Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Finias
This hurt like a motherfucker. Holy shit.
Now, I had experienced a lot of pain throughout my life, most inflicted through training or abuse by my parents, but this arrow to the chest was a special type of pain.
Ironically—and maybe a bit twisted in my head—it reminded me of the heartbreak I was suffering with Ama not being by my side.
At least it somewhat distracted me from those thoughts as I managed to prop myself up against Damien enough to access my wound.
Adrien had wrapped the three of us in shadows as the battle raged on around us.
I knew we didn’t have much time, so I couldn’t afford to be a little bitch about this.
I let out a deep groan of pain as I used two fingers to pry open the skin around the arrowhead enough that it could be extracted. Fresh blood poured down my chest.
Immediately, I dropped the arrow and slapped a hand to the center of my sternum, where a healing rune was inked. I gasped out the incantation, my vision going hazy and filling with black spots as my last reserves of magic were used to heal myself.
I considered the fact that it might not work...that I had possibly used too much energy on breaking the barriers.
A groan of relief escaped me as liquid heat filled my veins, and I could practically feel my body regenerating and growing stronger, allowing me to breathe more easily.
Underneath it, though, there was a scream that seemed to echo in my ear—one that spoke of pure suffering and heartbreak.
I could feel Ama in my soul. Tears almost welled in my eyes as the connection between Ama and I pulsed before fizzling out.
Little creature, where the hell are you?
I had never needed someone in my life before.
In fact, I had purposefully avoided having attachments because the people who were supposed to care for you and were assigned those roles were often the ones to betray you.
But with Ama, it was different. I needed my bloodthirsty little creature.
I needed her with every ounce of my soul—or whatever was left of it—and I found it hard to imagine a world where she didn’t exist. That...
that just wasn’t possible. If we had to win this war to get her back, then so be it, but the minute my parents were lying dead at my feet, I would be going to find Ama.
No matter how long it took. I would never give up until she was in my arms once more.
There was nothing for me in the Kingdom of Pura if Ama wasn’t there.
My healing took a few minutes at most, and when the energy flow from my rune slowed, signaling healing was complete, a smile slipped onto my lips, and I felt almost high off my own magic.
Adrien let out a frustrated sound as something smashed into his shadows, so I rolled onto all fours and moved to stand, Damien’s Hellhound rising onto all fours as I did so.
I offered him a nod of thanks because he had all but saved me, and that wasn’t something I would forget.
“Are you good enough to fight?” Adrien demanded, the strain of holding the shadows in place to protect us clear on his face.
“Absolutely,” I said as his shadows dropped, and I immediately activated the rune containing my dagger.
Over the next five minutes, I left a healthy trail of dismembered bodies behind me and was feeling far more myself.
There was nothing like murdering some assholes to set things straight in your mind.
I was feeling positive until I realized just how many Dark Elves my parents had managed to convince to be a part of this coup.
There were far more than our military contained, and I could even see teenagers, the youngest looking to be around thirteen, being sent to fight.
That was so fucked up it wasn’t even funny.
I killed, but I would never kill a child, and I had a feeling my parents knew that most people with any heart wouldn’t...
so, of course, they had ordered them to the front line.
It did explain why the hell my parents had both been so fucking arrogant about their ability to actually carry out a successful coup.
How the hell hadn’t I caught on to their plan?
As I lodged my knife into a massive bastard’s gut and ripped it open, letting his body fall to the side as his entrails poured out, I felt a twinge of guilt.
Not about the body, but rather that I hadn’t realized what was going on right under my nose.
Hell, I should have realized something was up and tried to protect the people of our house from this insanity.
My gaze moved around the battlefield, and I had to stop myself from looking for faces I recognized.
I couldn’t afford to see if the boys I had gone to school with were now men fighting this war.
I couldn’t afford to have any bias at all.
I just had to protect and kill. It didn’t take away from the fact that killing other Dark Elves felt innately wrong on so many levels.
But they had chosen their side in this war, and I couldn’t afford to be soft in even the most miniscule way.
My parents had brought this war to the Kingdom of Pura, and it wouldn’t end until we took a stand.
A stand that would require a significant amount of bloodshed and death.
My parents had numbers and the ability to nullify magic, and I had no doubt that any prisoners they took would be slapped with those damn restraints that sucked the energy out of their wearer.
We had something more, though. We had the knowledge that, if we didn’t fight this war, if we didn’t defeat them, there would be nothing left of the Kingdom of Pura and eventually, this realm would fall under their rule.
This wasn’t a fight for dominance or a throne, this was a fight for a way of life, and if we didn’t win it... everything would change.
We were fighting for our lives and for justice. We had so much more on the line than those who opposed us, which was what bolstered us to fight tooth and nail in comparison to them.
I switched easily to a sword after a period of time and met most of the attackers head-on, standing beside the other princes who were edging closer and closer towards where the entry barrier into the capital had stood.
Yet, with every step we took, it seemed like we were pushed back another ten or more, leaving us exhausted.
I was covered in sweat, and I had to wonder how the other side was keeping up. The answer, of course, was that they weren’t complete. In fact, it almost appeared that they were continuously switching out any wounded soldiers so they could heal then return and fight—something we couldn’t afford.
“We are losing too many men!” Drayven called out, and I looked towards the Reaper, who was soaked in blood.
“We have to retreat for now.” Colt’s voice echoed through the air as I looked around and realized they were right: if we didn’t retreat, we would lose this battle. We couldn’t face it head-on like this with an injured army—we needed to come up with a better plan.
