20. Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Alyssa
I could feel the tension in the guys as we made our way to the training grounds, but it had nothing to do with where we were going. As we made our way through the corridors, they slowly moved until they were surrounding me, keeping me safe at their centre. I didn’t even think they realised they were doing it.
We should have been spending time together, getting used to the bonds we now shared. Being shifters, the guys were going to find it difficult to separate from me. Not when the bond was so new and most of them were still getting used to managing their new emotions and urges.
In fact, this could be a terrible fucking idea when you thought about it like that.
Unfortunately, we didn’t really have much of a choice. Arik wouldn’t hang back and let us get through our honeymoon period. In fact, it had been far too long since our encounter with The Endless on the banks of the river. We couldn’t trust that being at the Spring Court would keep us hidden for long. In fact, when you thought about it, wasn’t this the first place people would think to come and look for me? It didn’t matter that I hadn’t exactly come here voluntarily, the Spring Court was home and I probably would have gravitated back to this land at some point.
The clock was definitely ticking and with it came a building pressure we needed to decide what to do next.
The fresh breeze of Nymeria reached us as we drew closer to the training area. I could already hear the sounds of men fighting as the clangs of swords meeting rang through the air. It was the first real sign of life we’d seen in the palace apart from when I’d gone to the kitchens alone.
I could tell by the building tension in the guys around me that they’d heard it, too. They seemed more apprehensive than anything though, as they unconsciously clustered closer around me.
When the archway leading outside came into view, Dean, who had been leading the way, came to such a sudden stop that I collided with the back of him.
“What the…? Will you guys give me some room to breathe?” I snapped, rubbing my nose from where it had collided with Dean’s unusually hard back. For good measure, I poked him with one finger, resisting the urge to curse when it just came into contact with hard muscle.
He glanced over his shoulder with a sexy smirk on his face that made me want to slap him and then suggest we go back to the rooms. Thankfully, I wasn’t on the floor drooling and kept up the act of being annoyed. Or at least I thought I had.
Dean spun on the spot, scooping me up off my feet, and my back collided with the wall before I even had a chance to object.
“You smell delicious,” he groaned as he buried his face against my neck.
I’d forgotten that one annoying fact about shifters.
My hands raised to thread through his hair and pull him closer, but I stopped myself just in time, instead gently pushing on his shoulders to let him know to let me down.
Obviously he ignored me and when I felt him trailing kisses along my neck, I was ready to say fuck it and just give in again.
The bonds thrummed hot inside of me and all I wanted to do was lean into the sensation of the magic building between us again and forget myself for a while.
A throat clearing behind us made it clear that would never happen, though. It also made Dean hold on to me tighter as a wall of mates suddenly blocked my view from whoever had been unfortunate enough to find us.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Ryder all but laughed, clearly proving that he was anything but. “We started without you. I hope that’s okay.”
Dean grumbled something about him wanting to start something else, and I sniggered at his growing annoyance. He gave me a look that clearly said I was going to pay for it later, and I kissed the end of his nose. “I look forward to it,” I whispered so only he would hear.
The crooked smile on his face said he knew exactly what I was talking about.
Damn, bonding with this many alphas might not have been the best idea. But call me cursed if you wanted to. This girl was going to die with a smile on her face, at least.
“We’re here now. No need to get your knickers in a twist, Rhidian,” I quipped as I slipped between my mates, much to their annoyance.
I could see the confusion on Rhidian’s face and it just made me smile even more. Maybe if we decided we could actually trust Rhidian, I could have some fun confusing him with human sayings. A girl had to find her fun wherever she could in a place like this and I couldn’t be confined to the bedroom and random hallway walls all the time.
“Shall we see what you’ve got going on, then?” I asked.
Rhidian scowled at me again and then turned back to his usual self in a way that only made him seem suspicious, judging by the grumbles coming from behind me. This was how he’d always been, though, shrugging off whatever was bothering him in a moment. If anything, it was the first glimpse I’d had of the Rhidian I’d known so long ago.
