33
MAX
It’s been days and still no letter.
Gnawing on my bottom lip, I pace the office—the queen’s office. When I was first led here, the whole room had been covered in sheets and a thick layer of dust. I didn’t expect much, but once the covers were thrown away and the room cleaned, I could see the allure.
The wide windows face the garden and when open, the scents of the parrot tulips fill the room. With a lush red carpet, black lacquered desk and elegant armchair, it’s stately, refined but no overwhelming displays of wealth.
Tiredly, I fix the few items on the desk—the ink well and quill—before returning to my pacing. The letter was a big risk—I hadn’t spoken to them in sometime. But my mother had said to trust in my allies. They had been my only ones for so long.
A shout from the garden pulls me away, and I look down as a maid holds a tiny ball of flame in her hands. Nothing more than to light a candle wick, she screams and shouts, a few guards coming to her aid. She’ll be alright, it’s becoming common now.
Magic is returning to the world. Fae, whose ancestors once hadmagic and would’ve passed it on to them, are developing rapidly. Most are gaining fire magic here. Mal’s contacts in the Woodland Kingdom, someone who remains loyal, informed us just yesterday that a few Lord’s daughters had begun controlling plants and making flowers bloom.
Baris just smiled, pleased.
It’s still so odd to me. I started this. My love for Kaden, my determination to not let him go, fractured Neith’s curse and allowed magic to return. With Aoife’s death, it opened up, returning magic to our land.
I see it outside. The red sands glitter like jewels instead of the dullness from before. The air is sweeter and more vibrant. Baris claims thatSetiis happy with the development—the world has been set right.
All that’s left is to handle Griffin and his Humans.
Not all Humans are bad, no. But Griffin and his horde were corrupted by Aoife. Her influence still runs through them and they will stop at nothing to take and destroy, much like they did during the days of The Great War.
I won’t let the world get to that point again. The Shadowlands and the Dark Fae will be the shield to the rest of the world once more, and we will end it before it begins.
Fee walks into the office, boots thudding on to the floor.
I open my mouth to ask, but she shakes her head. “Nothing yet. But we need you for the oil.”
The burning bush oil is tricky to handle. Only Baris and I are well versed in how to harvest it and have it stashed in various jars. Fee is the key to it all.
Grabbing my cloak, I walk with the princess to the main gates, Kaden and the rest of our group there. We’re all dressed for war. We know after this assault, we’ll be opening ourselves up to a return attack.
We spent the better part of the last few days preparing. The villages in the path of the upcoming battle and further back havebeen evacuated. The lords’ troops have arrived and were given posts through the castle walls and into the woods. We have an arsenal ready, with stashes of swords hidden around should we need it.
But we’re still not ready. We know what to do and yet, everything feels heavy.
Kaden rubs my cheek, his gloved hand scratchy. “This will work.”
The world is falling apart, he’s needed to lead and still he’s finding the time to reassure me.
Quietly, I nod and exhale.This will work.
The Coal stallions gallop into the forest. Not quite to the barrier, we keep quiet, the vials in our bags stuffed with linen so as to remain silent. The party divides up once we reach a few paces from the nearest camp. A wide path is cut into the trees, with smaller footpaths off of it. It skirts the magical boundary that keeps the monsters inside, and all paths lead to a section of camps.
Griffin has his men set up in strategic locations. We cannot sneak into the camps without being seen, but that’s not our goal today. We want to surround the camps.
Mal, Fee, and Samkien take the left, whereas Reid, Layla, and Zeke take the right. I grab hold of Layla’s hand, and squeeze. “Stay with them. If you stray too far, a monster will eat you.” It doesn’t feel right having her here, but to leave her at the castle seemed worse.
She smiles softly. “All monsters fall underNylxa'sdomain. They won’t touch me.”
I doubt that.
Kaden, Baris, and I head further down the middle path. We all give each other one singular nod. Dump the oils and return to the meeting location. Fee will do the rest.
We walk in silence, and I take extra care not to trip. At the end of the carved path stands a wall of trees, but we know what lies beyond it. Carefully, we step through the brush and hunker down low.
