Chapter 33
HEKLA
“Belenus! Nechtan!” I hissed through my teeth. “I smell rot!”
The two fae at my side tensed further. “Where?” King Nechtan gritted back, looking furtively about the soldiers. Belenus moved closer to me, sword at the ready for the slightest triggering movement.
“I smell it on Drust. I think they’re being manipulated. Look at their faces! There’s no emotion! Nothing!”
“Up top,” Belenus murmured a warning, and I followed his gaze to find archers positioning themselves on the castle balconies. The bat-shifters we’d designated for archer duty crept quietly up the stone toward the bowmen.
“If they’re cursed, it’s possible they may have a brand we could disrupt. I’ve seen Koray do that before. Remember Ragna?” I whispered and Belenus nodded. “We just need to find it.”
“This many soldiers… the witches must have caught them unaware to curse so many. They must have been asleep,” King Nechtan said in a low voice. “Or put asleep. ”
“Hold them off, find the mark, remove it, get a soldier back.” I made the list out loud and nodded. “I’ll inform the shifters. They’ll spread the word.” I retreated slowly from the scene toward the gate.
As if my retreat had set off an alarm, the queen’s soldiers and the possessed fae charged our army. I nearly tripped at the terrifying sight, a wave of armor and sharp edges, but finally got behind the safety of the wall and howled for Luzia. She appeared before me in several heartbeats, wild-eyed with fright.
“Yes?” she asked, breathing fast. She appeared to be on the verge of having a panic attack. I placed both hands on her shoulders, looked her straight in the eyes, and said, “The rot-witches got to our fae soldiers. I need you to tell the shifters to look for any brands they can remove off the possessed fae. I’ve seen something similar be scratched away, like it’s dry ink or something, but I don’t know if that’ll be the case here. Do not let anyone die. A possessed soldier can quickly become our soldier! We must move fast!” I gestured with a hand over my face. “They’ll look blank, like they’re daydreaming or something. Go, Luzia! Spread the word! That’s an order!”
Her sleek wings unfurled, and she shot out into the night, less crazed and more focused. That was a good sign. I took a deep, stabilizing breath and ran back to the battlefield but tried to stay out of sight.
Belenus! I’m going to see if the rot-witch is still here! I don’t know if killing her will release the soldiers, but that’s my new mission! I reported to my mate and stalked toward the training yard, needing to get some distance from the fighting to see if I could discover any scent trails. I thought to call Ferrer, but he would be busy managing the drainers and helping Luzia. Nofre would be trying to sneak Emer into the castle. Things did not go according to plan, but that was ok. We just needed to adapt!
Are you sure? You should come back so I can k— Belenus’s voice was thick with emotion as he stopped himself and changed his response. Be careful, my mate. The pain and worry in his voice almost brought tears to my eyes, and I swallowed a sob.
Louder clanging shocked me into focusing again. I blanched when the first scream hit the air, and my heart painfully skipped a beat. Was that someone dying? Had anyone died yet? I cringed, clutching my chest at the devastating thought, and continued to prowl, searching for my quick solution.
I sped toward any place that would make for a good hiding spot, sniffing, and becoming more agitated with every failure. Was I just wasting time?
Wait! Go back! Eventide shouted, and I took a couple steps back, turning in a circle to inhale everything around me. I opened my mouth to let the air settle on my tongue and found it. It wasn’t rot combined with a fae’s scent; it was just rot.
We’d found one.
Which way? I hissed, almost unable to think clearly in my excitement.
Left, left, no, right a little, there! she yapped hastily, and I moved into a sprint, running as fast as possible to save as many lives as I could. Every fucking second counted.
I followed the disgusting scent trail to one of the barracks, and once I opened the door, I slapped a hand over my mouth and nose and dry heaved. It was worse in here. It was so much worse.
Oh Sun God, not even your fire could vanquish this fume, Eventide lamented, gagging.
Why couldn’t the goddess have blessed us with the ability to turn our noses off instead? I thought vacantly as I scrambled through the room, looking for the source of the smell and the soldiers’ possessions.
I removed my hand to see if the scent was stronger going upstairs or downstairs, and I immediately keeled over to vomit. All the food I’d barely managed to get into my stomach earlier came right back out. The smell was too thick, too sweet in all the wrong ways. I heaved again, my vision briefly blurring this time around .
