34
Valen
“Finally going to work with me on my magic?” Suria asks once Tania and Delkin are gone. “About time.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been a little preoccupied…”
The stiffness of her shoulders eases just a bit, and the irritated twist of her lip settles. “I guess.”
I work with Suria for about an hour, trying to show her the methods I’ve adopted for control. She scoffs at each and every one—not that I can blame her. At her age, I felt the same way about someone telling me what to do.
“This is stupid!” she says with a huff.
“Maybe. But it will help. Trust me. If I’d had someone to show me this stuff when I was your age, my life would have been much easier.”
“You didn’t have anyone to help you?”
“I kept my magic hidden until, well, just recently. I was completely on my own.”
Her expression softens. “I was on my own, too. Back in Rotting Ledge, anyway. Before that—”
I rest a hand on her shoulder. She reminds me so much of myself. Where my mask was one of frivolity and laziness, Suria hides behind vitriol and aloofness. We’re cut from the same cloth—not that I intend to tell her that. She’d hate it.
“You really don’t remember anything before that?” I ask.
“No. Other than my parents—” She shakes her head, squares her shoulders. “But, whatever. I’m here now, and I’m going to master my magic.”
“Here. Try this…” I step back, then pause. There’s a noise in the distance. A faint rumbling that causes the floor to vibrate. “Do you hear that?”
“What do you—” Suria comes up beside me and tilts her head to the left. “Now I hear it. What do you think it is?” She moves to the window and gasps. “Oh my Gods!”
I rush to her side and peer across the courtyard. On the fringes of the estate grounds, a cloud of what looks like dust gathers. It churns and rotates and seems to be getting closer.
“What is that?”
Suria leans a bit closer to the window. There’s a soft breeze that ruffles her hair, and she smooths it back. “It doesn’t look good…”
Something shoots out from the cloud. A massive, undulating form. It lumbers forward, a substance that looks a lot like mud dripping from every limb.
“Move!” I grab her arm and drag her away from the window as the thing crashes through the glass. “Go! Go!” We sprint from the room.
In the distance, more glass shatters, and screams begin to echo through the estate. I skid to a stop, rounding the corner of the main house. There are Fae running everywhere. Parents grabbing their children, guards shouting and trying to corral the scared villagers—all while thorned branches with tips like bony fingers deliver more hulking monsters through the walls of the estate. One lands several feet from us. It tilts its misshapen head up and lets out a gurgling roar, black ooze spewing from its open maw.
“Valen!” Kopic charges across the foyer. “Thank Gods you’re okay.”
“Where is everyone? My father? Benj and Ander?” Tania…
“Ander and Daroose are helping the guards round up the villagers. Benj and your father were in the courtyard last I saw, trying to beat the beasts back.”
“The rest of the council?”
“They’re—”
A massive branch busts through the window and shoots between us. Kopic shoves Suria and me away and stumbles back, drawing his sword. A large black bulb drops to the floor, and a few seconds later, it twitches, growing huge and tearing open right before our eyes. Standing in its place is another snarling, living mass of mud. Kopic growls at the beast. A single swipe of his blade, and the thing is cleaved in two.
“—fine,” he says. “Safe. Everyone is safe. Suveo and Wren are with them. Gensted insisted on helping.”
“Tania?” It’s normal for me to ask about her. She’s a council member. A trusted advisor. A friend…
Kopic ducks as another creature charges. It makes a sloppy swipe for him, and he swings, taking off its arm first, then its head. The pieces fall to the floor with an audible plop . “I haven’t seen her.”
I nudge Suria in his direction. “Take her. See that she’s—”
“No!” Suria steps away, dodging an older Fae that barrels between us. “I can help!”
“Absolutely not. You’re too young to—”
She folds her arms and glares at me. “If you don’t let me come with you, I’ll just sneak away and try taking on the monsters myself. Then, if something happens to me, it’ll be your fault and you’ll have to die with the guilt of my death weighing on you.”
I stare at her. “Wh—what?”
Kopic shrugs. “Looks like she’s going with you, Valen.” With another swipe of his sword, he’s cut through another monster, and then he’s off and running in the other direction.
“Fine. Stay close!” I create an icy blade, and we move through the estate. There are injured Fae everywhere. Some are on the floor, sobbing, while others call out for loved ones.
I brought everyone here to keep them safe. The villagers— they’re my responsibility. All I’ve done is gather them together to make us easier to slaughter. This is a blatant breach of our deal. Aphelian isn’t playing by the rules anymore. She’s crossed the literal line of the estate gates. What is she playing at?
“Lord Valen! Please! Help us.” We race over to a woman clutching her small child. “Those…those things took my husband!”
“And my son,” another man cries. He stomps up beside us and shakes his fist. “Do something! Get them—” Another creature swings in through the broken window and wraps its dripping arms around him. “No!”
I drop my blade and grab him, desperate to keep the thing from dragging him away. “Stab it, Suria!”
She goes to work on the creature with a small knife one of the villagers left behind, blindly jabbing, but it’s no use. The thing shakes us both free and drags the man away, screaming.
