Chapter 9
CHAIT
As the night closed over us, the barracks grew quieter, with only the faint crackle of the fire threading through the stillness.
The scent of smoke and damp wood brought in from outside clung to the air as I stood near the frost-rimmed window, my gaze fixed on the Dark Fae lands.
The moon lit up the white, powdery snow, making the land look luminescent—the perfection broken only by footprints from our arrival and occasional perimeter searches.
We could have traveled through the night, but it was essential that we rested—that we be ready for whatever we would face when we found Oberon.
The fact that Maize had fallen asleep after her shower and some food told me everything.
The long day of riding had exhausted her.
I smirked and shook my head; it probably didn’t help that Valerio—who had a victorious look on his face even now—had joined her in the shower.
I’d heard the two of them earlier, but what stayed with me wasn’t her soft, pretty moans as much as their conversation on the ride here.
The heaviness in Maize’s voice when she spoke about what her father had done and what he’d used her magic for after draining it.
And even more, the silence that followed, saturated with pain and memory. I knew it far too well.
Before finding my brothers, before finding Maize, there had been years of imprisonment when silence was my only company.
I would stare at the stone floor of my cage until it blurred into something else: faces, faint memories, fragments of a different future.
I used to imagine what freedom would feel like.
I never thought I would actually find it.
That was what Maize had given me. My soul had been released from captivity years ago, but when I found Maize, she had dissolved the remaining chains with a simple touch.
At that thought, the world outside the barracks transformed into memory.
The snowy landscape became desert mountains, jagged and dark against the evening sky.
I could hear the cart wheels groaning against the dusty earth, every jolt sending pain through the iron biting into my skin.
Contracted mercenaries had marched alongside, escorting us from one location to another, their cruel words and amusement at our pain echoing louder than anything else.
Maize had been through far worse than I ever had, but I understood how, despite the happiness that surrounded us, the shadows of the past always lingered, threatening to drag you under at any moment. I could feel it through our vibrant bond—one that connected all of us to our center.
Maize. Our mate.
Behind me, the fire let out a hiss as a log collapsed inward. The sound pulled me back, away from the memory of metal and dust. I rubbed my wrists where the cuffs used to sit, phantom pain ghosting under the skin.
Turning from the window, I looked over the others scattered throughout the common room.
Maddox leaned against the far wall, his arms crossed and eyes half-lidded, pretending to rest. Cannon sat in a chair near the door, his head tilted slightly to the left as if listening for any potential threats outside.
Zed was stretched out on one of the closest bunks, staring up at the ceiling and murmuring something under his breath.
Charm was smoothing his fingers through Maize’s hair, which was resting across his lap as she slept.
Only Philip and Valerio were moving about, quietly pulling on their coats for their upcoming perimeter search.
“You two heading out?” I asked as I made my way to the fire.
“Yeah, should be quick. Then hopefully we can get some sleep,” Philip said.
“I won’t be able to sleep,” Valerio admitted flatly before glancing toward the door. “Make sure you lock it behind us. I don’t like this fucking territory.”
Neither did I, but Oberon didn’t need to walk through a door to get to Maize. I loathed his ability to draw on her so easily—to strip away the sense of safety she was finally starting to feel.
“Got it,” I assured Valerio as they stepped outside. Cannon stood as the click of the lock echoed through the space, stretching his legs before coming to sit by the fire.
“According to the rough map Raziel provided,” Charm said, nodding toward the map on a nearby table, “we’ll be continuing east and moving deeper into the territory than I’ve ever been. The map gets less detailed once we hit the larger mountain ridges, though.”
“Mario never touched that part of the Dark Fae lands,” Zed said, calling out from his bunk. “He never expanded that way. I’ve heard the magic there is…different.”
“Unstable,” Maddox murmured. “Probably because of Oberon’s influence, if Raziel is correct about that being his original resting place. The bastard’s magic spreads like rot. I can’t imagine the land has remained unaffected.”
“I know most of the Dark Fae were killed in the war,” Cannon began, “but I find the complete lack of people we’ve come across outside of the OB odd.”
“I’m sure it’s not like that in the capital,” I pointed out. “But it’s only been a year or so since the war, so I suppose that makes sense.”
“Or something is keeping them from this area. Maybe Oberon. Maybe his influence stretches this far,” Charm suggested. “It helps that he has a ground soldier like fucking Zagan.”
Zagan. I couldn’t wait until we got our hands on him.
The bastard deserved to die for so many reasons, but this fixation on Maize, his ruthless endeavor to own her, was his death sentence.
“We need to consider that Maize is going to struggle being back in these lands. We’ve barely moved into the territory, and already I can tell it’s affecting her,” I said, my volume low enough to keep from disturbing her.
“She hides it well, but this place is a graveyard for her—it’s going to bring pieces of her past back, possibly in violent ways.
We need to be ready for that, especially if it causes her magic to react negatively. ”
In the silence that followed my words, the fire popped, and the faint sound seemed louder than it should have been.
Maddox straightened from the wall. “If it happens, we don’t crowd her. Give her space to breathe. Maize is fucking strong—she’ll be okay.”
I could tell that if she wasn’t okay, my brother would lose his fucking mind.
Charm nodded, looking down at her. “Let’s try to minimize any extra magic filtering through the bond—to not fuel hers. Not unless she loses control and we need to stop her. Anything that feels like pressure could make it worse.”
Cannon glanced toward the door, brow furrowed. “Valerio may have an issue with that.”
Because our fearless captain couldn’t handle the concept of keeping his magic away from Maize.
I both understood it and found it frustrating.
