Chapter Twenty-One
Arianna
Arianna had never met Brónach’s High Lord. She’d been too young when their nations were allied, then the war had kept their people apart, and there’d been no opportunity since the two had made amends.
The male she’d previously envisioned as cold and calculating now fussed over an unconscious Eimear who they’d laid on a dirty cloak right over the bloodied grass.
Zylah was working on her, applying runes.
Arianna didn’t miss the way Saoirse had placed her body protectively between her older brother and the half-breed.
Alec didn’t appear to miss it either. He hovered near Eimear’s legs, one hand constantly moving the fabric she rested upon as if he could straighten it.
The Demon was beside them too, standing on the other side. The two brothers had barely looked at one another. She supposed even family ties couldn’t ignore some atrocities. Arianna still didn’t understand how Saoirse could interact with The Demon as if he were normal.
He’d helped again. Her fists clenched. The Demon had done so much to stall for their victory. Her gaze roamed over the dozens of dirt mounds, now all collapsed into slight heaps on the ground. No one had commanded him to protect the innocent.
“Arianna!” She spun to see her father jogging across the field, his warriors at his side.
Her lips parted at the sight of Talon and Raevina and relief swept through her like a tidal wave.
They were filthy, covered in gore and blood.
They had scrapes and burns and cuts all over their bodies.
But they were all alive. Every single one of them was alive.
Either they were the luckiest group of Fae on the continent, or the gods really were looking down on them.
Emotion barreled through her and Arianna took off, jumping into her father’s outstretched arms as if she were still five years old.
He cradled her close, wrapping one hand behind her head.
His breaths were ragged, his worry palpable.
Avalon pulled back to look her over, noting the blood splattered across her tunic, arms, and face.
“You fought.” Arianna’s magic surged beneath her skin in answer, ready to meet another onslaught of carnage if the need arose. She wanted to take flight and soar across the vast forest that had exploded into existence. Something in her wanted to eradicate all the horrible things on the other side.
Avalon smiled at her in a way she’d rarely seen. As if he were … proud. “Is Ellie okay?” He might as well have dipped her beneath the ice and frozen her there himself. Avalon didn’t miss the way her smile faded. His hands tightened around her shoulders, but before he could say anything else …
“She’s alive.”
His mouth opened. Shut. “Where is she?”
“Still on the mountain.”
“I can retrieve her,” Raevina offered.
Avalon looked between her and Talon. “Please do.”
Raevina shifted and a second later, Talon followed, the pair soaring high into the clouds. Arianna watched them a moment, then turned back to her father. He quirked a brow in question. Arianna only smiled. “I’ll let him tell you.”
“I don’t think he needs to.” Arianna thought she saw something like longing flash across her father’s face.
The Dark Fae were all but gone now. Warriors paced the fields, searching for bodies that still drew breath. Many were loaded onto wagons. The dead were piled, placed with their arms over their chests before fire consumed them.
Eventually, the High Lord of Brónach picked up his mother. Saoirse helped situate her, then the two began walking, quietly conversing amongst themselves. The royal guard took up positions around them. The Demon didn’t follow; instead, he turned. Their eyes locked and Arianna’s breath hitched.
Don’t come over here, don’t come over here, don’t come over—too late. The Demon walked toward her slowly, his gaze never dropping. She didn’t dare look away. She wouldn’t be seen as a coward. But before the male even made it halfway, a small child screamed and sprinted through the crowd.
Both their gazes snapped toward the little girl and Rion braced himself as she threw her arms around his legs. He stood there frozen for a moment, the child sobbing into his bloody pant leg before he knelt to console her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck next. Rion patted her back, then stood with her in his arms, cradling her small body close. Arianna approached hesitantly, watching how The Demon rubbed the little girl’s back, shushing her the way any adult would attempt to calm a young child.
Arianna caught the youngling’s scent as she drew closer. Kaylee. The little girl’s name was Kaylee. She was a half-breed that Eimear had cared for, but … why had she run to this creature instead of someone like Saoirse?
Another youngling sprinted right up to The Demon, gaze locked on Kaylee as she sobbed into Rion’s neck.
