28. Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Alyssa
W e moved silently through the trees, and I reached out for the magic that was growing here. The magic the dryad had used to cause such violence before. Because violence was about to revisit the Spring Court and I’d be damned if it would be my people left dying on the ground this time.
The others followed my lead, happy to provide backup and follow me to wherever the danger lay. Rhidian and Fizzle would be a few minutes behind us, having stayed back to prepare our fighters.
We’d taken only moments to discuss what was happening, and the plan was simple. We would defend our home and the people here at all costs.
I latched onto the magic flooding the court, and I felt it rise to my call just as a foreign sensation further ahead registered on my senses.
I slowed to a halt. The guys clustered around me as I crouched down, threading my fingers into the soft loam of the forest floor. Instead of an echoing silence like I’d felt the last time I did this, I could feel the pulsing magic of the court. It flowed through the ground like a network of vines, connecting the trees, the plants, and every living thing that touched them.
Including them.
There was no doubt in my mind who was moving through the forest ahead of us. I’d felt this darkness before. A malevolent magic that seemed completely unnatural. But there was just so much of it. More than I’d felt in one place.
“They’re about three hundred metres ahead,” I whispered.
“Can you give us an idea of numbers?” Maddox asked from where he’d crouched down next to me.
I reached out again, feeling along the edge of their lines, as I tried not to let the foreign magic leech into mine. Even if it had the potential to strengthen me, there was no way I wanted anything to do with whatever Arik was wielding. It was dark, polluting. There would be no coming back from touching that darkness.
“A lot. That’s about as much as I can give you. I can’t feel them as individuals, just the size of what’s coming at us.”
It wasn’t good enough. I needed some way of figuring out how many we were going to face. How were we going to prepare if we didn’t know what was coming for us? I’d spent too long sulking and trying to sort out my own shit. I shouldn’t have left the logistics of keeping the court safe to Rhidian. This was my job. My parents would be ashamed of how much I was dropping the ball here.
“Here’s an idea,” Maddox said softly, clearly trying to keep me calm. “Feel back towards where Rhidian and the others are. Get a feel for the size of their group. Then look at what we’re facing. How much larger is it than our own forces?”
Okay, that made sense, and it was something I should have thought of before.
It took a fraction of a second to reach out towards the others. This was our court. Despite what had happened before, these people had made a home here and the magic that lingered held no ill intent towards them.
But as soon as I felt the familiar magic of our fighters, I realised numbers weren’t going to be our problem.
“They’re not much bigger than us. I’d say a few people at most.”
“Then why do you look like you’re getting ready to tell everyone they’re about to die?” Dean asked grimly.
“Because whatever is coming for us is strong. This magic that Arik fuels his Endless with is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before. They outmatch us so much that I don’t see how our forces can possibly survive. Swords can never win against power.”
I looked up, staring into the forest as if it would give me a glimpse of the shining armour that heralding the most feared thing in Nymeria. But there was nothing there.
“We need a long range attack to thin their ranks,” Dean muttered. “Something to give us a fighting chance. If we could slow their advance, get them through some kind of bottleneck…”
Dean looked around us and frowned when he saw nothing but trees.
“I’m going to shift,” Tank muttered. “My magic isn’t strong enough to take on the Endless, but I can do some damage with my bear. He’s fought them before.”
I nodded numbly as the reality set in.
We were about to go up against the Endless. Rhidian’s fighters had no chance. I’d seen them train. They were good with swords, but their magic was weak. The most they could hope for was to take one down collectively. That wouldn’t happen in this situation, though. Not when we faced these kinds of numbers.
I knew my guys could fight. We hadn’t exactly had an easy ride of it until this point, so I’d seen their skills already. But the numbers we were facing now? Dean was right. We needed to thin their ranks.
My mind spun frantically as the Endless advanced. Sitting here on our asses wouldn’t get us anywhere.
As I looked around frantically, I saw the one thing this forest had used to protect itself before and prayed it would work once again.
“We have to use the trees,” I whispered. “I can tap into the magic out here and we can use the trees to thin their numbers.”
As I looked around at the guys, I knew they were about to argue with me. I could see the reluctance on their faces and they didn’t even really understand what I was suggesting. Or potentially how dangerous this could be.
“How do you know it’s safe to use the magic out here?” Maddox rushed out, his gaze darting ahead because he knew there was only so much time we had to debate this. “You said you didn’t know what it was. What if it’s dangerous? What if you can’t control it?”
He was right. All the same questions were flying around my own mind. I had no idea if I could even do what I thought I could. No, actually, that wasn’t right. A part of whatever was growing out amongst the trees had come from me. I was fairly certain that part would work with me, bend to my will. The question was more; could I keep it under control once I pulled it free?
“We don’t have any other choice,” I pointed out. “The Endless are an enemy we haven’t had to face in large numbers before. We don’t know enough about their weaknesses to take down this many. Look, I know this is dangerous, but of the two options, it’s the one I feel best about. At least this way we have a chance.”
And that was all we needed.
A chance.
Nymeria had wanted us here to do something very specific—to save everyone. I had to trust that Fizzle would have said something if we were so off track we wouldn’t at least make it to the end goal. If this whole thing was fate and we weren’t supposed to die yet, then there had to be a way to get through this. And at the moment, this was the only one I could see. Or at least that was the lie I told myself because otherwise I wouldn’t have had the courage to do what needed to be done next.
Dean looked at me with frantic eyes, and I could see the cracks forming in his control. He knew the truth and hated that he couldn’t stop it. That I had to be the one to take this step without him. It was something he’d have to get used to, though. I needed him by my side, not standing in front of me, trying to save me from the world.
With a snarl, Dean’s wolf took over, and he shifted, tearing through his clothes. The wolf locked eyes with me and then nodded. At least a part of him was on board with this. I’d just have to deal with the other half later—if we survived.
“We’ll buy you whatever time you need,” Tank said, pulling me in for a quick kiss before he strode away, shifting into his bear as he went.
I could hear them now. The crunch of leaves on the forest floor and the snapping of tree limbs. It wouldn’t be long before The Endless were upon us. We were about to run out of time.
“You can do this,” Ryder whispered as he reached out for my hand.
I nodded, trying to concentrate on his words and not the sliver of doubt that was trying to work its way into my mind.
“We’re right here beside you,” Maddox murmured, his eyes fixed on Dean and Tank’s animals as he spoke. When he turned to look at me, I saw a glimpse of sadness in his eyes. Maddox was a realist. He could already see what our chances were. “We’ll hold the line as long as we can. I know you can do this Alyssa.”
He kissed me quickly, his hands coming to my cheeks before he rested his forehead against mine, and then, with a frustrated sigh, he turned away.
I didn’t have time to see what he did next, to worry about what would happen to the men who were about to risk everything to give me a chance to do something I’d never even attempted before.
Ryder squeezed my hand once in reassurance, and I closed my eyes, letting my consciousness sink into the magic that surrounded us as the world around me slowly slipped out of focus.