37. Chapter 37
K atrass was exquisite. The winter chill had stolen the last leaves from the trees, and the ground glittered with frost. The white walls of the Moroi city sparkled as the light of the rising sun illuminated the artistic beauty of the buildings. The scene would’ve been idyllic if not for the undead swaying on the city walls. I was stunned, wishing I could have seen the city when it was a bustling trading port, thriving from its inhabitants’ magic and finesse.
‘Nothing inspires a woman more than the stench of rotten flesh,’ I commented when a gust of wind gifted us the unmistakably sweet odour of decay.
‘Those are sentinels. A set of eyes in every corner. What truly worries me is that I can’t see any golems or corrupted Moroi,’ Valaram said, approaching me.
He looked good in his armour and rode his horse with the confidence of an experienced rider. Noticing my inspection, he inclined his head. ‘Good to see you smiling again, lara’mei. After the battle, I was afraid we had lost your radiance forever.’
I nodded, acknowledging his words, more concerned with what Alaric was doing.
My fae manoeuvred his horse to block Valaram, glaring at the dark fae ambassador.
‘The Moroi won’t attack during the day, and the golems were gathered around the palace. What can we do for you, my lord?’ he asked, and I felt we were heading into an all-too-familiar confrontation.
I suspected that if not for me, those two could be friends, but Valaram’s persistence in courting me upset Alaric, who considered it a personal offence.
I enjoyed the older fae’s company when he wasn’t flirting. During our campaign, he had frequently found the time to see me, always under the pretence of some military matter, but different topics of discussion would soon emerge. He was charming, and I enjoyed our conversations, but I would happily distance myself from him for Alaric’s peace of mind. However, that had proven to be impossible.
Talena had entrusted her army to her brother, heading back to Care’etavos herself. As much as I welcomed her departure, Valaram was now in charge of our dark fae members and even more inclined to seek my company.
‘Prickly as ever, Master Shen’ra. I came to enjoy Annika’s company and offer to guard her during the upcoming offensive.’
‘Guard her? Did you sleep through the Rift battle?’ Alaric asked incredulously. ‘Besides, Annika already has plans for the siege of Katrass, and she has three Anchors to guard her.’
‘At least I was there,’ Valaram answered, circling Ari until he was beside me, so close that his leg brushed against mine. ‘Tell me your plans, my lady. What kind of earth-shattering experience should we prepare ourselves for?’
‘I’ll do what I’m told. Reynard is the strategist. I’ll just destroy whatever he tells me to,’ I said dismissively, annoyed by his attitude. ‘Shouldn’t you be with your men, my lord? Or at least discussing their positions with the king?’
‘Oh, you do much more than that,’ Valaram said with a smirk. ‘Will you do me a favour? You called me Val once. I liked it. We are already allies. Maybe it is time to drop the formalities for good?’
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 he was the 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. My thoughts 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 ?mij. 1 An eldritch beast, a devourer. They could be bribed to guard a city, but if their price wasn’t met, the ?mij 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. ?mij 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 ?mij ... 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 ?mij’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 ?mij is nothing compared to other horrors from the Void. Annika ... You have to go.’
‘No!’ Ormond and Alaric said in unison, but I didn’t look at them.
‘I’m human. I can’t manipulate portal magic,’ I said, but my mind was already working on an idea.
‘No,’ Valaram said, ‘but I can. You can insist on bringing a guardian. I’m not your Anchor, so he may not object. As long as I’m near the portal, I can close it.’
‘Hrae! That’s ridiculous,’ Alaric said. ‘Stay here, Ani. I’ll return through the tunnel I escaped through and close the damn portal.’
‘Even if you manage to get back into the palace, do you really think Cahyon would let you go anywhere near his grand spell?’ I asked, shaking my head. ‘No, first we need to know where the portal is. I’ll take Valaram. If we go openly, trumpets blaring, we can create a big enough distraction for you to sneak in. Use the tracking spell and I will be where the portal is. That way, one of you will be able to close the it, and I’ll do my best to keep that bastard occupied without getting myself killed.’
I moved my horse closer to Orm and placed a hand on his cheek. ‘Please be careful dealing with the ?mij, my love. Focus only on that while Ari and I ensure nothing else crawls out from this arsehole’s spell.’
Orm grasped my hand, kissed it, and then pressed it to his chest right above his heart. ‘I will see you before nightfall. Just promise me you won’t take any risks that aren’t absolutely necessary.’
