SEVENTY-NINE
CAZ
Hours have passed, but my heart doesn’t race any less. The Blackwater army is ready, dressed head to toe in black armor with their weapons strapped and faces solemn.
I stand in the front line with Killian and Rowan on either side of me. All of us stare at the hovering rock.
“Dragons are one thing, but how the fuck did she make giants?” Rowan hisses.
Hassha had explained to us what to expect on the battlefield. I knew the dragons would return as well as those creatures that attacked us the last time, but giants ? That astounds me. One drop of their fists and it’ll take out dozens of us.
From a distance, I hear a rustle in the leaves. The sounds around me along with my sight have changed drastically. I sense someone running through the forest nearby, their breaths heavy and their heart booming.
“Something’s coming,” I say, conjuring a gun. Killian and Rowan whip theirs out to point in the direction I’m looking.
Three bodies tumble out of the forest, staggering across the field toward us. When I see who they are, I realize they’re no threat at all.
“Fuck,” I mutter, forcing my gun to disappear.
I march with my clan as one of the bodies collapses on the ground.
“Devlin?” Rowan calls. He jogs ahead as the two men with Devlin help him stand.
“What happened?” I ask as they haul him up. His head lolls to the side.
“Tried to…kill me…” Devlin grounds out. “Killed… everyone .” Devlin’s head falls, and I look from him to the two men holding him.
One is a Rippie. The other is clearly a Whisper Grovian based on his brighter attire. He’s familiar. I’ve seen him before.
“You are?” I ask the Whisper Grovian.
“Second in leadership of Whisper Grove,” the man answers. “My name is Hale. I saw Conan go off in the night to feed Ripple Hills, and then I heard screaming. The next thing I know, Conan has departed with the weapons and armor and most of the Rippies are dead.”
I clench my jaw, remembering the traitor that was in our midst.
“How did he survive it?” I ask, gesturing to Devlin.
“I pumped his stomach,” Hale replies. “These two were the only ones to make it. Bolv, there, didn’t eat at all. It’s why he’s okay.” He bobs his head to the brute looking Rippie clinging to Devlin’s other side.
“I see.” I put my focus on Devlin again whose face is a pale-gray color. I could use Devlin in this fight, but Hassha and Korah are double checking their protection of the bunker at the moment and can’t heal him.
But you can. Right. Yuri.
I don’t know how, I think. You’ll have to lead.
Thank you for trusting me, he says . Touch his head.
“Hold him still.” I press a hand to Devlin’s forehead as the men adjust him. When I close my eyes, I whisper the word heal as Yuri’s voice instructs. Heat accumulates in my palm. When I open my eyes, a flicker of red travels from me to him.
“What the fuck,” Rowan says through a ragged breath.
The light works its way through Devlin, traveling through his throat and chest. When it disappears, his head falls again.
I frown, waiting for him to budge, to wake up, to move.
When he doesn’t, I step back, trying to figure out what I did wrong.
What happened? I wonder. Did it work?
A sharp gasp pierces the air, and Devlin snatches himself out of Hale’s and Bolv’s hands to immediately reach for a sheathed dagger at his waist.
“What the bloody fuck is going on?” he barks, staring at all of us as he slashes it in the air.
“Lower the dagger, Devlin,” I order. “It’s only us.”
His eyes are wide, but the panic lessens and the swinging dagger slows when he realizes who we are.
“Caz Harlow?” He looks me up and down. “What the fuck happened to you? You’re twice your height. And your hair! Don’t tell me you chose that color. It doesn’t suit you worth a fuck.”
Rowan cracks a laugh, and Killian grunts.
I grab Devlin by the shoulders, reeling him forward and pointing at the sky. “Do you see that?”
He lifts his head, and his face blanches when he notices the hovering rock. “What is that?”
“That’s war ,” I answer. “We have no time for your asinine jokes right now.”
He drops his eyes to mine again. “That evil bitch is up there,” he snarls. “She killed my people. She killed my girlfriend. I was going to make her my wife!”
“You’re angry, and that’s exactly how you should feel.” I give his shoulders a squeeze. “Carry that anger with you as you suit up.”
“Oh, with fucking pleasure. Point me where I need to go.”
“Come with me.” Killian takes the lead, and Devlin and Bolv follow him.
I turn my attention to Hale who says, “We Whisper Grovians may not be big fighters, but many of us refused to sit idly by while this war happened. And because of what our leader did, well—” he scratches his head— “it’s only right that we assist you at this time.”
More people step out of the forest, coming in droves and dressed in leather and armor.
“I appreciate this Hale, but Conan’s betrayal isn’t your fault. You still have the chance to return to Whisper Grove and protect your people.”
“I know. But we aren’t leaving.” He stands taller. “We’re here to stay.”
“As are we.”
I turn my head, spotting Alora walking ahead of a sea of soldiers dressed in gold armor. I’m certain there’s a blend of Gilded amongst them reserving their energy for the battle. She’s dressed in armor herself, her hair braided into one thick braid that falls down her back.
“Alora.” I meet up to her, and she gazes up at me in awe.
“By The Regals, believe me when I say that I am still so cross with you,” she breathes. “But I’d be a fool to not congratulate you. Wow . You look just like The Regal I knew you would be.”
