, but when the coven relocates every couple of months with no traces, there’s only so much you can dig out. The constant jumping of realms and secret locations always left us stumped.
The crescent moon is powerful, with a suspiciously high number of elder dark witches and gifted descendants. It’s almost impossible to infiltrate the coven and the force field surrounding them makes it trickier to send in spies.
Within four hours of breaking the barrier and barging in, we had assassinated almost every high-ranking warlock/ witch, but by then, the queen had already escaped with a few of herfollowers. I was in no position to worry about her when my priority was to find my Horsemen and get them home safely.
When I stepped inside the dungeons, my heart nearly dropped to my feet. As far as I could see, the dungeon was scattered with dead bodies, some new, some old enough to have started decaying. The Deviants sprawled on the ground were burnt to a crisp and slaughtered.
I knew it washer, and she had somehow managed to escape without help. Fates, our future Horsewoman of Death isvicious.
Hazel,my Warriorhead andGrace, our Bookkeeper and elite warrior, took the south border while I went with Seiji, the future of Famine bloodline, to tear apart the surrounding forest in hopes that Nevaeh wasn’t far away.
On top of everything, my Divine was acting like an unyielding brat since morning. As much as I wanted to take a minute to understand my unease, I was knee-deep in planning safe attack strategies and backup, so no stone was left unturned.
I can’t imagine how this day would’ve turned out if we didn’t accidentally stumble upon her bloodied footsteps.Technically, Seiji found the prints, but I was nowhere in the mindset to handle the enormous amount of gloating he would force on me if I said that out loud.
It didn’t even occur to me how there was only one set of footprints because my entire focus was on reaching the end of them.
I thought the worst possible outcome would be coming home with two dead bodies and facing a broken father, but the broken body of his daughter clinging to a blood-soaked child, fighting her mightiest, was not something I could’ve prepared for.
The moment I saw her, I knew I would finally have my answers, but the fear and defeat glistening in dark eyes made me question if I was ready for them. On the verge of death with a fading fog shielding her, she still fought better than mostof my warriors. Balancing on bruised bare feet, she drove her spear with such force and accuracy that it was hard not to be impressed.
The dull gold in her eyes was so mesmerizing I had to force my legs to keep moving.She looked ethereal. I would’ve stood there in awe if her Divine wasn’t fading away in front of my eyes. It took Seiji crashing into my back to remind me I was there to help, not gape.
Peering down at the frail woman in my arms who shut down seconds after she wasn’t responsible for her own weight, I inhale shakily when my fingers brush another cut on her back.
I make sure to keep my movements steady and avoid uneven ground so her injuries don’t rub against me and add to her pain. I’m not surprised I’m already so protective of her, but the surge of possessiveness building a home inside my chest is odd.
Tracing every scar on her body with my eyes, I try to tamp down the sudden urge to burn the world around me and hide her in my arms so the flames can’t touch her. Calm down, Anxo. She doesn’t need an overprotective man in her life when she can perfectly serve her own revenge.And she isnotyour mate.
The bruises on her arms seem older, but the gashes on her back, forehead, and thighs are fresh and bleed every time she moves closer to hide from the sharp bite of cold air. Pulling the shivering girl closer to my chest, I pray Fates will look out for her until I can get us to safety.
The thin material of her dress—if you could even call it that—is soaked with blood. The splashes of black goo on her clothes prove how much damage she is capable of.
Walking down the route I had everyone memorize, I push my Divine forward to create a barrier of fabricated reality. Casting an illusion, I cover our scents and sounds to veil our presence on the chance someone tries to follow our trail. Don’t want my little Horsewoman to wake up by the screams of our enemy.
Everything is normal inside the transparent hexagon bubble that ripples with the wind, but anyone passing by would see or hear nothing but wildlife.
“Oh, come on Anxo, yellow fitsperfectly!” Seiji’s whining destroys my train of thought, which had wandered to all the work I’d waiting for me back home.
Man, I hate paperwork.Absolutely despise it.
With the small child in his arms, he turns around to walk backwards, and before I have to reprimand him for being careless, he turns back to match our pace.
“No.”
“Ugh,fine. Purple, then?”
