61. CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Guided by the wolves, Alena and Leukos shuffled down the sloped terrain where moss, wild grasses, and pine needles covered the hillside. The pine trees provided the perfect coverage Nik had mentioned.
Holding Leukos’ hand, Alena descended the slope at an angle. Beads of sweat formed at Leukos’ temples, but he never once stopped or complained. The air was cooler under the shade of the pine trees, and Alena savoured the temporary reprieve from the sun.
A series of muffled shouts rang above from the hillfort. Alena’s sandal slipped on the moss carpeting the uneven ground, and she tumbled down, hitting her knee on a fallen branch.
“Alena!”
Her knee protested, but she got back up, pushing through the pain. Leukos slid down the slope next to her, his gaze fixed on the blood dripping from her broken skin.
She bit her lip. “There’s no time. We need to keep going.”
More shouts reached their ears, closer than before, and Alena glanced over her shoulder.
What was happening above? Where was Nik?
Heart hammering, she grabbed Leukos’ hand again, and they hurried downwards. The slope evened out, and the trees thinned into a grassy plain. The Rasennan fortifications and camp lay ahead.
They sprinted through the tall grass, Leukos struggling to catch his breath, with the wolves flanking their path.
Alena’s lungs burned, and she eased her pace, stealing a quick look behind her.
Nik burst forth from the tree line. “Don’t stop!”
Using his Gift, he shot to her side. His sword arm dripped with blood from a fresh cut along his bicep.
“Nik!”
“Keep moving!” His gaze shifted to the slope behind. “Those bastards have a Gifted tracker that knew exactly where we were headed. For some reason, the Black Helmets are coming right for us. They’re not far behind.”
Ice flooded Alena’s veins. Nik ducked under Leukos’ arm again, and they tore across the plain.
They’d almost reached the first Rasennan palisade leading to the paddocks when the pain in Alena’s knee became unbearable. Her leg buckled, and with a pained gasp, she let go of Leukos’ arm to break her fall. The wolves circled back to her, and she faced the hillside, drawing in ragged breaths.
Amid the pine trees, three Rasennan soldiers emerged, their black helmets and weapons glinting in the sun. The Rasennan praefect, Dalmatius, was in the middle, a bronze mask hiding his face and thick flames swirling around his body like armour made of fire.
His flames soared high in the sky, making him seem larger than life—a malevolent fire demon poised to set ablaze all in his path.
A vicious curse passed Nik’s lips as he brandished his sword to face the oncoming enemy. Leukos unsheathed his own and stood before Alena, shielding her with his body. Trembling, she staggered to her feet and assessed the two Megarian warriors at her side. Nik’s sword arm was bleeding, and Leukos had overexerted his magic.
Neither of them would make it.
She hadn’t done a thing to help Katell when she’d fought the slavers. She’d barely been able to save Leukos against the Blood Wolf, but now she had magic. She had a Gift.
And she would be damned if she let either of them die.
The wolves shot towards the enemy, positioning themselves like a barrier between them, and growled.
The Black Helmets halted, just past the treeline.
Alena steeled her nerves. “Nik. Take Leukos and get out of here.” A deep frown settled on Nik’s features, but she didn’t waver. “Go to San and Kaixo. I’ll stay here and hold them off with the wolves while you two get away.”
Leukos’ face was stone cold, his gaze set on the enemy. “No.”
“Leukos, be reasonable. They’re after you. You can’t let them take you. Think of the rebellion!”
“No!” He snapped his head to the side, his stoic demeanour falling away as tormented, dark eyes met hers. “They’ll kill you.”
She buried her fear beneath a smile. “I have the wolves to protect me. I can buy you both some time. It’s the only way.”
“By the Twelve, Alena, I’m not leaving you when you need me most.” He stepped closer and cupped her face with his free hand. Dark hair brushed over her cheeks as he leaned his forehead against hers, and she breathed in his scent. “I will fight for you until the end.”
His voice held all the intensity and hidden vulnerability that was Leukos. She stared into his beautiful face, and the steady beat of his heart filled her ears in an intimate cadence that matched hers.
Like two souls in perfect harmony.
The Rebel Queen’s lost daughter and a Megarian prince haunted by his past, drawn together by the hands of fate.
Growls jolted them back to reality. Tendrils of fire wound through the grass, forcing the wolves to retreat, and the three Black Helmets resumed their approach.
Nik retrieved a bandage concealed within his arm guard that he’d likely pilfered from her back in the hut. He proceeded to wrap his bleeding arm. “Leukos, whatever you decide, I’m with you. But you need to decide now.”