I smile. “I’m sorry for thinking you were against me. When we’re done with this war, I’ll make things right again. I’ll restore the trust. I swear it.”
She jabs the tip of a dagger at my chest. “You’ll have no choice, Monarch Harlow. Being allies with you is quite exhausting.” She pauses, a smile gracing her lips. “And I accept your apology.”
A man to her left shifts on his feet, and his familiar eyes lock on me.
“Valden,” I say, eyeing him back.
“Monarch Harlow,” he returns, smirking.
“I owe an apology to you as well. Forgive me for hurting you.”
“All is forgiven,” he says, slightly bowing his head.
“If you make it out alive, perhaps I’ll learn to like you.”
He lets out a haughty laugh. “Can’t say I’ll return the gesture, Monarch Harlow.” He scans me, nodding. “Being a Regal becomes you though.”
Purple and blue light appears in the corner of my eye, and I spot Hassha and Korah walking out of the manor. They take note the soldiers in Alora’s army as well as the Whisper Grovians.
But past them, there is a glint. A spark of silver drifts from the beach and floats toward us. When the person lands, their cloak shines, the hem dragging over the grass. Behind them are more rows of silver.
I meet with Hassha and Korah as they face Callista. Up close, she looks completely different. She has an eyepatch, and her hair is cut short. Her face is hollow like she hasn’t eaten in days.
“Are those Luxorians?” I ask Korah as the last of them approach.
Korah studies the army behind her. “Indeed, they are. And she made the wiser choice.”
“What were her other choices?” I ask.
“Fight in the war or be anchored to the bottom of the ocean and left to drown to death, only to wake and drown again. A vicious cycle and a terrible suffering.”
“Fuck.”
“I’m doing this for my brothers.” Callista frowns as she nears us.
Hmm. Suppose she heard us.
“I thought you killed her,” I say, eyeing Korah.
“Believe me, I wanted to.” Korah scans Callista from head to toe as she reads her. “But she’s not completely useless. Figured it was best to use her talents than dispose of them right now.”
“I’m standing right here,” Callista grumbles.
“But she knows that if she betrays us,” Korah goes on, still directing her words to me, “I will break off every limb from her silver body, gouge her eyes out, then rip her head off last so she sees and feels everything.”
Callista’s nostrils flare as Rowan shouts, “Oh, shit! Now that’s a jab.”
“Don’t count us out,” a voice shouts from a distance.
We all look to find it, and another cluster of people appears. All are dressed differently. Some float while others walk, but I know exactly who they are.
The Mythics.
And leading them is none other than Beatrix.
“Monarch Harlow, what a delight,” Beatrix says in greeting. “If I’d known this is what you would become, I’d have been much kinder to you.”
I laugh. “No need. I prefer your honest side. How did you get better? The last time Willow and I saw you, you were dying.”
“Ah, that .” She grins as she swoops her eyes to Korah, who smiles back. “Korah was kind enough to heal me. Yes, she told me about this fight and the return of Selah. She wanted me to rally the Mythics, get us to join so we can assist and heal where needed.”
“You were busy the last couple of days, I see.” I glance at Korah.
“I told you to trust me,” she returns coolly.
“Right. Well, now that everyone is here, we all know what we’re facing.” I take a look at the different fleets and armies around me.
Hassha and Korah rise to the air, and I join them. The sea of soldiers, warriors, and fighters seem infinite. All of them are here to save their world. All of them are ready to fight for what they love.
“Never in my life did I think I’d see all the territories coming together in this way,” I say, “but this is our world, and I’ll be damned if we give up all we’ve built—all we love—to a madwoman who wants nothing more than power, blood, and control!”
Cheers erupt as swords and spears rise in the air.
“We know you did not ask for this fight.” Hassha takes over. “We know many of you could have refused to join us and waited to see what would happen, but you should know something. Though you are not my creations, there is nothing I want more than to see you flourish. Not just for your sakes, but for the future of Vakeeli. There are people who need you, children you will guide who want to see what the future holds for them. So long as we go into this war together, we will prevail. Korah and I will do everything in our power to make sure you live to see another day!”
More cheers break through the air. It’s loud, but it’s the perfect sound to lead us into this war.
The sound of hope.
Power.
Freedom.
A creaky groan overlaps it though, and the cheers die as everyone cranes their neck to search for the sound.
In the distance, rocks crumble and a set of stairs descend from the hovering land. Hassha sighs and glances at Korah. Their eyes flash as the barrier dissolves, exposing us to the dangers beyond.
The stairs appear on either side, and I float to the ground, instructing which army to go where. When they’re marching away, I stand in the center of the field, observing them all with a heavy heart.
Because though I have power, though I have hope, there are people here I will never see again after today.
“You can do this.” Hassha’s voice is a whisper as it passes. She stands at my side, watching the people as I do. “Trust in yourself. Trust in Yuri. But most of all…trust in us . We’re here to see you through this.”
I look into her electric eyes and nod. Stretching my fingers, I conjure a sword in my right hand and a shield in the other.
“We fight hard for what we love today.”
With a proud smile, Hassha summons her own weapons. “Today and always, Seed of Yuri.”