Fuck… Eventide, I can’t tell. I’m just going to work from the basement up, I said woozily and stumbled toward the descending stairs. I hung onto the wall, torn between going fast and tripping or going slow and not tumbling down the steps. Though I ultimately decided to go slow, Fate apparently decided I was also going to trip.
I tumbled down the wooden stairs and rolled into a barrel. The sound of wood cracking hit my ears, and brown apples spilled everywhere. After the crash, I heard low, distracted cackling and tapping, which had me scrambling to my feet. With a nauseated grimace, I latched onto a stacked barrel—one that smelled like it also contained spoiled apples—to steady myself. What absolutely had to be a rot-witch was sitting in a chair, stomping her feet on the floor while she tapped her unnaturally long fingers on her knees. She was staring straight ahead at nothing, laughing like she was either having the time of her life or she’d gone insane.
I found one! I screamed to Belenus, balking at the unnerving scene before me. Did she not see me? Was she blind? I had to make a decision.
I unsheathed my dagger, bared my teeth to gather some courage, and lunged to attack her. She finally turned to face me, looking as fresh as a fear gorta with her gaunt form and wild grey hair. Her bloodshot eyes widened as she screamed at me, unleashing a sound that carried more than one voice. It spoke of something else being inside her, something murky, ancient… and not alone.
She caught my dagger arm, but I slashed with my claws and raked her face, gouging her left eye. She hissed and tightened her grip, snapping a bone in my wrist. I screamed as white pain shot up my arm. How was she so strong? I reeled from both the fire searing my nerves and the grey dotting my vision.
Let me out! Let me out! Eventide shrieked, clawing at the back of my mind. She’ll lose her grip!
In my struggling with the terrifying creature,I lashed out with a foot. She shifted her knee to avoid getting hit, but I still managed to catch her in the hip. She constricted in response, but I had no idea if she was cringing from pain or if she was doing something else. I let Eventide take over—nearly blacking out from forcing a shift on my broken bones—and she slipped from the creature’s startled grip. Eventide then tripped on the leather skirt I’d been unable to remove first, and the rot-witch clambered forward in an attempt to grab her.
Shiiit! Eventide screamed in terror, raking her claws into the wooden floor to get upright again.
The rot-witch climbed over her and pressed her clawed thumbs into Eventide’s throat, cutting off her airflow.
Her hands are empty! Her hands are empty! I shouted. Where’s the knife?
I… Despite choking, Eventide tried to turn her head to find it. A glint of iron under candlelight caught her eye, and we spied it just past the witch’s knee, momentarily forgotten.
I shifted back into my body, startling the rot-witch again, who screamed in my face and tightened her hold to continue her strangulation. Her nightmarish breath made bile rise into my throat, and I absently prayed for it to stay down while I struggled. My vision blurred as my lungs burned for air. What was left of my eyesight was drowned in tears.
With all of Eventide’s attention and energy focused on stabilizing my injured arm, my blind hand with the broken wrist finally found the dagger. I didn’t know how to rip throats out with my bare hands, and scratching away at her might take too long. I needed the dagger. I needed speed. Lacking the wind to scream, I faced the white-hot pain as I passed the dagger to my non-dominant hand and plunged the knife into my assailant’s neck. I yanked it out and stabbed repeatedly, aiming for her pulsing arteries, until she slumped off of me.
Belenus… I called out weakly, wiping putrid blood from my face and neck. Was he too far away from me to hear? Belenus, I got her… did it…
I rolled over onto my stomach, trying to get air back into my body. I winced when I got a good look at my dominant hand; my wrist was already swollen and bruised. This wasn’t good at all. The night wasn’t over yet, and I needed that arm. Shifting had only made it worse too.
“Fuck…” I hissed as I propped myself up with my good arm. I leaned against a barrel and braced myself against it until I stood upright again. The rotten corpse at my feet was drowned in its own pool of blood and other questionable fluids. Disgusting. The state of myself was almost as bad.
