46. Chapter 46
Chapter 46
Maddox
A s Dean freed the fighters on our side, they quickly formed squads along the line, facing down Arik’s forces that were organising faster than we ever could. We were outnumbered yet again, but when had that ever stopped us? We hadn’t come here na?ve enough to think we’d have the upper hand. Arik had stolen these people for their magic, and our fighters couldn’t hope to match that… unless the stories weren’t true.
But our fighters looked energised, ready for what was about to come, and I knew it was all down to Dean freeing the kids and pulling them out of the camp. None of them had that look in their eyes anymore that made you think they’d only come here to die. They wanted to fight. They were ready for whatever they could throw at us.
Arik’s forces didn’t give us time to organise ourselves before they charged. It meant that we hadn’t reinforced our line far enough, and I knew those fighters further into the camp would have a tough battle ahead of them.
The Endless seemed to have their sights set on a certain area of the field, and I knew without a doubt it was where Alyssa was fighting. Arik was making a move to either capture her or put her down for good. This was his opportunity to finally get what he wanted, but he wouldn’t find Alyssa to be the easy target he wanted her to be.
Every instinct I had in me screamed to go to her. To pull her out of this madness. And as I raised my sword to meet the first of Arik’s soldier’s head on, I felt my lion push against my control as, for the first time, we disagreed about what to do next.
“ Trust her. She is a force to be reckoned with, ” I screamed at my lion in my head.
He chuffed in agreement, but I could still feel his anxiety. I tried to push it to the edge of my mind as I fought for my life. I couldn’t afford the distraction right now. This wasn’t practise, and these weren’t training swords. One wrong move, and I wouldn’t be around to worry about her.
I twisted to the side, letting my blade run through the side of my attacker. Feeling absolutely no remorse when he cried out and fell to one knee on the ground. I didn’t hesitate. I knew this would haunt me in the quiet hours to follow, but the thing that mattered now was survival. And I clung to that as I turned and drove my sword down through the base of his neck.
There was no time to weep, no time to mourn the life of the man I’d never know because as soon as the killing blow was dealt, there was another soldier there to take his place.
Ryder strode closer. He had a sword in each hand and was cutting through the other side with a fury few knew he possessed. When this whole thing was done, he’d still be the same man he was. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to protect his people, and if his actions were towards those intentions, he’d never regret them either. He was fierce in his love.
“There’s more than we thought there would be,” Ryder shouted across to me. “But at least we’re not being bombarded with magic.”
I nodded, glancing around. In fact, there was barely any magic being used on the battlefield. Were they holding it back, or did they not even have it to begin with? If Arik hadn’t taken these fae for their magic, then how was he choosing the ones that he stole?
There wasn’t time to figure it all out now. Instead, I concentrated on the fight that was coming.
Ryder grabbed me by the shirt and hauled me closer to him. “Don’t get separated. We stay together. We need to work our way back to the others.”
It was only then that I looked around and realised that we’d been separated from Dean and Tank. I’d had eyes on Dean only moments ago, but now he was lost in the fray.
We had to trust they’d find their way to us for now, though, because Arik’s forces swarmed closer and it would take everything we had just to keep fighting. I felt Ryder move to my back, and I felt better knowing that my brother was here.
Flames coated my arm in defence as I threw out my hand and sent a rope of fire towards the nearest man. It wrapped around him, curling up his body as he screamed and writhed, dropping to the ground and rolling to extinguish the flames.
My stomach rolled as I stared at my hand in horror. It had been a reflex. I hadn’t intended to… had I?
But weakness on the battlefield was like a flag being raised, and before I could spiral, four more soldiers were moving to intercept me. Ryder was engaged with his own troubles. I was on my own, at least for now.
I became a whirlwind of motion as I sliced and dodged, moving constantly to avoid the blades that tried to end me. My magic lashed out, and the burning ropes of power slowly disabled every fighter around me while I did the best I could just to survive.
This was warfare on a level we’d never experienced before. It was up close and bloody and so much different from staring down the sight at someone. I couldn’t avoid seeing their faces. From knowing that the person in front of you was as much of a living, breathing individual as you were. I could see the desperation on their faces to be the one that survived, and the bitter acceptance when they realised they wouldn’t be.
I wouldn’t be the same man I had once been when I came out of this, and I was feeling like the magic that ran through my body was nothing but a curse, as a ball of fire exploded from my hand and slammed straight into the face of the nearest man. He didn’t even scream, and a piece of me died on the battlefield right alongside him. It seemed like we were the only monsters on this battlefield.
As I heaved in a breath to calm my mind, my gaze caught Rhidian through the crowd of fighters. He pushed further ahead than any of the rest of us, and was isolated amongst Arik’s soldiers. Rhidian fought with the viciousness of someone who had seen battle before. Someone who had something to live for, and my mind turned to Alyssa once more.
But I didn’t have a chance to think about her because the more I watched, the more I realised how stupid he’d been.
