Chapter 55
Entering the village was harder than she thought, her people scattering through the streets in a hurry to grab whatever belongings they held dear to them.
She saw Zuri being attached to a cart, her eyes wide and glanced at Kaden for an explanation.
“We got the horses back here soon after we arrived. It’s not easy but it can be done.” he shrugged.
Instantly, her pace quickened to the gray mare and heard a small grunt in acknowledgment. She looked over the mare, her hand stroking down her neck and could see the people around her finishing connecting her to the cart.
“Make sure to let her go once this cart is unloaded.” she voiced to the villager tightening the last strap. “She deserves a chance to survive.”
The male nodded to her, and she gave the mare one last pat before turning back to Kaden.
Finnley, Boone, and Xander all joined him, wings splayed out and she gawked in amazement. These were her men, her fighters that she knew would follow her into battle to save her people, their people.
“Titus and Raine are up at the caves, she still has your axe.” Boone stated.
“I pray she doesn’t have to use it.” she sighed.
“Xander will stay close to you here in the main village.” Kaden stared at her. “I will take the far west and Finnley and Boone the east.”
She watched the last bit of people scatter from the village, an eerie quiet blanketing around them and she could feel her heart start to race. A faint tug on their bond helped ground her and she took a deep breath in response.
“I’m going to go scout real quick, the rest of you head out and pray we all survive.” Kaden barked, his eyes never leaving hers.
The other men did as they were told, her friends departing and it left only her and Kaden standing in the village square. All noise melted away and they reached for each other, her hands pressing on his armor-covered chest while he held her shoulders.
“We have to survive.” she breathed. “I need more time with you in this life.”
Both of his hands grabbed her face, his softness reminding her of why she chose him and why she ached for him constantly.
“In this life, or the next, I will always find you.” His eyes stayed soft, an anchor in the chaos that she needed.
“You can do this.” he reassured her. “You have been through more in your life than anyone I know and you survived, Alyra. You are worthy of everything in this life, and I will follow into whatever afterlife we end up in, together.”
She tried to swallow the sob that threatened her throat, the realization they might not have more time together in this world after just finding him.
“Whatever afterlife.” she breathed. “I will love you in every afterlife Kaden.”
“I love you too, Alyra.” he admitted with an unwavering breath.
She rose up and devoured his lips, savoring the taste of him as a reminder of what she was fighting for. One of his hands cupped the back of her neck, his free arm wrapping around her back side and they let themselves have this moment, just in case it was their last.
“Go,” she whispered with tears threatening her eyes.
“Don’t die,” he whispered back.
“Same to you.” She closed her eyes and felt his thumb graze her cheek softly before the familiar sound of wings beat, and he was gone.
She let herself gather herself for a moment, both feeding each other's worries through the bond. The need to be stronger surged through her, cutting off that emotion within her and focusing on the battle ahead.
She was a warrior, she was a princess, and she would fight like one.
One last deep breath and she started to run towards the end of the village at the main entrance, Xander already waiting for her.
He gazed over her, his body more relaxed than she expected but still rigid.
“You look good in your armor, almost like your old warrior self.” A small pull of his lips caught her eye.
“Figured if I was going to die, I might as well look good doing it.” She tried to smile back, but the look in his eyes made her aware she wasn’t fooling him.
“Even without your full power, you are here fighting for your people and for us,” he said, his expression back to his usual stoic look. “We will fight for you till the end.”
All she could do was nod, another lump forming in her throat but pushed it down quickly, not wanting to distract Kaden down the bond.
A heavy beating sound caught their attention and she whirled her head to look over the horizon beyond the trees.
Black could be seen taking over the sky, movement making them realize it wasn’t clouds but the creatures heading straight for them. Xander shifted next to her, his eyes not leaving the darkening sky.
“That's more than a few hundred.” Xander snarled.
At least a thousand of those creatures were headed straight for them and she tried to keep the terror inside her from rising.
Battle wasn’t a new thing to her, she had fought with the Fae a century ago and smaller battles before that. This time though, it was just her and not her powers to assist.
“Go warn the others!” she barked, knowing they wouldn’t be able to see them soon enough.
“I’m not leaving you alone.” Xander snapped back.
“I’m ordering you to go, I will be fine.”
His eyes glared back at her, but she knew he wouldn’t defy her no matter how much he wanted to. A subtle nod could be seen by him and he launched into the air, leaving her alone with the impending enemy coming closer.
She lowered herself to the ground, stabbing her sword into it to lean on it and closed her eyes.
Sucking in a long breath, she tried to clear her mind and envision that wall she had built around her power, pleading to it to break. She needed her power to save her people, to save her friends and to save her mate.
“By Odin's name, I call upon mother earth to nurture the flame of light and protect the innocents of the world,” she whispered to herself in her native tongue, her sword humming in her hands.
Kaden’s face flashed into her mind, then Raine, and the rest of the group she had come to call family over the last few weeks. The image of Halvard, the little boy from the village made her suck in a breath and she could feel something inside her start to break.
“By Odin's name, I call upon mother earth to nurture the flame of light and protect the innocents of the world,” she said again, this time with a stern voice.
She hid away for years while her people survived when she could have been thriving with them. She had a home, a place to live in peace outside of war and now had a mate to share it with.
Silas had lied to her, used her vulnerability to his advantage and now tried to steal her away. He let her crumble just so he could try to use her powers for his own twisted plan.
Never again.
She would not be weak.
She would not bow to anyone.
“I will not surrender,” she growled.
Both sapphire jewels hummed in unison, her hand reaching into the ground and curling the dirt into her fingers. The ground responded to her, the trickle of nature's energy trailing up her fingers and into her arms, that wall inside her starting to shake.
Eyes lifted to the creatures closing in. It would not be long before they would land and she would be forced to fight for her life and her people.
She would survive, for her people, for her friends, and for her Kaden.
“This is my home, and I will not fail this time!” She screamed.
She launched forward, both hands on her sword as the first creature landed and she let out a battle cry as she headed straight for it.
Everything she had, every emotion she could feel swirled inside her and she slammed it all against what was left of that wall, her sword meeting the iron of the creature's claws.
The sound of her metals clashing rang through the air and everything flashed white.