Page 22 of Wrath of the Fae

I grit my teeth, grip the dagger, and do as he says.

I run.

We will all be doomed if I fail.

I have to get to the manor, and I pray to the Fates that I will find what I need, and I plead with the Goddess that I can do what needs to be done before we all end up slaughtered.

I risk a glance back into the skies. The distant shadows of the First Kingdom winged warriors draw closer.

I see the butcher’s market. Lucca said to cut through it, but I get a face full of feathers and talons before I can reach it. I yell as they dig into my cheek, and wings thump my face.

‘Della?!’ I scream, trying to protect myself. ‘What the hell are you doing?!’ The owl pulls back and beats her wings, screeching and screeching at me. ‘You were supposed to stop your Hitch! It’s not safe!’

Blood trickles down my face from her attack, and when I try to pass her, she blocks me and violently screeches again before lunging. I step back, not wanting to feel the sharp pinch of those talons. She doesn’t attack but keeps lunging, forcing me further and further away.

I realise.

‘The path isn’t clear?’ I pant. She screeches in reply. If I know anything, it’s to trust that brilliant girl. So I nod. ‘Can you show me the way? A clearer path to the manor?’

Another screech before she turns and takes flight.

She swoops left, and I follow. Through more streets. Past more battling men and women. Past fleeing innocents desperate to seek shelter.

She soars upwards. I take a quick look around and see no one living nearby. So I sweep aside my cloak and follow her into the sky. Wind rushes past my ears, and each beat of my glorious wings lifts me higher into the eternal night sky. I follow her closely and bank in time with her. I feel the air pass each razor-sharp feather. Feel the updraft lift me higher. Feel the muscles in my back strain under their determined beats. They are me and mine. Connected to my heart and mind as if I have known them all my life. Instinct and reaction intertwined to perfection.

The manor is ahead. It’s dark inside. No light comes from the windows. No smoke from the chimneys. Some may see it as the home of an imposing tyrant. I see a great protector looking over its people. Soon, the right souls will inhabit it. Its purpose will be fulfilled.

I hear it before I see it. The whoosh of an arrow as it heads straight for me. I dodge it, banking left and watching it soar millimetres past my neck.

‘Della!’ I call as a second arrow narrowly misses Della’s wing and shoots past my leg. ‘Della, stop your Hitch! I see the manor. Go!’

She soars onwards and misses another arrow by half an inch.

‘DELLA!’ I scream as another brushes against her wing, knocking her slightly off course. If Spek gets hurt, Della’s little body will get hurt too. And if Spek dies… ‘Stop the Hitch. NOW!’ I bellow.

The stubborn girl weaves between buildings and trees, using anything and everything as a shield between them and us.

Arrow after arrow is set loose, and as we reach the wall surrounding the manor, I see many a bow pointed in our direction. I surge forwards and place myself between her and the deadly onslaught as they let them loose. I groan as I take an arrow in the leg and one in the shoulder. Spek starts to screech and thrash in the air before falling.

I wrap myself around her, protecting her from the arrows, before diving over the steep stone wall. I hit the ground hard and roll several meters, still clutching her, until I stop.

Staring into her eyes, I watch as the golden shimmer pulsing through them fades. Her body twists, and she screeches as if in agony.

‘What’s wrong?’ I yell, trying hard to keep a hold of her. ‘Della?!’

The bird falls utterly still.

‘No… no!’

I shake her, and she blinks as if clearing her thoughts. Then, I’m getting pecked to shit. I release her, and she swoops up into the dark skies.

I’ve never seen her do that before. But I know that if something had happened to Della, it would have happened to Spek too.

I can’t just sit here speculating.

I struggle to stand, grimacing as more skin tears as I move. There’s a thud, and I spin, feeling the hard landing of a winged Fae at my back. My dagger is in my palm, and I spin, ready to attack.

‘Easy,’ Lucca grins before scanning my body. He doesn’t hesitate and grabs the arrow protruding from my shoulder before yanking it free. ‘I told you not to fly.’ He pulls the one from my leg and tosses them both to the floor. ‘Never mind all the archers on the ground, your wings are too unique. You could be seen. You good?’

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