Page 35 of Stone Sentinels

Fuck. At least half a dozen Unseelie creep through the lower level of the cottage. The first one appears in the doorway of the kitchens.

“King of The Shadows,” the soldier chuckles. “Looking a bit run down since last I saw you on the battlefield.”

“Fuck off, Lithenli.”

“Heard your companion Thoradin was slain. What a pity. I would have liked to hold his heart in my hand while he gasped for breath.”

“Instead, I will offer you the same.” The cruel bite to my words doesn’t faze him, but his eyes widen as I hold my arm out to the side and summon a blade of shadow. Two more soldiers appear in the doorway, flanking their leader as he advances. One by one, they circle me. Flumph, Noni, and Morrigan hide in the cellar hidden under the planks of wood beneath my feet.

I must keep the elves from reaching them or Kolvar. “I miss the days when the Unseelie had pride and honor. You were once a kingdom that slaughtered leaders if they abused their power. What changed?”

Lithenli shakes his head with a bark of laughter. “Much has changed since you lost the war, gargoyle. And you’ve been gone so long, you still don’t know the Shadow Realm has been overrun by demons and orcs, taken by Variant and used as a place to breed his unholy army. Any gargoyles left either joined him or were returned to stone.”

“Is that so? Well, I’ll just add that to my list of reasons to kill Variant.”

“The Unseelie hold no allegiance to the false king,” Lithenli says and I’m surprised. He reaches into his belt and unsheathes his sword. “This is nothing personal, Dragan, just survival in the new world.” Lithenli lunges, slashing with his blade in a wide arc that causes me to drop to the ground to avoid having my head severed. The others follow his lead. Axes, daggers, swords, and hammers batter my body as I fight against their numbers.

I kick a soldier back and drive my blade into him. He screams in terror and the others pause for a moment, shocked by the sight of my shadow blades. Their pause buys me enough time to gather my wits and strategize against the onslaught of attacks. Another Unseelie falls, but is soon replaced with another as more flood the cottage. If I can’t defend our sanctuary, there’s nothing to stop Theren from harming Eilish.

Something squeaks and I catch Flumph squeezing through the floorboards behind the soldiers. He shoots bolts from his crossbow, trying to help me even the odds. We come back to back, but the sprite’s wing is injured. Still, he covers me as I hack and stab away at the Unseelie soldiers. One of the elves knocks Flumph to the ground, causing the sprite to fall unconscious. I cleave the soldier in two. Blood sprays across my face and I roar, causing the windows of the cottage to tremble.

Lithenli buries a dagger between the joints of my armor, going for my heart, but I thrash from side to side, causing him to miss my heart by a few inches. I can feel blood oozing between the plates, soaking my tunic beneath. My shadow blade is replaced by a wicked knife with a hooded curve at the tip. Lithenli’s eyes bulge as I dig the weapon into the underside of his chin. I watch the light leave his gaze as he gasps for air that never comes.

“Thoradin’s death was not in vain. He died with honor. Did you?” I demand.

I allow his body to crumple to the ground. The Unseelie continue to attack with fury. My body aches and I bash my head into the skull of a soldier. In the back of my mind is Eilish.

She needs me. I can’t die here.

Flumph crawls up the stairs, and I’m glad he made it to safety. He’s proven himself to be a worthy companion. Not that I will ever say that to his face. I’m quite happy with our banter, and watching the sprite tremble each time I walk into a room. Even so, if at least one life is spared by my efforts, then I will consider it a success.

My thoughts return to the fight. An axe swings through the air, but gets caught in the wall beside the fireplace. “Mind the furniture, dick. You don’t have to deal with the owner.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CAMBION

The Veil

“Theren, please. At least try to see reason,” I say when I’m finally able to free myself from the fucking gag around my mouth. “Morrigan is of no use to you without her power.”

My lips are swollen from the beatings at the hands of my brother’s men, but I don’t care. At this point, I want Dragan and the others to know I’m still on their side. I never sought to be the one to bring us to the brink of destruction, to be the one who allowed enemies to enter The Veil. This forest was once my escape from the horrors of reality, but now I see that I’ve been running from my problems and leaving the others to clean up my mess. This is not who I am. I’m not a coward, but now I’m no better than Dragan when he allowed Lamia to seduce him.

The others warned me, as I’d warned him that fateful day. I can no longer hold his past against him when I’ve done the same.

Theren ignores my pleas and walks closer to Eilish, slotting his body between hers and Aima’s. I watch Aima’s jaw clench as Theren circles the succubus.

“We could rule together, Eilish,” I hear him say. “No more foolish demands from a girl trying her best to be a woman. I’ve seen the things you fight to unveil in your mind.”

“How?” Eilish demands. “What things?”

He shrugs. “I see into the mirrors of the past, present, and future.”

His words remind me of the mirror in my pocket. Thankfully, the Unseelie soldiers didn’t take it—only because they didn’t realize it was there, probably owing to its small size.

Perhaps, if I’m taken from The Veil once more, Pyre can use the mirror to track my whereabouts. But that’s only if he desires to do so. I wouldn’t argue against my fate if the others deemed me too tainted to join their quest once more.

And now I hear that we have a collective name.The Rebel Lords of the Vindication, I believe it was? An appropriate moniker for a band of misfits fighting for the most just of causes. I don’t know why it’s now that I begin to think of myself as one of them. Perhaps it’s the nagging sense of guilt I feel or the sting of my brother’s betrayal that weakens me once again.

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