Chapter 11
Cursing, I shoved to my feet, wiping the dirt from my dark leathers. My forearm stung from where the reins had snapped around it. Sylaira trotted off, unsteady in her seat. I snatched my stallion and mounted him again.
She wasn’t getting away without talking to me. The itch to Command her crawled up my throat. But I was powerless to make her stop—even if I could bring myself to violate her like that again.
A trumpet sliced the air. Sylaira shot a glance over her shoulder, lips parting on a gasp. She kicked her mare, and the horse leaped forward. I dug my heels in, intent on catching up to her.
Terror twisted our bond tight. Tree limbs crashed to my right. I whipped my head to the side, and my heart ceased beating.
Because a herd of aelyphan stampeded straight toward us.
“Sylaira!” I shouted a warning, snapping my reins to urge my stallion onward. He needed no encouragement, not when the long-trunked creatures had no intent on stopping.
“They’re ahead of us too,” Sylaira shrieked, pointing.
A young bull bellowed at us as he broke through the thick underbrush.
“Fuck!” I grabbed her horse’s bridle and tugged her along with me. “Stay close. We have to get out of their path.”
Thank the Goddess Sylaira put up no argument. We turned toward a line of redwoods. But when we reached them, only more forest remained.
Why hadn’t I been paying attention when I dragged us in here? I was lost among the trees, unsure which way to go to the beach where the rest of our forces waited.
And the creatures kept crushing everything in their path. Flits of their gray bodies appeared between all the green surrounding us. No matter where I looked, we had no exit.
“There!” Sylaira pointed to a break in the brush. We steered our horses there, squeezing past thick hanging vines.
My stallion reared, forcing me to grip his mane. A tiny aelyphan blocked our path, its trunk raised and ears flapping wildly. A cow—likely its mother—stood behind him, a rumble shaking the ground beneath her feet.
“Oh, Goddess,” Sylaira whispered, and pure fear gripped our bond.
The female pawed the ground and tossed her tusks.
“Get ready to leap off and fly,” I told her, dropping my stirrups. She did the same, her focus locked on the aelyphan.
The baby darted into the bushes.
“I need to find a tree and climb. It’s the only way.” Because I didn’t have wings to carry me into the sky.
“I’ll carry you,” she shot back, swinging one leg over her horse’s back.
“You can’t. I’ll be fine.”
“Then I’m not leaving you,” she protested, finally spearing me with a glare.
“Now is not the time to argue with me,” I snapped.
The cow roared. I vaulted off my stallion.
“Fly, Sylaira!”
But of course, my damn mate didn’t do as I asked. Sylaira stumbled as her feet hit the ground. I shot forward and caught her arm. She didn’t shrug me off as I hauled her off the path. Our horses bolted in the opposite direction.
And the beast charged.
We sprinted toward an oak with branches low enough to snag and climb. Wood cracked as the cow hunted us.
Sylaira hissed, a flare of pain passing from her to me. I halted my ascent, but she gritted out, “Keep going. Just cut my hand.”
I stole a second to scan for our attacker. White tusks flashed in the sun. I acted without thinking, hanging on by my fingertips as I reached down and snatched Sylaira’s arm. With a cry, I hoisted her higher. Her feet dangled helplessly beneath her.
She screamed as she looked down.
And the head of the aelyphan passed inches from her toes.
Branches ripped off the trunk, shaking the whole tree. My grip slipped—
White lashed out and jerked us both into a thick bough. Sylaira slammed into me, and I caught her waist, pinning her safely against the bark. But there was no need when her magic wrapped us in a protective cocoon, preventing us from falling.
Our hearts thundered wild rhythms in our chests.
“You saved me.” I lifted a brow and cocked my head to the side.
“Don’t read too much into it,” she shot back, the melody of her voice wrapping around me like it hadn’t done in so long.
The female trumpeted, circling the base of the oak. Around her, more of her herd crashed through the forest. Yet her dark eyes remained on us.
“If we stay here until her family passes, I think we’ll be okay,” I murmured.
Sylaira blew out a shaky breath. Her fingers trembled against my torso. I tore my attention away from the aelyphan and to my mate. Silvery stands of hair fell out of the knot atop her head. A trickle of ruby ran down her arm from a cut on her palm.
“I’ve got you. You’re safe with me.”
Fury sliced through her fear. “You keep saying that, but I don’t believe it.”
My nostrils flared. “I would never put you in harm’s way.”