“Nik, go.” Leukos’ voice was a quiet command. “Find the Non-Humans in the mountains, and if we don’t return by morning, leave without us.”
Nik’s eyebrows rose, and Leukos pulled away from Alena to face him.
“If we should fall,” he continued, a muscle ticking in his jaw, “promise me you’ll find the others and tell them about the alliance. Promise me you’ll keep on fighting for Megara.”
Nik held his gaze for a moment, and a silent understanding passed between the two Megarians who had once called each other brother. “I promise.”
He bowed his head and shot Alena one last look, before disappearing beyond the palisade.
At once, two of the Black Helmets—a young man and a short woman—rushed after him. Alena sent the wolves to block their path. The man, whose face looked boyish up close, scowled and raised his sword. On his other arm, a gold Achaean shield shimmered into existence, protecting him from shoulder to knee.
Forbidding magic pulsed from Leukos in response, frosting the grass beneath their feet.
“How did a Black Helmet get hold of Nestor’s shield?” His voice was cold fury.
The youth’s lips curled into a smirk. “If you want it, Achaean,” he answered in fluent Koine, “come and get it.”
Before either of them moved, Dalmatius’ fire shot forward, slithering along the ground with incredible speed and forcing Leukos back.
A burning circle of flames trapped them and surged like a fiery maelstrom, the scorching heat grazing their skin. With no other choice, Alena sent the wolves to the safety of the palisade behind, and Leukos pulled her close.
He squeezed her hand. Despite his apparent exhaustion, his gaze hardened. He would fight until the end. “Don’t say a word to them.”
Through the flames, the Rasennans exchanged words in rough Rhaetic, and the female soldier shot the praefect an incredulous look.
“What’s going on?” Alena asked.
Leukos’ gaze darted between the three soldiers. “Dalmatius is sending the other two away.”
It didn’t make much sense, and yet the two soldiers obeyed and left. The female soldier glared at them before she slipped through the breached palisade and disappeared.
The Rasennan praefect approached, still engulfed in flames. Dark, untamed magic pulsed in the air, and a roiling sensation churned Alena’s stomach.
They were at his mercy.
Exhaling a rough breath, Leukos stepped away, and the temperature dropped. His magic rent the air, smothering Alena’s senses.
“Leukos, don’t!”
Flecks of ice-blue flared in his dark eyes. “If it’s just him, we have a chance.”
He raised a hand, and glacial gusts of wind whipped around them, pushing back the barrier of fire.
Dalmatius halted in his steps.
A sheen of pale blue magic glowed over Leukos’ body, and frost crawled over the bronze scales of his armour. In the air, a myriad of icicles glinted like tiny jewels that began to swirl.
“Leukos!”
His magic crackled through the plain, raw and wild. It pulsed through Alena, a cold chill pressing in from all sides. Whatever he was doing, it would no doubt cost him his life.
“Stop.”
Dalmatius’ single command rang in the air, and his barrier of fire snuffed out. The transition from hot, crackling flames to smoking, blackened earth was so jarring that Leukos’ own magic eased.
The icicles disappeared, but a cold wind still whipped around them. Only a trace of ice-blue magic shone in Leukos’ eyes as he fixed them on Dalmatius. He was panting, a sheen of sweat coating his face and neck.
The praefect approached, and Alena braced herself, her hands trembling at her sides.
Why would he pull back his flames when he had them in his grasp? Did he want to talk?
Or play with them before their inevitable death?
With each step, Dalmatius’ blazing armour of flames extinguished little by little, revealing a feminine body beneath.
Alena’s heart stilled.
That build, that assured stride, and the braid cascading over one shoulder… she would know them anywhere.
Hope swelled in her heart. It explained why the others had been sent away, the circle of fire that had posed no threat. Why they hadn’t been attacked—
The black-plumed helmet came off, and at last, the face Alena had been searching for all summer came into view.
A strangled gasp escaped her lips.
“Alena.” Katell’s voice was a soft whisper, her face tight with emotion. “You’re alive.”
Leukos’ glacial wind ceased. “Twelve be damned—”
“Kat.” Alena stumbled closer, needing to confirm what her eyes were telling her. Hidden beneath the Rasennan armour and all the specks of dried blood was her sister. The same rich brown hair braided in the Freefolk style, the same smooth olive skin, and the same unique forest-green eyes.
Unless… the Rasennans were playing a trick.
She switched to their Freefolk tongue. “Wha—what was the name of our camp?”
Katell’s brow furrowed. “What happened to your eyes—”
“Our camp, Kat!”
