Chapter 18
Lana
We arrived back at the Knotted Willow the next afternoon, just in time to make dinner with the rest of camp.
A perfect opportunity to find out what had happened while we were gone, even if it had only been for a few days.
Riding up to the inn and surrounding campgrounds took my breath away. It was a true work of art for these Fae to have constructed such a well thought out and efficient site in such a short amount of time.
We quickly dropped off the horses at the stable and made our way to the main dining hall in the tavern.
The army ate outside, surrounding their individual campfires or at long tables they’d constructed themselves, but thankfully William allowed our group to eat inside so we could plan away from the others.
Or perhaps he was still too wary of Vivienne and Cassandra and didn’t want to be alone with the seers and their magic any longer.
Settling around the back table of the tavern, Storm, Kalliah, Raya, and Corbin joined us with plates of food in hand. Kalliah even managed to find a carafe of wine, which paired perfectly with the tomato-sauced noodles piled on our plates.
As we all shoveled in the delicious meal, the questions were endless about what we’d learned. Kalliah’s eyes remained wide the entire time as her gaze split between me and Jax, who continued his habit of exaggerating every minor detail.
“You should have seen it,” Jax explained, his hands in the air. “There were about twenty strox flying in the air, attacking us from every angle and that was before the fifty razorven lined up like a battalion, ready to eat us for breakfast.”
Corbin raised his brow and studied Jax. His face practically screamed you’ve got to be kidding me.
Determined to convince everyone at the table, Jax continued, “But you know, my super shifter abilities kept them at bay.” He blew on his nails. “These paws are lethal.”
“Right, Jax,” Ian mocked. “Definitely how it all happened.”
“I can’t believe you found the journal,” Kalliah murmured as she took a small sip of the earthy liquid. “And you battled a strox? Sounds like an adventure I’m glad I wasn’t a part of.”
Jax leaned forward across the table, “Oh beautiful, I would’ve protected you.” He winked, lifting her hand and kissing it. “You have nothing to fear when I’m around.”
Kalliah rolled her eyes, taking her hand back before she continued to swirl the long noodles around her fork, ignoring Jax’s shameless attempt at flirting.
“You know the man she’s not-so-secretly in love with for the last three years is likely being held hostage somewhere, right?” Ian asked.
Jax shrugged. “I could save him too.” He grabbed the bowl of noodles from the middle of the table and proceeded to serve himself another giant helping.
Kalliah blinked at Jax a few times before shaking her head and returning to her food.
Despite the hunger pains I’d felt earlier, I couldn’t help but stop what I was doing. There was something Evelyn said that I couldn’t wrap my head around. My head rested on my palm as my fingers tapped my brow.
“Tell me what’s going through that head of yours, Little Rebel.” Kade nudged my side as I sat there in silence.
Pausing, I lifted my head to look at him and the others at the table. “How are we possibly going to destroy all the darkness? We’d have to know where every dark one is, the location of every place Thames has infected. It feels impossible.”
Kade shifted in his seat, turning to face me, and placed his hand over mine. “Impossible? Never. With you, anything is possible.” He smiled, and I couldn’t help but smile back. “Just look at you now, you’ve got magic after all.”
It still amazed me that after twenty-three years, after years of torture and suffering, I could finally say I had magic. There was no more hoping and praying. No more hiding in plain sight, terrified to be discovered.
I was a true Fae. An heir to the royal throne of Brookmere. I would be queen.
And I had magic.
I couldn’t help but feel every step was just a little bit lighter. Every sound crisper. My vision even felt clearer. The cut I’d gotten yesterday during our battle, and the one from slicing my palm, had both already healed.
I was never one to believe in the prophecies by our seer, but perhaps I should’ve heeded more of her words over the years.
As if they knew I was thinking about them and this Fates-forsaken prophecy, Vivienne and Cassandra descended the stairwell and joined us at the table.
“Did you discover what you needed to learn?” Vivienne asked casually as she placed her hands in her lap. “Did you meet someone along the way?”
“You could have warned us,” Jax tried to shout through a mouthful of noodles. “We almost died.”
“Oh right, Mr. Super Shifter,” Kalliah mocked. “I thought you totally had it?”
