67. Chapter Sixty-Seven
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Ryker
T he worst part of war was the wait, the anticipation of the coming onslaught of bloodshed. The suspense of it was paralyzing.
But only temporarily.
“Let’s go, little gem.” I shifted, the leather of my wings tearing through the thick fabric of my clothes, and swept Kya into my arms as I thrust us into the air—up and up until we reached the top of the immense wall erected along the entirety of the border between Riyah and Atara.
Odarum followed, landing next to Kya and me, his large hooves clicking against the stone.
Nikan wielded a rock from the ground, elevating himself along with Mavris, Malina and Hakoa up the colossal wall all the way to the top until they stepped off the wielded platform and came to stand next to us.
“Everyone stay still,” Kya said.
She stepped toward the edge of the wall and bent down, slapping her hands on the outside of the wall and remained there for several moments.
“What is she doing?” Hakoa asked.
“Shh,” Malina hissed.
“She’s feeling the vibrations, trying to assess their numbers and their proximity,” Nikan offered in a low whisper.
“Wow,” Hakoa said under his breath.
We patiently waited for Kya for another few moments before she started shaking her head.
“There’s a lot. Thousands. Too many for me to get an exact number.” She stood then turned around to face Malina and nodded at her.
Malina stepped forward. She threw out her arm and countless dots of light sprung forth from her hand, swiftly flying across the Riyah landscape in the skies.
Everyone nearly gasped in unison as Malina’s balls of light illuminated a mass near the horizon, showcasing the assembled rival Nations that had stopped for the night. You could see a clear gap between the three Nations of Gaol, Torx, and Ulrik all gathered together to create the largest opposing force in history.
They’d be here by nightfall tomorrow.
“Well,” Malina started. “We’re fucked.”
She’s not wrong.
“Hakoa,” I addressed the Chief of my forces. He stood straight with his arms behind his back. “I want the night watch on high alert. Do we have any burrowers at this post?”
“Yes.”
“Send them to scout the perimeter. I want reports by sunrise. What’s the status of the Vaavi?”
“Arra left a couple of days ago for the checkpoint. She should be back soon. Do you want me to send someone for her?” Hakoa asked.
“No. Let her do her job. Fortify the wall and don’t let anyone slip through during the night.” I ordered. “Everyone is required to get sleep tonight.” I looked at Kya pointedly.
Kya spun to face me. “Ryker, I don’t think—”
“ Everyone is getting sleep tonight. The last thing we need is to be sleep deprived once they get here. And you need it most of all. You’re still not recovered.”
“I need to be down there.”
“No.” There was no room for argument. If she thought I would agree to her going out in the middle of three enemy Nations, she was dead wrong.
“They think I’m dead right? Isn’t that why they’re doing this? They think there isn’t a Worthy to protect Atara. If I go show them I’m alive, maybe they’ll back off.” She put her hands on her hips and gave me a stern look.
Gods, I loved her fire.
“I wish it were that simple. If it were, I’d take you down there myself. But they already know you’re alive. They don’t care. Atara is easy for them to take since it’s practically unoccupied.” I shrugged.
Kya narrowed her eyes. “They just want the land ?” she questioned, glancing at each of us.
We all nodded.
Kya looked skeptical and only hummed a response, pursing her lips in thought.
“...it doesn’t make sense...there has to be something more…” I heard her frustrated thoughts.
“You can’t rationalize the actions of those that crave power,” I responded, trying to ease her chaotic mind. “And land offers more than you might think. The more land they have, the more resources they have. And therefore, more power.”
Her eyes flicked up to mine—the ferocity in them shook me. “They can’t have Atara, Ryker. They will not step foot in this land. They will not take a single life.”
I nodded slowly, and warily. “They won’t. But we can’t stop them on our own. ”
I hooked my finger under her chin and lifted her head, leaning close so she could see the seriousness in my eyes. “No running off and trying to take things into your own hands.”
“I won’t. Never again,” she promised.
“Good.” I pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
Hakoa cleared his throat. “We need to make contact with Dusan.”
“Agreed. We’ll go first thing in the morning.” I nodded to the stone platform at the edge of the wall, and we stepped on as Nikan lowered us down the stone barricade.