I’d spent a year keeping my magic as far as fucking possible from her, knowing that it would overwhelm her.
But Valerio didn’t even fucking try, and I had a feeling it would be even worse now that they had physically bonded.
“But I’m the one with control issues, right?” Zed asked dryly. A smirk tugged onto my lips.
All of us would absolutely do what was right for Maize, doing what we could to control and manage our magic, but there was no denying that some of us were better at controlling the response of our power than others.
I leaned back, resting my arms over my knees, and watched her as she slept.
The others drifted into quiet talk, their voices a soft background to my thoughts.
It couldn’t have been more than thirty minutes before both Philip and Valerio returned, kicking the snow from their boots and removing their jackets.
“How was it?” I asked.
“Quiet. Too fucking quiet,” Philip admitted.
“We’re wondering if Oberon’s magic might have a larger influence in the Dark Fae kingdom than we realized. The lack of animals and people does seem odd,” Charm pointed out, and both of them nodded, seeming to agree.
“Assuming we want a more permanent solution to all of this…have we considered how to actually kill him?” Zed’s blunt words filled the space with silence, because the truth was—no. We were walking into this blind.
I ran a hand through my hair. “We trust Maize’s magic. We have absolutely no idea how to kill a god, but it’s also clear that if we don’t kill Oberon, this will continue, and eventually…”
“He’ll kill her.” Maddox’s voice was filled with fury at the thought. “But if it comes down to it—if she says run—we grab her and go. No hesitation.”
“Maybe we should just leave the Fae realm,” Philip said, his tone deceptively easy. “Maybe if Maize is the only one who can wake him, we should just leave for a different realm. Take away his ability to break out and take her out of danger.”
Immediately, I shook my head. “We can’t guarantee that he wouldn’t find another way out. Plus, Maize would never be okay with that.”
“She would worry about the risk he poses to everyone in the Horde,” Philip agreed.
“And she considers the Horde her home now. I won’t take that from her,” Cannon murmured.
“She’s part, if not all, god,” I said quietly. “I don’t think any of us can fully understand what that means, but I trust her magic—and I trust her to be able to handle this with us at her side.”
I couldn’t handle considering any other outcome.
As the night progressed, our conversation turned to lighter topics as the others slowly drifted off to sleep.
Cannon returned to his post near the door, Maddox offering to switch with him in a few hours.
I made a point of telling Charm I’d switch with him since I wasn’t planning to sleep yet, and Maize’s head now rested comfortably on my lap.
It didn’t surprise me that I couldn’t sleep. The bond of our group shifted faintly in my chest, and I found that I needed to know—without a doubt—that everyone was safe tonight. I needed to know that Maize could wake tomorrow without a new reason to worry. Even if it meant not sleeping.
I occupied myself by reaching for the edge of the Spirit realm as I let my eyes close.
The air thinned, and the sounds around me muffled like I was sinking beneath calm water.
The fire dimmed to embers; the light became threads of magic drifting lazily through the room.
The walls blurred, soft at the edges, the world folding inward until everything pulsed to the rhythm of my heartbeat.
Entering the Spirit realm always felt like sliding between thin pieces of glass—neither here nor there, just hovering in the quiet between worlds. My body remained by the fire, but my spirit unfurled, weightless and soaring across the Fae realm toward the Horde.
Within minutes, the castle appeared below me in shades of silver and blue. Its wards glowed faintly, humming with Queen Gray’s protective magic. I drifted through the upper spires, the corridors and luxurious surroundings translucent from this side.
I wasn’t surprised to pass Queen Gray, who was awake and speaking with her mates, official court documents spread out on the table between them.
Not wanting them to notice my magical signature, I moved past quickly, pulled by the magical presences I was searching for—Maize’s brothers.
The thread of their shared power sang faintly through the Spirit realm, guiding me to them.
I passed through a number of doors, finding all four of them asleep in a shared bedroom that was easily double the size of our house.
My chest eased at the sight of them, safe and at peace.
Good. Maize would be happy to hear that, and honestly, it relieved me as well.
When we took on the mantle of watching these boys, I’d adopted them into our family.
Their safety was as much my concern as anyone else’s.
I let the image linger before drawing back from the scene, the pull of distance tugging me east again. The Horde faded behind me as I let the Spirit realm carry me back toward the cold mountains and the faint heartbeat of the sleeping barracks.
Except, I didn’t stop and return to my physical form.
Instead, I let my spirit drift farther, the pull of curiosity stronger than caution.
The icy landscape stretched beneath me as the wild terrain lit up with magic that didn’t move naturally—or at least not in any way I was used to.
That was expected; this was a new territory to me.
But there was a vast difference between the magic coming from the strange creatures in the forest—small specks of pulsating light—and whatever lay near the eastern mountains where we were headed. The minute I drew close, I locked onto it.
A cold, deliberate, rhythmic wave of energy rolled through the range, a vast mass of ancient dark blue and silver power. It wasn’t simply resting; it was waiting. Watching.
I felt it notice me.
The air thickened, pressure coiling around my spirit like invisible chains. My magic shook in answer, instincts screaming for me to retreat. I recognized the signature instantly from when it had swarmed Maize.
Oberon.
Fuck.
I quickly forced myself to pull back, my magic snapping hard into my body as my vision flooded with firelight. I inhaled sharply, chest tight, as I refocused on the here and now.
The barracks were silent, the others sleeping soundly throughout the room. Only Maize stirred slightly, her brow furrowing before relaxing again. Despite wanting to tell her what had happened—what I’d discovered—I couldn’t bring myself to wake her.
“He already knows we’re coming,” I murmured. “We need to be ready to fight.”