She scoffed and dropped her magic. I missed the touch of it on my skin the instant it receded.
But my body still had her pinned, and she wasn’t going anywhere. “Tell me, Sylaira. Don’t shut down.”
She chewed on the inside of her cheek. I glared at her.
Finally, she looked at me, her ice-blue eyes storming. “Then why weren’t you there in Thaerii?”
Guilt slammed into my gut. She had been searching for me in that square, expecting me to intervene on her behalf. But I hadn’t been visible to her; I’d been too far away and with no Command to quell the crowd.
“I was running to you, calling on my magic to force everyone away…” I ground my teeth, trying to shove my self-loathing away. “But I couldn’t. Maelsar was there a moment later and got you to safety. And I’ve hated myself for it every moment since.”
The corners of her mouth dipped down, and pity softened her expression. “I didn’t realize–”
“It’s fine,” I said in a rush. But it wasn’t, not really.
The words were borne of all the carefully laid defenses I’d created over the years, the same ones that had returned the moment she rejected me after the trial by light.
But I couldn’t take them back now—I had to figure out a way out of this fucking mess.
With her trapped against me was a good place to start.
Unfortunately, the cow chose that moment to depart.
“We should find the horses,” Sylaira whispered, scanning the forest below.
My fingers opened and closed, and I curled my nails into my palms, pressing until the pain grounded me. “The herd looked like it was headed for the beach. We need to warn the others before anyone gets killed.”
As much as I was loath to release her, I forced myself to step back. Sylaira’s wings unfurled from her back, and she leaped off the bough, climbing the sky so she could seek out our mounts.
Of course now she chose to fly. But I couldn’t be too bitter about her defying my instruction when it was because she didn’t want to leave me.
I was under no illusion it was because she still truly wanted me.
So I climbed down until I hung on the lowest broken branch. Drawing in a breath, I let go, hitting the ground with a thud.
“Do you see them?” I pressed into her mind, hoping she’d allow me entrance.
“Yes. Follow me,” she replied, giving me only a sliver of access.
I’d take what I could get.
The stampede had cleared an extensive path, making tracking my mate in the sky far easier. Within a few minutes, we found the horses, tangled up in long vines. In silence, we worked to free them.
Yet each passing minute as we traversed the forest in search of the battalion had me wracking my brain from something, anything to say. To bring us back to the moment we’d shared before the cow left.
Sylaira offered me nothing.
Until rumbles reached our ears, drowning out the sounds of the ocean on the beach.
“We have to save them,” she choked out, a swell of grief-threaded terror rising within her. “I can’t lose anyone else.”
“Then let’s ride, little fugitive,” I swore, giving my stallion his head. We broke through the treeline, finding chaos claiming the shores.
Soldiers darted between the aelyphans, formation shattered. Several wagons lay on their side, wheels broken and still spinning. A massive bull stomped the sand, roaring at anyone who was too close. Yet no one could pass by him, his position effectively cutting our forces in two.
If only I had access to my magic.
Once again, I was powerless to help these people when one word could have solved the crisis. Would everyone find out I was weak when I didn’t wield my fearsome power?
I shoved the thoughts away. There wasn’t time to dwell on it now.
A scream ripped my attention into the distance, and I spotted Maelsar diving in front of Lyriasthe. His arms shimmered, and the charging cow skidded to a stop, her tail flicking. The calves at her side did too, edging behind their mother and peering around her thick legs.
“Come on,” I said to Sylaira, and we urged our mounts in their direction, cutting close to the forest. I spotted Calrien facing off with the angry bull, Amplifying the Illusions cast by those around him.
“Watch out!” Sylaira shouted.
A juvenile charged out of the forest in front of us, and I yanked the reins to the side narrowly missing his back legs. I checked behind me to ensure Sylaira was still safe too. Her lips pressed into a firm, determined line. She offered me a curt nod.
Yet anxiety twisted down our bond. Because Maelsar worked his Mirror magic on the aelyphan, but the danger had not passed.
I wouldn’t let her lose another friend.
“Keep holding,” I yelled at Maelsar as we closed the remaining distance to them. Sweat poured down his brow. Lyriasthe too wielded her power, casting an image of a wall to shield a nearby group of recruits.
“Fuck, I’m glad to see you,” Maelsar chuckled, shaking his head.
“We have to divert them back into the forest,” I said.
“They’re pretty pissed off,” he commented, line forming between his brows as he focused on the female and her offspring. She flapped her ears and inched forward, digging divots into the sand.