“Camp Bessi.”
“And who was the elder who burned down the tent?”
“Elder Ignatius.”
“By the Moon…” Alena’s voice choked before a smile broke through. “It’s you. It’s really you!”
She rushed forward and threw her arms around her sister, squeezing tight. For a beat, Katell stiffened, then hugged her back. “It’s really me, little star.”
Alena couldn’t stop the flow of tears. She let all of them fall—all those she hadn’t cried during the long days and nights they’d been separated. All the tears she’d stored away every time she’d lost hope of ever finding her sister again.
But she had found her. They were reunited at last.
Katell pulled back. “Come, we can’t stay here.”
Alena wiped her face and turned to Leukos with a smile. Rather than return it, his expression remained guarded.
“You honoured your promise, Leukos,” Katell said in Koine. “I’m impressed, but I never thought you’d be the Megarian rebel they want to capture.”
His body tensed, but he didn’t say a word.
Katell cocked her head. “And am I mistaken, or did I see Nik with you?”
“Yes!” Alena’s smile widened into a grin, her heart soaring with lightness. If only they hadn’t sent Nik away. He’d have been so happy to see her. “I found him—”
Leukos inched closer and squeezed her arm in warning, cutting her off. She arched an eyebrow, but he shook his head.
“There’s no time,” he snapped. “We need to go.”
Katell scrutinised him, her mouth twisting to the side, a near-predatory glint in her eyes.
Alena frowned, glancing between them and letting Leukos pull her none-too-gently towards the gap in the palisade.
Had her sister been fishing for information, and he’d stopped her?
No, of course not. Katell might be dressed like a Rasennan soldier, but she was still her sister. The one who’d protected her all her life.
They could trust her.
Katell gave her a tight smile and slipped through the palisade after them. The wolves were already waiting for them on the other side, which happened to be a paddock for the cavalry horses.
The area was deserted as Nik had promised, with only a small fence, some coiled lengths of rope, a trough of water, and a dozen grazing horses scattered about, their tails flicking.
“No one’s here,” Alena said. “The wolves will let me know if anyone comes. Let’s grab some horses and go.”
Katell grasped Alena’s chin, tilting her face. “You’ve been Gifted. How?”
“And you’re dressed like Dalmatius, why?” Leukos shot back.
Alena gawked at him. “Leukos!”
The chill in his voice tone was unjust. It wasn’t fair to judge Katell after she’d sacrificed herself to save them. Once they got to safety, her sister would have an explanation for everything that had happened. Including why she’d been masquerading as Dalmatius.
“It’s a long story,” was all Katell said.
“Likewise.” Leukos grabbed a length of rope that dangled from the fence and tossed it to her. He’d done well concealing any traces of exhaustion save for his pallid complexion. “Let’s get out of here before we’re spotted.”
Katell strode through the paddock, assessing each horse until she spotted a tall mare. “That one. Alena, help me make the halter.”
Once Alena positioned herself on one side of the horse’s head, and her sister on the other, Katell passed her the rope. “You remember what I taught you?”
“Of course.” Alena went to work, looping the rope around the horse’s nose while Katell secured it behind the ears. With her sister’s help, it went quickly, and they led the horse through the dusty paddock towards the outer palisade where Leukos waited for them.
“Stand back, I’ll make a bigger opening.” In one swift move, Katell kicked the small breach, and the wooden stakes burst outwards. The wolves shot through, careful to avoid the debris, and began scouting the area ahead.
“Come, hurry.” Katell motioned them forward. “Be careful of the ditches and traps on the other side.”
Alena passed the mare to Leukos. “Follow the wolves. We’ll get another horse.”
“There’s no time.” Katell grabbed the reins in one hand and Alena’s arm in the other. “The others will have warned someone by now.”
The three of them escaping on one horse was impossible, but Alena squashed her kernel of doubt. Katell knew the Rasennan camp better than them, and she always had a plan.
They walked in silence, Katell leading Alena and the horse through the ditches and uneven ground. Leukos trailed behind them, his jaw clenched. Beside her, Katell’s skin was a shade darker from the summer sun, and her arms and legs seemed more toned as well.
Alena’s mind was bursting with questions, but right when she opened her mouth, her sister halted.
“You’ll be fine from here on. There shouldn’t be any more traps.” Katell pointed a finger at the elm trees beyond the tall grasses. “Just head for the forest and don’t look back. I’ll make sure no one follows you.”
Alena’s heart stopped. “Wh—what do you mean?”
Katell’s gaze locked on her, her lips pressing into a thin line. The expression was hauntingly familiar, a reminder of all the times she’d left Alena behind to join the camp’s hunting party for days on end.