I may never… get this trauma out of my mind, Eventide whispered as I trudged up the stairs, coughing. My windpipe still didn’t feel open enough, and I resisted the urge to rub my throat. Maybe it was swollen or bruised…
When I stumbled out of the barracks, I now saw fae soldiers fighting other fae soldiers. My feelings were mixed, but relief dominated them. A growing number of captives were being held next to the wall, tied up or restrained in other ways. Some sat slumped over, unconscious.
Belenus, I called. Belenus, where…
Ferrer landed in front of me, and I was too dazed to be startled. “Ferrer,” I coughed out, “what’s the status?”
He wrinkled his nose, obviously smelling the stench of rot on me, then glanced down and frowned at the wrist I was nursing. “We found brands on the backs of their necks, but before we were able to remove a significant number of them, they all snapped out of their… possession, or whatever it was.” He urgently gestured to my wrist. “Is that broken? We need to take care of that.”
“No time,” I said hoarsely, breaking into a coughing fit. Talking was going to be a bit of a problem. Swallowing was painful as well. “I killed the rot-witch that I assumed was controlling them. Is everyone free? If there’s another rot-witch controlling another number of soldiers, I need t—”
“No, no, no,” Ferrer said fiercely and lifted me despite the small gagging noise he made. “We’ve secured the hospital and are already taking our positions throughout the castle. The queen’s retreated farther up the tower. I’m bringing you to get checked.”
“Ferrer, I can walk,” I wheezed, though my voice was starting to go. That couldn’t have sounded very convincing. “I need to look strong for my army, Ferrer. That’s very important. It’s an alpha thin—”
“So you’re not aware that you’re wobbling, your throat’s bleeding, and one of your eyes has gone completely red?” he asked and broke into a run to get past the fighting. That shut me up for a minute, and I accepted the help.
Ferrer would make a good beta, Eventide said with a weak laugh. He’d stand up to our bullshit like a good beta does.
Yes, he would, I agreed, blinking slowly and cringing at the throbbing pain in my wrist.Gods, I couldn’t wait to get them all to their homeland so they could settle and eventually be safe and sound.
Ferrer sped into the castle’s hospital, which was absolute chaos. The injured from both sides had received emergency care here, separated to the best of the hospital’s ability to keep the peace. I grimaced at the number of wounded, and tears pricked my eyes. All of this suffering was my doing. I brought them here. I got them hurt. I closed my eyes, overwhelmed by sheer guilt and an unexpected sense of failure. It stung worse than anything I’d just endured.
Ferrer followed a nurse to a room where I was settled on a bed next to two sleeping shifters. I stared guiltily at the floor until Doctor Egres rushed in to take a look at me. I expected her to cast judgment; I was the reason why she was scrambling. She greeted me and began examining my wrist, but I still couldn’t meet her eyes.
“What happened?” she asked, leaning over to grab some supplies from a drawer.
“Killed the rot-witch who was controlling the fae soldiers…” I answered quietly. “She was stronger than she looked. Broke my wrist with a squeeze.”
“Emer!” Doctor Egres yelled, startling me enough to make me jump. The fae woman ran in with Nofre at her heels, and she released a soft cry upon seeing me.
“There you are!” Emer gasped and covered her mouth in dismay, not seeming to notice Nofre’s supportive hand on her shoulder. When I saw Nofre’s swollen eyes, which had recently shed tears, my heart sank lower.
Doctor Egres didn’t spare a moment longer and said briskly to Emer, “See if you can do something about this broken wrist. I need to find her mate.” The lycan turned and hurried toward the door.
“Doctor Egres!” I called out in a panic. She turned and raised her brows. I couldn’t bring myself to ask if anyone had died yet, but I felt compelled to say something. “I’m... I’m sorry,” I said and nodded to the door. “I’m sorry for cau—”
“I really don’t know why you’re apologizing,” she interrupted and promptly left the room. Emer hurried over, sat next to me, and gently lifted my arm. I couldn’t hear anything that anyone was saying. The room simply fell to the fog of numbness.
I didn’t know why I was apologizing either.
BELENUS
I was talking to Doctor Elisedd about Slaine’s unfortunate stab to the buttocks—the winter fae was being an incredibly difficult patient—when Doctor Egres came marching up to the doctor, who was also, apparently, her fated mate.
I shouldn’t have been surprised to find out that they were fated. The two doctors had been acting odd and uncomfortable around each other since they’d met. I thought maybe it was because he had some feline in him, but it turned out that the tension in a high-profile professional setting had been incredibly stressful to navigate .