Rhidian’s movements were slowing, his reaction time taking longer as he was swarmed with more and more soldiers. He couldn’t keep this up. He’d gone too far, taken on too many. It was only a matter of time. Even the fire that coated his hands and sword was starting to dim.
“Fuck!” I screamed out, knowing what I needed to do, and also knowing it was going to put me in just as much trouble as Rhidian now was.
“What?” Ryder gasped.
He was coated in sweat and panting already.
“Rhidian’s in trouble.”
I nodded in his direction, and Ryder quickly glanced over his shoulder. He didn’t have time to do anything more as another soldier moved in to attack.
“Go!” Ryder shouted, raising his sword and darting forward once more. “I’ll catch up.”
What other choice did I have? I couldn’t leave him to face this alone, though. There was simply no way he could survive, and I wouldn’t have his death on my conscience as well as all the nameless others.
I pushed forward, shouldering one soldier out of the way and trusting my magic to make sure he stayed down. It wouldn’t fail me now.
A sword swung at my head and I was only just able to raise my blade to intercept it. As the metal clanged together, I caught sight of the man wielding it and realised it was one of our own. The look of regret on his face screamed how much he already knew he’d made a mistake.
“Get your head in the fight!” I shouted at him as I pushed on, leaving him to face the soldiers I left in my wake.
I didn’t have time to coddle him. He knew what he was getting into when he came here. The reality of war was that we wouldn’t all survive. All you could do was fight with everything you had and hope you could live with the things you’d done in the end.
But when I turned back in the direction I was heading, Rhidian had disappeared and was nowhere in sight.
Worry hit me hard, and I fought through the crowds, letting more and more of my fire loose, knowing that time was running out.
I was so close when I finally spotted him again. Laying on the ground, crawling backwards trying to get some distance between him and The Endless slowly walking towards him. Rhidian’s sword wasn’t in his hand and blood flowed quickly from a wound on his arm. He threw a ball of fire at The Endless and it hit his breastplate before disappearing, not even leaving a scorch mark behind.
This wasn’t good.
I put on a burst of speed, reaching out and feeling that telltale heat at my fingertips as my magic formed.
But I was too slow.
Too late.
And I watched in horror as The Endless grasped the hilt of its sword with both hands and drove it down with all its strength, straight through Rhidian’s stomach.
Tank appeared out of nowhere. His bear slammed into The Endless as they rolled together, battling for the upper hand. A roar accompanied the sound of crunching metal and I knew he had the situation under control as I skidded to my knees at Rhidian’s side.
The sword was lodged deep in his stomach as he looked at it grimly before turning to me.
“I never thought it would end this way. I stupidly thought I had until the end.” He coughed, grimacing in pain as he did, ruby red blood now coating his lips.
For a second, I didn’t know what to do. I stared at the sword in horror, knowing there would be no healing from this, even if we weren’t currently in the middle of a battlefield. I frantically looked around for Ryder. For Tank. For anyone.
I was pulled back to my senses as Rhidian pushed a dagger into my hand. “You have to kill me, Maddox.”
I stared at him in shock, shaking my head even as Rhidian moved the dagger’s point to his chest, holding my hand clasped around the hilt for me.
“No. What? No. It’s going to be okay. We’ll get you help. Ryder is…”
I looked around desperately. There had to be someone. Someway to do anything that could stop this.
Rhidian laughed, the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth now as he struggled to breathe.
“I’m dying, Maddox, don’t insult my intelligence. But you have to be the one that kills me. Arik will take control of the royal line for the Summer Court if I die by this hand. The Endless is just as much him as if he’d done it himself. You have to kill me and take the line for yourself.”
I shook my head, my mind not wanting to believe what he was saying. I couldn’t. I just… I couldn’t.
“Look after her, Maddox. There was always a part of me that knew she could never love me. Maybe I deserve that for putting her on this path. But with another court at her side, she’ll be stronger. You’ll get the full strength of the Summer Court. The others have to do the same.” He coughed again as his body rebelled over him trying to talk too quickly. It didn’t take a genius to realise that he was trying to say as much as he could before it was too late. “It’s the only way. I wasn’t supposed to say. You were supposed to work it out for yourself, but I find myself not giving a shit right now. The Autumn heir is in hiding. You need to find them, and if you can save the court here, you will. Remember how many thrones are in Nymeria and how many kings you need to fill them.”
Rhidian suddenly sat up, impaling himself through the chest with the dagger. A look of peace swept across his face, and he smiled sadly. His mouth opened to say something else, but instead, Rhidian took a gasping breath, his hand grabbing the collar of my shirt as he pulled me closer.
“Nothing is as it seems. Arik isn’t…”
Rhidian never had the chance to finish his sentence. His eyes slowly closed, and I saw every regret he had pass over his face as a single tear slipped free from one eye. Then he sagged forward into my arms as the life drained out of him.
I clung to the man I’d never had a chance to know better and tried not to think about the burning sensation sweeping across my skin as the royal mark for the Summer Court was branded onto me.
He deserved so much more than to die in the mud. He deserved to be a king. A king with the queen he’d loved all his life by his side.