29. Chapter 29
T he half-orc blacksmith and the herbalist gathered Ani into their embrace. How they could be so affectionate while still staring daggers in our direction was a mystery to me. I hesitated, feeling the urge to intervene. We’d come so close to losing her, and I was still processing my feelings. However, I couldn’t interrupt seeing how happy Ani was in their company.
‘ She isn’t physically injured; her magic is calm now, and she wants to be with them ,’ Vahin rumbled in my mind. I turned around to look at the two who’d hidden the fact that Annika had been struggling from me. Vahin hadn’t been surprised by my reaction, but Alaric’s entire posture radiated hostility and challenge.
‘Is there a reason neither of you mentioned this?’ I asked as calmly as I could. Annika had been whisked away by her friends, but the bravest of Varta’s citizens and those too stupid to fear Vahin or Alaric’s threats were still here, watching the spectacle.
‘I only realised what was happening today. You took me too far away, and there was only one moment I sensed something was amiss.’ Vahin’s narrowing pupils focused on me in anger. ‘Should I be asking you why you were so determined to postpone our return? Why you performed a task that could easily have been assigned to a low-ranking officer?’
I swallowed hard, but they both glared at me, and I felt as if someone had stripped me naked in the middle of the town square.
‘Ani wanted me to leave, so I left.’
‘Did she really?’ Alaric huffed. ‘You are such an idiot!’ I looked at the dark fae, at his haughty expression, and my fist tightened.
‘You think you have the right to berate me? You, of all people? Where were you when all this was happening? You knew she was struggling! And what the fuck did you mean by her setting the bed on fire?’
‘I was in my workshop, pining after the woman I’ve been wanting to hold in my arms for ages while she spent every waking moment yearning for you . I only heard of Annika’s firestorm when the steward alerted me. I came here that very moment, but you and Vahin already had the situation under control.’
I looked at the charred grass and melted cobblestones that had resulted from Annika’s headlong rush to meet Vahin. He’d been so afraid for her. The terror overwhelming his thoughts had distracted me as we landed, and I’d been catapulted off his back, my bones rattling as I hit the ground.
‘Did she really?’ I looked at Ari, a spark of hope lighting in my heart despite the hostility aimed towards me.
‘Did she what?’ he snapped.
‘Did she want me back?’ I heard my voice, quiet and hopeful. Alaric’s gaze softened.
‘Yes, much to my sorrow, she did.’
It was my turn to study him. Alaric had changed since we had met Ani. She brought out the best in him, but without her presence, his morose side had become ever more prominent. He continuously oscillated between sarcasm and brooding anger, the dark mood seemingly consuming him.
I knew he spent most of his time with Ani, not just in his workshop but accompanying her in the evenings, reading together in the library, or just laughing and strolling along the fortress walls. It felt like he craved her company even more than I did, and for the first time, it occurred to me that it might be more than just about Anchoring the beautiful conduit mage.
‘There’s no limit to how many Anchors a conduit mage may take,’ Vahin hissed out loud, and I looked at him sharply.
‘Why did you say that?’
‘Because I can see the speculation in your mind. You have enough wild magic to be her Anchor.’
I turned to Ari. ‘Is that true?’
‘Yes.’
Alaric’s answer squeezed the air out of my lungs. When Ani had told me to leave, I’d been a mess of anger and rejection. She wanted Alaric, and I was going to accept it, but I needed time and distance to accept it because I loved her. It had become clear when she had mentioned Alaric while her lips were still swollen from my kisses, and a bottomless pit of pain had opened in my chest.
I ran away, using the patrols as an excuse, only to realise I couldn’t run from what I felt. I returned, determined to tell Ani I would do anything she asked if we could be together. I would accept Alaric and acknowledge him as her Anchor. I only forgot to ask if she could have a third Anchor because I was a fucking idiot.
‘In my office, now. We need to talk,’ I ordered, and Alaric followed me with a knowing smirk.
‘Of course, my commander. As ever, I humbly offer my service.’
I barely remembered the walk to my office. I had marched through the town and into the castle; one look at my face and the locals had stumbled out of my way. My teeth ground together every time I saw evidence of Ani’s desperate flight; a melted stone where she grasped the edge of a granite gatehouse, half-burned tapestries, or the charred beams I glimpsed were silent testimony to how close we had been to disaster.
Gods, if we hadn’t been nearby, how would this have ended? I knew Annika had powerful and volatile power, but wielding dragon flame at the same time? It was too big a threat. A threat that could be remedied if she only accepted at least one of us as her second Anchor. That way, I could arrange for someone to be close at all times, just in case she needed it.
As soon as Alaric closed the door, I turned to face him. ‘Why didn’t you let me know you reversed the spell? I would have returned immediately.’ Alaric walked towards the desk and poured some mead into two goblets, passing one to me, but I refused with a shake of my head.
‘Because Ani told me she tried to tell you, but that you had bolted, refusing to listen. That, and I wanted time with my Domina. I need her, Orm. I crave her touch in more ways than you can imagine.’