“We need to appear like a threat to them,” I replied, scanning everyone around me and taking in my options. “Lyriasthe, create a jaguar and see if that gets the cow to flee.”
“On it.” Twisting her fingers, the Illusion morphed until a giant black cat prowled the shoreline. The female’s trunk gave a nervous twitch. She took a step back, along with her calves.
“It’s working,” Lyriasthe breathed, mouth open and panting from the continued exertion. She flung her hands forward, and the jaguar leaped. The cow barked an alarm, corralling the babies around her away from the threat.
Sylaira let out a cheer. Others down the beach spotted Lyriasthe’s success, and soon, predators bounded around the recruits. Calrien’s group tripled the numbers, sending the Illusions chasing after the herd.
Until finally, the last gray tail disappeared back into the forest.
The casters dropped their magic. Sylaira raced forward and hugged her friend.
Maelsar joined me in scanning the battalion. Ragged, and gathered in sporadic groups, the soldiers stumbled along the shore, finding bags and turning over face-down friends.
“Goddess damn it all.” I swiped my hand down my face. We couldn’t afford to lose any recruits, but by the wails ripping through the ocean breeze, there had to be at least several dozen dead.
And they hadn’t even made it to the front lines.
“We should start building a pyre,” Maelsar muttered, swiping his fingers through his tousled hair.
“This is another opportunity to make them loyal to us.” I shifted my weight, stealing a glance at Sylaira. Relief softened her features as she spoke with Lyriasthe. She was safe enough for me to leave for now.
“Let’s not waste it then,” Maelsar said, straightening his chest plate.
Yet before we could take off toward the largest group, a snide voice snagged my attention. “Issaraeth.”
Exhaling a frustrated breath, I faced Althirion. Nymirae lingered at his side, grit coating one of her arms and legs like she’d fallen onto the wet earth.
Why couldn’t they have fucking died in the stampede? My life would have been infinitely simpler if the aelyphans had stomped them into the sand.
“Yes?” Steel edged my tone.
“The Korona is so glad to know you’re still alive. The herd was a most unfortunate encounter. She suggests that we pray for a safe journey as a group until we reach Eloi. After all, the Goddess rewards those who are pious.” Althirion could barely hide his grin.
“I agree. Which is why we’re going to offer these recruits a proper send off. In fact,” I pointed to a pile of driftwood hugging the lapping water, “you can show your devotion to our Radiant Mother by starting the first one.
Althirion’s face fell into a scowl. He opened his mouth to protest, but I cut him off.
“I am your commanding officer, and these are my orders. Don’t make me flog you for insubordination.”
Maelsar snorted a laugh and covered it with a cough.
Dark satisfaction curled inside me as the male huffed. “For our holy warriors, we will build the grandest of pyres.”
“That’s more like it.” I jerked my head to Maelsar, and we stalked away, leaving the two errand birds to gather what we needed.
Lyriasthe and Sylaira jogged to catch up. The four of us walked along the beach, righting wagons, assisting in repairs. Though she was in my proximity, she was still an ocean away.
At least she wasn’t entirely avoiding me.
“Seraelth,” a female stumbled up, dropping to her knees. Her chin sank to her chest.
Sylaira froze, her tension palpable even without our bond.
“Seraelth, please tell me I’ll at least die at the front.” The recruit’s lower lip trembled.
“I–” Sylaira started, then cleared her throat.
I stepped closer. “My mate’s power doesn’t work like that. But know this, soldier. You will fight the Demons. Your bravery will shine on the battlefield. And your praises will be sung by those you save.”
She blinked up at me, sapphire eyes shining. “Thank you, Issaraeth.”
“Go help your comrades in gathering those who perished. Your service is appreciated.”
She got to her feet, offering a hasty salute before departing.
Sylaira exhaled, turning to face me. “You didn’t have to do that.”
I reached out, tucking a lock of hair behind her pointed ear. She didn’t flinch. “After I failed you in Thaerii, I didn’t want to fail you again.”
Her teeth dug into her lower lip. The world around us fell away. I ached to bring her closer, to feel her body against mine like it had been in that oak tree. Her fingers drifted forward, and I held my breath, waiting to see if she’d touch me of her own accord.
Lightning arced under my skin for the brief moment we connected. Then, she gathered her hands in front of her and rolled her shoulders back.
“We should prepare the prayers for the deceased.” And with that declaration, she walked away.