‘I’ll try,’ I answered with a smile, hearing a deafening roar as Vahin plummeted to the earth. I looked at my dragon, knowing he would be fighting the eldritch beast, and my heart tightened.
‘Come, Ambassador. I hope you haven’t forgotten how to charm self-absorbed tyrants,’ I said to Valaram before smiling at Alaric. ‘See you inside, my love.’
I pressed my heels against my horse’s sides, and the chestnut stallion shot forward. There was no time to waste. The longer a gate to the Void stood open, the more horrors could pass through, and I really wanted to survive this battle.
‘ I will come for you, Little Flame. Even if I have to tear down the sun, I will come for you. ’
Vahin’s dark promise echoed in my mind long after my dragon roared his challenge and shot into the sky.
I felt the stares of every undead creature as we approached the gates. Valaram lowered his head, hiding his identity in the shadow of his hood, but I sat proudly on my horse.
‘I’m waiting!’ I shouted as we stood before the ornate iron gates, and a moment later, a postern opened, seemingly by itself. No one questioned Valaram’s presence as we entered, though several Moroi fixed their bloodshot eyes on him, their tongues sliding across their lips in a gesture both feral and unnerving.
‘Bloodthirsty bastards,’ I mumbled under my breath. Realising my slip, I quickly covered it with an arrogant sneer.
One Moroi stepped forward with a menacing growl, his movements tense as he gestured for us to follow. I nudged my horse forward, feigning indifference, while carefully observing his companions from the corner of my eye.
I couldn’t afford to show weakness. Whatever control Cahyon had over them seemed tenuous, and the slightest sign of fear could snap it. Drawing inspiration from Empress Talena herself, I tilted my chin up and regarded every monstrous being we passed with cold disdain, my eyes sweeping over horrors I couldn’t even name.
There were some I recognised from my university studies, like the lamias, with their snake-like bodies and venomous bites, and the monstrous psoglav, 2 a dog-like creature whose iron jaw was able to bite through granite.
My heart sank. The lack of resistance and the ease of our journey to Katrass finally made sense. The Lich King hadn’t bothered creating more undead monsters—he’d just invited these creatures instead, leashing them like dogs, ready to hunt.
‘Val, whatever happens, you must close the portal,’ I whispered, touching his shoulder. I exhaled slowly, desperate to hide the tremor that shook my body. I was grateful he’d come with me. Facing the Lich King alone would have been much more daunting.
‘I’ll do my best, lara’mei,’ he said, covering my hand with his own. We passed under a decorated portcullis only to enter a courtyard full of golems—silent sentinels—guarding the palace. I wondered if Cahyon was worried his fearsome guests would turn against him.
We passed the army of constructs, arriving at another closed door. I felt something wet on my cheek and raised my face to the sky. A heavy dark cloud loomed overhead, but the cold moisture on my cheek wasn’t rain.
It was snowing.
I had arrived at Katrass as the first snow dusted the palace’s courtyard, just as the Lich King had requested.
‘Bloody fate,’ I muttered, annoyed.
‘Welcome to my home, Nivale. Though if I recall correctly, I explicitly told you to come alone.’
The voice drew my attention sharply, my head snapping as I turned to see a middle-aged man standing in the doorway. He looked so much like Alaric that I nearly scolded him for greeting me in the open. Thankfully, I noticed how much older he was before the words left my mouth.
‘Must’ve misheard that part,’ I said lightly, dismounting my horse with deliberate grace. ‘After all, what lady wouldn’t bring her servant along?’
A second voice, more feminine and wickedly sharp, rang out from the dark interior. ‘Watch your tone, mage.’
I peered into the darkness and noticed the female hiding in the shadows. ‘Or what, Rowena?’
I’d guessed right, judging by her annoyed sniff.
The impossibly beautiful woman walked into the light, tossing back her hair. I could see the family resemblance, but the differences were also glaringly obvious. Alaric, with his cupid bow lips and sarcastic smile, looked like sin personified; Rowena looked like sweet innocence whose touch could ease any sorrow.
‘Or I will skin you alive and throw you to the Void,’ she responded. ‘You have your uses, mage, but don’t overestimate your value.’
The cruel glint in her eye told me she would thoroughly enjoy the experience, but I wasn’t here to talk to Cahyon’s minions.
