Chapter 10
The king arrived that afternoon, escorted by mounted warriors and footmen wheeling a huge covered cage behind them.
Amelia watched from afar as Casyl greeted his father and showed him around the camp.
They moved her to Danae’s tent that morning so she wouldn’t be in the king’s way.
“Why is he here?” she asked Danae, who stood close by.
“The battle is almost over. He wants to witness his victory himself.”
“Does he fight?” she asked.
“Not as we do.”
She looked past the warriors towards the covered cage. “What’s in there?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“I really do,” Amelia said.
“No, you really don’t.” She shook her head.
Casyl came to her tent later that night, though he could only stay for a moment.
“Everything will change tomorrow,” he told her, pacing around the tent.
She had never seen him so agitated. His usual controlled composure had slipped, and she realised with some shock that he was nervous.
“It will be an easy victory from what Danae said.”
He nodded absently. “They have no chance against Danae’s power. No one does.”
“I’m glad she’s not fighting against you.” Amelia shuddered.
He sat next to her on the cot. “What will you do when you return home? Will you tell them what you’ve seen?”
Home. The place she never thought she’d see again. The thought of returning flooded her with relief, but it was no longer uncomplicated. She wouldn’t see him again, or Ruven or Danae. She wouldn’t mind if she never saw Tharos again.
Some foolish part of her wanted him to ask her to stay.
“I don’t know,” she answered.
He looked away, his brow creasing.
“Can you ever forgive someone for choosing their people over you?”
“It depends. Sometimes life gives us very little choice. But choosing still has consequences.”
He looked as though he wanted to say more. Instead, he kissed her deeply, then turned and left. Long after he had gone, she could still feel the warmth of his mouth against hers.
The camp was alive with merriment. Soldiers sat around campfires drinking with their comrades. She didn’t begrudge them their fun. It may have been the last night for many of them.
Amelia strolled through the camp in the darkness. She walked to the edge and looked out at the enemy camp. It was quiet over there. Did they know that dawn would bring their defeat?
She was the cause of this war, and tomorrow it would be over, but what did that mean for her?
The stars gleamed in the sky above her as she sat on the ground. Perhaps they’d let her go home tomorrow. Wasn’t that what she wanted?
She imagined travelling back to her city and wondered what her guild would say. How shocked they’d be to see her. She’d report her findings to Emin and perhaps write a paper about her discovery.
The rustling of the grass alerted her to his presence. He sat down beside her.
“Not joining in with the drinking?” she asked.
“Not for me. I need a clear head for tomorrow,” Ruven said.
“Are you going to fight?”
“Yes, everyone will fight tomorrow. They wouldn’t want to miss the victory. That’s the kind of victory people tell stories about.”
“What about me?” she asked.
“You’re not quite ready yet for battle.” He grinned.
“Even after all of my heroics, saving Tharos and Casyl?” she said, feigning shock.
“You were lucky! I’m surprised you didn’t trip and fall into Danae’s inferno,” he teased.
She smiled at that. “You know what I mean. Am I to stay and watch whilst you all fight?”
“I’m afraid so,” Ruven said. “But we’ll put on a good show for you.”
She leaned against Ruven and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Stay alive out there.”
*
The noise of the warriors preparing for battle disturbed her sleep. The clang of metal and swords being sharpened mingled with the men’s false bravado. She couldn’t bring herself to get up and watch more bloodshed.
Danae had already left early to prepare. Being a fire mage made her invaluable to the army. Amelia hoped she’d see her again.
She forced herself to leave the tent.
The camp buzzed with activity. Warriors were lining up, ready to march down the hill. She spotted Casyl working his way through the camp, talking to the men, shouting orders. He glanced her way briefly.
The king came out of his tent decked in silver armour and a bright purple cloak. His ornate helmet was held by a servant who followed behind. Casyl looked bland in comparison.
Casyl, Tharos, and the king readied themselves and mounted their horses.
The king rode to the front of the army and gave a speech. The men cheered for their leader and banged their weapons against their breastplates.
The enemy was lining up. There was no cheering. Were they standing in silence, awaiting their fate, or praying to their god?
The warriors of her camp began to march forward, led by Casyl and Tharos.
Ruven wasn’t far behind. The king stayed further back with his personal guards, watching as the men marched by.
