Chapter 43
As I pen my final line, in what will be the third and, most likely, final edition of my book, I feel impelled to end with this. Mortal, Anomaly, Deviant. Each of you is blessed with the most wondrous gift. Love. Fight for it. Defend it. Never, ever fear it.
— FOREWORD FOR MRS GLESNI GRACE’S ADVICE FOR MENTORS: THIRD EDITION
At the summit, I halted, my breath catching at the sight of the scarlet beach, littered with what remained of Romero’s forces.
‘I get why my father was so keen to keep on Glesni’s good side,’ Matthias said. ‘Are you hurt?’
His chest heaved, blood and gore splattered across him. I shook my head, and he nodded as what remained of his forces fell into line behind him. Matthias pointed out to sea, and Asher groaned.
‘What… what is it?’ I asked, my heart sinking.
‘Boats… ships… lots of ships.’ Apathy coated Matthias’s tone, and my heart stuttered at how lost he sounded.
‘Then I get Enfys,’ I said, gripping his blood-soaked fingers. ‘We retreat. Rethink.’
The light seemed to leave his eyes at the prospect of surrender, but he swallowed, nodding.
‘There.’ Asher nodded to the natural harbour. ‘We’ll swing round the other way. He must have seen his forces becoming rain. Fucker’s running.’
Matthias grabbed my hand and I raced with him, Pab nudging my side after I stumbled on unseen hollows in the dunes. We doubled back, racing towards the tide line, my soaked skirts gripped tightly in my hand as my husband guided my elbow.
Enfys screamed my name, and I raced faster.
‘Glesni can stop the boat as long as he doesn’t make it too far,’ Matthias panted.
Guards turned and faced us. Romero splashed into the water, Enfys gripped tightly in his arms. She thrashed and bucked against him.
‘Guards,’ he cried, flinging Enfys into the side of a small row boat bobbing on the ever-growing waves.
I reached for my gift. Calling the creatures of the sea to take him.
‘No,’ I gasped. The silver threads tucked themselves into crevices. Refused to answer. Instead, a cold amethyst spiral slithered through my veins. I clutched my arm, desperate to halt it.
Guards stumbled through the grey waves, ready to cut us off. I turned, unable to find Glesni, before realising she’d never have been able to keep up with us. I was the only Anomaly on our side. And the only gift willing to answer my call could kill us.
The wolf – that damned wolf – recognised the battle within. In a blur, he stormed towards Romero. Enfys stood up, reaching towards Pablo as the boat rocked. Romero slipped into the tide, and I smiled at his scream.
My blurry eyes couldn’t pick out the guard, his dark uniform melting into the sea. And Pablo, so intent on wrapping his jaws around Romero’s neck, failed to scent the threat, till it was too late.
Matthias screamed my wolf’s name as the guard’s sword sliced into Pablo’s side. I crashed into the sodden beach, unable to breathe, as his limp body hit the shoreline. The guard splashed back towards his king.
Romero stood, drawing his sword, wading through the waves towards the twitching wolf.
A raw scream split my throat, and Matthias cried out as I stumbled across the beach.
Romero raised his sword, violent waves spraying up as he homed in on my wolf.
I wouldn’t make it. I’d never make it in time.
Matthias sped past me, a blur of rage and ire, but Romero was already there.
Water thrashed as Pablo struggled to stand, the sea around him already stained with crimson, when a wild wave rolled over him, smothered him.
My heart stuttered, stalled. Romero towered over him, sword poised.
I screamed my wolf’s name. The sword plummeted towards Pablo’s flank.
My heart hammered as Romero stopped, the sword slipping from his fingers.
Through the blur, I watched as he raised his hand, placed it to his head and drew it away.
He wavered, lifting his crimson-stained fingers.
I gasped, unsure what or who had struck him.
Enfys screamed, raw, filled with rage and pain, slamming into her father’s back as he stumbled.
She grabbed Pablo’s shoulders and tugged him towards the shore, struggling against his weight.
Romero fell, one knee in the waves while he tried to stand, when Matthias reached him.
For a moment, my husband towered over the king, his sword high.
My breath caught. I waited for the blow to end Romero.
Another wave enveloped Pablo and, for a moment, the wolf vanished under the swell.