“Currently, we have training limited to groups of twenty. I’ve cut us down to ten this morning to give us some more room until we can assess what level you’re at. Overall, we have nearly two hundred fighters that are training on a rotation basis because we’re severely limited on space. We were kind of hoping when you arrived that you might be able to solve that problem.”
Rhidian had clearly been thinking about his sales patter for a while and continued to chatter on about the resources they’d collected and what supply routes they’d been able to secure.
All I could concentrate on was two hundred.
In fact, it wasn’t even two hundred, he’d said nearly .
It wasn’t enough.
There was no way it would ever be enough, not for what Rhidian had planned.
As we came to a stop at the edge of the fighting rings, which were currently in use, it became apparent that I wasn’t the only one thinking about it.
“Just to be clear, you’re intending on going up against Arik’s army and The Endless with less than two hundred fighters?” Maddox asked.
I could tell he was trying to keep the shock out of his voice, unfortunately he failed.
Rhidian’s spine steeled as he turned to look at us and I could see the telltale clench of his jaw that showed how much the question had pissed him off, even if he wasn’t planning on showing it.
“I know you’ve been here fighting this fight for longer than we have,” I started, trying to diffuse the situation before we got sidetracked from what we were here to do. “But with a force this small, a full frontal attack like you’re talking about would be suicide.”
Okay, maybe I wasn’t good at the whole diffusing tense situations thing. Definitely not going to rock the whole political side of this queen business if we lived through this.
“Let me rephrase that,” I blurted out as I could see Rhidian winding up for either a lecture or a tantrum. I couldn’t really tell. “We need to start thinking small-scale guerrilla tactics here.”
Rhidian looked confused again, but then Maddox and Ryder ducked into the conversation.
“You could actually be on to something there,” Ryder confirmed. “You have spies keeping watch on Arik’s movements, so you must know his supply routes, patrol movements, things like that.”
“Right,” Maddox interrupted excitedly. “If we could organise a series of precision strikes targeted at disrupting his forces and drawing their attention to multiple locations, theoretically, a smaller force could slip through his lines and do some actual damage at a strategic location while they’re distracted. It would lower our risk and increase our chances of success.”
“It won’t work more than a few times at most,” Dean added. “We’d need to make sure we struck them where it hurt enough to weaken his forces to the greatest degree, increase our chances of overall success enough for one final strike at his collective force.”
The guys were seeing a path forward and from how Rhidian was nodding in agreement, I could tell they were about to do some kind of collective male war bonding.
Not wanting to really get into all the bro time, I drifted off to the side. The fighters on the sands were still training, and I was interested in seeing what they had. I was happy to see that while Rhidian might have been overly optimistic in terms of his numbers; he wasn’t in his confidence in his fighters. They had skills.
“They have heart,” Fizzle said from beside me.
And now it was time for me to do something, too.
“They’ll need it for what they’re going up against.”
Fizzle grunted in agreement. “Walk with me,” he said, and then we fell into an uncomfortable silence as we turned away from the training ring and headed back into the palace.
I paid little attention to where we were heading. It wasn’t like I could ever get lost in this place. I knew every corner. It was how I’d been able to stay alive.
So, we walked. We walked and the silence between us started to become unbearable. This wasn’t how our relationship had ever been and I realised now that losing Fizzle would be a loss I’d never recover from. He was the last link I had to the people of my past. The only one who shared the memories of the ones we’d loved.
And then my stubbornness set in, and this became a challenge I didn’t want to lose. I felt sure he’d break first, but I’d known Fizzle long enough that I should have realised he wouldn’t.
As the silence stretched on, I fidgeted. My hands picked at a loose thread on my shirt without thought, and when I realised what I was doing, I also knew the feathery fucker next to me would be grinning in amusement.
Damnnit.
“I bonded with my mates,” I blurted out.
Wow, good one, Alyssa. Break the silence with the most awkward conversation you can think of. This wasn’t about to get excruciatingly painful or anything.