‘You and your threats. Pathetic, just like your father was.’ I waved my hand dismissively at Rowena and rolled my eyes at the Lich King. ‘How do you tolerate her? Well, I suppose you were made for each other. Anyway, I’ve arrived—so call off the ?mij.’
Cahyon tilted his head, his expression unreadable as his piercing stare pinned me in place. Despite myself, I flinched under his assessing gaze. Then, with a sharp snap of his fingers, he broke the silence.
‘Seize them.’
Valaram reacted instantly, unsheathing a long dagger while murmuring the incantation for a shield spell. Before the spell fully took form, the heavy thud of approaching golems filled the air. I didn’t fight. I let one of the constructs grab me and didn’t resist when he pulled me towards his master.
‘Annika! What are you doing?’ Valaram shouted as he fought, and I wished I could tell him to cease fighting and follow my example.
‘Take me to the portal,’ I said calmly. ‘If you don’t want me to fight, take me there, or I will ensure your pretty palace becomes ash, and you along with it.’
‘Try it, and I’ll kill your fae,’ Cahyon answered with a cruel smile.
I shrugged. ‘He’s not my fae. Alaric died trying to rescue this bitch,’ I lied, pointing at Rowena. ‘Do you think I’d be here otherwise?’
A cloud of dust blasted past, making me stumble. Valaram was demolishing golems with the skill of a seasoned battle mage. I admired his choice of spells. He didn’t attack directly with magic, instead using elemental spells to smash physical objects over the golems’ heads.
‘Fine, Nivale. I’ll take you to the portal,’ the Lich King said, gesturing to Rowena. ‘Deal with this but keep him alive for now.’
She huffed angrily in response, but I noticed darkness seeping from her fingers, its tendrils reaching for Valaram. The last thing I saw before my captor carried me away was the fae ambassador on his knees, blood flowing from his nose and ears as he stared at Rowena with glassy, unfocused eyes.
I’ll come back for you, Val. I just need to know where the portal is.
I hung limply over the golem’s shoulder as we entered a large chamber. Far away, the distant sound of clashing swords, human screams, and monsters’ roars rose and fell like a wave.
‘ Vahin? ’ I asked, but didn’t get a reply. All I could sense was an echo of pain through our bond. The sky was ablaze, large, winged shadows illuminating the clouds with devastating bursts of fire high above the palace.
We stopped, and I was dumped unceremoniously in front of a frame constructed from bone and twisted rose vines. Elaborate runes glistened red over each bone.
As I watched, darkness formed within the structure, and a clawed foot passed through it, testing the ground. I gasped in shock when the rest of the psoglav proceeded. The monster fully emerged only to whine, clawing at its throat, and I noticed a red cord wrapped around its neck, digging into its fur.
‘Join the others,’ Cahyon ordered. The monster submitted, stalking into a dark corridor. The Lich King turned towards me in anticipation, as if he was expecting me to be impressed.
When I said nothing, his expression became one of annoyance before he said, ‘You see, Annika? It takes little effort to call the monsters but much more to control them. But as with my golems, I found a way.’
‘Good for you. Do you expect me to clap and cheer? Now, close it before you destroy the rest of the continent. Or maybe that was your plan from the start?’ I replied with a sneer.
Cahyon grasped my throat, squeezing hard, but I stood firm, smirking at his attempt to intimidate me.
‘I planned to take Dagome without needing a war,’ he said. ‘To finally rule a living kingdom. I asked you to come. All you had to do was join me in Katrass and let me Anchor you, and this war would have never happened.’
He brushed my unruly hair from my face with his free hand as he continued, ‘I admit I underestimated you, but I’m older and much more cunning than you could ever hope to be. I can feel your pulse flutter under my touch. I can see the way your eyes dart away to see if Valaram has freed himself from Rowenna’s snare.’ He laughed, squeezing my throat harder. ‘Yes, I know who he is. You are afraid, little mage, and I admit, I like it.’
The portal shimmered, a wave of unstable magic flooding the courtyard. I felt its wrongness, but Cahyon didn’t seem to notice. It appeared he didn’t know how dangerous his construct had become—or maybe he just didn’t care.
‘You’re so proud of being older. I guess it was fun living as a bag of bones?’ I asked, feeling the closeness of my Anchor in my soul. Alaric had made it here safely.
The slap that followed my words snapped my head backwards, the hot pain overwhelming my senses. ‘You will love this “bag of bones” when I Anchor you,’ he smirked.