Right at the back came the covered cage, wheeled by a group of men.
They wheeled it partway down the hill and left it there.
Amelia stood near the edge of the camp with some of the camp guards. The king turned to her and smiled. Her skin crawled.
The soldiers from the enemy camp marched down their hill.
Casyl sounded the signal to engage, and they charged. The enemy did the same, and she watched, mesmerised, as both war bands clashed at the bottom of the valley.
She covered her ears at the noise. Metal clashed against metal, and men shouted war cries that were soon replaced with screams of pain.
She’d seen fighting when she’d been in the enemy’s camp, but there had been fewer men, and it had been dark. Seeing it in broad daylight with thousands of men was overwhelming, but she couldn’t look away.
Casyl was visible in the distance. His distinctive winged helmet shone, catching the light, along with his sword as he stabbed and slashed his way through the field.
He was just as dangerous without a weapon, but now he was deadly.
He rode across the field, wielding his sword as though he were Death himself.
The flash of Casyl’s winged helmet vanished beneath the crush of bodies. She searched for it and found nothing. What would happen to her if he died?
The enemy had fewer men, but they still had a few tricks left.
In the distance, grey shapes streamed from the enemy camp into the valley below.
At that moment, she wished she had fae vision.
“What are those?” one guard beside her asked.
The king laughed from his mount. “They think that will save them? Guards, release the Hakkari.”
Amelia was finally about to see what he’d been keeping in the cage. She stared at it, forgetting the battle.
Five men dragged the cover from the cage. She still couldn’t see what was inside. The cage was built from metal sheets with small holes, as if they feared bars wouldn’t be enough.
Two of the king’s personal guards approached the cage and drew back the bolts. The door swung open with a creak.
Nothing happened.
She held her breath, waiting.
One guard peered inside. Suddenly, something burst from the cage, impaling him with its giant horn.
Amelia gasped and stepped back, prepared to run, watching as the man was flung into the air, bloodied and screaming.
All the other guards stood deathly still, staring at the creature.
It was enormous. It had long, shaggy brown fur and a huge horn that grew from its head, curving to a point and almost dominating its entire face. Froth gathered around its jutting fangs, and drool dripped onto the ground before its hooves.
It paused as if adjusting to the daylight, then charged towards the battle. A horn sounded, one she didn’t recognise, and the army parted, allowing the beast access to the front line. Not everyone moved in time. Men were trampled under its crushing hooves.
How had they trained such a beast to fight for them?
She glanced at the king. A guard held his horse’s reins while the king sat in the saddle with his arms raised, palms upturned and head thrown back, the whites of his eyes showing.
Was he praying?
The beast charged towards the grey shapes. As they collided, Amelia saw that they were wolf-like creatures. It fought them off easily, impaling them and flinging them with its horn into the enemy.
She scanned the battlefield for Casyl. He was dragged from his horse. She froze, waiting. He rose from the melee, his helmet shining in the light. Ruven was by him; they fought side by side, slashing and slaughtering their enemies.
They were lethal. Together they dominated the thickest part of the fighting.
The beast now ploughed through the enemy soldiers. They scrambled away from it back up the hill. A few brave warriors tried to face it but were immediately killed.
“Fools.” The king laughed without lowering his arms.
Was he controlling the beast?
The enemy sounded the retreat. They ran back up the hill towards their camp.
Casyl and his soldiers pursued them, the beast leading the way. Their tents erupted in flames. Danae, she thought. The memory of her flames brought bile to the back of her throat.
It had been a bloodbath.
The army returned to camp, and the beast obediently went back into its prison. Everyone had been ordered to pack up and move into the newly captured territory.
Danae returned, blood spattered over her armour.
“Where are we going?” Amelia asked her.
“We’re moving closer to the mountain,” Danae said.
“Aren’t we giving chase to the enemy? It seems like you could have completely wiped them out if you had continued.”
“The king doesn’t want them all dead,” Danae said. “We killed a few of their generals but left their king alive. He fled long before the battle was over. Tiryn wants them to see our victory, his victory. He wants to show them what we’re going to do.”
“And what are you going to do?” Amelia asked.
Danae remained silent.
*
Danae’s remark stayed with her as they travelled to establish their new camp, reminding Amelia how different these people were from her own people.
