Page 111 of Oath of War
Alaric’s horse danced as my lover tightened the reins, once again getting between us. ‘Valaram, your presence here is not welcome.’
The menace in his voice and the hand that reached for a dagger made me snap.
‘Will you both stop? Save these games for after the war,’ I scolded, and both fae instantly drifted apart.
‘My apologies, sweet lady,’ Valaram said. ‘It is a shame your mate’s insecurities prevent me from helping.’
‘My insecurities? You’re crossing the line, Ambassador. Someone might even speculate that you’re affected by tal maladie,’ Alaric quipped in response.
Valaram snarled, showing the tips of his sharp fangs.
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake,’ I muttered, urging my horse to move away.
Reynard had positioned himself on top of a small hill, and as I approached, I could see the entire city sprawled out in front of us. Our army was arranged and ready to attack.
Orm issued his last few orders to Tomma while Reynard sketched out a crude map, marking the position of his units next to the gates. Both men looked at me when I halted my horse so abruptly that the stallion reared back on his hind legs.
‘What’s happened, Nivale?’ Orm asked, eyeing me with a frown.
‘Ari and Valaram are bickering again,’ I said with a deep sigh.
Reynard’s mouth twitched. ‘If not for my brother, I would try to persuade you to give our lovestruck ambassador a chance. It would be a perfect alliance for Dagome.’
‘Any more suggestions like that, and I’ll start considering regicide,’ Orm said casually before taking my hand. ‘If you want to fly with me, you are always welcome. Vahin would be happy even if we simply patrol the area.’
In yesterday’s meeting, we’d agreed that the dragons should patrol the sky, as their effectiveness on the ground would be seriously reduced, possibly even causing problems for our own army.
‘No, I need to join the mages,’ I said. ‘They may need a boost to break through those walls. I’m trying to keep myself from summoning total destruction, and I thought seeing you would help.’
Movement in the city’s heart caught my attention. The undead had stopped swaying, as if listening to a command, before every last one turned their heads and looked directly at us. A wave of power passed through me, and I heard the uproar from the mages as it hit them, too.
The brilliant blue sky darkened. Clouds, barely visible on the horizon, rushed towards the city as if pulled in by a powerful spell. Soon, they obscured the sun, shrouding the world in darkness. Ormond looked at me as if hoping for an explanation, but I shook my head.
‘I don’t know. He may be making it dark to be able to use the Moroi?’ I offered, unsure what Cahyon was doing but knowing it took an immense amount of aether to influence the weather. If hewasthe one doing it, then we’d be facing a terrifying ordeal.
Valaram and Alaric appeared by my side, weaving complex shielding spells together as if they hadn’t just been at each other’s throats. Both men stared expectantly at the city gates. Mythoughts were racing, and as if in answer, a dark shape rose from inside the city.
Massive, leathery wings stretched out, overshadowing half of our army as the monstrous beast ascended. Its twisted, reptilian body glistened with an oily glow, turning the darkening sky a sickening, bruised violet. As I stared, eyes riveted to its horrifying form, the monster’s three heads turned in our direction.
The Zmij.1 An eldritch beast, a devourer. They could be bribed to guard a city, but if their price wasn’t met, the Zmij would turn on its master and consume everything it was contracted to protect. I didn’t want to think what, or rather, who, the Lich King had sacrificed to call it into service.
‘That arrogant fool opened a portal to the Void,’ Valaram gasped, exchanging horrified looks with Alaric. My breath hitched.
Could he really be that stupid?
But the proof of Cahyon’s arrogance was circling above us. Zmij consumed magic, and his skin was so thick that most weapons couldn’t harm him. At least, that’s what the legends said, but those stories were so old they had long ago been dismissed as myths.
As I looked up at the sky, a small figure stumbled from the gates, heading in our direction. At Reynard’s gesture, a rider rushed forward, throwing them over their horse before returning to us.
‘Lara?’
I heard the shock in Alaric’s voice as I surveyed the dirty, bloody heap that fell onto the grass before us. The poor woman’s eyes were full of tears when she spoke.
‘That monster sent me here with a message. The portal is open and will stay open until the conduit mage comes—alone—to close it. If she refuses, he will unleash the old gods on the world,’she sobbed before collapsing to the ground. ‘He killed them, my people. He cut their throats and bled them all to open the Void. It’s not only the Zmij ... more are coming.’
‘Fuck.’ Reynard’s menacing snarl cut through the sounds of despair before he looked at Ormond. ‘What now, how do we fight ... this?’
‘With dragons ... Dragon fire cannot penetrate a zmij’s skin, but if they can rip through that protection with teeth and claw, then we can burn that monster from the sky,’ Valaram replied, swallowing hard before turning to me. ‘But as dangerous as it is, the Zmij is nothing compared to other horrors from the Void. Annika ... You have to go.’
