Page 125 of Wrath of the Fae Queen
Her words have a drastic effect on the scene below us.
My heart stops.
Wildrose Guards and Truth Templars charge the siege line of the Spring Court army, letting out a mighty roar with their swords and axes held high. I jolt as those two lines crash together. The rippling air shields of our army take the brunt of the force, but it still pushes the rows of soldiers backward into each other. It is utter madness. Shouts and screams, and the ringing of metal on metal. Crimson spraying in clouds. Bodies falling to the ground and not getting up again. So much death.
My stomach twists. My eyes dry out from staring at the horrors before me.
I have never felt more helpless.
Then the common people stream out of their homes, some fighting each other in bloody, brutal battles and others racing toward the palace, swarming the army there. The greenery all around the city comes alive, joining the civil war as fae tap into their Spring magic.
Vines tear people limb from limb. Huge branches swing out and toss rioters from balconies. The ground opens up and swallows others whole. There are even fireballs lighting up the night, wielded by fae with a little Summer magic.
I finally understand why so many high fae follow Titania so passionately, no matter her atrocities. It is not because they arestupid or naive. They see her faults and just don’t care. Because she praises them and raises them up above the rest. They don’t need to do a single damned thing to be special. To be treated as more important, more deserving.
They fall into a specific set of requirements by birth and they are told they are automatically better. It doesn’t matter if they have never achieved a good thing in their lives; they are superior. Included within the inner circle of elites, and everyone craves that.
Take from the low fae. Harm them without remorse. It is your right as the superior race.I cringe at the thought.
The beating of immense wings forces me to drag my eyes away from the battle and to the skies. I hold my breath as two shimmering dragons arrive, each carrying a rider with hair of flames. Tears spill down my face as I recognize the primal forms of my father and sister, coming for me while the rest of the world rips itself apart.
I suddenly wonder where the Appleshield army is down below and who is leading it. Probably Liam, the new Captain of the Protector Guard.
The dragons perch on the vertical wall on either side of me, their long claws digging deep grooves into the stone. They land so close that the motion makes my cage sway. I am forced to grab the bars to make sure I don’t slip and impale myself on one of the spikes. A whimper escapes me at the burn that shoots through my palms and up my arms.
My father carefully walks along the dragon’s thickly muscular leg to reach me. I hope to the gods he has wielded ropes of air to tether himself, but I cannot tell with my magic taken away.
Fury is etched into every line of his features and his hands shake at the sight of my condition.“Hold on tight, Keira. I willget you out of there,” he growls. “You have been so incredibly brave, my precious girl. Just a little longer.”
“We will get you all out of these cages,” Caitlin promises on my other side, her lips downturned as she mirrors my father’s steps across her own dragon to get to me. “You really know how to get yourself into trouble. I swear it is more extreme each time we have to rescue you.” We both laugh, but the sound comes out threaded with sobs.
They converge on the golden cage’s lock and Caitlin reaches a hand toward it.
“Don’t touch the bars!” I warn. “They will suck up your magic and burn you.”
An explosion tears out below. Multiple levels of apartments collapse in on themselves as flames lick up around them. A blast of hot air hits us and sends the cage rocking. Both my father and sister are forced to grip the masonry of the palace wall until the shockwaves disappear.
“Stay as far back as you can, Keira,” my father orders. “Caitlin, we will pool our magic and melt the cage. Let’s focus on the lock first, otherwise we can damage and pull away the bars.”
Caitlin nods. They both place their hands over it, streaming their fire magic into the golden mechanism. The heat flushes my face, becoming almost unbearable. The lock glows a bright red, and the air around it distorts, but the cage doesn’t melt, bend or bow.
The structure simply absorbs whatever magic is given to it, like it is hungry for more.
They have no luck with the bars either. My father tries to slam them with brute force, using an axe first, then his bare hands. His teeth are gritted and he looks like a man possessed, not reacting to the welts that form on his flesh. Not even when they bleed and steam rises off them. Caitlin tries to pick the lock, earning burns of her own, but nothing works.
“By the fucking Soul Ripper!” my father growls, the flames in his eyes flaring. “I am running out of ideas to get you out of this damned cage!” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I never wanted any of this for you, Keira. For any of my children.”
He swings back to the lock and channels a violent blast of intense raw magic into it, so much that whatever doesn’t hit its mark ends up crashing against my skin in shocking waves. All that power soaks into the bars, making them glow. He falls back, panting, and my heart stops for a horrible moment, because I fear he is going to pitch right off the side of his dragon.
“It is no use,” Drake calls out. “The locks are enchanted to Titania’s voice alone. She has to release the spell or die. There has never been a documented case in history where someone was able to break out of a golden cage.”
“I will kill that fucking woman,” my father snaps.
“Not if I get to her first,” Caitlin sneers. My sister puts her arm through the bars and takes my hand in hers. I clutch onto it like it is a lifeline. Like it is the only thing that will save me. “Don’t give up hope. You are so close to victory. You just need to survive tonight.”
I glance between them as more explosions and screams ring out below. “You need to leave. To fight at Aldrin’s side and help him win this last push. There is nothing you can do for me.” My heart breaks at the expressions on both their faces. The devastation.
“Don’t you dare say that! Don’t you dare ask a father to do such a thing! I am not leaving here without you.” His voice breaks.