“What’s going on with Dusan?” Kya asked.
“We’ve allied with Lady Asmen. She will be fighting alongside us against the other Nations,” I explained. “Nikan was there for the negotiations. We have it all worked out.”
“Why?” she asked skeptically.
“Because we need them,” Nikan stated.
“No, I mean why would they be willing to fight with us?”
“Maybe she’s just a cranky, vengeful bitch and wants bloodshed,” Malina said with a too chipper voice for her choice of words.
Everyone looked at her warily.
“What?” She shrugged.
“She is from Ulrik. I’d want vengeance on them too if it were me,” Nikan added.
“Or it’s because she couldn’t stand against the other Nations on her own and wants this alliance just as much as we do,” I said pointedly.
Nikan wielded the stone platform back into the ground, and we all stepped away from the wall.
“She has something we want, and we have something she wants. We need her forces, and she needs us to stand with her in the event of any retaliation from the other Worthy. We’ll also have open borders and trade between the three Nations,” I said to Kya. “We had to negotiate on your behalf, but we didn’t do anything that would be harmful to Atara. I promise.”
“I wasn’t exactly here to do it myself.” She shrugged.
“But you are now. And you’ll come with me to Dusan at first light. From here on out, you’ll be part of everything.” I glanced over to Hakoa and nodded. “Get those scouts out.”
“Right.” He turned and began barking orders. “Bavel, Preya, Aleksi.”
Two males and a female jogged up to him and stood at attention.
“Take the river channel to the coast. I want a report on naval activity in the sea. Be back before daybreak,” he commanded.
They bowed, and we watched as they darted toward the river bend. They wielded a sheet of ice on the surface of the water and leapt on, wielding themselves quickly down the river, waves crashing against the icy bank in their wake.
Hakoa continued to order more scouts to the rest of the border checkpoints he’d set up. He had a handle on things, and I left him to it.
I grabbed Kya by the hand, bridging it up to my mouth to kiss the back of her palm. “Come on. You need rest. We’re going to have a very long day tomorrow.”
I rolled over on the furs, warmed by the heat of the smoldering coals in the dark hour of the morning, and sighed when I felt Kya’s body tucked up next to me. I had barely slept, too worried I would wake up to the nightmare of her absence—just as I had each night since she’d returned. Pure exhaustion was the only thing that allowed me to drift off to sleep.
Every time I even thought of closing my eyes, the panic of waking to her having left me again set in. Except she was still here—safe and asleep beside me—and all my worries melted away against the feel of her skin as I curled myself around her.
But as I began to wake, I remembered why we were on a pile of furs in a tent at the border of Atara, and those worries of her safety seeped back in like venom violently coursing through my blood and straight to my heart.
We needed to get up. We needed to leave for Dusan to meet with Asmen, and prepare for the approaching Nations.
But at this moment, I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to move. I just needed to hold my mate for a little longer where she was safe and warm and protected.
A few more minutes. I just need a few more minutes of peace.
One day, this would all be over, and we could live our lives side by side without the worries of the realms on our shoulders. We’d be free from burdens and tasks and just be in a world of our own.
Gods, I wanted that more than anything.
I wanted to thrash and snarl and burn every threat that stood outside these walls. I wanted to shield her from the coming dangers approaching and the horrors that would follow when they neared. I wanted to take her away and hide from anything that could threaten her.
“Easy, my shadow,” Kya’s soft voice whispered down the bond. “We can’t run away from this.”
I realized then I was holding her tightly. I relaxed my arm, and she rolled to face me.
“I’m right here. No one will take me from you ever again. Not even me,” she soothed, rubbing her hand down my side.
My fingers trailed up and down her arm. “It’s just… Kya, if something happens to you—”
“I will be okay. We both will.” She smiled up at me. “We haven’t endured what we have for it to be in vain. I’m not done with you yet.”
I relaxed at that, trailing my fingers up her arm and over her shoulder then up to hold her face with my hand. But when my fingers brushed her neck, she flinched and sucked in a sharp breath with wide eyes.
“Are you okay?” Did I hurt her?
