Chapter 48
Casimir sat among the trees, camouflaged with vines and roots of his own creation, waiting to enact their plan by the river.
A group of fae soldiers had snuck into the daemon camp the night before and destroyed a large store of weapons and food.
Using the animals as spies, they were able to stealthily complete the task.
But the daemons were now fully aware.
Jorrar’s owl had been watching, and warned they were on the move, infuriated by their losses. But Andras did not accompany them. In fact, he tended to spend most of the time in his fancy tent. Content to leave the leadership to the several daemon generals and Valeria.
Ava was right. He was arrogant and confident.
As if he couldn’t be bothered to oversee anything.
From the intelligence they’d gathered, Andras still didn’t know they had learned who he truly was.
So, they continued to play along. Pretending they thought they could kill him with ease. That Deidamia was the greater threat.
The fae acted as though they still believed Deidamia was around, just hidden.
But what did the daemon army believe? Did they know Andras had killed her?
Who he truly was? He supposed it didn’t matter.
It appeared they were loyal to him regardless.
Whether they knew the truth or were being manipulated, they were here and priming to attack. It was all Casimir needed to know.
One thing they had witnessed, however, was more of Andras’ power.
Much more power than they’d ever seen him wield.
As if he’d been holding back, continuing his guise as a daemon.
But the animals had seen him punish the group of soldiers who should have been guarding the weapons.
He used his shadows and they all dropped to the ground. Dead.
The thought of Ava facing him alone made Casimir nauseous. One wrong move, one hint it was a trap, and she’d be killed instantly.
“How is Ava?” Casimir asked Aro.
Furious.
“I’m sure she is. But is she staying put? Is she safe?”
Yes. She yelled at Thorne, but eventually relented.
Casimir chuckled quietly to himself. They weren’t allowing Ava to help with the river plan, making her save her magic and strength for Andras. She had been ordered to stay in the tent with her brother and wasn’t pleased about it.
A whistle in the distance. The signal.
Several hundred soldiers are on their way. Almost to the river, Aro said. Just daemons. No fae.
Casimir knew they wouldn’t send their entire army, but a small force to retaliate. A few hundred was larger than he’d expected, but they were prepared. It just meant they’d be able to kill more than they originally thought.
He waited, silent, the rest of his team hidden amongst the forest. His sharp hearing picked up the subtle splashes of their enemies crossing the river in the distance. Not as quiet as they believed they were.
Casimir waited until he could see the glint of black armor in the moonlight. Waited until they were just feet away. Almost there…
“Aro. It’s time.”
Casimir whistled and emerged from the shadows along with about a hundred of his own soldiers. Archers hidden in the trees took down the first group of daemons, their expressions frozen with surprise as they fell.
But they didn’t falter for long.
Seconds later Casimir threw himself into battle. A group of daemons charged forward. Raising a hand, he called on his astral magic, easier each time he allowed himself to use it. Manipulating the gravity around them, Casimir raised his enemies into the air, now suspended and unable to fight back.
Shouts and screams burst from their lips as they struggled to grasp their weapons. But before they could reach their blades, Raine stepped up beside Casimir.
“Nice trick,” he said with a wink.
With a flick of his wrist, Raine wrapped vines around the soldiers, pulling them forward and gutting them with his sword. One by one.
Sabriel and Aro joined, leaping into battle and ripping off limbs with ease.
Growls mixed with screams, the animals mauling every enemy they came across.
Thorne’s eagle, Skye, dove in from above, picking up one soldier in each taloned claw and ascending into the sky before dropping them to their deaths.
A daemon soldier raised his sword, lunging for Casimir. But he met him blow for blow, blocking each swipe. The enemy growled, black eyes swirling with violence.
Casimir’s blade cleaved the air. The enemy dodged. With a swipe, Casimir tried again, but his sword was knocked from his hand.
He rose a vine from the ground, wrapped it around the daemon’s own sword…and yanked. Darting forward, Casimir tried to take the weapon for himself, but another soldier thwarted his attempt and it ended up too far away to reach.
