Page 18 of Vengeance and Fire

I thought we had more time. With the information obtained from Harold we learned Maurelle is moving with a vast army by foot through Celestia.She is posturing, showing off the strength of her forces whilst instilling fear in my people at the same time. I sent out an alert to as many of the nearby towns as I could. A few Druids chose to wait it out in their homes. The majority moved up into the mountains behind the manor seeking high ground. At least up there I can protect them.

Gray, Lorian, and Pax have been escorting people back and forth all day. They received word from the rest of their council that there was no army in their half of Celestia, which infuriated them. Someone brokered a deal with Maurelle, and it wasn’t the highest-ranking Mages in Celestia. The Druids are her target, and she wants complete surrender or our death. Well, we aren’t surrendering. Unfortunately, I thought I had more time to plan and rally as many fighters and spellcasters as possible, but as night falls on Celestia I know it is too late. Maurelle’s army of Fae, Mages, and Dragons are marching out of the trees and surrounding the manor.

Standing high on the rampart with a now composed Harold to my right, and my mates to my left. The hood of my cape covers my face, shielding me from cold wind whipping up around us. At this time of year, the weather is unpredictable and as cold as it is, I wouldn’t be surprised if snow begins to fall.

Fire Mages are the first to appear, lighting up the night, they cast an eerie glow on the grounds below. From this far up, I can see that we are outnumbered. Wave after wave of supernaturals walk out of the trees, falling in line in front of us, the pounding of their feet is all I can hear as they continue to pour out of the forest. Massive black Dragons fly above us, roaring and making themselves known. Although none of the Barons have magic, their sheer size can do an enormous amount of damage. The entire scene before me is as heartbreaking as it is surreal. This is exactly what we’ve tried to avoid for years. This is why we had our own Realms. Maurelle has filled all of their heads with lies, and they are following her blindly. I’m sure she would rather we are all dead or powerless.

“Those are our people down there. How dare they go against us? We are their leaders!” Pax slaps the stone in front of him hard, sending debris flying through the air around us. He paces the wall like a caged animal, eager to jump down and take on his fellow Mages who’ve broken the peace between us. Our union secured that peace, and now it’s laid in tatters at our feet. All for nothing, well, for Maurelle’s benefit. She wants nothing more than to disturb the delicate balance between us, she would be happy if we destroyed each other. Her reasoning for being here now has everything to do with Cordelia. Maurelle never plays fair. The last thing I want is to bring my daughter into this mess. She wasn’t ready for this type of fight. But as I look out at the growing numbers, I realize I may not have a choice.

Complete silence pulls me out of my thoughts, then the sound of dragging has me train my eyes on the parting army as they make way for something coming out of the forest.

“Is that some kind of medieval war machine?” I ask. Gray grunts out a reply that I can only assume is a yes.

“We don’t need archaic weapons. We are the weapons. What the hell is Maurelle playing at?” Pax asks as he continues to pace while he surveys the ground.

I stand stock still in the middle of it all, waiting for whatever this is to make its appearance. Large wooden wheels move without manpower as the catapult-like machine moves down the line of Fae soldiers. I gasp, my hand clutches the stone so tight, I can feel the skin of my fingertips crack open. Instead of an actual throwing mechanism, a long metal pole sits in the middle of the wooden platform. A limp body hangs unconscious from the pole, wrapped tightly with chains from the shoulders to the ankle. I swallow back the sob building in my throat. I will myself to stand taller as the blood flows freely from open wounds all over my dad’s body. His clothes hang loose, cut away to administer whatever painful torture he’s endured. By the appearance of the various injuries, he has suffered a lot. My father’s head rests on his chest, and that is all I can see of his face as the contraption comes to a halt in the middle of the field. I close my eyes, taking a deep inhalation of breath, trying to remain calm at the sight of him like this.

“Twyla! I brought you a gift.” Maurelle’s sickly sweet voice rings out over the crowd. I scan the faces, searching for her when I stumble upon Vivyn. We lock eyes; she’s standing a few feet away from our father. I can feel her hatred from here as she looks up at me. Well, your hate doesn’t begin to rival mine, sister. Vivyn’s life is forfeit in my eyes, and I hope like hell she feels my penetrating gaze and my intentions for her along with it.

“Vivyn! Is our father dead?” I shout down to her. My magic is simmering under the surface, ready and waiting to wreak havoc on those below. I don’t give a fuck about Maurelle, in fact, I want her to feel disregarded as I acknowledge my sister instead of her.