She cleared her throat. “Oh, uh,” she huffed a laugh. “I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
“What—”
“We should get going. We need to head to Dusan. It’s almost dawn,” she cut me off and pressed her lips to mine, taking away all other thoughts besides the feel of her mouth.
She tried to pull away after too brief a moment, but my hand came to the back of her head and held her still. I needed just a little bit longer. She opened her mouth for me, and I deepened the kiss, savoring every languid stroke of our tongues.
I knew we didn’t have time for more than this, but I took what I could get, indulging in this precious, peaceful moment with my mate. But it was only a moment.
I forced myself to pull away, hating the increasing amount of space between us. But seeing the smile on Kya’s face was worth it.
“I love you,” I said softly.
“And I love you.”
“Come on.” I sat up, not missing the desire on Kya’s face as her eyes trailed down my exposed chest and stomach. If only we had the time. “First, you need to eat. Then, we’ll go win a war.”
I held Kya against my chest as we flew to Dusan. She could have ridden Odarum who flew next to us, but I wanted her with me. It reminded me of the first time we flew to Dusan together, except this time was very different.
I was all too aware of how much lighter she felt in my arms, of the looming threat that awaited us back from where we left. Yet I was also aware of how much stronger we were together, how the bond thrummed between us, and how we had a fighting chance.
It didn’t take but a couple of hours flying across Atara before we were in Dusan. We continued until we saw the blessed sight of a great mass of wielders gathered and on the move toward the border. We weren’t far from the edge of the Rip, so I made sure to steer clear of the chasm. We descended and landed ahead of the Dusan force, keeping a bit of distance between us.
“You certainly enjoy making a dramatic entrance, flying in here holding the lost Worthy like she’s the savior of us all,” Asmen said in my mind.
It irritated me to no end that she had this capability.
“It is her Nation we’re fighting for,” I replied, searching for her in the halting crowd of prestigious warriors.
I knew she was here. She had to be to imitate my wielding.
Sure enough, after a few moments, Asmen stepped out from the mass of people with several of her Skorn flanking her and Daciana, her Spirit wolf, by her side. She wore brown fighting leathers that nearly matched her skin tone, and her long hair was done in a bunch of small braids that were pulled back and tied behind her head.
“Lady Asmen,” Kya greeted. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Good to see you’re alive, Lady Kya. I trust Lord Ryker has informed you of our agreement?” she asked as she and Daciana stopped in front of us, her warriors staying back a few steps.
I noted Daciana and Odarum stepping off to the side.
“Yes, he has, and I’m willing to uphold Atara’s end,” Kya said with a nod.
“Good. Because we’re about to go to war with my neighboring Nation, and I’ll expect you both to return the favor of defending Dusan if and when they retaliate.”
“We will,” I assured her. “How many wielders do you have?”
“Five thousand trained wielders stand behind me. I have another two thousand along the borders and stationed in larger cities,” she stated.
“Five thousand?” That was considerably more than I had anticipated, though I wasn’t complaining.
Asmen shrugged. “I can’t take credit for the numbers. It was all the late Lady Zana’s doing.” The Worthy who forfeited her life in the last Trial so Asmen could take her place. “My people are eager, and I don’t want to tire them by delaying their arrival to Atara. Do you mind if we continue on?”
“Of course. We’re not far from the border. We’re going to head back and see you when you get there.” I said, flaring my wings out and reaching for Kya. I pulled her to me.
All of our heads whipped to the Spirits when Daciana snarled then disappeared. Odarum suddenly flared out his wings and took to the air, flying deeper into Dusan.
“What’s going on?” I asked Kya, wanting her to reach Odarum.
She remained quiet for a moment, her eyes glazing over as she spoke to her Guardian. She blinked a moment later. “I don’t know. He just said he’ll be back shortly. ”
I looked at Asmen who was also staring off, likely speaking to the wolf.
She looked at the both of us and shrugged. “Daciana said she has to check something but isn’t saying anything else.”
“Should we wait for Odarum?” I asked Kya.
She was quiet for a second then shook her head. “No. He said we should get back to Atara. and he’ll meet us there.”
Spirits… At least I wasn’t the only one whose Spirit was less than forthcoming.
