“I’m trusting you,” he said hoarsely. “I’m trusting you to not get yourself killed. Please, for the love of the Dagda, don’t let me down.”
He stormed off, motioning for the others to lift their shields. A volley of arrows soon followed, a storm of feathers and iron and wood. Reyna focused on the path of the arrows, dodging each one and then snatching a few from the air. The front line of the wood fae fell back. Some shouted, waving ahead another volley of arrows.
With a sigh, she ducked and spun and dodged. She heard the thunk of iron slamming into wood as the shadow fae did their best to stand their ground.
“What the hell is she?” one of the wood fae shouted.
“A Shieldmaiden,” another replied.
“Is she a Fomorian or something?”
“No. She’s just an ice fae. They can dodge arrows, but they can’t dodge swords. Send in the melee team.”
Reyna smiled and curled her hands into fists. This was what she had been waiting for. A real challenge. She could dodge arrows all day, butthis. This was new.
The archers parted, and a rush of sword-wielders charged toward Reyna and her group. Smiling, she raced forward to meet them. She leapt into the air, calling upon the one element she knew would never fail her. In her mind’s eye, she imagined her kingdom back home. She thought of the ice-peaked mountains and the snow that blanketed the woods. The hoarfrost worms and their whispers, their urging her to go on.
Suddenly, her body filled with strength. Her mind felt clearer than it ever had before. She slammed onto the ground before the wood fae, and the ground transformed to ice beneath her feet. Fingers of ice stretched out from where she knelt, crawling up the wood fae forms and freezing them into place.
Reyna gaped, her heart a somersault of emotion.
She hadn’t meant to dothat, but...it would work.
Curses exploded from the remaining wood fae as their line stumbled back even more. She quickly scanned the street. About twenty had frozen, leaving at least seventy more. The archers had fallen back to lurk in the buildings behind them, and only the melee warriors were left.
They sized her up, watching and waiting.
“Too scared?” she called out.
A few of them chuckled, but she saw the fear in their eyes. There was no hiding it.
“How do you have magic?” one shouted. She turned, zeroing in on the speaker. She was a tall, strong fae with willowy hair and gleaming turquoise eyes. Her armor was made up of thin scales made from bark, and her feet were bare. A Dryad then. Reyna was surprised they would be willing to fight for the wood king.
Reyna gave her a wide smile. “Because I feast on the flesh of my enemies.”
The wood fae mumbled amongst themselves, alarmed, and Reyna laughed. “That was a lie. I’ve never eaten flesh in my life. Your king, on the other hand...”
The mumbling grew louder.
Reyna glanced at Lorcan. He stood only a few feet away, watching her every move with sharp and focused eyes. They hadn’t really discussed what to do if they came upon a group like this. A group who stopped fighting. She hoped he wouldn’t mind what she said next.
She rose her voice so that it could be heard at the very back of their group. “Your king is a cruel beast who feasts on his own people. Put down your weapons and surrender, and Prince Lorcan will show you mercy.”
The Dryad let out a tense laugh. “You are greatly outnumbered, Shieldmaiden.”
Reyna arched a brow. “Are we? I just took out twenty of your warriors by myself. It would be little effort to kill the rest of you, but I’d rather not. Yield.”
“We heard the shadow king is as mad as our own!” another wood fae shouted.
Several screamed in agreement, raising their swords once more. The throng rushed forward, barely giving Reyna time to think. Startled, she reached for the first thing she could find. All she thought waspower.
A rush of wind exploded from her body, storming out of her flesh like a violent exhale. The wind hit the wood fae head on. It threw them off their feet, carrying them away and slamming others into the stone buildings at the back of the street. That was all it took. The wood fae scattered like ants, running into the streets to flee from Reyna’s attack.
Relief shook through her. She had no idea what she was doing, but it was working. Of course, they had not even reached the square yet.
“Well done, Shieldmaiden,” Nollaig said as she approached from behind. “Remind me to never get on your bad side though.”
Reyna grinned and turned to Lorcan. He was gathering the warriors in close again and pointing down the street to highlight the path they would take to the square. They all listened with rapt attention, respect in their eyes. A hot ache clawed its way through her gut. She loved seeing him this way, strong and in command. These fae looked to him as their prince. She had never before seen any of them look at their king the same way.
