20. Chapter 20
A s soon as I left Ihrain at the capital, I had told Vahin to take us to my family’s residence. Now I was waiting patiently in my brother’s war room for Reynard to return from the court, wondering why the hell he’d called me this time.
I’d wanted to spend some time with Ani just to reassure myself she was settling in. But between the patrols, managing the fortress, and flying between the capital and the other two dragon rider strongholds, I’d barely had time for this.
That the burning need to see her now distracted me from my duties was disconcerting. Why does it even matter? She’s not for me . The Dagome court’s betrayal of our people stripped me of what little choice I had.
I looked at the map in front of me. The Dagome Kingdom was the closest to the Barren Lands and would likely take the brunt of any attack. Even with Care’etavos and Lumivitae—the dark fae empire and light fae kingdom, respectively—supporting us, most of the fight would happen on our soil, and that was always disastrous for the innocent.
Still, I had Annika; and if she could use Alaric’s necromancy in a similar way to her use of Vahin’s fire … Even if it was an untested theory, the possibilities it opened up made the decision to pursue my own desires feel not only selfish but borderline treasonous.
If I could only move the fight to the Barren Lands, no one except the Lich King’s forces would suffer. I thought, but it was easier said than done.
The dragons could fly at will, and with Annika on Vahin’s back, we could go much further than skimming the borders. Once we gained a foothold, we could set up a permanent camp to secure the ground forces’ arrival; and if other commanders could do the same or join ours, we could encircle Katrass and possibly even take the Lich King’s capital. I moved the pins that represented my dragon squadron into the Barren Lands territory before realising the problem. We had three fortresses and only one conduit mage bound to a dragon.
‘Vahin? How likely is it for a dragon to bond with a conduit mage if we find more?’ I didn’t need to wait long for an answer.
‘I can tell you it is nearly impossible. The danger of dying if the bond is not accepted is not a small one. How many mages and dragons do you know who would accept such a risk?’
‘Why did you accept her?’
‘Do you remember when we rescued her from the avalanche? I didn’t have to search the rockfall; the inferno of her soul called out to me. The way dragons see aether … there are no human words to describe it. My race was born from the primal power that shaped this world, and when I saw her spirit—so similar, so bright and pure—I wanted to have it. I craved for it to be mine.’
There was so much possessiveness in his voice that a grain of uncertainty made me ask, ‘Vahin, what did you do?’
‘Nothing except help her live, hoping that one day she would find me. You can’t own someone’s soul unless they gift it to you. That’s why I’m almost certain no other conduit mage will Anchor a dragon, at least not during your lifetime.’
While that spelled the death of another plan, I couldn’t give up on the idea of taking the battle to the Lich King. If we could coordinate the attack with Vahin and Ani in the central position and join our forces, it might work. I have never heard of a dragon using thoughtspeech with a person other than their bonded rider, but Vahin could easily converse with Annika in his thoughts.
‘Can you talk to ordinary men? Or maybe other riders? I could use—’
‘No.’
I cursed silently. Our inability to attack from different directions meant I would have to concentrate my forces in one area unless I was willing to lose men and riders to the spectrae. Another issue with my strategy was figuring out how to move our ground forces across the mountains. After the war, the combined mage forces had destroyed every road leading to the former Ozar Kingdom; now, there was no known safe passage through the mountains.
‘We’ll have to widen the Rift's chasm to let the entire army pass; meanwhile, the undead bastard can simply flood us with monsters far more agile in mountain terrain than fully armed humans,’ I muttered to myself.
‘Are you trying to win a war that hasn’t even started yet?’
I turned around and nodded to my brother. ‘I prefer to be prepared. Why did you call me? Is anything new in court? Did the king rethink his decision, or did the chancellor convince him to drop this idiocy?’
‘Nothing so helpful, I’m afraid. Since you are planning on winning the war, you can have my title of Lord Marshal if you want, along with what’s left of the army.’ Although his words were meant to be lighthearted, I heard the bitterness in his voice.
‘What’s left …?’
‘Yes, as it’s clearly no longer needed since the king has maintained his position on the trade deal with the Lich King. It didn’t matter that I and several other noble families objected. And the chancellor was as quiet as the grave. So now there are other things to talk about, brother.’
Reynard looked tired. I knew he’d never wanted the title of Lord Marshal of the army, but he was as diligent in his duties as I was in mine.
‘You’re going to rebel, aren’t you?’ I asked, and he nodded.
‘What choice do I have? I don’t care who sits on the throne, but the people … Orm, we were given power, given an army to protect them. You sacrificed your life and your family to guard the borders, and now our hands are bound.’ He said it with such vehemence I felt the need to ease the tension.
‘Maybe we are both mistaken?’ I said, not believing my own words.
‘How? Don’t tell me you believe in this talk of … “ peace ?” Monsters don’t change. They may mask their intentions and soften their voices, but it is all to lure you into a trap. So I will rebel if I must. I wish I’d noticed the rot spreading through the court before things got this far.’