“Let’s go then.” I grabbed Kya’s waist and lifted her with one arm behind her and the other under her knees as she wrapped her arms around my neck. “We’ll see you soon,” I said to Asmen, then took to the skies.
It was only a couple of minutes before we could see the clear boundary of Atara below us, the northern forest of Dusan meeting the vast open plain of the once decimated Nation. It would be nice to see trees here once again. I knew Kya loved the forests, and I hoped they would grow soon.
“Ryker, look. Down there!” Kya shouted over the wind roaring past us.
I glanced down to see two figures below running across the landscape, wielding the ground beneath them to carry them faster across the land. They were frantically waving their hands above their heads with their faces tilted up, calling for us. I recognized them as Noavo and immediately began my rapid descent, Kya gripping me tighter with the steep fall.
We landed, and I placed her on her feet as the two male warriors rushed up to us. They looked disheveled and exhausted, as if they had been traveling all night.
“Kieran. Tarek,” I greeted, straightening my back and wrapping an arm around Kya’s waist to pull her against my side.
They bowed quickly.
“Lord Ryker. Lady Kya,” Tarek panted, catching his breath. He looked directly at Kya with disbelieving eyes.
Kya raised her chin.
My arm tightened protectively around her. “What is it, Tarek?” I tried to direct his attention to me, unsure of what was going on.
He continued to look at Kya for a moment, and I felt her tense until the side of his mouth lifted.
“Lady Kya,” he said softly. “We were on border patrol along the coast. And…”
He took a breath and glanced at Kieran who nodded eagerly for him to continue. I was half a second away from losing my patience and forcibly getting the information from his mind before he looked at Kya again.
Tarek swallowed and put his shoulders back with his arms behind him. “The Drift Islands are approaching the coast. The banished people of Atara are returning.”
Her family…
I could practically feel the chill run down Kya’s spine as she grew still.
“Shit,” she whispered as her pace paled, coming to the same realization I had.
This was terrible timing. We were about to go to war, and her family was on those islands. Maybe that’s why Odarum and Daciana left so abruptly.
“Um, thank you, Tarek. I…think,” she stumbled on her words.
“How many islands are there, and how long do you estimate until they reach the shore?” I asked for her, giving her time to process.
“Seven islands,” Keiran offered. “From the rate at which they’re approaching, we think they'll arrive within four—maybe five—days.”
“Four to five days…” Her breathing became rapid and her eyes were wide.
I stepped in front of her, blocking the Noavo from her sight, and took her face in my hands. Her anxiety reverberated down the bond.
“Look at me, little gem,” I coaxed gently. Her deep green eyes met mine. I expected to find tears in them but all I saw was dread.
“They’re coming back to a war.” She shook her head. “They don’t deserve that. I—”
“We will figure it out. We’ll usher them to Oryn if we have to. We’ll take care of them, I swear.” I brushed my thumb across her cheek. “We still have a few days to sort it out. Right now, all we can do is go back to the wall and do everything we can to make sure no other Nations get into these lands. Alright?”
She nodded and took a deep breath. “Yeah. Okay. We need to get back.”
“One thing at a time.” I huffed a breath. Except we had so many things all at once.
“Right,” she scoffed.
I turned around to face the warriors. “Go back to the coast. Keep an eye on the islands and report with updates on their approach. We’ll be at the northern post. Don’t let them out of your sight and make sure to let the naval patrol know not to get too close to the islands. Their spiritual nullification extends slightly beyond their perimeter, and we don’t need anyone else having their abilities suppressed.”
They bowed and left, wielding the land to move beneath them as they headed east toward the Ataran coast.
“Do you need a minute?” I asked Kya, glancing down at her and brushing a stray hair behind her ear.
She shook her head. “No. I don’t want to dwell on it right now. I need to keep my head straight. Like you said, there’s nothing we can do right now so let’s just go back.”
My mouth twitched up, and I scooped her up into my arms. “Hold on tight. We’re late.” I winked and just as I was about to thrust us into the air I heard the faint sound of screaming, and stopped.
We both whipped our heads toward the sound, coming from behind where we had just left. We were momentarily frozen in place as we listened to the Dusanians’ screams. We needed to get to the border, but we needed to go find out what was happening.
