Again, he ignores me, looking off at something behind me. But when I glance over my shoulder, nothing but more forest stretches out as far as the eye can see.
“I’m haunted by the past,” The Guardian whispers so softly, I nearly miss his words. I snap my head back around, a question on the tip of my tongue, but he speaks before I can. “I cannot take you back now. Your contract is final. I wish I could lead you to the fae kings, but circumstances won’t allow it. I must get home.”
“How the hell do you expect me to defend myself? What am I to do?” Angry tears threaten to roll down my cheeks.
But the damn man won’t even glance at me. Instead,he gestures at my suitcase. “I’m sure you have something in there that can defend you.”
Is this man serious?
“What do you propose I use? My bra as a slingshot, or maybe my giant pot as a hammer?”
The Guardian doesn’t pick up on my sarcasm because he nods. “Inventive. That will serve you well here.” He then does the thing with his hand again, waving it in the air. The same shimmery veil appears. This bastard is really going to leave me alone in a strange new world.
“Wait!” I scream, begging for him to hear. Begging for him not to leave me stranded here. But he ignores my pleas like the heartless monster he scared away. He doesn’t even look back as he crosses the threshold, leaving me truly and completely alone in a strange, monster-infested world.
Chapter 5
Zephyr
Earth, ice, and wind fae fight alongside each other, attacking the enemy on our soil. Icy rain pelts us, and the ground grows slick with each step. My hand hovers over the sword at my hip, itching for the weight of the safety it provides, even if that safety is an illusion against the creatures infiltrating our land.
Seven, maybe eight, in total.
Small compared to a fleet of fae or any other magical creature, but Nephilim possess the strength and power of twenty skilled men. A formidable foe, even amongst the king’s army, who have trained rigorously day in and day out. With our food supply wilting daily, leaving us with a malnourished kingdom, this fight proves that much more difficult.
I scan the area around us, but I don’t see Niko. I feel my mate’s emotions, which brings some relief. He’s alive and well, though a tremor of fear goes through our bond. Niko is good at crafting a mask of indifference and shrugging things off with jokes, but our bond can’t lie. Feardrives him, just as it drives me. Fear for each other. Fear for our land. Fear of the Nephilim. We would be fools not to fear them.
The ground quakes as a massive creature emerges from the trees; its sheer size sends tremors through the earth. A fleet of wind fae are the first to react, slicing through the air as they rush toward the Nephilim. In perfect unison, they summon their magic, generating powerful gusts beneath their feet that propel them upward until they hover at eye level with the monstrous being.
With swords gleaming in the dim light, the fae launch their attack. Some manage to drive their blades deep into the Nephilim’s leathery flesh, but before they can press their advantage, the creature retaliates. It happens in a blink of an eye. With a single, sweeping motion, it releases a surge of dark magic, an invisible force that explodes outward, hitting the surrounding fae at full force.
The impact is devastating. The wind fae are hurled back as if caught in a storm, their bodies flung through the air like fallen leaves. Some crash onto the damp earth below, and their bones shatter on impact with a sickening crunch. Others collide with tree limbs, their bodies going limp as they dangle from the branches, as if they are nothing more than morbid decorations. The battlefield falls eerily silent. None of them move.
In a single moment, the Nephilim took out an entire fleet of our men. That’s a dozen trained soldiers. Sick dread coils low in my stomach, tightening my muscles. The Nephilim shrieks in a victory roar before its gazedrops to me. Its eyes narrow and darken as it finds another target.
Unfortunately, it’s me. Its thin lips curl into a sinister smile.
“Oh dear, it doesn’t look pleased to see you,” a familiar voice says in my ear, sending a jolt of shock through me. I turn my head just in time to see tousled green hair and a small body landing on my shoulder.
Finnick.
“You shouldn’t be here. Where’s your mother?” My gaze darts around to see if Lady Thalia is somewhere nearby. No signs of Niko and Finnick’s mother, which hopefully means she stayed in the tent where it’s safe. But, like her sons, she also has an irritating quality of not listening to instructions, a trait that clearly runs in the family.
“I’m needed here.” Finnick puffs out his chest. “I can help. Trust me.”
“Do I need to point out the size difference between you and the Nephilim?”
Finnick doesn’t seem put off by my anger. “I’ve dealt with bigger.” He shrugs.
That, I highly doubt.
I curse under my breath, knowing Finnick is as stubborn as they come. He won’t go back, no matter how many times I command him to. Being a king means nothing to him, apparently. “Fine. But you stay by my side. If I tell you to run, run. Do you understand?”
“I don’t run; I fly.” Finnick dismissively waves me off, insisting that he, in fact, doesn’t understand. I open mymouth to lecture him again, but the Nephilim lets out another ear-splitting shriek and dives toward us.
Instinct takes over, and I unsheathe my sword in the same instant Finnick does. My blade is forged for battle, capable of cutting through even the toughest of flesh and bone. His, on the other hand, looks like it would struggle to skewer a grape. There’s no way in hell that flimsy weapon will do any real damage against a Nephilim.
We’re fucked.
