Chapter 5 #2
Approaching the battle before us felt almost normal now that I knew what we faced. As if a piece of who I could be settled into place each time I pulled my blade. It served as a stark reminder of how quickly life had changed these past few months.
Rolling my shoulders back once, I readied myself, picking my first target: a dark one tearing violently into the siding of a large tent as people inside screamed.
Asshole.
Grabbing Onyx’s reins in one hand, I grasped my dagger in the other.
Crouching low in the saddle, my faithful friend steered us straight toward the dark one, and I slashed the crazed Fae’s side as we rode by.
She fell, twitching and bleeding out on torn pieces of leather she’d cut from the tent. Raya quickly followed me into the fray.
She sliced the arm of her own dark one, and I circled around and finished him.
“Storm,” Jax yelled as he shifted back into his Fae form, swords twirling in both of his hands, slaughtering those before him. “The safe house.” He grunted as he sliced through the neck of one of his attackers. “There are children in there.”
Children.
My stomach dropped. In no world would I allow harm to come to those sweet innocent children. The Fates themselves would have to pry these daggers from my cold dead hands if they thought I wouldn’t fight for those who could not fight for themselves.
“Raya.” I motioned for her to follow. “We need to get there. We must protect those kids.”
Nodding, she whipped her horse around. This battle seemed to give her strength, as if danger fueled her recovery. She was coming back to us. The Raya we knew.
We rode side by side, taking down all those who tried to stop us. Fireballs laced the sky, and Jax’s roars, mixed with cries for help, echoed across the small-town square as he destroyed the dark ones.
Storm ran, weaving through various-sized tents toward the safe house, standing centered among everything. Dark ones infiltrated the area from all sides, ducking behind too many of the tents to count. The overcrowding made it nearly impossible to track them all.
As we cleared the last inside row of tents, both Raya and I halted, staring at the amount of people fighting around the house. Storm and Jax were nowhere to be seen, but a small group of dark ones had already made it to the door of the house.
“In here. This must be the spot,” one of the dark ones yelled.
They tried to crash into the door but bounced off the wooden entrance as if magically repelled. But they were not deterred. Again they attempted to break in the door and cross the threshold but were stopped short.
Storm met the small group and engaged in a three-on-one dance as Raya and I raced toward him, desperate to catch up.
“Come out, come out, children.” The dark one laughed as the clang of swords rang throughout the air. “We know you’re in there.”
“I won’t let you take any of them,” Storm raged. Sweat dripped down his face as fire and sword fought once more.
The dark one cackled, as two more swept in behind him. “Children are the easiest bait. So easy to manipulate. To mold into the perfect solider of darkness.”
Storm stabbed him straight through the heart. “We will defeat the darkness, and your time will come to an end. Faster than you think.”
Around him, others fought the dark ones with fervor. I had no idea if they possessed training or not, but they were here. Battling valiantly for their lives.
Raya and I leapt from our horses and engaged the two dark ones who had replaced the fallen, lying dead thanks to Storm.
Raya was a skilled fighter, even on her worst days. She glided through the air with a pose and grace most would never accomplish. Her enemies never stood a chance.
My attacker appeared unfazed by her change in position. He parried; I blocked. I struck; he struck back.
“Aren’t you tired?” I asked between pants. “Living with this evil inside of you?”
His brow raised as his blade clashed with mine. “Are you not tired of being nothing? You could join us, you know. You could have power and status. Things you could never even dream of. All you have to do is say yes.”
“I would never,” I hissed.
Our swords clanged together once more as a voice behind me yelled, “The barrier is down, get the children!”
Shifting my eyes to the right was all the dark one needed before he twirled his sword around and dislodged my dagger from my hand. The blade bounced off of a rock and ricocheted out of arm’s reach.
Ian would be ashamed, and my heart dropped low in my belly.
I knew better than to take my eyes off my opponent.
Innocent lives were at stake, and I’d made a foolish error.
It was a mistake like this that would get me killed.
Avoiding using the white dagger that might trigger my magic, I took a deep breath and placed my balled fists in front of my face for protection.
But the dark one charged past me as I avoided his final strike. With the magical barrier that seemed to protect the house broken, the dark ones still standing ran directly to the building. We followed, chasing them down.