I heard the sound of wings beating, and looked up at the canopy of the treeline just before Odarum flew into view and swept down, landing with a heavy thud in front of us.
Kya jumped down from my arms and stared at him intently.
I didn’t have time to ask what was going on before he turned to the side, lifting Kya into the air with his head and throwing her on his back.
“Hey! What—”
“Let’s go!” Kya shouted, gripping onto the black hair of his mane as Odarum spread his wings and quickly propelled into the air.
Damnit!
I followed, thrusting my wings hard to catch up next to them.
“What’s going on?” I asked her, shouting over the roaring of the bitter, cold wind.
“He said Asmen needs help,” she replied.
We saw smoke and dust kicked up into the air ahead of us near the Rip and we aimed for that, going faster, driven by the blood curdling screams of the Dusan army under attack. All I could think was that we made a mistake and Gaol had come through Dusan, or the other Nations came from the southern sea and the armies camped in Riyah on the other side of the wall were just a distraction.
Except it was much worse.
The bloodbath beneath us wasn’t from war. It was caused by something even more horrific.
Like a swarm, a sea of blond-haired males stepped from the treeline.
“Oh Gods,” Kya gasped. “Daegel.”
The name alone ignited fury in my gut, fueling my wrath for the dark wielder. Those same beings from Daegel’s realm poured in from the forest, an army of magic wielders we didn’t know how to defend against.
I didn’t see Daegel himself, which worried me more than anything. If he was here, I wanted my eyes on him at all times.
“Ryker, we have to help them! They’re getting slaughtered,” Kya shouted.
I nodded as Odarum dove and I followed. My shadows burst from me, rushing across the landscape, and it was like I was reliving Kya’s rescue all over again as I steered them around the Dusanians and toward the mass of invaders.
But before my shadows could reach them, Odarum roared, the warning making my blood tremble. He dove faster toward the ground littered with warriors and otherworldly beings, throwing his wing around me to force me down with him to an open area in the trees. Kya’s scream made my heart stop.
We crashed.
I rolled, sticks and rocks snapping and crunching beneath my body until I came to a stop. Adrenaline coursed through me as all I could think about was getting to Kya.
I scrambled to my feet and ran over to where she was pulling herself up. I wrapped my arms and wings around her, the leathery material dripping with blood from the tears.
Thank the Gods she seemed okay, Odarum having taken the brunt of the fall with feathers torn from his wings along the cold ground. He leapt to his feet and immediately looked to the skies despite the approaching magic wielders.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have thanked the Gods.
Kya and I followed his gaze toward the darkening sky, shadowed by omnipotence above us. The breath left our lungs, and I held her tighter. All we could do was stare.
Our Gods had come.
Falling like meteors from the sky, a thundering clap of force burst from where they landed. With only a split second to react to the oncoming wall of celestial power, I threw Kya and myself down to the ground, landing on top of her and shielding her as best as I could.
Bodies were flung across the landscape and tall, ancient trees were snapped in half, sending them crashing to the forest floor on the other side of the clearing with splinters of bark blasting outward.
Kya trembled beneath me, and I grunted as I dug the claws of my wings into the dirt, trying to keep us from sliding farther across the ground. We closed our eyes against the stinging spray of dirt and rocks flying through the air.
As the pressure receded, I opened my eyes, blinking away the dust. I quickly lifted off Kya and pulled her to her feet, checking her over, but I was admittedly distracted by the sight before us. Our mouths dropped in awe. Every one of those vile beings were being thrown over the edge of the Rip or their corpses scattered like leaves, the dirt soaking up their blood.
But it wasn’t the expulsion of the magic wielders that took the words from our throats. It was the two Gods standing before us like megalithic beings.
Odarum stepped up beside Kya and me, extending a leg and bowing deeply to the almighty Fathers. Kya got down on her knees, following Odarum’s lead. But I didn’t move. All I could do was stare into Xareus’s eyes as he stood next to Udon.
“What are you doing here?”
His cold stare had me rooted in place, but I refused to back down. His deep, bone-chilling voice filled the air around us.
“Saving the realms from peril.”