‘Who do you think is behind it?’
‘I don’t know, and therein lies the problem. All these ridiculous notions are pushed forward by the king, but … where or how did he come up with them? He dances like someone’s puppet, and I don’t know who’s pulling the strings. It was his notion to cut army spending yet again. The chancellor protested, albeit weakly, but both he and I were outvoted. I will have to dip into our family’s reserve to pay the veterans. The rest can seek their luck elsewhere. I know what kind of soldiers you’ve received; if you can believe it, I sent you the best of those I was assigned. Untrainable dimwits or criminals …’
He poured himself a generous measure of wine before continuing. ‘Gods … Orm, I believe that someone is dismantling our kingdom from within, and the war has already begun.’
‘I will follow your lead, brother. If you want us to rebel, you have my support. I trust you. But as straightforward as it is to raise an army against a senile king with no heir, it’s a different matter if someone is manipulating the situation from the shadows,’ I said, suddenly uncertain about it all. It was so much easier to believe the Lich King was just a mindless monster throwing his spawn at us. The realisation that we might be doomed before any major blood was spilt was a heavy burden to bear.
‘I have spies in the court and have reached out to the noble families that have voiced their discontent, but there are few of us. Anyway, leave it to me. Just make sure you monitor the border—especially the Rift—as it is the only viable ground passage to the Barren Lands right now.’ He nodded, passing me a goblet, and while I favoured mead over the dishwater so popular at the noble tables, I accepted it. ‘I will send you a missive when the next messenger from Katrass is expected. Try to intercept him if you can.’
‘Of course, but I can do more. I can go even further into the Barren Lands with Annika shielding my dragons from the spectrae. I was waiting until she settled in at the fortress, but I can start patrols with her as soon as I return home.’
‘Annika … Yes, your precious conduit mage. About that …’ The tone of his voice instantly raised my proverbial hackles.
‘Yes …?’
‘After you asked me to retrieve the register of conduit mages, I thought it might be worth trying to recruit some of them. So I kept tabs on them, checking their whereabouts every now and again,’ Reynard said, and I willed myself to remain calm, but I needed him to get to the point.
‘And?’
‘And I found that of the four conduit mages that were registered as “alive” in our kingdom, three have died due to illness or injury in the last few months, and one—a young female—is currently missing. Your Annika is the only conduit mage left, and likely only because no one knew she was still alive.’
‘Fuck.’
‘Yes, you drew the same conclusions I did. Of the three males, two were old, so their deaths weren’t even looked into, and the other took his own life when his Anchors were killed in a tavern brawl.’
‘ Fuck ! Ihrain—he knows she’s alive.’ I choked on my words, hammering my fist on the table. I couldn’t say anything else, couldn’t even move, my anger consuming all thought.
Fucking Ihrain . I should’ve killed him on the spot. If Ani’s safety was compromised because that smarmy bastard blabbed, I’d never forgive myself. Everybody would know that not only was she alive, but her exact location … I looked at the map and crafted my plan.
Could I still take her on patrols? Would she be safe in the stronghold? Or with the ground forces? Taking her with me on Vahin would be safer, I supposed, but a stray arrow or poison dart could easily find its target in the heat of battle.
‘The royal mage’s apprentice? Well, that is inconvenient, but we can use it to our advantage. The easiest way to lure potential enemies is to offer them a juicy target … Don’t look at me like that, Ormond. I don’t want her to get hurt, but if we know about the attack, then you can intercept the culprit and you or Alaric can interrogate them … or their corpse. Then we will find out who gave the order.’
Reynard kept talking, blissfully unaware that I was internally fighting a losing battle.
When he approached me, placing a hand on my shoulder as if we’d come to an agreement, I lost it. ‘What the fuck are you suggesting? How dare you propose using my woma—my mage as bait!’ I roared in his face, stuttering at the end as the unfiltered words slipped from my lips.
‘Your woman? You never mentioned … Ormond, please tell me you are not falling for her. She’s our weapon, not your—’
‘I said my mage —stop trying to deflect the question. If Annika is the last conduit we have left, she must be protected at all costs—not paraded under the enemy’s nose. What if something goes wrong and I lose her?’ I snapped, trying to cover my slip of the tongue.
Reynard looked at me with a compassion I’d rarely seen. ‘I didn’t think I would live to see the day someone melted the ice shard you had turned your heart into. I wish there were a different path for those with wild magic in their blood. The loneliness you must have faced since the moment our parents left you in the dragon’s cave … I can’t even fathom it.’
‘I told you, she is not my woman, I can’t … All you need to know is that she is a mage with enormous power. Even if the possibility of replacing the crystal is gone, she should still Anchor Alaric to reach her full potential … or someone else of her choosing.’
‘And you will accept it, whoever she chooses?’