‘You touched Ani? I thought she only had Vahin …’ I exhaled slowly to calm the erratic beating of my heart. ‘You touched her … but if she needed Vahin so badly, then you can’t be her Anchor. Are you … lovers?’ Somehow, that thought hurt even more.
‘We are not lovers, but we have become closer,’ he said, and I wanted to strangle him for giving such an ambiguous answer. ‘It is more that Ani touched me and discovered the ugly truth I’d hidden from everyone, even you.’
‘Explain.’
‘The day you left, Ani came to me, tense and angry. I …’ He unbuttoned his shirt, showing me the silver marks on his chest I had only caught sight of during our sparring practices. ‘I know you’ve noticed them, but I never told you the truth about what they are. These aren’t my family markings, but my curse. An incessant burning reminder of what I’ve become,’ he started, before telling me about his mother and the blood oath her corrupted power had left on his body.
I had to sit down.
My hands clenched the armrest of my chair with a grip that made the wood creak and splinter. I listened, speechless, at the detailed story of the cruelty he endured. If Alaric had wanted to divert my anger, he surely succeeded because—despite the fury still burning in my heart—I wanted to embrace him. Fuck, he was a man—a dangerous fae—but the urge to wrap my arms around him, to tell him I wouldn’t let anything else hurt him, was there, confusing my already troubled thoughts.
I saw him hesitate, and my jaw tightened. ‘Just tell me,’ I said, willing myself to breathe slower, to tame the wild beast that thrashed in the cage of my soul. My wild magic wanted to rip apart its prison to go after those who’d made Annika and Alaric suffer. ‘I can’t believe I was so fucking blind to your struggles, and Ani’s … Fuck! Just tell me everything, please.’
‘Recently I … I discovered they aren’t just my torment, but a link to the Lich King. Just before Ani came to me, he tried to force my submission and fighting him off had left me exhausted. She saw the state I was in and helped me in the aftermath of the attack. Annika is the only thing that keeps the connection dormant, the only thing blocking his voice in my head.’
‘And you want to Anchor her?’ I was stunned by the revelation. How could I protect him without endangering her? The conundrum brought the anger back. ‘That is … What is wrong with you? I can’t let you do it. I know she helps you but … No, I will protect her, even from you. There will be no Anchoring, Alaric—not for you, not right now. Even if we had the crystal to replace the keystone, knowing this, I would not let it happen.’
I sank into the depths of hopelessness, but there was one more thing I had to clarify. ‘When you first mentioned replacing the keystone, I spoke with the university’s high mage,’ I said, before bitter disappointment made me shake my head. ‘He told me that all of the Barrier stones were carved from a single block of mountain crystal, that they are connected and that that’s how they enhance each other’s magic. He said they weren’t replaceable. I didn’t believe him. I trusted you. I thought you’d discovered something they hadn’t, but we never stood a chance, did we?’
‘No,’ he answered.
I looked at the man who was like a brother to me, wondering if I knew him at all. ‘Then why? Why did you have me bring her here? Did the Lich King force you to do it? Was our friendship a lie too? Help me understand because I don’t want to believe you’re my enemy.’
‘I knew the Barrier was fading—it was only a matter of time until it was gone, especially near the Rift. I didn’t plan it, but that chance meeting with Annika made me realise that with her, I might have enough power not just to pass through to the Barren Lands, but to kill the Lich King.’
‘So you were lying when you agreed to abandon that idea?’
He looked me in the eye and didn’t even flinch under my stare. ‘Would you have brought her here and let me leave if you knew what I intended?’
‘No, strategically, it makes no sense. You’d be killed the moment you made it past the Barrier, and she’d be captured and forced to serve that monster …’ I said, looking at his all-knowing smile.
‘That’s why Orm. Sometimes you just need to follow your heart, not your logic, and I wanted to be free.’
‘Do you still want it? To Anchor her, to risk her life on the slim chance you might succeed?’
‘No, Annika has become more to me than I ever believed possible. I don’t need a reason to bind our spirits. I already belong to her, and I wouldn’t hurt my Domina, not even for my freedom.’
‘I want to believe you, but it’s hard. You lied to me. You may have thought you had a good reason, but you’ve broken my trust, and I can’t let you break my Nivale’s heart,’ I insisted, my voice hoarse with the hurt of his deception.
‘I know, and I’m not trying to, but you have to understand something. Annika isn’t mine or yours; Vahin has more right to that claim than either of us. If you want to Anchor her—and I can see that you do—you need to understand that she will never be just yours.’
‘I know! I returned to tell her I would take whatever she offered, that I would accept … Fuck, I should lock you in a cell or send you back to your empress. Why do I still want you around …?’ I rasped, my throat tightening before I leaned on my desk, hiding my face in my hands.
Alaric approached my chair and kneeled next to it. I frowned when he placed his hand on my thigh, but when I turned my head, I saw him looking at me with sadness in his golden eyes.
‘That is your right, but what would you have done if someone who was supposed to love you tricked you into a curse that burns through your body day and night? I didn’t know Ani would become so much for so many. I just wanted my freedom. Four hundred and eighty years … I barely remember my life without pain and nightmares. What would you have done in my place?’
