Chapter 48
MAE
Thick slabs of stone and soaring white columns materialize around us.
Ivy curls around the columns and the white stone railing that overlooks the sprawling city below.
In the distance, a tree nearly as tall as the castle itself sits on an island, its roots crawling over spongy moss and disappearing into the water below.
The air is sticky with humidity, but smells of flowers, rain, and earth.
Amaris’s white hair is pulled back into a braid that begins at her roots, and her tattoos glimmer like stars, white and luminous. “Welcome to the Fae Kingdom,” she says warmly.
“It’s gorgeous,” I say.
She smiles proudly. “I’ll have to give you the tour someday.”
“I’m counting on it.”
She leads us to a room with a domed ceiling, a mosaic of gnarled branches and sprawling ivy and pink roses.
Beams of light break through, landing on a massive circular, wooden table, where the Herd sits—Holly, Etta, Ivan, Basil, Elle, Cally, and Asmo.
My knees threaten to give when I see Cally.
Barrett and August also join us, soot in their hair and on their clothes.
Holly and Etta sit closer together today, only inches apart.
A Fae male with golden hair sits in between an empty seat and August. The golden threads of his hair complement his violet eyes.
Amaris settles into the empty seat. “Your Highness, please meet the interim king, Aero of the Wind.”
He stands and forms a bow. When he rises, his eyes have softened. “I go by Roe, if you please, Your Majesty.”
I dip my head in acknowledgement. “Pleasure to meet you, Roe. Thank you for agreeing to host us.” If he hadn’t, our only other meeting options would have been the ruins of Squall’s End or the abandoned house in the woods.
He smiles and returns to his seat, whispering something to Amaris.
After Cally gives me a hug that threatens to crack my bones, I sit beside my mate and look to my court and my allies.
Elle leans against the wall, awkward and looking like she’s been dragged through every inch of hell with her torn dress and her wild hair.
Several of us, me included, are still dressed in the waiters’ uniforms from the ball. Roe is the only one who looks somewhat prepared for an official meeting, dressed in an all-white tunic and pants.
I straighten and push my shoulders back.
“I’m so thankful to see everyone here, safe and sound.
We got lucky,” I say, and I regret the choice of words as soon as they’re out.
Basil bobs his head, but he won’t look at me.
His shoulders are slumped, and the slash of his usual smile is gone.
He looks defeated. His home is gone. But we were lucky.
Incredibly so. He almost lost so much more than his home. His life. His friends’ lives.
I take a deep breath. “It’s time to end this. Cora and Marik are gone, but I have reason to believe they’re not dead. We need to find Marik if we have any chance of truly defeating Cora. But while she’s gone, I think we should attack the castle.”
I turn to Basil, who watches me with an emptiness that adds to the weight on my shoulders.
“Basil, if the Lower House members assist us, I would be grateful. However, they have helped us enough and sacrificed too much already. Our deal is met. Any further assistance would be appreciated, but it’s not needed to fulfill the bargain. ”
He bows his head in response, and I’m too scared to ask if that’s an agreement to help or a respectful decline.
“We will fight with you,” August says. He stands tall, hands clasped behind his back and chest puffed.
Beside him, Barrett says, “As will Ursidae.”
“You have the Fae beside you,” Roe says from his chair.
“Our help is yours,” Basil says.
Nausea curdles in my stomach. I swallow. “We attack at first light.”
Turns out, portaling an entire army takes more time than I anticipated, but we manage to get everyone to the High Castle.
The castle is still about a mile away. We could have portaled closer but didn’t want to risk alerting anyone to our presence.
The woods are deadly quiet around us as we near, everyone inside sound barriers as we trek toward the castle.
It makes my heart hurt. The forest used to be so lively, full of birds chirping, and squirrels jumping from branches, and deer bounding through. But now, it’s desolate. Dark clouds hang overhead, low and thick with the promise of rain.
I can only pray that Cora is far, far away. Elle says she doesn’t think Marik is near, so we’re hoping that wherever he is, he’s keeping Cora occupied.
We come to a stop at the base of the stairs that lead to the castle, our barriers keeping us hidden. I turn to the army we’ve managed to cobble together and project my voice.
