Chapter 42
Luelle
The piercing sirens blared as Luelle and Ferona ran through the halls, exiting the throne room doors and meeting Praxis on a patio outside that overlooked the kingdom.
“There are two of them in the distance,” Praxis said to them as he pointed toward the distant mountainside.
Luelle looked out and saw the dark shadows of two Jotnar standing far off, watching Umbrea.
Their massive, disgusting forms, lit by moonlight.
They weren’t moving forward, as if they were waiting for others to arrive and biding their time.
The green orbs evaded them, as if a thick barrier covered them and prevented them from touching.
“What do you want to do?” Praxis asked, honoring her given position.
Ael wasn’t here to give the orders, and a fierce determination grew within her to prove to Ael that she could do this.
“I want us to kill those fuckers,” she replied, staring up into his eyes. He only nodded approvingly in response, a nervous smile curling on his lips.
She looked over at Ferona, who was looking ghostly pale.
“Are you o—” she began to ask, but Ferona fell into a chair beside her, eyes closed and rolling to the back of her head. She rushed to her side.
“What’s happening?” Praxis asked as his eyes widened.
“I don’t know!” Luelle shouted as she ran her hand over Ferona’s forehead, seeing the nail polish still under her eye. She looked back up at Praxis. Could it be a message from someone? Usually, the Corvids didn’t pass out like that when they whispered to each other.
Ferona’s eyes snapped open, and she jumped up, yelling, “The Lycanthropes have allied with Meir and Neoma. Benny, Ojore, and Sephyr are dead! Meir and Neoma are pretending to be Ael and Seda! Vira’s headed here with Askold.
They’ve escaped! But the Lycanthropes have gathered and are making their way here! ”
“What the fuck?” Praxis shouted. “How do they know it’s Meir and Neoma?”
Luelle looked at the damn fool sharply. “Because that fucking woman turned you into Ael, idiot! Remember? Can you reach Roya?” Luelle asked, turning her attention back to Ferona as her panic rose.
Were the Jotnar with Meir? How could that have happened?
She silently scolded Ael. He should have had Meir and Neoma killed for conspiring, not sent away as he had.
Ferona shook her head. “Roya’s unreachable.”
Luelle gasped, unsure of what that signified. Was Ael alright? She narrowed her eyes and glanced back at Praxis and the distant Jotnar, feeling a surge of resolve grow within her.
“Kill them, Praxis,” she said calmly. “We need to protect Umbrea at all costs.”
Praxis gave the orders, and the Fae guard began to form.
Luelle stood over the gathering crowd and looked down, seeing both the citizens and the guard look up at her with a mixture of fear and determination.
Umbrea had never been attacked like this before, and their king was not here.
It was her responsibility to speak on his behalf, even though she didn’t want to.
She had no idea what to say, but she ground her teeth together before saying, “Citizens of Umbrea. Today marks a day in history. We’ve never had an attack on our soil before.
We’ll do everything in our power to prevent the Jotnar from advancing.
” She looked over the crowd, feeling like she was doing a shit job at this.
“We move forward and kill those fuckers!”
The crowd responded loudly, a mix of cheers and cries. Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say in her position, but she had no other words. She really wasn’t cut out for this.
“Captain Praxis!” she shouted and pointed down at him. “Fire on those assholes!”
Praxis raised his sword in the air and turned around, giving the command of the guard.
Loud bangs erupted from dusty canons that Ael’s father had installed during the first monster war as a preparation, and shot across the green grass beyond to where the Jotnar stood.
They didn’t move as blasts exploded around them, one meeting its mark on the Jotnar’s arm.
Luelle turned to Ferona and asked, “Are they idiots? They aren’t moving away!”
Ferona’s eyes widened. “Look!” She pointed out to the Jotnar. They slowly walked beyond the range of the cannons. They sat down and stared at the city once more, watching as the blasts rained down ahead of them.
Luelle shouted down at the guard, “Form a protective barrier!”
The Fae guard awkwardly assembled and made their way through the city gates, forming long rows of lines that shielded the entire city in a magical glow.
Luelle bit her nail, chipping the polish, and watched the scene as nerves wrapped around her throat.
Why weren’t they advancing?