I rolled my eyes. ‘As if ... You will never get anything from me by choice. I will never accept you.’
‘You will, darling. You will,’ he said confidently. ‘My dear Rowena will take care of your resistance. She’s become quite skilful in manipulating minds after practising for so long on Alaric.’
Just fucking perfect. I thought I’d planned this encounter from every angle, but as ready as I was to face the Lich King, I didn’t realise he had a psychotic dreamwalker with the ability to control minds on such a scale.
As if summoned by my thinking of her, Rowena appeared, dragging Valaram by the scruff of the neck.
Valaram’s eyes were still glassy, but I caught the quirk of his lips when he saw me looking, and my jaw tightened. The proud fae mage—reduced to a slave by a cheap mind trick. Or maybe not so cheap.
Sweat beaded Rowena’s forehead, and even if I knew little of psychic spells, it was clear she was struggling to maintain control.
I felt a pull in my core. A crisp, refreshing caress as sharp as my fae. My time playing the docile, powerless mage was ending. I reached for the aether just as Valaram jerked in Rowenna’s grasp, and I froze when I saw her knife against his neck.
‘Continue fighting me, and you will die. Submit, and I may let you live,’ she said, drawing a thin line that barely cut the skin, but the pain brought more clarity to Valaram’s gaze.
‘The only woman I would submit to will make a whistle of your bones,’ he rasped, looking at me.
A roar shattered the sky, and both Vahin and the ?mij clashed above our heads, their bodies contorting in savage battle. Suddenly, something fell from the dragon’s back, plummeting towards a tower’s high roof and my heart sank. If Ormond had jumped off the saddle, the situation must have been dire. Was that why Vahin had blocked his feelings?
The portal shimmered again, and a basilisk 3 rolled out. The lizard’s body thrashed on cobblestones, the creature spraying a liquid that burned through the stone floor, and I instantly dropped my gaze.
The former chancellor rushed in, skidding to a halt in front of the beast. ‘My lord, the Dagome army is in the city. We weren’t able to hold them back.’ The basilisk hissed, and the entire power of its stare fell on the chancellor’s face.
‘Kill it!’ Cahyon ordered a golem as he pointed to the beast, but it was too late for Dagome’s former advisor. His face paled, mouth opening in one final cry as he clutched his chest and dropped like a felled tree.
Alaric took advantage of the moment to step from the shadows and cast a spell aimed at the portal, rattling the bones.
‘What? She said you’d died!’ Cahyon screamed, oily death magic forming in his palm.
Alaric didn’t budge. The bones rattled louder as he chanted, the arch slowly crumbling. With each loose bone and vanishing sigil, uncontrolled aether lashed out, turning the air into a blizzard of ash and debris.
‘Why can’t you just die?!’ Rowena’s scream fused with the sound of the splitting portal. She had her eyes on Alaric while the blade in her hand glided effortlessly across Valaram’s throat.
‘No!’ I shouted, slamming my hand on Cahyon’s chest and pushing him away from me, but I wasn’t close enough to Rowena to stop her. Red blood sprayed across the floor as pulsing black energy spread from the Lich King’s hands, shooting towards Alaric. My fae’s eyes widened, and he looked at me with bitter regret but didn’t stop his spell.
As I created an impromptu shield to counteract Cahyon’s spell, the portal crumbled and fell. Its magic smashed into me, a perfect maelstrom of destruction. Time stopped, wreckage and blood suspended in the air as crimson aether surrounded me.
‘Old Martha says hello.’ I sneered, staring at Cahyon’s shocked expression as I let portal’s power flew through me and unleashed the inferno.
1. ?mij / pron: z- as in English:vi si on - me-j/ — a powerful demigod associated with water and marshlands. Manifesting as a three-headed viper with immense wings, a ?mij can be summoned from the Void between worlds through the offering of a woman as tribute. Once bound by a pact, a ?mij will defend a city until its own demise, after which it is reborn in the void, awaiting the next call.
2. Psoglav (s.)/psoglavs (pl.) — a grotesque demon with a human torso, the legs of a horse, and the head of a dog adorned with iron teeth and a single glaring eye in the centre of its forehead. Dwelling in shadowy caves or a perpetually dark land brimming with gemstones but devoid of sunlight, psoglavs are infamous for their insatiable hunger for human flesh, favouring the taste of fresh corpses.
3. Basilisk — a beast with a serpent-like body, fatal venom, and a deadly stare.