“Everything alright?” he asked the lycan; she was carrying a severe expression on her face.
She tucked a greying strand of hair behind an ear. “Just some minor injuries and a broken bone. Nothing serious,” she replied and crooked a finger at me. “Your mate survived an encounter with a rot-witch. Please follow me, Prince Belenus.”
My body flooded with adrenaline at her words, and though I wanted to run past her to find Hekla, I nodded tersely and let her lead the way. Also in protest, my heart slammed against my rib cage, finding our brisk pace much too slow.
Just a broken bone, just a broken bone, just a broken bone, Escort chanted. I had no idea if he was doing that for his or my benefit, but the reminder was calming.
We entered another room to find Emer tending to an extremely bedraggled she-wolf. She was covered in blood that my sister worked to wipe clean, blood holding the putridity of decay. If I’d been skeptical, it was all the evidence I would’ve needed as proof she’d slain one.
“Oh gods, Hekla!” I blurted out and rushed to her side. She gave me a tearful look, and through our bond, her emotions slammed into me. She was drowning in guilt. Shame hung from her shoulders like a leaden shroud, but I had no idea why she was feeling that way.
“I’ve got this, Emer,” I said quietly to dismiss my sister, making it clear I wanted them both to leave. They filed out, and I turned my attention to my female’s wrist. The swelling might be ugly, but it would still heal as good as new.
When I moved my gaze to hers, it flitted away in avoidance and settled on the stone hospital floor. The sclera of one of her eyes had gone red, and above her leather vest, her neck hosted a slew of cuts and bruises. She’d been strangled.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?” I asked worriedly and scanned her legs. “Eyes, throat… wrist. Anywhere else?”
She furrowed her brows. “I don’t think so. Just coughing and a sore throat. Maybe a little dizzy.”
My next question was about what worried me the most. “Why are you feeling so guilty, my love?” I inquired gently and studied her wrist to see where I should start healing it. I could see a little deeper with my magic now, and it seemed to be a fairly clean break. I could fix it.
“Did you see all those wounded?” she choked out and bit on a trembling lip. She paused, glanced over at the injured bats in the room, and rushed out, “That’s on me. I brought them here, especially the shifters.”
A sob escaped her, and I used that distraction, that spike of grief, to quickly set her bones. She cried out in both pain and surprise, and it all sent more tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Sorry… it’s set. I’m just sealing the ends now…” I murmured, trying to think of a response to her answer. “I saw them, Hekla, but there’s not a soul out there who didn’t volunteer. You’re, unfortunately, experiencing the worst part about being a leader before you’ve even taken the throne.” I sighed and pulled her to lean against my chest while I worked on her wrist.
“Remind yourself why we’re doing this. It’s not just to get out of an execution or a terrible, suspicious marriage. We’re also doing this because we know the summer fae need a better leader. Think of Bidelia’s wings, Hekla. Neither you nor I can accept living in a society where this torture is a social norm. What we do today will help scores more than those who’ve been injured.”
She nodded quietly and rubbed her nose, sniffling. “I get it… I just… I promised the Sky Gods I’d bring them back, and it’s just hard to see them get hurt when I’m responsible for them. I feel like I failed.”
“We’ll get them to their homeland. It’s not like we wouldn’t have had problems bringing them through our realm door. You had to leave to find the bat-shifters. I had to follow you. This fight was unavoidable. Had we tried to talk it out, the queen would have just used them against me like she used you.”
She nodded again but offered no reply. Her guilt slid into depression, breaking my heart. “What happened with the rot-witch?” I asked, about halfway done healing her. It was a slow process with all the broken blood vessels and inflammation.
When Hekla didn’t say anything, Eventide stepped in to answer. We searched all over the training yard, then finally caught her stench. We followed it to the barracks, and the rot-witch was having a blast down in the basement. You’d… have to have been there… Anyway, Hekla tried to stab her, but that’s when she grabbed and broke her wrist. Escort growled furiously, interrupting Eventide for just a moment. We shifted, but I got tangled in the skirt because… well… our brain was in survival mode. Come to think of it, I don’t even know what happened to our helmet...The rot-witch then tried to strangle us, but Hekla managed to grab the dagger after shifting back and stabbed her in the neck until she fell off of us.
