Chapter Twenty-Four #2
Seamus shifted slightly, curling his fingers around Neera’s hand.
“There’s more,” he said, voice tight but controlled.
“The armies… They’re gathering in the White Fang Mountains.
Their intent is clear: they plan to surround Solace.
Gilen expects you to return there, and they’re preparing their defenses for your arrival. ”
I felt a chill run down my spine.
Skylar’s fury ignited along the bond at the mention of Gilen’s further betrayal. I might have claimed Blade’s death at my hands, but Gilen’s blood was hers to take.
“How many?” Castor demanded, stepping forward, eyes narrowing.
Seamus’s expression darkened, the shadow of his former ruthlessness flickering in the torchlight.
“Far more than you have,” he admitted, voice low, heavy with unease.
“Even though my oath to Minaeve is momentarily broken, I fear it will resurface. I cannot guarantee complete loyalty, nor that of the High Fae still under her influence on the mainland.”
Skylar’s fire flared brighter, the heat of her magic humming against the walls as her eyes met mine.
“I will do everything I can to undo the damage I’ve caused. But the moment I am away from Neera or in Minaeve’s presence…” Seamus paused, lips pressing into a fine line. “Then the magic may reclaim me.”
Castor’s jaw tightened, his narrowed gaze locked on Seamus. His voice was sharp as he spoke, “How many more do they have exactly? Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands?”
Seamus’s eyes darkened further, the torchlight catching a glint of steel in his gaze. “Enough to crush any army that marches blindly into the mountains. I cannot give you an exact number. Minaeve’s magic obscured some of her forces, but trust me, it is overwhelming.”
Nyssa shifted beside Castor, her fingers flexing as she signed quickly to Skylar, “We need a plan. Now.” Her expression was calm, but the tension in her shoulders betrayed the urgency.
Skylar’s eyes narrowed, her fire flaring, but her voice remained steady. “We adapt. We don’t march blindly. We utilize the advantages we have with this intel,” she added, her gaze flicking to Seamus. “We have him. He knows their deployments, their strategies.”
I crossed my arms, my mind racing. Five centuries of betrayal, manipulation, and murder were not so easily forgiven, but the male in front of me was ours now.
And his knowledge could save Solace, could save Valdor.
The spark of trust I’d once felt as a young warrior flickered faintly, unwilling to die.
Castor clicked his teeth, shaking his head. “And the oath to Minaeve? You said it’s broken, but only temporarily. How can we be certain it won’t return mid-battle? That she won’t force you to betray us?”
Seamus lifted his head, eyes meeting mine.
“Minaeve’s magic is powerful, yes, but she cannot break the bond between mates, even with the Heart of Valdor.
It is the strongest magic in existence, purer than any oath she could craft.
It is my anchor. Without it, I am vulnerable.
But with it…” He let the words hang, and the weight of them settled in the room.
Castor’s eyes flicked to me, sharp and calculating, as if to ask silently whether we could trust him. I exhaled slowly, letting the tension slightly drain from my shoulders.
Skylar simmered her flames to a gentle warmth as she ran a hand along the cobblestone wall, deep in thought.
“Then we plan. Carefully,” she said. “We use the mountains, the terrain, and everything we know to level the battlefield. The north is our home. Shifters will fight to regain it. Many would have stayed if I had not commanded them to leave our shores. I believe we fight the battle there and draw them from the mountains.”
I nodded slowly, but my gaze lingered on Seamus, the complicated knot of old friendship, betrayal, and newfound hope twisting in my chest. His unholy deeds were not undone in a single day, but maybe there was a chance.
“Why should we trust you now?” I asked.
“Because you knew me before all this,” Seamus said. “You know what I am, beneath the deeds of my past.” He raised his head, the faintest shimmer of the old Seamus flickering through the ruin Minaeve had left behind. “I was your friend and ally once. Let me prove I can be that again.”
The words hit harder than I wanted them to, and for a moment, I saw him as he had been.
I exhaled, my voice low and distant. “You’ll remain here until we call on you. We can’t risk Minaeve getting her hands on you again.”
Seamus inclined his head, accepting it without argument. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Neera started to protest, but Skylar cut her off with a look.
Skylar’s hand brushed my arm, speaking into my mind, “You can’t forgive him yet. I know that. But, perhaps in time?”
“When did your heart become so soft, Spitfire?”
“Since he became the mate of my cousin. Neera is the kindest-hearted soul in Valdor. Perhaps their bond is a gift from the gods for Seamus’s torment these past five centuries.”
I stared at the joined hands of Seamus and Neera. The bond between them was clear. It was pure, ancient magic, uncorrupted even by five hundred years of darkness.
“We shall see.”