Chapter 44
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
QUINN
I don’t think anyone got much sleep, though I suppose most wouldn’t have, regardless. For me, it was Imelda’s words playing in my mind on an endless loop. The voice of the aunt I never knew and the witch I know far too well.
He has returned.
She could only mean Void, and the dragons all but confirmed that when they returned to camp. The shadows are back around Lunae, engulfing it in swirling darkness, as black as a moonless night. I haven’t yet decided how I feel about that. Even with the many hours spent thinking it through when I should have been sleeping and then again as we made the last leg of this journey, it still troubles me.
Void is back in Lunae, and that means he’s not on his way to Marein. We know where he is, and that knowledge is valuable. That said, I’m not foolish enough to believe that his shadows aren’t defensive. I first considered that the night Abby told me she could feel through her vines so long as she maintained her connection to them. I can’t think of another reason Void would expel so much energy just to swallow the city. He’ll know we’re here the second we pass through that boundary.
And more than that, the last time we saw him, he was a child. Or, at least, living within a child’s body. If he’s leaving Imelda’s side and coming and going as he pleases, he might very well have fully grown into his power. The Void we encountered in Marein, who was strong enough to block out the moon and stars and cast us into darkness, was just a fraction of the power I expect him to wield now.
I don’t like unknowns. I may have spent my life training to lead this war, but it was never supposed to be like this. I knew my enemy then. The king and queen of Lunae and their two daughters. There was no magic, no Chosen. I was just a man with a sword, rather than a beast with tooth and claw.
This may be my destiny, but I’m ill prepared for it.
We’ve set up camp in a small clearing between two low hills. It’s not ideal for watching our surroundings, but staying hidden is a much higher priority this close to Lunae. We’re a mere ten-minute walk to the border—and the wall of smokey shadow.
Fuck, I still haven’t figured out what to do about that, and by the way Erwyn is glaring at me, I’m sure he knows it.
“I am still waiting to hear your plan,” he says, crossing his thick arms. “We attack tonight, do we not?”
I rub at my tired eyes. “There is no attack. We’ve been over this.”
He scoffs. “You know as well as I do that we have lost the element of surprise. This is no longer a rescue. You get the girl while we take our revenge.” His words are loud enough that this is no longer a conversation between the two of us. Just about every head is turned our way now, and I wouldn’t be surprised if most of them agreed with him.
“And you should know as well as I do that charging in will lead to unnecessary losses on both sides. We don’t even know how many Guardians we’re up against.”
“Maybe you should ask your spy,” he sneers. Even now, he would have rather us kill that Guardian in cold blood. Getting to Arabella made our job significantly easier. She—and hopefully the people—will expect us. So long as we can get inside undetected.
“Unless you have something helpful to contribute, this conversation is over. We’re not blindly launching an attack to quench your thirst for vengeance. You may be willing to risk the lives of your people, but I’m not.”
“Quinn’s right,” Abby says. “I only agreed to this under the condition that we get the people out. If we run in there swords swinging, they’ll fear us. Even if Arabella was able to spread my message, they’ve been told that Marein is the enemy. The only people they might trust long enough to explain things are me and the Marked—and that’s if they haven’t sprouted wings and claws. If we go in there ready to fight, it’ll be chaos.”
Merrick, who’s leaning casually against a tree, straightens and takes a step forward. “As much as I’d love to paint my claws red with Guardian blood, making it out of this alive is far more important. If we can do this without spilling blood, we’re going to.”
I turn to Kaylee. She’s been watching everything since we left Marein, but has hardly spoken a word. “Have you seen any of this? Is there anything you can tell us?”
She shakes her head. “There are too many paths that cross this point.”
We need to work on her being less cryptic. “Are you close enough to Arabella to see anything?”
She stares at me like I have two heads, or at least like this is something I should know.
“They need to be touching,” Abby says.
“Or at least be in the same room,” Rhett agrees. “Though touching is preferred.”
Of course, I’m the only one who doesn’t know this. Either way, Kaylee isn’t going to be much help until we have Arabella, and we won’t have Arabella until we cross through that smoke.
I guess we’re fucked.
I run a hand through my hair and blow out a heavy breath. “Does anyone have any ideas that don’t involve going in blind?”
There’s a sudden sound in the tree above me. I look up just in time to see a figure jump from one of the concealed branches.
“I do,” Jade says as he lands solidly on his feet, as if he didn’t just drop fifteen feet. How a single person didn’t realize he was there, I have no idea.
I move for him before I’m thinking and slam him against the tree, my forearm pressing against his exposed throat. The flesh there is far too hot, but my skin isn’t burning. Yet.
“Where the fuck have you been?” I growl. If I’m being honest, most of this anger stems from the fact that he wasn’t there when Teagan needed blood. Even if it wasn’t his blood she needed, he should have been there.
“Remove your hands or lose them.” The warning is casual, but there’s just enough seriousness in his tone that I know he still doesn’t trust himself. There was a time that this alone would have set me ablaze, so he probably deserves more credit than he’s giving himself.