“Today, we fight for our kingdom. We fight for our lives. We fight for the animals and the children. We fight for those who cannot protect themselves against the sharp teeth of the cambions and the Cursed, who can’t defend themselves against the tide of black magic.
We fight for what is right.” I pause, the words reminding me of a guard who once said something similar. My chest tightens.
The values of our court are what keep the kingdom…good. And that’s worth protecting.
William.
“Someone once told me that goodness is worth protecting,” I add. “So today, we fight for goodness.”
The crowd roars inside the sound barrier, but my stomach churns. My choices were responsible for William’s death. Who else will die today, because of me?
Hybrids stare back at me, a mixture of wide eyes, of clenched jaws, of nervous energy.
Those who don’t have the ability to summon fire wield fireswords, a last-minute addition to the armory, created by one of the Fae.
Asmo, Elle, August, Barrett, and I spent all night imbuing our fire magic into them, creating swords with an eternal flame, perfect for felling witches.
Roe, outfitted in a suit of white armor, steps forward. “To my people, revenge is ours. We will take back a piece of our history and stop the witches from destroying another kingdom. They die today.”
The Fae warriors raise swords that most likely fought the witches the last time, their bellows of anger sending my blood humming.
We march.
Asmo, August, and Barrett break the sound barriers the moment we breach the stairs. The doors open of their own accord, welcoming us into the castle, as if begging for rescue. The guards are taken by surprise, knives through their necks before they can draw their swords.
August leads a section of our army and ascends the stairs to the second level, while the rest of us disperse throughout the castle. Asmo and I stick firmly in the middle, protected, but ready to help if needed.
The throne is empty, much to my relief. I was half-expecting Cora to be waiting there, but the only thing that waits for me here are haunted memories and silence.
My stomach churns as we pass through the empty hallways. Something’s not right. I was expecting the entire castle to be crawling with witches. Even if we attacked while they were asleep, they should have been up and out by now. Where are they?
I flash Asmo a look, and the expression on his face tells me he’s thinking the same thing. Up ahead, a Canis hybrid does a double-take as he passes by a window. “Your Highnesses,” he calls, eyes locked on whatever is outside.
“What is it?” Asmo orders.
“You should come take a look.”
I steel myself for whatever awaits me outside. But it’s worse than I imagined.
Outside, the grassy field is full of lines of black-leather witches, undead creatures surrounding them. Behind the witches, two figures sit atop two massive, Cursed grizzly bears, their fur matted and teeth rotting.
Cora.
Her onyx hair flutters in the wind, her aura writhing around her.
How did she know?
Seated beside her is an ethereal-looking female. Her hair is the color of charcoal, sleek and straight. Her riding leathers are jet black, not a lick of color to be seen. She, too, has a black aura around her.
“Who is that?” I whisper.
“Thera,” a voice calls from the end of the hallway. From behind us. I whirl.
Levana stands in the center of the hallway, her raven hair pulled into a tight braid that hangs over one shoulder. Her golden eyes watch us carefully. Asmo shifts me behind him.
“The creator of the witches and Goddess of the Underworld. Your goddess’s sister,” Levana explains.
The Sister is coming.
“End this, Mae,” Levana says—no, commands. “Thera will destroy this kingdom if Cora isn’t destroyed first.”
I push Asmo aside. “How?”
Levana shakes her head. “Cora is at her most powerful right now because of the amount of witches she has. If you take that away, you can buy some time. Focus your energy there,” she says, now addressing the hybrids.
“The only ways to kill a creature made of dark magic are beheading, fire, and ice. That includes the witches.”
I knew ice worked on the cambions and the Cursed, but not the witches.
“What of Thera?” I ask.
“She can’t interfere. To do so would be a direct violation of the treaty. Ignore her. For now, at least. Focus on the witches. That’s the key to winning this.”
The treaty? I glance at Asmo, but he doesn’t meet my gaze.
“Why are you doing this?” Asmo’s voice is gruff.
Levana looks to me. “The witches will take until every inch of the kingdom is blackened and turned to rot. They do not belong in this kingdom. They belong in the underworld.”