“No!” Vivyn shouts back. Her cowardly ass mates begin to form a protective circle around her just in case I lash out. Smart move boys, but none of them are strong enough to stop me. Pax practically growls as he watches them move around her.

“We should have killed her instead of bringing her back here when she escaped. Your father was too lenient,” Pax says as he stops pacing finally and pushes in next to Harold, who hasn’t said a word since the army arrived.

“Twyla. You don’t speak to her! You speak to me!” Moving through the men and women who make way for her, Maurelle approaches the front of the line dressed in head-to-toe skintight white leather armor. I guess she doesn’t plan on fighting. Her hair hangs down her back in four long braids with gold threads interwoven throughout. But I notice right away that she is not wearing the crown of the Night Court, and I smile. My first real smile in days. She wears her own crown on her head. The white gold gaudy monstrosity makes her look almost comical as she comes to a stop in front of the wooden platform.

“I don’t need to acknowledge you at all, Maurelle. You have entered Celestia without invitation, therefore, you are trespassing. All formalities are null and void. I have every right to kill you where you stand.” I tilt my head to the side, assessing the Fae queen and I pull the hood back revealing my face. I will not be cowled even as my father’s body appears lifeless in front of me. That is not how I was raised.

“I was given permission, by the actual queen. Vivyn and I have an agreement.” She walks over to Vivyn, and my stupid sister stands taller, lifting her chin like she hasn’t betrayed all of her people and allowed a tyrant in ourRealm.

“Like I said before, I brought you a gift.” She points to my father, who suddenly lifts his head just enough for me to see both of his eyes are swollen shut. Dried blood covers his face. His lips are split and cracked. I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek to stop myself from screaming. I know I need to think logically. I need to put my people first, but the urge to fly over this wall in a blind rage is strong. My father is barely holding on, and it is killing me to see him this way.

“Surrender, sister, and you can help him. Heal him.” Vivyn’s fake sincerity is laughable, I can’t stand to hear her voice. How dare she act as if she cares.

“I will not surrender! But I will take your life. Your life for his!” I scream. “Do you hear me! Your life for his! Our father!” I am shaking with fury. My power overwhelms me, the air becomes statically charged, illuminating the sky as lightning strikes the ground below. My sister shrieks and hides behind one of her mates. Weak. She always has been, and she always will be. I used to feel sorry for her. Maurelle watches my display with delight as she claps with excitement at my sister’s cowardice.

“Now, Twyla, don’t blame her. Look at her. She’s so desperate for power and status that she allowed me to torture your precious king. Her own father.” She clutches her chest in mock shock. “You and I both know that she will never be queen.” I hear Vivyn cries of protest, but I only have eyes for the woman in front of me. Maurelle will pay, not only for this moment but for everything she’s done.

“I won’t surrender. The Druids will not surrender. So, if it’s war you want, then it’s war you're going to get!” I shout down to Maurelle and that only makes her smile wider. This was her plan all along. She knew I would never give in so easily.

“Enough talking. I know you don’t have the numbers. Don’t worry, I’m willing to wait it out. I’ll leave dear old daddy hanging here as a reminder of every day that you decide you won’t give in to me. He will die, painfully of course. It will be all because of you.” Maurelle’s eyes are wild, her smile vanishes, leaving behind the image of a crazy, mad, and unhinged dog. “What do you say? You will determine how long he suffers. Save your father. I will let you both live long enough to see me kill that niece of mine. Because I will get what I’m due.” She begins to pace. I don’t say anything for a long moment, letting her stew. I want her to think I am considering her words.

I lean over to Harold. “Bring me Silva.” I whisper so low that only he can hear me. “Gray, get me the other bracelet. It’s time.”

As much as I want to fight this fight on my own, I know I can’t. I just hope we can hold out until the cavalry arrives.

CHAPTERTWELVE

CORDELIA

“Your father is alive!”

I don’t remember the sword falling from my hand while we were training. I don’t remember Gale and Adrian crowding my space when I didn’t react the way I was supposed to. I don’t remember shifting and my Dragon bringing me here. What I do remember, is for a brief moment I felt completely at peace.

I tilt my head towards the sky, and although I don’t know how Torin’s news is even possible, I say a silent prayer of thanks to whoever is listening. I feel relief. After days of flashbacks seeing my father’s body on the floor of that cave. I had left him there in the dark all alone. The grief I feel for leaving him behind was eating me up inside. I know he told me to save Dravyn.

I wanted to save them both.

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