Something was bothering me, though, and a chill crept down my spine. “Did you behead her? I remember Koray beheading the first rot-witch we ran into. I don’t know if he thought he had to or if that’s just how he decided to kill her. Lots of creatures in this realm have to be killed in a certain way to make sure they stay dead. I just don’t know about these ones from your realm...”
That was when Hekla looked up at me, blanching. “No,” she whispered. “I didn’t.”
I opened the door and called for Nofre. Fortunately, he and Emer were helping nearby. “Send a small team of available shifters to the barracks past the training yard,” I ordered. “Search the basements for the rot-witch. If she’s there, make sure you remove the head from the body. I don’t want to take any chances.”
Nofre grimaced, then nodded and strode off to gather a team. I closed the door and shuddered with disgust. It was an ugly task but necessary. Then, I returned to Hekla’s side and finished tending to her wrist. Next, I focused on healing her eye before mending the cuts and bruises on her neck. Her sighs of relief grew longer and heavier with the disappearance of each injury, and her little coughing fits stopped altogether.
“Thank you,” she whispered, absently touching her neck .
I didn’t want the moment here to end because I knew what had to come now. I cleared my throat and rested a hand on her thigh to gently caress it. “I need to get going. We’ve pretty much cornered the queen at her personal chambers… and it’s time to finish what I started,” I said grimly, knowing I should try to start shutting down my emotions. This entire situation was almost too painful to bear. And the betrayal done by the one who’d birthed me? Too agonizing to admit.
“Ok,” she said, slid off the bed, and grabbed her sheathed dagger from the counter.
“Ah…” I held a palm up to her. “Maybe you should stay here? I don’t want you using your wrist so soon after breaking it… Give it some time to rest.” I knew she could feel my desperate worry for her safety, but I couldn’t help it. A force compelled me to shield her from danger, and I had to at least be heard.
“I’m coming,” she declared and stared up at me with resolve. “This alpha has your back.”
That’s hot .
I ignored Escort’s comment and stared back down at her. “A queen through and through,” I replied quietly and bent down to kiss her lips before pressing our foreheads together. “I love you, Hekla.”
“I love you too,” she whispered in return. I sighed and savored one last drop of this sweet moment. Then, I straightened my posture, turned to the door, and opened it for her.
“Let’s collect Emer and Nofre. King Nechtan should be around. I saw him with Slaine earlier.” I walked out with Hekla at my side and collected both Emer and King Nechtan. When Nofre returned from his errand, I waved him over to join us.
“Is it time?” he asked, immediately moving to Emer’s side.
“Yes, everyone ready? Remember what we’re expecting,” I asked and was met with grim nods. “Alright then, let’s head up. Our soldiers will meet us on the last floor we’ve secured.”
We left the hospital for our last march, passing soldiers, warriors, and shifters who were bringing in the wounded or running to gather weapons or supplies. The castle was flooded with activity, and I no longer heard fighting. I looked down at Hekla, desperately wanting to hold her hand, but her only good hand was white-knuckling her dagger.
You see all these people? I asked her, gesturing to the bustling bats and fae instead. Hundreds of safe soldiers and shifters? That’s because you got to the rot-witch so fast. I’m so fucking proud of you, my she-wolf, I said to her over our link, stealing her profanity. She gave me a weak smile in response.
Eventide and I did our best, she responded, her gaze drifting to all the progress already made in the short amount of time.
I knew Hekla had done her best. She always did. I wrapped an arm around her as we made our way up to the queen’s suite. We arrived to find forty of our soldiers and thirty bats waiting for us. They’d already secured the immediate area and stood silently by the grand door, ready to make the final push. To the left, almost in a pile, a handful of her soldiers were knocked out cold, their skin unusually pale under their gold flecks. Half of the spring guards were among the unconscious, and I’d bet the very last of them were beyond this door.
Ferrer stepped forward and jerked his chin toward the unconscious soldiers. “Had to bleed them a bit, but they’re alive,” he reported. Shame flickered in his red-brown eyes, but I clapped a hand on his shoulder, not wanting him to linger on the negative.
