Page 112 of Touched

Callum narrows his eyes at me. I see the confusion swirling within them. “Aeris? You want to go into this blindly. To dig in?”

I gently place my hand on his arm. “I know it is your nature to plan before you act, but the FaeDorcha aren’t going to wait around for us to formulate a plan. They’re here.Right now”—I point to the chaos behind us—“Destroying everything.” I suck in a heavy breath, coughing as smoke taints my lungs. “We need todosomething. My people are dying.” My voice cracks for those we’ve already lost. “There are fledglings in Laric, Callum. Elders who need our help. We cannot leave them helpless.” Sucking in a tumultuous breath, I quickly reply, “No, we will not leave. Meeting you was my destiny. I know it was. We’re fated mates. But I believe there was another reason…”

“This moment… right now.”I use our bond.

He sighs. Nodding, he looks down at me with so much strength, so much love evident in his eyes. My heart swells. “All right, Aeris. If you say we fight, then, we fight.” Brushing my cheek with the pad of his thumb, he turns toward our group. “Does anyone have any ideas? We need a plan. A solid one. And fast. What are we working with here?”

I knew he’d follow my lead.

This is why he is my Kindred.

Two parts. One Whole.

We do notpossessthe affinity of air.

Wearethe wind, and the windisus.

Time to create a storm.

Cy is the earth, as is Devyn. Ma is spirit. Da is air, just like Callum and me.

We are Fae… we are one with the elements.

I’m surrounded by elementals.

That is our plan. We use our strengths.

“What are your affinities? Your gifts?” I quickly ask the group, looking around at the myriad of Fae, Sylphs, trolls, goblins, and centaurs among us. Wearea Gifted army.

“Air?” Hands raise and many nod. “Earth?” More nod and look around before banding together. “Fire?” Another group emerges. “Water?” A large sector forms. “And Spirit?” A smaller, but no less important medley bands together. “Who here is skilled with weaponry?” Many hands raise. Nodding, I take in everyone.

Elementals, combined with the brute strength of the trolls, the cunning of the bayou goblins, and the warrior instincts of the centaurs…

We have a chance.

“If we split up… space ourselves out… we have a better chance at, well… surviving this. Since none of us have ever gone up against anything dark, we’re all… what is it the humans say? Winging it.” I stifle a giggle at the inappropriateness of my joke.

“They’re expecting us to run. So, we do the opposite. Let’s show them that we fight for what’s ours. They started this war… but we’re here. And we’re taking back Laric.”

There’s agreement among the ranks, but there are still scared faces. I understand their hesitance. I’m scared, too. This isn’t their home… it’s mine. Asking them to defend it is no small request.

Callum’s hand covers mine. He spreads his fingers and mine follow suit, weaving together like a basket. He lightly squeezes. My racing heart calms for a moment.

The screams and cries behind us grow louder by the minute.

We’re running out of time.

Taking a steady breath, Callum looks at me. Then, at our army. “Aeris is right. I’m Sylph. We are a melting pot army, but I’m speaking to the Sylph right now. We need to get back to our roots. Get back to what we were made for… protecting the Fae. It’s what wedo. It’s why we exist. Weallalso have an affinity… a gift from our ancestors.”

Looking out at all the anxious, yet ready faces, he nods as he sees their rapt attention upon him, staring back at him. He smiles as he straightens. In a short time, he’s gone from a skeptical human to our mighty leader and my heart could burst from the love I have for him.

“You just need to release it. Tap into it. Uncork that bitch.” A few chuckles abound but multiple people look amongst themselves, clearly confused by his words. He sighs and chuckles, “Er, sorry. Part human. That means you need to wake it up. Devyn helped me find mine, and I know, together, we can help you find yours. If it’s dormant, we’re about to awaken it. Raise your hand if you already have your affinity.”

Only about half of the group raises their hands. The others look about with apprehension and a little alarm.

Callum rubs his palms together. “Okay. I was hoping for more seasoned numbers, but I get it… We can work with this.”

An explosion booms not very far in the distance. I flinch as my heart races. “We must hurry,” I whisper. “Time is not something we have an abundant supply of.”

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