I jerked to my feet because he looked so … vulnerable, kneeling like that, but I didn’t want to think about it. I diverted my thoughts to the subject I knew best: war. ‘You should have told me to prepare for war rather than chasing a mirage. I could have helped my brother build our forces. Even if I start now, I fear it is too late. We won’t have an army ready to face the monsters.’
‘We wouldn’t have an army even if you knew. You can’t prepare if the king you serve doesn’t want to fight—look at the soldiers he sent you. Annika is our only chance and the best weapon you have. I brought her to you … to us,’ he said, standing up and giving me the space I needed.
I started pacing. Alaric’s words came too close to the truth for my liking, and his following words brought my pacing to a halt.
‘I can’t change the past, Orm, but you have me, a necromancer, and even if Annika can’t Anchor me, I still can help. We were working on a binding glyph that would enhance my power. I can be your weapon too … or I can go to Katrass … alone, and try my luck with the immortal bastard.’
Before I knew it, my hand was locked on his throat. ‘You are going nowhere!’ I snarled before realising that the beast had slipped my control, and I loosened my grip. I swallowed hard, stepping away. ‘As for Ani, I need a blood oath from you. I know you are fighting him, but if the Lich King … I need your blood oath that you won’t seek the Anchor bond until you are free of your curse.’
There was no hesitation as Alaric drew one of his deadly daggers and cut his forearms, letting the blood flow freely before he used the tip of the blade to draw a sigil. ‘I swear on the Dark Mother’s blood that I, Alaric’va Shen’ra, will not seek the Anchor bond with Annika Diavellar until I rid myself of this curse. Should I falter, may the Dark Mother take me to a world of eternal torment,’ he swore with a bitter smile before looking me in the eye.
‘You have my oath, Orm. I only ask that you not separate us. She is … she means so much to me.’
‘I couldn’t keep her away from you even if I tried. I thought about it, Ari. I will not cause her pain and make her choose. I will respect whatever decision Ani makes.’
‘Thank you,’ he said, but I couldn’t take my eyes from the fading mark my hand had left on his skin. ‘I should take you to the training ground and beat you to a pulp for this,’ I said, feeling less uncomfortable than I thought I would. The damned image of the three of us together returned, and I had to shake my head to dispel it. I wasn’t ready for that thought, and I’d made enough concessions today. This time, when Alaric passed me the goblet, I accepted it.
As I gulped the mead down, I felt the sweet, burning liquid extinguish the fire in my heart. Somehow, despite the threat of an impending war, this moment did not feel as catastrophic as I’d feared it would. That Alaric had come to me with this information … Yes, he’d withheld it for so long, but now there were no secrets between us, and the longer I thought about it, the more relief and apprehension replaced my anger.
I held all the strings in my hand, and I could start planning my next moves.
‘I’ll recall the units from the mines and build outposts near the border. Starting tomorrow, you will train with Annika and see what you can do without Anchoring her. I need you to send letters to the fae courts. Give them all the information about the situation here. I want them prepared and ready when my brother raises his banner to call them to stand with the Kingdom of Dagome. Then we will decide what to do next.’
Alaric nodded. ‘I don’t deserve your trust, but I can swear that I won’t betray you. You will have my assistance in any way you need,’ he said before coming closer, a small crease forming on his forehead.
He looked at me as if he was weighing a decision before his shoulder slumped. ‘What is it?’ I asked. This was not his normal behaviour, and Ari’s body tensed in response. ‘I need to tell you something else. The Lich King—’
His words were cut short by the doors bursting inwards, a pale messenger falling into the room.
‘Lord Commander, biesy! Biesy have attacked Vodianka!’
‘Fuck, what now?’ I cursed, looking at Alaric.
Vodianka was a small village in a nearby forest. It wasn’t a typical military target, and I hadn’t expected it to be attacked. The people who lived there were mainly foresters and their families who provided wood and animal pelts to the Lost Ridge.
They could deal with a bies on their own. One horned demon—even if it were as big as a bison, with massive hooves, claws, and fur that resisted most weapons—could be killed by a few determined woodcutters. However, if many of them had attacked, the village was doomed. I couldn’t even use dragons to fight them as the forest in the region was dense and high in natural resin, making it impossible to land.
‘There hasn’t been any movement reported on the border or across the Rift,’ I mused, confused. If this was the start of the war, I’d clearly missed something.
Were we wrong?
My brother had built his support slowly. As long as the Lich King thought he had a foot in our court, there was hope he would stall long enough for us to gather a decent-sized army. We needed time, and right now, Vodianka needed a fucking miracle for us to get there on time.
‘Get the kirbai and horses ready,’ I commanded, turning to Ari when he tapped my shoulder to get my attention. ‘I will come as well. It is time I stopped avoiding who I truly am. You will need a necromancer,’ Alaric said before I could even ask.
‘Annika, we should take her. It’s just …’ I let my silent question hang in the air. She could be of great help but throwing her in the middle of a battle right now could be risky.
‘No, let her rest. It is too early,’ he answered after considering it, and I nodded. ‘Let’s go then, and hope our Nivale is too busy to notice our absence,’ I quipped, remembering the last time I left her behind.