“Well done, Ferrer. You’ve carried out your orders admirably,” I validated and marched past him to stand before the queen’s door, my hand on the hilt of my sword. When I grabbed the handle, I nearly laughed to find it locked.
Ridiculous, Escort snarled, echoing my sentiments.
I gathered my magic, the essence of summer sovereignty, into my hands for my next move. It was probably overkill, but I still harbored fury despite every attempt to silence my emotions. Unwillingly remembering the moment Hekla was collared, I focused on the hinges and blew the doors clean off the frame. The wood shattered and scattered inside the garden .
There was the queen in all her finery, sitting for tea with Eislyn at the same small table I’d sat at when she navigated around our own promise. It’d been the last day I’d thought of her as my mother. Though, it felt like months had passed instead of weeks. Nothing about the garden had changed, and yet it all looked different to me now.
You’ve matured. Don’t take her shit, Escort rallied, aiming his hostility at the women before us.
As my soldiers rushed past me to restrain the last of the guards, the queen looked sourly at the splintered remains of the door, as though it was the tea cup I’d shattered the last time I was here. Still bathed with Triskelion’s royal glow, her expression tautened with contempt. “Are you quite done with your tantrum, my son?” she asked coldly. “Are you ready for your wedding vo—”
I interrupted her.
“You struck a deal with me. You weaseled out of it!” I yelled. “You harassed, bullied, and tortured my fated mate, the love of my life!” I rose my voice as I strode toward the queen, screaming out all the rage I’d been trying to bottle. That jar had long since shattered, and she would feel it. “You still torment the castle servants, and you mistreat our people! It’s over! It’s all over for you, here and now! I’m taking over, and by all the gods above and below us, you better step aside because I’m barely keeping it together,” I seethed, ending my tirade in a frigid, low voice. I didn’t care that my sword arm shook. I didn’t care. This was over. I was ending it.
“You have a last chance to reconsider,” the queen replied. She was trying to remain collected, but I could see how she leaned away from me—ever so slightly. It was the most fear she’d ever displayed, and it was barely there. Her confidence remained unbelievable.
I nudged my armor to the side and stretched my collar to proudly show off the mating mark my female had given me. In synchrony with my heart, Hekla stepped up next to me to show off hers. She emitted the scariest, deepest growl I’d ever heard her make, but I didn’t shush her this time. Whatever she wanted to do now, I’d allow. If she wanted to rip out the queen’s throat… she could.
The queen stared at us with barely concealed bitterness and gestured to an officiant at the back of the garden. He approached but did so with averted eyes, a scroll in his possession.
The contract.
Without hesitation, I ripped it out of his hand along with the quill he was holding. The queen pursed her lips when she saw me bring it back to the table, and I slammed it down so I could unroll it. I contained my dark joy at startling Eislyn, who jumped in her seat.
“My betrothed, certainly you must rethink this,” Eislyn pled, finally speaking up, but I detected a steely tone beneath her demure pout. “We can still kill her and free you from the bond. You don’t want a mutt in your bed, do you? Think of the consequences…”
Hekla interrupted her own sustained growl with a snarl, and the princess’s face pinched like she was hiding a wince. Still, Hekla didn’t make a move. She was letting me deal with the woman who used to be my mother. This alpha had my back.
“I’ve had enough of your threats, Eislyn. You’re disgusting,” I said in a flat voice, rolling down the parchment and feeling the magic compulsion to sign take over my hands. “You’ve got thirty seconds to leave here and go back to your court, because once I’m king, I will take you into custody and treat you as you are: a hostile invader. Better start running.”
She stayed in her seat, ignoring my warning, but I could see her innocent mask become more brittle by the second.
The queen drawled, impassive in both voice and countenance, “If you think you can overpower him yourself, Eislyn, you’d be wrong.”
I didn’t stop to think about what that meant. Perhaps the queen was giving up without a fight. Good.
As I read the retaliation agreement aloud and declared my failure to uphold my side of the contract, the queen reclaimed her regal bearing and held her chin up high.
Arrogant til the very end, I thought with loathing. I skipped past all the redacted sections, lowered the quill to the paper, and signed my full name: Belenus Ailill Mac An Tsamhraidh.
That was when the queen of the Summer Court, the fair fae who’d ruled for over eight hundred years and the woman I used to call my mother, fell to the ground and died.