5. Allie
Allie
“They raise them big around here.” Dax whistled as we neared the fortress protected by rows upon rows of warriors, his laughter now only a ghost haunting the city’s alleys. “And menacing.”
I huffed out a laugh I didn’t quite feel. I’d thought the same thing so many weeks ago, back when the crater had been nothing but a foreign cage I’d wanted to escape.
Now it was the sanctuary where I’d begun to stitch myself back together, though some pieces were still too fragile to disturb.
“You should see Vylkor.” I squared my shoulders and smoothed my face into one of pure calm and certainty.
The mask I’d worn for almost all of my life back in Aquila.
The one that never cracked.
Why, yes, of course I’d known my cousin was coming all along.
My doubts and fears would only be whispered to Ryker. At least now I had someone to share them with. Someone who could understand all the parts of myself I’d locked away.
One word from the Commander would have branded Dax as a safe visitor.
Well…as safe as a First Family member in enemy territory could be.
But he wasn’t here right now. So I alone had to shoulder the curious, hostile gazes the warriors were already sending Dax’s way.
Solkar’s Reach had been forced to accept me as their leader’s future bride.
In their eyes, Dax was still sort of a member of the enemy Clan, who hadn’t proven himself to them–or to the outside world.
The people in the crater had at least heard of The Huntress, enough to fear me at first. Dax’s reputation, if it had even reached this remote land, was…lacking. On purpose, yes, but they didn’t–and couldn’t–know that.
The party boy who flitted from one realm to another in search of the grandest balls, leaving a trail of broken hearts and bitter drinking partners in his wake.
Hardly the kind of person the fierce, hardworking people of Solkar’s Reach would warm up to.
Dax refused to publicly reveal even a modicum of his abilities and I’d accepted that a long time ago. Sadly, I knew why he used his Protectorate powers only in the direst of circumstances, but some of his other skills could have been celebrated without drawing any unwanted attention.
Right now, though, that image he’d so painstakingly created, which opened gilded doors across Malhaven, would be nothing but a hindrance.
Coupled with the godsawful timing of his arrival, it was no wonder my palms already sweated and my chest constricted.
That same strange pulse gripped my skull, slithering up to my temples.
It took all of my self control not to turn around.
There had been nothing waiting to attack in the forest, and there wouldn’t be any now, in broad daylight, surrounded by so many fearsome fighters.
All of them were bundled in furs that made them look even more massive, swords and axes strapped to their backs and leather belts as they flanked the fortress steps.
None of them had fought by our side in the crater’s passage. Hadn’t bled for Solkar’s Reach only a day ago. Those warriors were still being healed and fussed over by Mrs. Thornbrew.
Which meant none of these fighters had seen me in the ceremony, joining blood and magic with their Brothers and Sisters. Or in battle to protect their land.
Real trust took proof and time.
Still, it stung when the warriors tensed as we approached, ice gazes tracking Dax’s every move. My presence beside him did little to justify the intrusion in their eyes, and it made my stomach tighten.
They exchanged quick glances among them, hands circling their bloody weapon hilts, before their questioning stares raced to me. A familiar reaction. It made my skin crawl and my soul soar at the same time.
The anticipation of a command.
A decision.
A course of action they needed someone else to choose.
With Ryker gone, every choice–and every consequence–fell to me. A burden I had to carry, whether I liked it or not.
Like always.
I gave them the curt nod I’d perfected back in Aquila, trained to signal utmost confidence and soothe fears.
They loosened their hold on their weapons, but the tension didn’t vanish.
Mistrust hung thick in the air, ready to ignite, and one spark–a look, a whisper–could set the whole thing ablaze.
Dax had a weird tension straining his shoulders, ready to pounce.
“You need to relax,” I muttered, apprehension pulsed against me from all sides.
“Back at you,” he whispered from the corner of his lips.
With each step, the palpable suspicion grew.
I knew what they were seeing.
An intruder.
Perhaps two.
And many, many, many more sets of suspicious eyes waited for us inside.
As we reached the massive wooden doors, carved with fearsome gods, fallen stars, and fierce battles, for the briefest moment, I was struck by the fear that they wouldn’t open.
Could the warriors themselves refuse access if Ryker wasn’t here to enforce it? The thought wormed its way into my chest, tightening the air out of me.
There were still so many rules I had to learn.
I can do this.
I can do this.
I can–
A screech ruptured the unease.
Weeks ago, I would have flinched at the sound.
Now I welcomed it.
Sylvester, Ryker’s very opinionated raven, soared above the stairs in three precise loops, making sure nobody missed his arrival. Then his great wings sliced the air and he landed on my shoulder, like that’s exactly where the gods had deemed he belonged right now.
Those blue ancient eyes of his locked on me, sharp and knowing.
The warriors around us murmured, surprised.
With Sylvester’s wings offering even more legitimacy to our arrival, the doors to the fortress opened with a great big gust of warm wind and a wave of startled whispers.
Now everyone knew another outsider had entered Solkar’s Reach.