“I know. The entire palace knows. Even if you hadn’t set off a magical flare, you marked your mates for all to see,” Fizzle deadpanned, before adding, “Congratulations. It’s about time you did something right.”
To say I was shocked was an understatement. I hadn’t expected him to feel that way at all, not given the cautionary tales that circulated this realm against exactly that.
“Wait, what?”
“We may caution young faelings about bonding, but you’re not exactly a normal fae, Alyssa. The magical potential you have needs bonds if you have any chance of controlling it.”
I listened carefully to what he was saying and ran the words through my mind on a loop. I couldn’t help but think that it could have been what my father had been trying to say. Which made me realise something. “There’s more to this prophecy than you’re telling me.”
Fizzle didn’t reply at first, and I waited, knowing that he wasn’t trying to avoid answering, but that he was considering what to say. The problem with Fizzle was that you never knew if it was because he was about to avoid the question or if he really wanted to make sure he was about to tell you everything he knew.
Eventually he said, “I watched you come into this world and I had the privilege of being by your side as you grew into a fae I was truly proud of. And that’s not something I’d say to just anyone.” He gave me the side-eye and then continued on. “You don’t need the words of some prophecy to guide your actions. You have heart just like they do, and you also have the magic to back it up. Or at least you did. I’ve yet to see anything that impressive from you recently.”
Ahhh, this was the Fizzle I remembered from when I was a kid. Still, I wanted to fight him on this. I wanted to demand he tell me everything he knew, but then, what did it actually matter? I wouldn’t listen to it, anyway. Maybe he was right. Maybe not knowing was the best course of action. We didn’t need this hanging over us. It wasn’t like we were going to turn away from this fight.
“I seem to remember that you used to be better with people than this before?” I joked, buying myself some more time to figure out what I actually wanted to do about the situation we’d found ourselves in. After all, we’d come here to save Damon, and we still hadn’t done that. I wasn’t about to abandon these people, but I couldn’t abandon him either. Besides, if we could recover Damon, if we could figure out how Arik had him under his control, it could be the key to solving this whole thing.
I thought back to The Endless soldier I’d broken free with my magic. We should have tried to persuade him to stay with us. Perhaps Rhidian knew where he would have gone. He could be a useful ally to have in this fight. I could kick myself for letting him leave without considering this before.
“People could be trusted back then. Trusted not to betray you. Trusted to have the decency to stay alive when you needed them in your life.” He sounded so sad, and I hated that I was starting to count myself into the betrayal category.
“I should have come back earlier.”
Fizzle sighed. With a leap he took to the air, turned sharply and glided through a set of open double doors we’d been heading towards without me really realising it. When I stepped through to follow him, I wasn’t surprised by what I found. It was one of the smaller dining rooms which we’d used for small gatherings back when I was young. Or at least it had been. Now it looked to have been turned into some kind of war room and the table at the centre had been laid with a massive map of Nymeria.
Fizzle landed on the table, perching on the side with his tail wrapped around his feet. He looked at me curiously, as if trying to gauge my reaction to what I was seeing.
“I love what you’ve done with the place while I’ve been away,” I deadpanned, giving him nothing.
Fizzle rolled his eyes and then turned, striding into the middle of the map. “This is our best guess of where Arik has his forces stationed. You can see the extent of his numbers. He has most of the realm covered.”
I stood at the edge of the map, taking in as much as I could. I’d left Nymeria when I’d still been considered too young to be involved with much of the politics, and we weren’t exactly at war back then either. This wasn’t really something I had any experience with. But even I could see just how fucked we were. Arik had nearly every corner of the realm covered. In fact, he had soldiers stationed near every village, not to mention what looked like entire barracks in strategic places for the rest of the courts.
“Why hasn’t he occupied the Spring Court?” I asked. It seemed like a pretty obvious question to me.