“Do it,” Abby says as she moves to my side. I release the dragon and let her check my arms for injury, though she’ll find none. Merrick, thankfully, seems all too happy to take my place. At least he is fireproof when he wants to be, and judging by the blue-black scales now rippling up his arms, he has no intention of letting Jade get away with a non-answer.
“Where were you?” Merrick asks, his tone nearly matching my growl. It seems Jade’s absence has bothered him, too.
Jade rolls his eyes. “You’re always so dramatic. I’ve been around.”
“That’s not an answer,” Abby says before Merrick or I can call him out on it.
His gaze flicks to hers for just a moment before they settle on me. “Just a bit north of here.”
North. But that’s…
Merrick must realize it too, because he wraps a hand around Jade’s neck and squeezes, leaving just enough room for air to pass, but the threat is clear. “You have no business in Lunae unless you betrayed us.”
Jade seems just as nonchalant as ever. “Would I be here if I did?”
That remains to be seen. “Then explain,” I say, loud enough to make sure everyone hears it. I want to hear what he has to say before this dissolves into yet another argument with Erwyn. Especially if I can’t count on having Merrick back me this time.
Just as I expected, Erwyn pushes forward and unsheathes a large knife. “I can get the truth out of him.”
Jade laughs. “I’d like to see you try.” Erwyn goes red in the face, but before he can throw the blade, Jade’s mouth moves again. “I know where the Guardians are gathering.”
“Where?” Either he was listening to our conversation last night or he really was in Lunae because he shouldn’t know that some of the Guardians are unaccounted for.
“Let go of me and I’ll tell you.”
Merrick looks conflicted, but ultimately releases his grip. He doesn’t retract his claws, so clearly he hasn’t decided whether or not to trust Jade. This absolutely looks bad, but flying off to Lunae is exactly the kind of reckless thing he would do. Even before he became this new version of himself, he would call this helping .
“Where are they?” I repeat the question. There’s a whole bunch more I want to ask, but that’s still the most important. If what he says is true, that is.
“They’re rounding people up in the city square. Apparently, there’s going to be an execution.”
My heart drops, and it has nothing to do with his sarcastic tone. This isn’t just any execution. This is the execution. The one Evan warned us about. History is going to repeat itself and it’s happening now. They’re going to murder the common people of Lunae. Anyone who isn’t a Guardian or useful to Imelda and her fucked up son. They’re going to tear open the veil and release an army of wraiths that will flourish under Void’s darkness.
My mouth is too dry to speak, but it seems I don’t have to. A single word escapes Abby’s lips, and they sound just as dry as mine. “When?”
“Tonight.”
Her eyes widen. “Under the full moon. This is just another sacrifice to Imelda.”
Fuck, she’s right.
All at once, another spark ignites in my mind. “She’ll want the moon visible, won’t she?”
“I guess we haven’t lost the element of surprise,” Erwyn grumbles. He’s still hoping this turns into a fight.
Void will have to dismiss his shadows, at least for the execution. It may only give us minutes, perhaps seconds, but we might just be able to pull this off. Except...
“How are we going to get them out if they’re gathered together and guarded?” Rhett voices the very concern already working through my mind.
The smart thing would be to leave them to their fate, but that’s not who I am anymore. I don’t do the strategic thing when the moral choice is too great. I was raised to not care about these people. Trained to slaughter them, just as Imelda plans to now.
But I won’t. I can’t.
Which leaves us with only one option. “A fight is no longer avoidable.” I move to the center of the gathering, a plan forming in my mind. All the pieces fall into place as if working themselves out, like this was always how it was meant to be, despite it being the exact opposite. I shift my gaze to Abby. “We’ll need a distraction.”
“The pigs? If we free them—”
She cuts off when I shake my head. “Those beasts have lived off meat alone for too long. They’ll run rampant and charge indiscriminately. The Guardians have armour and weapons—the people don’t. We send in the wolves. They attack the Guardians while—”
“While I lead the people to safely,” Jade says, stepping forward to join me in the center of the ring of onlookers that’s formed around me.
“ You ?” Erwyn asks. “Why should we trust you?”
“Because there wouldn’t be a plan without me. Those people know me. I can get them out.”
He’s right. There wouldn’t be a plan without him, but he’s poking far too many holes in it. “Since when do you care about those people?”
He shoots me a look. “Since I decided not to kill that Guardian. Don’t make me regret that.”
“Do you even know where to go?” Abby asks him. “Or where to take them? Imelda isn’t just going to let them leave.”
“There are tunnels, aren’t there? I remember tunnels.” He seems unsure, but still confident that he can manage this.
“I’ll go with him,” Rhett says, stepping forward.
“No!” The objection came from Kaylee as she grabs hold of his arm. There’s fear in her eyes, and the sight of that has my heart sinking. Has she seen this? If she has, there’s no way she would be keeping the outcome to herself.
Rhett turns to her, cupping her face in his hands. “I’ll be okay. We’ve lost too much time already. Nothing will stop me from coming back to you.”
She looks deeply into his eyes, and I know she’s speaking to him through their bond. His nostrils flare in response to her words before his lips part just a fraction. If it weren’t for my hearing, I might have missed the words he meant only for her. “I promise.”