As understanding struck Alena, her knees threatened to buckle beneath her. “You’re not coming with us.”
Katell remained silent.
“No.” A weightless feeling washed over her, and the world swayed beneath her feet. She reeled back and faced Leukos, finding a sudden tenderness in his expression, suggesting he’d expected as much. He knew Katell wasn’t planning to go with them.
Something caved inside her chest, constricting her lungs.
Katell touched her arm. “Alena—”
“No!” She flinched, her eyes stinging. “You can’t stay behind. I’m not leaving you again—”
“Things have changed.”
Alena blinked, her sister’s words slowly seeping through her shock.
Their gazes locked. Within the depths of Katell’s dark green orbs, the stark reality Alena had been trying to deny despite all the signs pointing to it finally sank in.
Her sister had joined the legions.
Not only that, but Katell also wielded fire. And Alena was the Omega, sworn to the Megarian rebellion.
By all accounts, they were enemies now…
A wave of nausea rose within her, but she shoved it down and sucked in a breath, refusing to let the agonising truth deter her.
Katell joining the enemy didn’t change a thing. In the end, they were sisters, and Alena loved her. That was all that mattered. It was all that had ever and would ever matter.
“I don’t care,” she rasped. “I don’t care what you did to survive. I won’t leave you again. You’re my sister!”
Katell straightened, her tone growing foreign and cold. “Yes. But they’re my family.”
Alena’s heart twisted and cracked as though an invisible force were tearing it apart.
“H-how can you say that?” Her lip trembled, and she struggled to speak. “After what the Rasennans did to you in Bruna?”
Hurt flickered in Katell’s eyes before they hardened again. No doubt she hadn’t expected Alena to know about the fighting arena. There was so much she was unaware of.
“You can’t understand,” Katell hissed. “I was so lost in the Pit. I had no purpose, no control over my magic and the legion gave me that. Dalmatius was there for me, and now he needs me. They need me, and I won’t abandon them.”
Alena remained rooted to her spot, staring at her sister as if seeing her anew, taking in all the details she hadn’t noticed until then: her blood-splattered armour, her jumbled speech, and the dangerous glint in her darkened green eyes that Alena had never seen before.
What had they done to her?
“Kat…” Her breath caught, her throat burning with tears. “We stick together, no matter what. That’s what you said to me.”
Katell stepped closer, cupping Alena’s face in her hands. Rather than comforting, the gesture held a horrible sense of finality. “You don’t need me anymore, Alena. I’ll always be your sister, but this is my path now. And you have yours.”
Alena’s insides turned cold. She was trapped in a nightmare—she had to be. Some horrible dream that she would soon awake from—
A series of shouts echoed from the Rasennan camp, and Katell peered over her shoulder. “You have to go. Now!”
Cursing under his breath, Leukos jumped onto the mare’s back with a grunt. “Alena, quick!”
“No!” Her mind spiralled into panic, and she grabbed Katell’s arms. “Kat, please! Come with us. We can start a new life away from the war and all this madness. Just don’t leave me again. Please.”
The words poured forth in a frantic blur. Just anything, anything, to keep her sister at her side.
Katell swallowed, then leaned in to kiss Alena’s forehead. “I’m sorry, little star, but I can’t go with you. I swore an oath to Dalmatius and the Black Helmets. I must protect them.”
Every word was a stab to the heart, but Alena could endure them all so long as they stayed together.
When Katell grabbed her by the waist and signalled to Leukos atop the horse, Alena fought her grip. “Kat, please! They’re lying to you. Whatever they told you, they’re lying!”
Her sister’s hold was unyielding. Eyes gleaming with unshed tears, she hoisted Alena up on the mare. “Get her out of here.”
Leukos wrapped a strong arm around Alena’s waist, holding her tight against his armoured chest.
“Please…” Alena’s control broke, and a ragged sob ripped from her throat. “Don’t do this…”
“Go!”
Their gazes met one last time. Then Katell placed the black helmet back over her head, her face disappearing behind the soulless bronze mask.
The horse jumped forward, galloping towards the safety of the forest, the wolves following at a distance. Sobs racked Alena’s body as she clung to Leukos’ arm, twisting to look back. A cool breeze with the promise of autumn whipped against her wet cheeks, but her attention remained fixed on her sister’s distant figure until she was nothing more than a shadow.
The grassy plain gave way to a carpet of ferns and brambles, and the sprawling Rasennan camp disappeared behind the thick forest foliage, along with Alena’s hope.