Ruven had returned, just as blood-soaked as Danae. She smiled at the sight of him as he led his horse towards her.
“Shouldn’t you be riding near the front?” she asked him.
“We both will,” he said.
They trotted towards the front of the line and took their places. Casyl rode just ahead. He would lead the army towards the new ground. The king was a little further behind him, surrounded by his guards.
Evening was falling when Casyl raised his arm to signal a halt. This would be their new campsite.
With the camp set up, the soldiers relaxed. They lit fires and drank, singing and playing instruments, joining in the general merriment, pleased with their victory, while a few remained sombre, perhaps mourning friends they’d lost.
Danae had brought Amelia some food and a goblet of wine before she left for the feast that was being held in the king’s royal tent. All the generals and senior officers would be there. The king would honour warriors who had fought heroically. Danae was one of those.
The sight of the mountain looming in the distance made her dizzy. This terrain was familiar. The hills, the trees. They weren’t too far from where she’d entered this world.
She should have been desperate to return home. Instead, the thought left a hollow ache in her chest. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t certain where home was.
She gazed up at the mountains for some time. How had this world existed on the other side without anyone knowing? How would she get back? Until now, she had barely allowed herself to consider what returning would truly mean.
Two guards approached from behind.
“The king wants to see you.”
She’d directly avoided him since his arrival.
She followed the guards to the king’s tent, holding her hands behind her back. The feast had ended, and the king sat waiting for her, Casyl standing to his left.
She stood, unsure of what to do as the king’s gaze burned into her.
“Tomorrow we’ll say goodbye and you will go back to your world. The mountain isn’t far,” he said.
She glanced at Casyl. He stiffened, but his expression remained blank as he looked down at the ground.
They were going to let her go, just like that? Why wasn’t she happy?
“In the morning, you will lead us there.”
Who did he mean by us?
“I’m not sure exactly where it was. Who am I leading?”
“No matter. We’ll find it. An armed escort will accompany you, unless you’ve forgotten what lurks in the forest,” he said.
That made sense, but something was off. She glanced again at Casyl, who avoided her gaze. The king noticed.
“You may go,” he said to Amelia, his eyes remaining fixed on Casyl’s face.
She walked back through the camp and found Danae sitting outside their tent.
“Everything alright?” Danae asked.
“I’m not sure. I think so.”
This could be her last night here. She wished she had her journal with her to record everything.
“Is there any paper and ink around here?” she asked.
“I’ll have a look.”
Amelia went into the tent and waited. Danae returned soon after.
“These are all I could find.”
“Thank you.” She took the pen, ink and scrolls, uncurling the first sheet.
Where did she begin?
She began with the symbols at Ryjul, carefully recreating each curve, adding words from the language she’d discovered here.
She wrote about Alarrdrassyl and the fortress above the sea, recording place names, colours and creatures—anything she could remember that might help her prove to Emin that this world was real.
After she’d written down everything she remembered, she wondered if any of it mattered if they wouldn’t believe her.
Reading it back, she discovered she’d written far more about Casyl than intended.
His name appeared alongside almost every discovery.
He was the commander of a fae army, yet he repaired broken relics and laughed when she touched his antlers.
She lay down, leaving the scroll open beside her. Every sound outside made her glance towards the tent’s entrance, but Casyl did not return. Would they have any more time together before she left?
She woke to the tent flap opening, thinking Danae had returned.
“Danae?” she asked into the darkness.
The figure came closer, and as her eyes adjusted, she realised it was Ruven. What was he doing here?
She sat up. He pressed a finger to his lips and glanced towards Danae, who was already asleep in her bed.
“What is it?” she whispered.
He knelt beside her. “Amelia, you need to leave.”
“What do you mean? I’m going tomorrow,” she said.
“No, you must leave tonight. Just trust me. I need you to listen.”
“Ruven, I’m sorry, but I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me why.”
He looked pained.
“I don’t know everything, but your world will be in danger. You need to go now while you can.”
She didn’t know whether he was telling her everything, but the fear in his face was real.
“What about those things that live in the forest?” she asked. She’d be dead if she ran into another of those.
“I’ll escort you, but we have to leave before sunrise.”
Quietly, she put on her clothes. She cast one last glance at the sleeping Danae before slipping out behind him.