Raya snickered. “I knew I liked you, Kalliah.”
Cassandra and Vivienne stared at each other, chuckled, and Cassandra turned to Jax.
“Yet here you are, still alive to tell the tale. Honestly Jax, when did you lose your sense of adventure? One would think you’ve reverted to the teenage Fae I caught hiding in the stables after being chased by a simple fox. ”
Jax slammed his fist on the table, and strands of his black hair fell into his eyes. “First of all, that thing was rabid and trying to eat me. Second of all, I wasn’t hiding.” He crossed his arms in disgust.
I dropped my fork, throwing my head back to laugh as the others joined in around me.
Cassandra waved her hand at Jax, dismissing his antics before returning her attention to me.
Vivienne also looked my way and began reciting. “Void of magic, a heroine born, destiny calls, though faint and torn. Many will come from across the land, yet only the strongest will win her hand. With lover’s touch, she shall ignite, without it perish from the kingdom’s blight.”
Everyone’s attention shifted to focus directly on the seers, utensils and drink suddenly laid down on the table.
Cassandra took over speaking Kade’s prophecy. “Rebels rise where darkness lies, not one but two must break the ties. Across the void, a queen you must seek, trust freely given, for one alone proves too weak. Though evil will free and be bound no more, Fate still awaits one final war.”
“Yes, we know the prophecies,” Kade began.
“Lana is a queen from across the void, and we will work together to fight the darkness. Clearly, we have a war to fight.” He ran his hands through his hair, sweeping it straight back.
“We’re in love. I don’t think there is anything we don’t know at this point. ”
“Tsk tsk.” Cassandra stood and held out her hand to Vivienne, who joined her next to the table.
Together they began speaking in unison. “Banish all ties to darkness with light, if any remains, so will this plight. In the end, a willing sacrifice of life, will trigger events to cease this strife. For the loss of love will heal what’s torn, and allow this world to be reborn. ”
Silence.
Complete and utter silence filled the room.
While Vivienne and Cassandra looked pleased with themselves, a third prophecy was not what we expected to hear from them right now. Not that I ever knew what to expect, but another prophecy? I had no words.
“How long have you had this prophecy?” Kade growled.
Cassandra and Vivienne released each other’s hands and sat back in their respective seats. “Not long. The Fates only deemed us worthy of this knowledge a few weeks ago. As sisters reunited, and the worlds collided, the Fates showed themselves once more.”
I rose, quickly walked over to the bar area, and found a piece of parchment and a writing utensil to copy the third prophecy.
“Say it again but slower.” I needed time to process this information, and here, out in the open, I wasn’t sure my heart could handle what was foretold.
I returned to my seat, ready to capture everything.
They spoke the prophecy again as a chill ran over my arms. Evelyn had spoken of loss to come, as did the prophecy.
None of this was coincidence, and the doom echoing from Evelyn’s words was confirmed now.
I rubbed my chest as if it could protect my heart somehow.
The dread pooling in my belly solidified into something hard.
I poured myself a hefty helping of wine to calm my racing nerves, throwing it back, enjoying the burning sensation that distracted me from my helpless thoughts.
The front door whipped open, and a slender Fae male quickly entered, closing the door behind him in a hurry. The young man stood panting for a moment before saying, “Colonel Storm, news from Ellevail.”
Storm stood, grabbing a glass of water, and proceeded to hand it to the winded Fae. “Here, first take a drink, Kristopher, then your report.”
“Colonel Storm?” Jax muttered begrudgingly.
“We leave for three days, and he’s promoted himself to a colonel?
Unbelievable.” I felt Kalliah kick Jax under the table before he yelped, and I couldn’t help but giggle.
Rising, I went to stand by Storm. As queen, I would hear any information about my country, but especially Ellevail. My home.
“What mission could you have possibly orchestrated in less than three days’ time?” Ian asked, turning in his chair to face us.
“We found a few smaller shifters willing to try to sneak into Ellevail to investigate what was happening. I dispatched them only a few hours after you left.”
“That’s why he’s promoted.” Kade grinned at Jax.
“I call captain, then, since I battled a strox, you know.”
“Will you hush,” Kalliah said, her words accented by another thud.
