Chapter 53
Between my shadows, the alporas, and the dull senses of the humans, we had the upper hand for far longer than I’d anticipated.
They clearly weren’t expecting to be blinded by my darkness. And they weren’t expecting us to be able to fly, either.
While those of us with alporas made our assault from over the gate, the rest of the soldiers snuck out the side entrances to converge on the human army on foot. This kept us from raising the portcullis.
We had to keep them from breaching the castle entrance.
I slashed my sword with relentless precision, cutting down human after human. Their foul blood coated my arms and splattered my face. Beneath me, Zorben roared, the sound mingling with the carnage and urging me onward.
More blood. More death. More rage.
Beside me, my fae comrades fought mercilessly, their blades tearing through the human flesh as if they were made of parchment.
After a few hours, we managed to push the humans farther down the road and away from the portcullis.
The sun was dipping below the horizon. The fading lavender sky warned of nightfall.
Exhaustion pulled at my body, and my shadows had grown thinner.
I hoped the humans’ eyesight was too weak to notice.
I wouldn’t be able to keep this up much longer. In a few moments, I would have to pull my shadows inward or remove my Lumen.
I hadn’t yet decided what I would do when I heard Orla shout the words I’d been longing for.
“Fall back! Retreat to the forest!”
Relief blossomed within me, bolstering me to sever the heads of a few more humans before they could escape.
Several of my soldiers drew their alporas forward, chasing after the humans who were retreating to the cover of the woods—a fear tactic to ensure they would be cowering between the trees, buying us more time.
I kept my shadows in place, even after Orla and the army had vanished from view. I waited a moment more before reeling them in with a gasp, my body slumping over from the strain of it. Were it not for Zorben keeping me upright, I would have collapsed to the ground.
“To the courtyard,” I urged the soldiers closest to me. “Let us regroup before they return.”
A line of men formed in front of the portcullis, standing guard for the humans’ inevitable retaliation. The rest of us made our way to the other side of the gate, either by flight or on foot.
I dismounted, my knees buckling the moment my feet touched the ground. Zorben leaned into me, catching me before I fell. I patted the side of his neck in gratitude, then scanned the nearest soldiers. “Where is General Vexon?”
“Here, my lord.” Vexon appeared, his windswept red hair covered in dirt and blood.
“Any word on the rest of our forces?”
“We have one regiment here. Another will arrive within the hour. ”
I winced. That wouldn’t even give us half the numbers the humans had. “And the others?”
“No word. It’s likely they haven’t even received our call for aid yet.”
Shit. I ran a shaking hand through my hair. My magic was spent. All I had left was the strength in my body, and even that was failing.
“My lord?”
I blinked and found Vexon gesturing to the hand I had just used to run through my hair. “What is it?”
“Your claws.”
I scrutinized the black talons of my fingers, and my heart seized.
The claws were elongating . They now stretched longer than each of my fingers.
“Mother of Shade,” I hissed, glancing to my other hand. Those claws were lengthening as well.
This had never happened before. Well, except for…
I glanced up at the darkening sky. The sun was sinking into the horizon, and on the other side of the castle was the moon, growing clearer with every passing moment.
The full moon.
“No,” I whispered. “No, this cannot be.”
Tislora had been giving me elixirs. Sybelle had consented to using her blood. I had drunk the potions specifically to avoid this from happening!
I shook my head violently, hoping I could force the effects of the curse away from me. A riot of fear assaulted me, blaring in my mind, warning me I was doomed. Everyone would die because of me.
“My lord!” someone shouted. A sudden sharpness bit into my forearm, jolting me from my tortured thoughts.
I sucked in a breath and looked at Vexon. He had dug his fingernails into my arm and was staring up at me with worry in his eyes.
“My lord, are you well?” he asked.
My gaze flicked to my claws, which had stopped growing. They still seemed much longer than before, but perhaps that was my imagination. It was very likely my waning strength was causing hallucinations.
But that wouldn’t explain why Vexon had seen the claws.
I straightened to my full height. We were at war. And even if the curse’s transformation was about to claim me, I could not abandon my people.
I still had time.
“Take whoever you can to defend the rear side of the castle,” I said to Vexon. “We will fortify here.”
Vexon nodded. Before he could turn away, I grabbed his elbow. “Send someone you trust to fetch Tislora. We need her.” Worry wriggled in my gut, and I feared something had happened to her. Had the humans captured her already?
“Yes, my lord.” Vexon and several of his soldiers hurried off to the other side of the castle.
It was then that Sybelle’s voice suddenly echoed around me.
“Varius? Are you there?”
With a gasp, I glanced down at my trousers, which were glowing from the amber stone. I quickly withdrew it and clutched it tightly in my hand. “Sybelle!”
She uttered a half laugh, half sob. Relief burst in my chest. Thank the gods she was safe. “Mother of Shade, I’ve been sick with worry!” I directed my thoughts to her. “Where are you? Are you safe?”
“I’m inside the castle, and I’m fine. Varius, the Earthen army ? —”
“I know. I’m battling them right now.”
Her voice turned panicked. “You—what? Why the hell are you talking to me then?”
I chuckled, casting a quick glance around the courtyard. Soldiers were speaking to one another and tending to wounds. “We’ve pushed them back, and we are regrouping. I have a moment, but not much more. Your sister is here.”