Romero’s head drooped as Matthias stepped back, sheathing his sword.
Stamping through the waves, he lifted Pablo, carrying the wolf back to me, Enfys forcing herself through the waves.
Glesni approached as Matthias set Pablo down. Enfys fell to her knees beside him, laying her hands on his heaving side.
‘You heal animals?’ I sobbed, the water soaking through my skirts.
‘Let’s find out.’ Enfys closed her eyes, and I clenched my hands, desperate to control my wolf.
Shouts came from the dunes, and Romero’s remaining guards spilled down the sodden sand towards us.
‘We’ll keep them off,’ Matthias said, laying his hand on my shoulder before Asher and the other guards came together.
I gazed into Enfys’s blue eyes as she focused on the wolf.
Scarlet spilled into the sand. My fingers found his heart, fighting back a sob as it trembled and stalled.
I turned my gaze to the sky, to Evella, cursing and praying she’d spare him.
He whimpered as Enfys cursed in frustration.
She scrubbed her face, exhaled and lay her hands on the wolf a final time.
He took a shuddering breath, his amber eyes wide as they found mine.
‘Thank you,’ I whispered, laying my face against his shoulder. ‘You stayed with me and I never thanked you. I love you… my wolf.’
I closed my eyes, my heart torn and tattered, when I felt the rise and fall of my wolf’s side.
‘Sorrow!’ I could barely hear Enfys over the roar of the waves, the grief I was about to drown in. ‘Sorrow.’
A large paw splashed out and Pablo raised his head.
I grabbed him, laying my head on his coarse damp fur, breathing in his rich scent.
‘Stupid, stupid wolf,’ I sobbed, gripping him as he sneezed into my hair. ‘Damned stupid wolf.’
Enfys sat back, her blonde hair sticking to her grinning face. ‘I’m an animal healer, too!’
I reached over, our fingers entwining.
‘One who’s going to catch a deathly cold if she isn’t careful,’ Glesni said, placing a hand on the wolf’s head.
He stared towards where the battle raged, before standing and gazing at me, unsure if he should follow Matthias’s plea to remain at my side or if he should fly to the aid of my husband
I lay my forehead against the wolf’s. ‘Protect him,’ I whispered.
The wolf sped off, his snarls quickly followed by screeches.
‘We can’t win this,’ Glesni said, limping forward. ‘We should get to the boat, escape while we can.’
‘Enfys, can you get to the boat? Be ready in case anyone needs healing? We’ll see if we can buy the others time.’
‘Be careful, Sorrow.’ My sister kissed my cheek, and I watched her hazy form disappear towards where, I hoped, the boat lay waiting.
I sent a desperate call out to the creatures, receiving only their bitterness in response.
‘Any ideas?’ I asked my mentor.
‘One or two.’
The row boat Romero had planned to use flew over our heads, smashing into guards, before the wooden shards spun into the air, sparking into flames, then embedding themselves into the few still standing.
I huffed a laugh as they fell, but it faded as they were quickly replaced with a new set of guards when Glesni sank onto her side in the waves.
‘Glesni!’
With the frigid waves lapping at me, I heaved her up, placing my hands either side of her face.
A weak smile lit up her face. ‘Damned lupus. Tires me out too bloody quickly. I’m running on empty.’
I stared into her bright eyes, thankful this amazing woman had come into my life.
‘You’ve still got something left?’
She shook her head.
‘You must try, Glesni. You’re our only chance.’
She sank further into the sand, as though her tiny form weighed her down, and clasped her hands over mine.
‘It’s you we need right now, Sorrow Elmswood. The moment to show that shit of a stepfather exactly what you’re worth.’
Tears flowed down my face. I shook my throbbing head. The lavender coil within thrashed, as though Glesni’s words were spoken to them, not me.
‘I can’t. I’m scared.’
My mentor closed her eyes.
‘Oh Sorrow. Never fear your heart. Evella blessed you for a reason. She—’
Romero struck from behind, straight through her skull. He grunted as he pulled the sword from her shocked mouth, spraying my face with blood. Her blood. Glesni’s body twitched, her eyes wide, and she slumped to the all-consuming waves.
Shaking, I stared up at my stepfather. He wiped the blood from his sword on Glesni’s limp body before facing me with a smile.