“Are you not a witch?” I ask.
Her golden eyes turn luminescent. A chill spreads through me. “I am something other. As I was a friend to the Fae Court and to your mother, I am also a friend to you.”
All truth, as bizarre as it is.
“Your aura…” Basil says, head tilted as he stares at Levana. “It’s not black.”
“She’s telling the truth,” I whisper to Asmo.
He turns to Basil. “Go get the rest of the hybrids. Reconvene at the front. We’ll march as one,” Asmo orders.
Basil gives Levana a final look, then shifts into his owl form and soars back down the hallway. Last night, Asmo shared the dark mark with all the shifters that would keep them clothed.
“You should know I’m not the only one,” Levena says. “There are others that are friendly to the High Crown.”
“How many of you are there?” Asmo asks Levana as he walks toward her.
“Not many,” she admits. “At least not here. We’re spread throughout the kingdom right now, trying to do damage control in the other courts.” She motions to a red ribbon tied around her wrist. “This is how you can find us.”
“Thank you,” I say.
She turns to me, glowing eyes looking me up and down. “I tried to tell the red-haired one. I tried to tell her she wasn’t alone, that there were two pairs of mates, two sets of twins.”
The words make no sense to me, but I don’t have time to puzzle over them. Basil’s owl form glides through the air, then shifts into his human form. “They’re coming.” The hybrids stir at his words. It’s almost time.
Asmo grabs my hand and leads me away from the group. He spots a hidden alcove and pulls me inside, pressing me against the wall and cupping my cheeks. I wrap my arms around his neck and memorize the feel of his lips against mine.
This is it. This is going to be the biggest battle we’ve had so far. But we’re going into this one together. He pulls away, and the light green of his eyes captivates me. The first time I saw these eyes, I couldn’t look away. Even now, I can’t seem to turn away from them.
His hand travels down to my chest, to the mating tattoo, to my beating heart. “Mine.” His voice is low, gruff, full of emotion.
I lean toward him, rising on my toes. “Yours,” I murmur against his lips.
Someone clears their throat behind us. I pull away and peer over Asmo’s shoulders. August’s icy blue eyes stare back at me, eyebrows raised. “Pardon the interruption, but we do have a battle to attend to whenever you two are done.”
Asmo presses a final kiss to the inside of my wrist, then he turns back to the small army.
Hybrids stand shoulder-to-shoulder down the wide hallways.
My mate stands tall and proud, his chest puffed and face solemn.
He is a leader through and through. He was born to fill this role. He was born to sit on a throne.
“We’ve gained some intel about the witches’ and Curseds’ weaknesses,” Asmo’s voice bellows.
“Ice will also kill them. If you can’t summon enough to freeze them outright, use it to slow them and then behead them.
There are friendly witches in the crowd that you are not to harm.
They are wearing red ribbons. Kill everyone else.
Do you understand? Do not attack Cora. Focus your energy on the witches.
They die today.” He pauses, lifts his chin. “We take back the kingdom today.”
Murmurs of agreement begin to ripple through the crowd. August watches Asmo appreciatively. Elle stands beside August, jaw clenched tightly. This is the fight for our birthright. For the one piece of our father that remains.
Outside, a crack of thunder booms, and the wind stirs. Witches sneer as we approach. Our army is larger, but they are stronger. Even from across the battlefield, Cora watches me as I take my place behind my army.
The wind dies, and Cora speaks. Her voice is projected, surrounding us as if carried by the wind.
“I have something that belongs to you.” She shifts her gaze to Elle. “Or maybe to you.”
Elle’s spine stiffens. I don’t know why the fuck we thought it would be a good idea for her to be here. She just escaped this place, this witch. But she insisted on being here. On fighting.
The Cursed bears move, revealing a third undead grizzly bear.
A body hangs from its maw.
It lumbers forward, the army of witches parting for it as it cuts through the crowd.
“If you want him so badly, you can have him,” Cora calls as the bear passes the first line of witches, then opens its mouth. The body hits the ground with a heavy thump.
Horror crawls up my throat. I grab Elle before she can sprint toward the male that lies motionless on the ground.
Marik.