“It’s settled then,” I say, perhaps a bit too loud. Seeing Rhett and my sister like this has a lump forming in my throat, and it has nothing to do with them and everyone to do with the same promises I’ve made Abby. The promise to survive, to come back. The promise to live for her. “Jade and Rhett will lead the people to the tunnels. Is there one that leads to the forest?”
“Yes,” Merrick answers for them. “To the east.”
It’s not ideal, but it’ll work. “While Jade and Rhett get them to the tunnel, can you and the other dragons provide air support for both them and the wolves? We’re greatly outnumbered, and I can’t be there to protect them.” While all this is happening, I’ll be looking for Arabella. If we don’t get her out, all of this will be for nothing. It has to be me.
Merrick flexes a clawed hand as massive blue-black wings emerge from his back and stretch wide behind him. “Believe me when I say it’ll be our pleasure.”
Great. Now for the hard part. I turn my attention to Erwyn. “You and the sirens are staying here.”
“Like fuck we are. You are not going to deny us this!” The sirens surrounding me voice their agreement and the wolves growl in response. I raise a hand, calling for calm on all sides.
“We’re setting a trap. You’re staying here because the wolves will herd the Guardians right to you. If the tunnel opens to the east, we keep the fighting to the south. All we need is enough time to skirt the people around the battle and back to where we camped last night. They’re no use to us in this fight and only you have the numbers. They won’t be expecting any Mareiners to travel this far from the sea.”
Lunae is no stranger to hunts like this. The only difference is that this time, they’re the prey.
Erwyn's face softens, and he extends a hand. “Done. But we leave no survivors.”
I shrug. “Kill as many as you want, but spare any who surrender. This war may not end tonight and we need all who will fight with us.”
He grumbles, but shakes my hand regardless.
“Everyone else,” I say, speaking to everyone but the sirens, “let’s move.” I begin moving east and most match my urgent pace, but there’s a resistance to Abby’s step. I let the wolves, dragons, and Kaylee take the lead and slow so that I’m marching in step with Abby. ‘What is it?’ I ask through the bond. I can tell she’s upset with me, and if it were about the plan, she likely would have said something before it was settled.
“I thought you weren’t going to order me to stay out of this fight.” She doesn’t speak through the bond, and I don’t miss the snicker from Jade and the cough from Merrick somewhere ahead of us. Even Kaylee shoots me a glance over her shoulder as if to already agree that I’m an overprotective ass. This time, however, that’s not what I am.
“I don’t recall ordering you to do anything.” If she wants an audience, I’ll give her one.
“Exactly! I’m part of this.” Gods, it’s so hard not to laugh when she’s mad enough that her voice rivals a wraith’s wail. Especially when she’s angry for absolutely no reason.
“You’re a huge part of this. This is as much your fight as anyone’s and I know you want to be in there when I go after Arabella, but I need you to do something else for me. Something only you can do.”
She’s not getting it and her eyes narrow to highlight that. “Then tell me, mighty warrior. What mundane task will you have me do for you?”
I can’t stop the laugh this time, and the way her face instantly reddens only makes it all the harder to stop. It’s only when she punches me in the arm—with her right hand, mercifully—that I’m able to collect myself enough. If she’d used her left, mine would be the first blood to coat that ring.
I take her hand in mine and stop walking. Her head is turned away from me, so I catch her chin in my free hand and turn her face so that she has to look up into my eyes. “Stabby. Do you honestly believe that I think you’re useless? Do you think sparring with you is a waste of my time? I taught you to fight because you’re strong and I wanted to help you grow stronger. I gave you those knives and this ring because every warrior needs a weapon. There’s no one I’d rather have fighting by my side.”
“But you’re going to make me stay with Kaylee.”
I snort a laugh because technically she’s right, but that’s not her role in this. “The wolves are the distraction, but they’ve never gone beyond these trees. They don’t know the city like you do. I need you to be their eyes, and you can’t do that if you’re in there, too. You need to get them to that square before those people are murdered, and you may not even have minutes to do it from when that smoke dissipates. Not only are the lives of each and every one of those innocents depending on you, so are the lives of our people. This isn’t about keeping you safe. It’s about keeping them safe.”
“I can do that, but I need you to promise me something.” She fingers the collar of my shirt and then grabs fistfuls of the fabric.
“Anything,” I breathe, and quite literally might do anything if she lets me kiss her right now.
“Swear to me that you won’t go looking for Imelda or Void. You get in, then get out.”
“I swear.”
I lean in to kiss her, but she presses a finger against my lips. “I’m not finished.”
My lips twist into an awkward smile, misshapened by the finger still held there. I don’t dare speak and risk her pulling it away from me.
“If either of them find you,” she continues, “you tell me. You’re not shutting me out and taking them on alone. If we fight them, we do it together.”
She lowers her hand, and I take the opportunity to press my lips against hers. Words can’t begin to express just how much I love this woman. This strong, beautiful, brave, brilliant woman who, for some reason, loves me back. Words may never be enough, but at least for now, I can give her one. ‘ Together .’