Jax leaned in toward her. “I will keep that leg in my lap if you kick me again, gorgeous.”
Kristopher gladly gulped down the glass of water, before standing at attention once more. “Your Majesty.” The man bowed.
“None of that, especially not right now. Kristopher, was it?” I smiled at the man who appeared much younger than he had when he’d first flung open the doors.
“Ye—Yes, Your Majesty. It’s an honor.”
I nodded at him, encouraging him to continue.
“The mission was successful. We were able to infiltrate Ellevail and the surrounding area, especially the outskirts where the lesser Fae reside. The closer we got to the palace itself, the harder it became. The dark ones were everywhere, patrolling the streets as efficiently as the royal guard. The Fae we saw were either living in fear, running from a store back to their homes, avoiding contact, or have pledged their support to Andras as king.”
The anger inside of me simmered to a slow boil. “How dare he.”
“Continue,” Storm demanded.
Gulping, Kristopher continued, “There was one slight mishap.” Storm remained quiet as Kristopher prepared himself to speak once more. “Joseph was caught—”
“He was what?” Storm seethed.
“Wait, it’s okay, Colonel,” Kristopher pleaded. “It ended up being a good thing.”
I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. The anger mixed with sudden fear for those who willingly risked their lives for this mission made the palms of my hands sweat.
“What happened to him?” I asked, trying to portray a collected version of myself.
Kristopher glanced between Storm and me, unsure of where to look. “You see, the Fae who apprehended Joseph turned out to be on our side. A tavern owner. Tom, I believe is his name?”
“Tommy Solomon?” I asked at the same time Ian did. “The owner of Dukes Pub?” I pressed.
It would be truly fitting if Tommy was out there kidnapping my men off the street.
Kristopher’s eyes lit up. “Yes, that’s the one.
” He began speaking even faster, his nervous energy seeking a way to be released, “He too is building a resistance. He wants to help. Dukes Pub has become a sort of meeting place for those willing to fight against Andras and the dark ones. You just have to know the password. While we were there, we met several Fae who were ready to fight, and their next meeting is soon. Joseph stayed behind to serve as a point person on the inside. They want him to learn what they’re doing so that when we come, we can concoct a better plan together. ”
Storm stepped forward. “And I assume you know the password, Kristopher?”
He stood straighter, returning to a solider-like position, which he had lost momentarily in his excitement. “Of course, Colonel. It’s tambourine marching band.”
Raya cackled from behind us. “You know, after all of this is said and done, I might decide to stay here in Brookmere, just to go to the infamous Dukes Pub for a night of debauchery. Every time this place gets brought up, it just gets better and better.”
Ian leaned forward in his chair. “I’d be happy to escort you there. I happen to be friends with the owner.” He winked, which made Raya blush. I narrowed my eyes at them looking for a tell as to what was happening there. I’d have to dig into that development later.
Ian settled back into his chair, allowing Storm and Kristopher to continue talking.
I knew it was hard for Ian to allow Storm to handle the army while we were gone.
He had always loved being in control. He needed it after our childhood, and he’d worked damn hard to earn the right to it.
But it impressed me how willingly he gave it up to be a part of this team.
Our team. He truly understood what it meant to be a leader.
“Thank you, Kristopher. If that is all, you are dismissed,” Storm dictated. “Get some dinner—you are off duty for the next twelve hours along with the rest of those on the mission. Be sure to advise your superior accordingly.”
Kristopher saluted and left, but not before bowing his head.
Kade came to stand with us and put his arm around Storm. “Three days and you’ve built a command structure, rotating schedules, and Fates know what else.”
“Ian and I planned it together before he left,” Storm said, nodding toward Ian. “I simply had to put it into action.”
I would never have been able to accomplish any of that on my own. “We’re lucky to have both of you,” I said, hoping they knew how much I believed that.
Ian stood, glass of wine in hand as he paced around the room, deep in thought. “I think it’s time we take back our city.”
“With this unexpected insider knowledge, I’m leaning toward agreeing with you,” Kade added.
I nodded too, taking in a slow, deep breath to calm both the excitement at thinking of home, and the fear of what a siege could mean.
“You’re right, it is time to return home.” I lifted my chin, holding it higher. “And it’s time for Andras to die.”