“Because whilst it seems like his numbers are as endless as he likes to make them out to be, they aren’t. He doesn’t have the numbers to hold the positions he’s fighting to gain ground from and also occupy what should be abandoned territory. He’s more occupied with taking on the courts who are putting up a fight, than the ones who’ve already lost.”
“And the state of the Autumn Court?” I knew it was where Rhidian had in mind as the first target, but it just didn’t make sense to me.
“It fell a few months ago. There’s a decent amount of soldiers present making sure the villages are falling in line, gleaning who they can that has the potential for being indoctrinated into Arik’s forces.”
“And those people are sent to the training camp at the top of the Ice Falls?”
“Yes. It’s where he breaks them down and then takes over control. The majority are turned into The Endless, but there are some who keep enough of their will to become soldiers in his guard.”
I nodded. We’d sensed soldiers at the Winter Palace who weren’t part of The Endless. I’d assumed they were from the Winter Court, his own people. I couldn’t see why anyone would join his guard from the other courts, but I guess there’s a lot some people would do if it meant staying alive.
“Part of me wishes you’d stayed,” Fizzle mumbled as he batted at one of the barracks models with one paw. His whole concentration seemed to be on the tiny model, but I knew it was just because some confessions were easier made when you didn’t have to look another person in the eye.
“I should have stayed. I never should have left. My place was here with my people, and I don’t just mean those of the Spring Court. I should have done what Rhidian did and found a way to fight back.”
Maybe that was why I was so angry with Rhidian. He’d accomplished what I should have been doing all along. Rhidian never had an easy life, but he’d still stepped up. He’d seen the atrocities and decided he was going to do something about them. He didn’t run through the realm portal without looking back. Maybe it wasn’t anger that clouded my view of Rhidian. Maybe it was just the shame of what I’d done.
Fizzle turned to look at me with a soft expression on his face. I was pretty sure I’d never seen it in my life. It was pretty scary in a strange sort of way. “I meant the human realm. I wish you’d stayed in the human realm.”
“Well… thanks for the vote of confidence,” I joked, even though it really wasn’t the time. The small hiss that came from Fizzle was evidence enough that he agreed. “I would never have stayed there forever, and I should have returned a long time ago. This was always going to be my fight, right? I just needed to realise it.”
I thought about the guys, about the life we could have if we left and went back to the human world. They might not be human anymore, but they deserved the chance to have that life if they wanted it. We should have talked about it before we bonded. They came here for a specific purpose and I knew they’d said they’d fight with me if that was what I chose, but it still deserved a conversation.
“I have to speak with my mates. See where they stand on this. But if they’re still willing, I’m not running anymore, Fizzle, it’s time for me to make a stand.”
“Of course, we’re going to stand with you.” Dean’s voice came from behind us.
When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw him slip through the doorway from where he must have been listening out in the corridor.
“Aww, is stalking our love language?” I quipped.
He strode to my side, pulling me into his arms and kissing me fiercely, like it had pained him to be separated by even the shadows he’d been hiding in. “You really think I’d let you out of my sight? You don’t get to go anywhere alone anymore.”
“We’ll talk about boundaries later,” I assured him, patting him on the shoulder as I turned in his arms to face Fizzle again. “I guess we’re in then. Damon is still a priority for us, though. It was our initial reason for returning and that hasn’t changed. Recovering him is important to us.”
Fizzle cocked his head to the side and ran his tongue over one fang as he thought. I’d felt those needly fuckers pierce my shins enough time growing up to know they could do some damage when he was pissed off. In fact, Ryder was probably about to experience it real soon for himself. I doubt Fizzle had forgiven him for grabbing him before he threw himself into the river. Fizzle was a pro at holding a grudge and getting his feathers wet was probably one of the worst crimes you could commit against him. Again, I was speaking from experience here.
Dean nuzzled against my neck, his grip tightening ever so slightly as he peered over my shoulder at Fizzle, clearly deciding what he wanted to say. The possessiveness that radiated through our bond was surprisingly comforting, and I didn’t know what that said about me.