I heard the call go out, and our forces began to move back, separating themselves from the battle at hand, the other Dark Elves being drawn forward.
I wouldn’t lie, I took full advantage of them not understanding our tactic and deciding to move forward towards us.
I knew it wasn’t sustainable, though, and after a few more kills, I found myself next to Nico.
The Incubus was covered in blood and looked a bit shaken, but he was far better than he had been in the past few days.
Honestly, I was going to bet this was the first time he had killed anyone, and considering how he was holding that sword, probably one of the first times he had fought in a real battle. It wasn’t surprising, though, as the House of Sin was not known for their fighting abilities.
“Loosen your grip—you’ll be able to move it more easily!
” I called out, narrowly avoiding another hit as Nico surged forward with a push of his wings and buried the sword in someone’s abdomen.
That weird, exhilarated-yet-dazed expression crossed his face before he pulled back and offered me a smile.
“Thanks, Fin.” I should kill him for calling me that, since only people close to me were allowed to use the nickname, but instead, we just fought side by side as we continued to slowly retreat.
I honestly had a bit more respect for the bastard, even if I still wanted to kill him after what he’d done to Ama.
I wouldn’t change my mind, though, until I talked to her and asked her what she wanted his fate to be.
I didn’t think Ama realized that I would literally kill anyone for her. Anyone.
“First kill?” I asked him once I finally felt like I could breathe without the possibility of getting something chopped off if I looked away.
“Yeah,” Nico grinned, a telling gleam in his eyes. “I love this shit. It makes me feel like I’m actually fighting for something important. Something that’s going to help our realm change for the better.”
Oh. Well, that was a pleasant surprise. Maybe Nico was somewhat redeemable. I’d known a lot of people who’d killed, but to enjoy it? Well, that took a certain type of person. That type of person would be me.
Immediately, my semi-good mood soured as I looked around at all the injured.
It wasn’t something I would normally care about, but these people were suffering directly because of my parents.
There was a chance they wouldn’t return home because of my parents, and it wasn’t something that I was okay with.
I felt responsibility for them pressing down on my shoulders like boulders pinning me.
My eyes snapped up as Colt swept through the sky above us before landing, his eyes on the final large conflict still taking place between our army and the Dark Elves that had followed us back here.
Our side seemed to have it handled, though.
Jace and Damien were both out there among the hundred or so Dark Elves and our militia.
I craved to know how much of a dent we had made in the other army, but because I knew they were pulling from the general population rather than just from militia, it was almost impossible for me to guess.
Fuck. How had I not even known how many Dark Elves were in my own fucking house?
Because my parents had never actually envisioned me leading.
I don’t think they’d ever anticipated an end to their own rule.
My jaw clenched as I was hit by a vivid memory from when I had first tried to express interest in ruling and what that interest had earned me.
“Stupid boy,” my mother scoffed, her voice filling the room and echoing against the high walls.
I was pretty sure she assumed I was unconscious and, by all means, I should have been.
My blood surrounded me in an ever-expanding pool that was the result of a belt beating my back had received.
You would have thought she’d have grown more creative with punishments over time.
Then again, my parents did pride themselves on tradition.
“Maybe we should have him killed,” my father said nonchalantly. “I do worry he could come to resent us and try to take over. He is becoming powerful in his own right.”
“He wouldn’t resent us if you stopped being so easy on him,” my mother clipped back.
“I told you, he will be the perfect weapon. We just need to really get through to him that he is to obey us without question. When you’re soft on him, it shows him a different kind of treatment that he thinks he’s owed.
He is owed nothing but the opportunity to do our bidding.
Why do you think I agreed to have a child with you to begin with?
It wasn’t out of love, and you know that. ”
They spoke as if I wasn’t lying right there bleeding out.
Honestly, I couldn’t tell you what they had said next because my vision went spotty as I stared at the small sliver of light that peeked out from beneath the balcony doors. One day, one fucking day, I would leave and never return, and then they would lose the weapon they thought they had.
It had taken Ama coming into my life to get to that point. Seeing her visceral reaction to my pain had been enough to encourage me to decide enough was enough. If it caused her pain to see me like that, I wasn’t okay with it anymore.
My jaw clicked as I shook my head, needing this nightmare to be over. Needing to confirm that there was something outside of violence waiting for me in my future. Needing to start my future with Ama—whatever that would entail between the two of us.
“Are they good?” Drayven asked, running a hand down his face to remove the excess blood. It didn’t do anything, considering his scythe was literally covered in entrails. I followed his gaze to the smaller battle and nodded. I had no doubt they had things handled.
“How many of our people were taken prisoner?” Adrien’s voice drew my attention, and I glanced over to find him talking to Commander Pandora and one of her lieutenants.
“Far too many,” the lieutenant grunted in frustration.
“Maybe they will be able to break out.” Pandora’s hope wasn’t reasonable.
“The Dark Elves have cuffs that nullify magic. Our people are going to need to be released from those and rescued,” I called out.
“You don’t think that would have been good to tell us?” the man snapped, and I couldn’t blame him.
I didn’t really have a response. I had been too wrapped up in my rage over Ama being gone to think properly. That was on me.
“We need to come up with a plan to break through their wall of people.” Commander Pandora’s voice rang out, cutting through the tension, and I nodded in agreement. We did, and I had an idea of how we could do that.