‘What say do I have in it? It is Ani’s choice. I hope it will be Alaric. He is a powerful mage and a good man. He would never hurt her, and … she likes him. He makes her laugh, and I enjoy seeing her happy. How could I not? She saved my men, my life, so I can’t let you use her as bait. Ask me for anything else and I’ll do it, but not her.’
I hated seeing the understanding in his eyes. I shouldn’t have said anything, but somehow, saying it out loud made the pain easier to bear. If she must choose a mage to fully stabilise her magic, let it be Alaric.
Reynard walked around to face me. ‘I’m sorry, Orm, I didn’t know. If you don’t mind me giving you some advice … If your woman—I mean, mage —chooses the dark fae, what’s stopping you from becoming her lover? She had two male Anchors in the past, and I don’t think they were particularly chaste. We both know about the dark fae customs, of the lady of the house taking more than one partner. If they both accept it, why can’t you carve out a little happiness of your own? I certainly wouldn’t judge, brother.’
I looked at Reynard, feeling his hand on my shoulder. He wasn’t much older than me, but sometimes he seemed wise beyond his years.
‘I … I don’t know if I can share,’ I said truthfully, and he nodded.
‘Then you are locking yourself in a prison of your own making, and you are the one holding the key,’ he said, and with that, I realised I’d had enough of talking about my convoluted feelings for Ani.
‘Did you forget I came here to talk about political affairs? Not confess my feelings? To be clear, I won’t use Annika as bait, and she will stay in the fortress until we know it is safe for her to go out,’ I repeated.
He nodded. ‘Fine, but don’t tell her why. If she starts looking over her shoulder, it will alert our enemies. I will send a few of my men to infiltrate your garrison and town. They’ll keep an eye on anything untoward and warn you if needed,’ he suggested, and I sighed heavily.
‘How do you expect me to explain this to her without giving a reason?’
‘That, my brother, I will leave to you. Nobody said life was a bed of roses. Also, please update the other commanders on the situation. I want them standing on our side when it comes time to confront the king.’
‘Yes, Lord Marshal. I am, as always, at your command,’ I replied with an exaggerated military salute, and his eyes narrowed at my teasing. ‘You are such an arse, Orm, you know that, right?’ He sighed, but I saw a smile ghosting the corner of his lips.
‘So says the man who eviscerated my feelings, advised me not only to share but to lie to my wo … mage before sending me to a ghost war.’ He chuckled.
‘Maybe I just envy you, little brother. You have your dragon, your fae friend, and the mage that is “ not your woman,” while I have the court to deal with—and I assure you, it is a nest of vipers,’ he joked with a bitter smile, but I felt the loneliness of his world.
We talked some more, mainly about army matters, before he asked for my agreement to use the family wealth to pay the soldiers, which I was happy to agree to. When I landed in my bed for the night, readying myself for an early morning flight, his words returned, robbing me of my sleep.
I had called her my woman . I don’t know what had come over me to blurt it out to my brother, but I could no longer deny the attraction I felt towards Annika. It wasn’t just curiosity or gratitude for saving my life. She interested me in a way no other woman had, but it didn’t explain the visceral need to touch her, to hold her in my arms whenever she was near.
Could I be her lover?
The seed planted by my brother took root, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it … I wasn’t sure if I could share, but the thought of her body next to mine awakened an irresistible need. I remembered her scent and the way her laughter filled Vahin’s lair as she teased the protective dragon …
I groaned, unable to shake off the vivid images. I’d seen Ani naked and she was perfect. Soft, with curves in all the right places, and even if I hadn’t thought about it at the time—too focused on keeping her alive—holding her in my arms had felt so right. Her velvety skin was so soft against my calloused hands.
I remembered the touch of her magic when we first met and the sheer vulnerability in her gaze when I mentioned the geas, leaving me desperate to protect her.
Am I falling for her? What if she decides to leave after the year ends, as we agreed? What if she chooses someone other than Ari? Could I live with it? Could I share her affection?
The questions that flashed through my mind didn’t stop the hand that slid down to my rock-hard shaft. Fuck, I wanted Ani so much—wanted to bury my head between her legs, owning her ecstasy until she begged me to take her hard. My body tensed, jerking as the idea threatened to overwhelm my senses. My hand worked faster to the image of Ani’s back arching, her desperate pleas, and I felt pleasure building at the bottom of my spine; so close, but not there yet.
Another image intruded on my fantasy: the delicate, grey skin of Alaric’s hands sliding over Ani’s body, fingers pinching her swollen nipples. My eyelids fluttered as I tried to open my eyes, but I was too far gone to stop.
‘ Make her come for us, ’ he whispered in my mind, his eyes filled with crimson fire, and I came so hard my roar shook the walls of the room. The release pooled on my stomach as I lay there, panting, eyes squeezed shut, shuddering in the aftermath of a powerful climax, unable to believe what had just happened.
I’d come so fucking hard to the image of Alaric and I pleasuring Annika together.
And I felt utterly lost.