In fact, was it strange that I was finding this whole situation kind of flattering?
“Damon is a high-ranking officer in Arik’s army,” Fizzle finally said, shocking the shit out of me and from how he tensed, Dean, too. “He would be a useful target to acquire.”
“My brother is not your fucking target,” Dean barked, and I could feel him getting ready to push me behind him and take on the little owl gryphon in front of us.
There was no way he could win that fight, he just didn’t know it yet.
“Wait, Damon has been in this realm for a matter of weeks. How has he made it to a position like that already?”
“I have a theory.” Fizzle shrugged and then set about prowling around the map again. At first I thought it was because he was going to show us something that backed up his theory, then I realised it was because he was ignoring us again.
“Okay, theories are better when they’re shared, you know.”
How was it possible that I’d forgotten how infuriating he could be?
Fizzle turned to look at us before sitting down and wrapping his tail back around his feet. The implication was clear. He wasn’t saying anything.
“This isn’t how you make friends and allies, Fizzle. I know you have this whole mysterious guru thing you like to lean into, but Damon is important to us, and if you know anything, you need to tell us.” I wanted to reach across the table to grab him and shake him, but I knew it wouldn’t do us any good.
He squinted in annoyance. But at least he’d know I was being serious about this. If this was a topic I didn’t care about, I wouldn’t push him, and he knew that.
“He’s special to Arik. I suspect it’s because he knows his connection to you. He knew you’d come for him and there shouldn’t have been any way for him to know this specific human would draw you back to the realm. But it’s more than that. It’s Damon himself. He only allows those into his ranks who he holds the greatest influence over and also retains enough of their own power to be considered a threat. He likes to keep them close and bend them fully to his will. Which means…”
“Damon has magic.” I gasped.
Dean laughed in disbelief, but when he realised I wasn’t joking, he actually stepped to my side so he could talk to Fizzle properly.
“You mean he’s like us, right?” Dean glanced over his shoulder at me, and I could tell there was something he was considering that I hadn’t connected the dots with yet. “That would mean we had this magic before we met Alyssa. That we’re all the same.”
Fizzle shrugged. This was the thing with Nymeria. You never really could assume anything. “It could just be the effects of stepping through the portal,” I told him gently. Not sure what he was getting excited about, but not wanting to be the one to take it away from him.
The more I thought about it, though, the more it made sense. The only way to activate the portal was to flood it with an insane amount of magical power. That much magic occupying one space, moving a human body between realms, it would make sense that it would leave some kind of trace behind.
And that reminded me that we still didn’t know who had opened the portal for Damon to get here. Who was General Holden possibly working with back in the human realm? If he found out about this, it was going to land us with a whole host of other problems.
But they were problems we didn’t have the luxury of dealing with for now.
One psychopath at a time.
Dean’s shoulders sagged in defeat, and the overwhelming urge to comfort him surged through me. I threaded my fingers with his, holding onto his hand, and stepped into his side. The heat radiating from his body made me press myself closer, and after a moment, I felt his subtle shift as he leant against me too.
“If Damon is important to Arik, he won’t be easy to reach. We need to train. I need to train. It’s been too long since I properly used my magic, and since we’ve been here, it’s changed so much that I don’t think I really know what I can even do anymore. We need to prepare ourselves and then we can start preparing plans,” I decided.
The sudden grin on Fizzle’s face gave me the chills. Not because he agreed with me, but because I knew he was the only one here who could really help me train. And I knew I was about to enter a whole world of pain while he did it.
Perhaps it would give me some insight into what was causing the changes and how I could control the growing power inside. And this wasn’t the only magic I had to worry about. There was still whatever was happening out amongst the trees and the newly merged magic I’d inadvertently created here. It would be just our luck for it to turn this situation even worse than it already was. We needed to get ahead of it and make sure the people here were safe, if that was the case.
Damn, if something actually went right for a change, I might just pass out from the shock of it.