If they breached the safe house and grabbed the children, I’d be out of options. Preparing, I grabbed the white dagger stored in my boot. I’d have to pray the Fates let me use it without detonating with uncontrollable magic.
The dagger warmed at my touch, reminding me it contained more secrets yet to be discovered. It was sharp and ready, and so was I.
Jax and Storm had already entered the building and were standing their ground, fighting those trying to make their way inside.
One of the few dark ones left, who hadn’t made his way up to the door, turned and watched me approach. He licked his lips in feral anticipation. “Any last words before you meet the Fates?”
“The Fates already know my wishes, no need to bore them with anything else.”
As the dark one rushed at me, a vine shot up from the ground, tripping and felling him. A young boy darted behind me, his hands held out toward the man.
“Well done,” I told him.
“I don’t think a few vines will keep him down, miss.”
I didn’t hesitate—my dagger found the Fae’s chest. A dark wisp of smoke left his wound as the muscles in his face relaxed. “Thank you.”
He looked content.
I expected to see anger or fear etched into the dark one’s features as he fell, but relief? No, that didn’t make sense. Or did it? Something scratched the back of my brain.
I turned to the boy. “Find somewhere safe to hide.”
“No need. That was the last one.”
“What?” I turned, running inside the house to discover the rest of the dark ones lay dead just inside.
The battle was over.
Jax approached from an area partitioned with large sheets of leather, signaling to Storm.
“Is everyone okay?” I panted, exhausted not only physically from battle but mentally as well.
“Safe,” Storm replied, adjusting his disheveled tunic.
Raya appeared next to Storm. Color filled her cheeks, and she had a pep in her step that wasn’t there before.
“Who would have thought a good fight would bring you back?”
She shrugged. “Good distraction.”
“Raya—” I started to ask her about her words earlier, about the fact that she told me she didn’t deserve to live before. The weight of what she carried from Mount Legion was evident in how withdrawn she was becoming. Before I could remind her of her worth, people began thanking us.
Walking out of the house, Fae appeared with wheelbarrows, already cleaning up the makeshift paths circling from the house through the tents. Their efficiency astounded me. They worked together so flawlessly both in the battle, eager to protect each other, and after, while picking up the remains.
A profound sense of determination skated over me as the wind blew, pebbling my skin at its touch. Until now, nature hadn’t revealed itself to me here in Mysthaven, but here it was, finally making its presence known.
These people were all my responsibility. It wasn’t just those in Brookmere, but in Mysthaven as well. The Hidden Henchman had been a persona to protect and serve all of my people, but now, I didn’t need her. I was a queen. I could do whatever and save whomever I wanted, however I pleased.
I would make a difference in this world.
After helping for about an hour, Storm brought water over to Raya and me. Raya sat, collapsing slightly as she moved to the ground, spilling her water.
“There’s so many people here,” I said, looking ahead toward the still-bustling encampment.
Storm chugged some of his own water before answering.
“Last time Kade and I were here to take people across the void, there were only a handful of additional tents set up.” He sighed, hanging his head.
“They’re a bigger target now with so many.
We should have tried to do a run as soon as we came back. ”
I touched his arm. “This is not your fault. You’ve given them hope and kept them alive. They seem to have figured out how to fight back on their own too.”
He grunted, though I knew he didn’t accept what I’d said.
“Where’s Jax?” Raya asked from behind us, her breathing becoming more shallow.
Perhaps she wasn’t as healed as we all thought. The momentary rush of adrenaline vanished, revealing her still healing body. Her shoulder slumped forward, and she fell to the ground.
“Lana!” A shout came from behind us.
Ignoring the call, I rushed to Raya’s side, rolling her onto her back. She remained breathing but did not respond as I shook her shoulders.
Jax sprinted toward us, completely out of breath. “I went to check the perimeter.” He slicked back his hair with his hand, removing the strands from his eyes. “The void—Shit,” he muttered, seeing Raya’s limp body.
“Quick, we need to help her,” I begged.
Storm rushed to her side, kneeling and cradled her head in his hands “She will live. She’s done this before. She just needs a moment.”
Jax inhaled sharply, assessing Raya’s injuries before returning his gaze to mine. “Lana, the void.”
“What about it?” I asked, distressed not only for my friend's well-being but for the worry etching Jax’s brows.
He raised his gaze to me, shaking his head.
“The void is gone.”