“I know,” she said. “And so is Gerard. Varius, he’s Jessinda’s son.”
Gerard. Her gods-damned human lover. Tislora had told me as much just before I bolted from the medicine room. With a heavy sigh, I said, “I was afraid of that.”
“You knew?”
“I suspected Jessinda had an heir, but I didn’t know for sure until today. Tislora confirmed it. Have you seen her?” I looked around the courtyard once more, hoping the sorceress had appeared. But she wasn’t there.
“No, I haven’t.” Sybelle paused. “Varius, I found a way to break the curse.”
I went rigid, clutching the amber stone so tightly that my fist trembled. “How?” I demanded, urgency flooding my veins.
“I have to combine the shadowstone and bloodstone and bring them into the shadow storm.”
Cold horror washed over me. I swallowed hard, immediately shaking my head. “To hell with that, Sybelle. We can fend off the Necro Shadows our own way. I don’t want you going anywhere near that storm.”
“Varius, if we do this and kill Gerard, that army will have no way to retreat. Their entire purpose for fighting you will be nullified. And without your Lumen constantly shielding the castle, you’ll have the strength to overpower them. We can win .”
“But at what cost?” I argued. The panic cinched tightly in my chest, cutting off my breath. She was going to get herself killed .
All to free me.
To free our people.
Mother of Shade, I couldn’t breathe at the thought of her dying. “I cannot lose you, Sybelle. Do not make me choose between you and my people, because… because I will choose you.”
The words felt like they were ripped from me by force .
Because, until this moment, I hadn’t realized they were true.
I would sacrifice everything to keep her safe. My own people. My own life.
All of it.
Sybelle’s voice was shaking. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do mean it. I refuse to give you up. I want you to reign by my side for eternity, Sybelle. You are mine, dannahla . A thousand curses could not tear me away from you.”
A tear streaked down my face as I held my breath, waiting for her response.
Her voice was thick with emotion when she finally replied. “Stones, Varius, I—I have to do this. Please don’t make this harder than it is.”
No. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t. “Sybelle ? —”
She let out a broken sob. “I have the shadowstone. I will find a way to take the bloodstone from Gerard. But I don’t know if I can kill him. There isn’t enough time. I have to end this, now .”
“Sybelle, stop!” I roared. She had to listen to me. She had to see reason.
“Hold off the army as long as you can,” she said, her voice louder than my objections. “Then find Gerard and kill him. And this will all be over. I—I love you. Gods, I love you more than I ever thought possible.”
“Don’t you dare.” My pulse raced, my vision tinted red as horror surged through me.
Please, please, please.
I could not lose her. The entirety of my soul belonged to her. She was my lifeblood. My salvation. The light that beckoned me from the darkness.
If she died, I would be lost.
“You are my wife. My queen. Don’t you dare leave me.”
Another sob. “I wish we had more time, my love.”
Hot tears ran down my cheeks, and I shook my head, desperate to cling to her for another moment. “ Please ? —”
Something in my mind snapped shut, cutting off my connection with her. I blinked, my heart sinking like a stone in my chest.
“Sybelle?”
No answer.
“Sybelle!” I roared.
Still nothing. She must have dropped the amber stone.
Or found a way to cut off communication with me.
“Damn it, Sybelle,” I growled, gripping the amber so tightly in my fist that my lengthened claws skewered my flesh, drawing droplets of black blood.
I glanced around the courtyard. Soldiers continued to rush about, donning more armor and weapons. Barricades had been formed on the entrance doors and windows of the castle.
I had no idea how much time we had before the humans advanced again. But I couldn’t let Sybelle move forward with this plan of hers. I had to stop her. I had to try .
I dashed up the steps of the castle, making my way to the nearest door. One door was all it would take. Surely the castle would take me directly to her…
Before I could reach the entrance, a slice of agony burst in my chest. I stiffened, my back arching as pain bloomed along my chest and abdomen. A tortured cry tore from my lips, and I fell to my knees. My wings flared, then grew in size, the sharpened talons lengthening just as my claws had.
No. This couldn’t be happening.
Fur sprouted along my chest and arms. My fangs extended far beyond my lips. A guttural howl poured from my mouth, piercing the air and echoing around the courtyard. The soldiers all fell silent as they gaped at me.
I had to leave. I had to get away, now , before I hurt someone.
My back bowed, and I hunched on all fours, my claws carving jagged grooves in the ground. My breaths became deeper and more feral. Saliva dripped from my lips .
My vision narrowed. I could no longer see faces or expressions—just shapes and colors. My awareness was slipping. There was something urgent pressing on my mind, but I couldn’t recall it.
I couldn’t even remember my own name.
“My lord?” A figure approached. Deep inside, I felt I should know him, but the beast had taken over.
All I saw was a threat.
A menacing growl rumbled up my throat, and the figure took an alarmed step back. Shouts rang out around me, and I hissed and spat at the commotion, the fresh fur on my body standing on end.
There were too many predators here. I either needed to escape or slaughter them all.
“My king!” Another figure drew closer, his face hovering near mine. I snarled and spat again, but he was undeterred. “King Varius, we need you!”
The note of panic in his voice only raised my hackles even more. I tried to back away from him, but there were more behind me, crowding me.
I was trapped.
Rage and bloodlust consumed me. I bared my teeth at the predator leering closest to me. I dug in my hind legs, my throat rumbling. My vision turned red, and I pounced.