Aro lunged for that soldier, while Casimir focused on the first. Palming a dagger, he whipped it forward. The man avoided it, spinning around and jabbing a spiked elbow into Casimir’s side.
The metal pierced his flesh. Casimir shouted. The soldier attempted another attack, but Casimir rolled and grasped his ankle, burning him with starlight, leaving only a pile of ash behind.
Raine back at his side, he extended a hand, pulling Casimir to his feet. “You good?”
Breathing through the pain, he retrieved his sword. “Just a scratch.”
About two dozen daemons charged.
“Let’s kill those fucking bastards,” Raine said, swinging his sword.
Casimir gave him a wolfish grin, raising his own blade.
Steel met flesh as Casimir fought side by side with his best friend, pushing their way forward.
This was what they trained for. This was why they spent countless hours in the rings, sparring.
Pushing each other to their absolute breaking point.
Why they’d spent years climbing the ranks; Casimir the general and Raine, one of his best captains.
It was all for this moment. For their lost loved ones. For their kingdom.
For their home.
They moved together, ducking and dodging each enemy blow. So in sync they didn’t even need to speak. Where Raine grabbed an enemy with vines, Casimir burned them with starlight. Where Casimir raised one into the air, Raine slit their throat with a dagger. As if they fought as one.
Another group of enemy soldiers broke away, sprinting toward Imsel who had just finished taking a daemon down. “On your left!” Casimir warned.
The stone fae captain smiled menacingly, spinning their staff, as they faced the oncoming threat. Rocks erupted beneath the daemons’ booted feet, throwing them to the ground. In the blink of an eye, Imsel wielded their weapon, taking down all six enemies, hardly a drop of sweat on their face.
Raine gaped. “Mother’s tits! That was impressive.”
Imsel smirked.
The daemons kept coming, Casimir pulling them down with vines and finishing them off with his sword.
Bow now in hand, Raine rapidly released arrows, felling four more. “These Igneothenian arrowheads are spectacular! The way they slice through armor…” He shot another, spearing straight through the man’s chest piece. “It’s kind of making me hard!”
“For fuck’s sake,” Cas muttered, dodging a daemon before wrapping him in a cocoon of roots, then setting him alight with starlight.
Another charged, heading for Raine. Before he got the chance to face the threat, Quinn appeared, jumping onto the enemy’s back and slitting his throat from behind.
“That one was mine,” Raine quipped.
“You’ve got to be quicker, pretty boy,” Quinn chided, spinning the dagger in her hand.
“It’s not a competition,” Casimir growled, sinking his sword into the belly of a soldier.
They’re heating the river now, Aro said.
Casimir, Raine, Quinn, Imsel and the rest of their soldiers continued to push forward, cutting down the remainder of the enemies on their side of the river.
Minutes later, they reached the glimmering water and the several hundred soldiers now crossing. Maeryn barked orders to a dozen lava wielders from the shore, while Roan, the stone fae general, commanded his group of fae preparing to raise the wall.
Lava crept forward, meeting the water with a hiss. It didn’t take long for it to start simmering, transitioning to a rolling boil in seconds. Steam rose and screams tainted the night as their enemies were boiled alive.
Casimir scanned the forest around them, remaining alert for problems. But there were no ice fae to be seen. No attempt to thwart their efforts. No monsters either.
The enemy forces on Casimir’s side of the river had all been cut down. And now the fae watched as the second step of their plan was enacted, the remainder of the daemons still screaming.
“It’s working,” Quinn said.
There was a sudden cry of pain on Casimir’s right. Maeryn had an arrow sticking out of her thigh, but she ignored it and continued to feed her magic into the water.
“She’ll be alright,” Casimir said to Raine, then yelled to his men, “Archers in the trees on the far side of the river! Take them down!”
Rage on Raine’s face, he joined the other archers, releasing arrow after arrow, killing as many enemies as he could, and sending them to the ground.
Rocks grew from the earth on the opposite side of the river, pulling the rest of the daemons forward. Casimir, Raine and Quinn used vines and roots, yanking them into the water to meet their demise.
Within minutes, it was over.