Whelan. She noted the iron bracelet around his wrist, then the blood across his shirt. He had a gash on his arm, too. Her throat tightened. Gods, what had the younglings seen? Endured?
“You all right?” Rion asked. Whelan nodded, though she noted the way his chin wobbled. Whelan bit back his tears, clenching his jaw in defiance. “Come on, let’s go then.”
Arianna followed, observing the trio from a short distance. She kept a careful eye on The Demon and the way he held Kaylee. His magic didn’t stir at his feet, and the little girl certainly didn’t seem as if she’d release him anytime soon.
She mumbled unintelligible words into his shirt. The Demon ran his hand across her back again, but she sat up slightly, tears still pouring down her young face. “You weren’t here,” she sobbed, her little voice cracking. “I was so scared and you weren’t here.”
Rion pulled her closer. “I know.” Arianna could have sworn his voice cracked, too. “I’m sorry. I’m here now. You’re safe.” Kaylee buried her head into his shoulder again, body shaking.
Arianna didn’t approach, she just followed in silence, leaving those behind who’d chosen to stay and clean up the aftermath.
It wasn’t as if her father’s warriors would have allowed her to stay, anyway.
Not when they didn’t know whether Eimear’s forest would hold.
Half of Avalon’s forces were now escorting her.
The other half had gone with her father to retrieve Ellie.
They walked in silence for miles, exhaustion casting a thick blanket over the entire lot of them.
Alec was eventually presented with a horse.
Saoirse lifted their mother into his lap before grabbing her own mount, then the trio disappeared from view.
She hoped someone did the same for Ellie.
Her father would have thought ahead for such things.
Arianna glanced behind one final time before entering the throng of trees that would lead to the massive redwoods.
What Eimear had single-handedly created was beyond comprehension.
The trees there rivaled the giants that guarded the forbidden mountain.
They stretched high and met the edges of the land on either side.
At least … that’s what Arianna presumed.
It wasn’t as if they could see all the way to the ocean from here.
A monument. The High Lady had created a monument. She’d saved countless lives. It was another story to be written in their history books, marking her, yet again, as a legend.
THE TALL redwoods stretched high overhead as they all limped through the main gate.
Thick mist obscured the tallest branches, preventing her from seeing just how high they reached into the heavens.
That same mist rolled across the ground, cascading over roots and flowers, leaving a trail of dew in its wake that had already coated Arianna’s boots.
Fae guards stood with weapons in hand. Others were perched in the treetops, watching the group of refugees with a level of sympathy Arianna hadn’t anticipated.
She’d expected them to still hold a grudge against Móirín.
They’d been at war for a decade, but they’d been allies far longer.
She wondered if some of Brónach’s citizens had never wanted the war at all. Perhaps some had been against it.
Arianna walked just behind The Demon, each of them filing into a crowded line as they made their way into the city.
No one lined the streets. Had they been warned to stay inside?
Anxiety crawled through her and Arianna wondered if she was leading her people into a pretty cage.
Would the High Lord ultimately keep them as captives?
The Demon glanced back at her, Kaylee fast asleep in his arms. The youngling was so comfortable there, as if she knew he’d protect her from the world. Arianna looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. Instead, she focused on their surroundings.
Many homes had been built directly into the trees themselves. They weren’t as large as the redwoods that circled the massive city, but they were still far larger than the trees in Levea.
Curtains parted in windows as they passed.
A door to her right inched open, revealing a female.
She watched Arianna’s broken people amble past, their bodies worn and spirits nearly broken.
Another door opened. A male watched from that one, his brows pinched with concern.
A female with loose brown hair appeared behind him.
Slowly, as if they were just realizing the refugees weren’t a threat at all, doors and windows began to open. People walked from between the trees, and those above stood on the bridges built into the canopies. They all had the same wide-eyed, horrified expressions on their faces.
Another female opened her door and stepped over the threshold.
She walked right up to a petite blonde who looked ready to fall over and placed a gentle hand on the female’s arm.
The blonde jolted, as if startled from her waking nightmare.
The youngling at her side gripped her mother’s hand just a little tighter.