“Gods…” Suria stumbles back. “He’s just gone.”
“Get away from the windows!” I sprint forward and drag Fae away from the walls to the center of the room. Suria does the same, though far gentler. Several Winter Guards come running, and I point to the small crowd still left. “Get them to safety. Somewhere on the lower levels of the estate, below ground, where there are no windows. Go!”
We set off again. If I know Tania, then she’s gone to the source. I start running, and Suria keeps up.
The closer we get to the courtyard, the bigger the chaos. I know that I’m on the right track when I see a trail of hacked branches and pools of viscous black fluid.
“Ugh.” Suria bends to inspect a bubbling puddle of mud. The momentary pause is just enough time for one of the beasts to come up behind her. It grabs her around the waist, letting out a bloodcurdling cry. She screams. “Valen!”
I grab for her, but the thing is already dragging her toward the woods. I run. But even as fast as I am, the monsters are faster. With each passing second, I’m losing ground. I push myself, breathing in deep, letting the cold overtake me. My shift is seamless, and in seconds, instead of racing along the snow on two legs, I’m sprinting gracefully on four. Covered in thick fur.
Suria fights like hell. The harder she struggles, the tighter the beast holds. She’s strong, but she’s inexperienced. She needs to channel her power through her arms. With them bound by the vines, she’s helpless.
By the time she’s been pulled almost to the property line, she’s stopped thrashing. She’s limply dangling in the beast’s arms. I fear the worst. Several additional monsters emerge, flanking the first. A growl builds in my throat, and I leap for the nearest one, landing on its back and ripping into it. Foul, viscous fluid fills my mouth, but I tear and shred, using my teeth to eviscerate the thing. A horrible sound fills the air—an unholy wail that’s followed by a growing pool of the monster’s thick black blood. I spit out a mouthful and run after Suria.
I take aim at the next one, leaping onto its back. Except this time, it anticipates my move and turns, opening its massive jaw. I try to jerk out of the way, but I’m too slow. Or the thing is too fast. Either way, a set of razor-sharp teeth clamps down on my neck.
Yelping, I thrash and free myself, dropping to the ground. A wave of dizziness overcomes me, and the beast lunges, but I recover enough of my senses to narrowly dance out of reach. Rebounding, I spring forward and tear into the thing. A leg. An arm. Its torso. Soon, it’s nothing more than a heap of viscous black sludge.
Shouts in the distance, toward the estate, tell me that the attack there hasn’t ceased. From my periphery, I catch glimpses of other creatures, other Fae, being dragged into the woods. If I don’t reach Suria before she gets to the property line, then I’m not sure I ever will.
I pick up the pace, pushing myself harder. The wound on my neck is bleeding. A lot. My vision swims, but I manage to maintain focus, speeding across the field. Less than a quarter mile from the tree line, I catch up to my prey. I jump, shifting in midair and recreating my icy sword. As I land, I plunge the blade down into the back of the closest monster. I drag it down, cleaving the thing in half, then move to the last. The one holding Suria.
I swing hard, lopping off one of its arms. For an instant, I’m worried that I nicked Suria, but there’s only black blood flowing down the creature’s torso.
“Valen…” Suria’s voice is weak, and her eyes flutter once before drifting closed again.
I swing the sword again—and miss. As I move in for another go, a vine darts from the monster’s back and winds itself around my ankle.
“Shit!”
It yanks my feet out from under me and hauls me into the air. The motion catches me off guard, and I fumble, letting go of my sword. It hits the ground, and the ice shatters. It’s a struggle, but I manage to reach up and grip the vine, willing out the cold. Nothing happens.
What the—
The beast roars, swinging me hard from left to right.
“I’m coming…”
“Tania!”
A shadow passes to my left. There’s a whisper of movement, a glint of steel. Seconds later, I crash to the ground, the monster’s hold on me broken and the wind knocked from my lungs.
“Why didn’t you freeze it?”
I tried. I’m tapped out. I think—I think I lost too much blood. Are you—
“On your feet,” Tania commands, cutting me off. “Go around to the right side. I’ll go left. We strike at the same time.”
I stumble upright and reform my sword. It takes far longer than it should and doesn’t seem nearly as sharp as usual. Tania’s already moving, weapon drawn. She’s covered in an even mixture of black fluid and blood. Her own, I realize. The more I concentrate, the more of her pain I feel. Broken ribs, countless bruises, and a significant knock to the head. Plus her entire neck is covered in blood from my wound.
Be careful.
“We both strike.” Her voice echoes inside my head. “Leave your blade in and position yourself to catch Suria. Run the instant you have her.”
The last remaining creature, the one clutching Suria, snarls and swipes at us with its free hand. We move as one, stalking to our respective sides, then pouncing the same instant. I plunge my sword into the left side while Tania stabs the right. I let go of my weapon and drop to the ground, positioning myself directly beneath Suria. As Tania predicted, the thing lets go, and Suria falls into my arms.
“Go!” Tania shouts. “Run!”
I readjust my hold on an unconscious Suria, exhausted muscles tense, and I look up one final time to find…
The creature has doubled in size.