CHAPTER XIII #5
I quickly pull the dagger from bicep and look up to the woods just as Keane and Desmond ride in behind me.
There’s movement heading back towards the village, in a section of the trees that I know is graced with planks from above.
I don’t think in the moment, just arch my hand back with all my strength and aim for the brown boots trying to scuffle away.
Keane raises his hand at the same time I release my dagger, his summoning reaching out with my blade.
A loud groan reverberates against the woods as a Woodlands Discerni falls from the trees, caught by the boots by Keane’s summoning that wraps a limb around him tightly.
“Cal, Mana, Holis, get her down,” Keane takes command. “Nathaniel, you and your men watch over the girl and make sure she goes nowhere. Heysan, Canon, ride with us. Alanna, ride ahead, warn Lord Alexander at the square.”
The sound of hurried horses begins to bound left and right, doing as they’re bid.
I continue to watch the Woodlands Discerni that’s dangling from the trees, catching his frantic gaze as he reaches for my dagger that’s lodged in his ankle.
He tries to yank it forward just as I bring Millie to a hard stop under his body, my other hand holding my larger green dagger as I press it against his moving throat.
“How?” I demand in disgust. “How did you know we were coming?”
“She warned us,” he replies with a small laugh. “We knew you were coming the moment the Great Road split. I heard the horses just now. The sounds were muffled, but they were there.”
“Did you do that?” I spit hoarsely as my blade takes a slice out of his neck, “did you kill the woman?”
“No, no, I swear,” his eyes dart around in fear for the first time. “I swear it Your Grace. I was only told to bring the body here.”
I scoff, watching as the vines around the man’s boots begin to dip lower, down his legs and towards his torso, squeezing him hard.
“No, please no! I know more, I can tell you more!” the Discerni cries.
Canon reaches for Millie’s reins, pulling her and I away from the man as Keane moves atop Ash.
“What more can you tell us that we don’t already know?” Keane shrugs, his brown eyes cold as he looks over the man. The limbs continue on their slow pursuit down his chest, inching for his neck as the Discerni moves against the bindings, trying to break free.
“They want her,” his eyes flick towards me, “just her and the bird. They won’t stop until they have her. Do not trust them.”
“Who?” I yell at the man in anger. “Who wants me?”
“Please,” he looks to me for help, “I can’t. They’ll kill me!”
“He’ll kill you,” I reply coldly, looking at the King.
“Don’t trust them,” his voice is raspy, eyes going wide as the tree starts to strangle him, “do not trust the argents.”
Keane and I glance at each other, our gazes hard before he flicks his wrist and snaps the neck of the man through the limbs with a single move. I let out a deep breath, my heart pounding against my chest as I look up to the trees, spotting a few white birds that dance among them.
“Alexis,” Keane’s voice is low as Stormfall grips my shoulder.
I close my eyes to the birds and take another heavy breath, my voice coming out hoarse.
“I’m going to kill her.”
My feet hit the sides of Millie before my mind can even contemplate what my body is doing. I rip the reins from Canon’s hand and lean forward in my saddle, moving swiftly down the road without a second thought.
Keane rides up quickly next to me, bringing Ash to my side as I turn towards him.
My glance is unwavering, willing him not to stop me as I grip the dagger in my palm even harder, riding faster than I ever thought possible.
The King’s eyes hold mine, their brown depths telling me that he’s going to be at my side in my pursuit, never once trying to hinder me.
I nod and urge Millie directly towards Etter, galloping down the road as the small village comes into view.
I don’t have time to marvel at the progress that’s been made to the homes around us, but I do notice that the structures have been torn down from their original brown slats and raised high in a shimmering white marble mixed with greenstone.
I don’t have time to glance at the faces that watch us with wide eyes, the stealthing now lifted, all of them moving out of the way as two swift riders in black command the road.
I don’t even have time to catch Alanna’s gaze as we ride through the town square, nor recognize the soft breath of fuck that comes from her lips as she spots the two of us, both her and Lord Alexander quickly mounting their horses.
All I see in my mind’s eye are the lifeless bodies of Arens and Maude, both of them brutally killed and carved for me to witness. It’s all that consumes me as we continue down the road until that curve in the bend brings the massive residence into view.
We ride into a commotion at the front of the home, watching as both Lord Crisjan and Lord Walker, the man who was selected to lead this village, have their swords raised to the sky.
They’re both swinging at a large gathering of argents that keep attacking them from above, their other arms blocking their faces so as not to get pecked.
Keane and I ride through the large meadow courtyard, his summoning rocking the earth from beneath the men’s feet as he pulls from the ground.
The earth surrounds the Lords in a dome made of wood and stone, quickly covering them from the onslaught from above, but the argents are even quicker, still trying to reach the two men, and are now flying towards the sides of the barrier to attack the Lords from within.
“Stop!”
Summoning pulses from my hand as I focus my anger on the birds and the birds only, watching as the full gathering of argents begin to stiffen in the air.
Their bodies all fall to the ground around Keane’s protective stone, the lot of them thudding hard in the grass with their white feathers angled in different directions.
Keane’s eyes are on mine in an instant, watching me with a full heated gaze that only fuels my body into a deeper fire. We both bring our horses to a stop before the dome, dismounting quickly as Lord Alexander’s voice yells from behind.
“Where is she?” he asks Crisjan and Walker.
But the other two Lords are too fixated on the King and I to answer.
“Crisjan,” Alexander’s voice is strong as he stops next to us with Alanna, “where is Lady Esme?”
“At the stables,” he mutters softly, looking at all the dead white birds on the ground around him.
The four of us turn to the side of the massive home as Stormfall pushes off my shoulder.
I’m going to circle the back, Alexis, the Bird of Ash glides forward.
“Storm’s flying to the rear,” I tell Keane, watching him nod as we both dismount and sprint to the building. We stop before the large wooden door, Keane grimacing as he narrows his eyes.
“She’s inside. I can hear her…”
“Alanna,” he turns around to the blonde Discerni, “watch for movement from above. Fire willingly.”
Alanna nods and strings her bow against her cheek, aiming for the homes in the trees above us.
“It’s just her, Xander,” Keane tells the Lord at his side.
The Knowledge man nods, eyeing the door as well. “I have yet to see her use any summoning, Your Grace.”
“She’s strong,” Keane admits, “but we’re stronger. Alexis…”
His voice turns low now, calling my name as he looks at the dagger gripped firmly in my hand.
“We need her to talk.”
I understand what he’s saying, but I genuinely cannot stop the rage that’s coursing through my body. This woman will pay for what she’s done.
The door of the stables suddenly flies open, taking us all by surprise as hundreds of argents race straight for us.
Their bodies and beaks form a thick white cloud that consumes the sky as the sound of heavy hooves bound right behind them.
Lady Esme is riding with the birds, using them as a distraction as she tries to make her escape.
Keane quickly raises the ground in front of her in a barrier as I look up to the birds coming for the four of us.
Their wings spread sharply across their backs as they all dip for our heads, their beaks angled straight for our eyes.
I hold my ground in anger and lift my hands up to the sky, moving the air under their wings to toss them violently behind us.
Their bodies are thrown in a swiftness and land hard against the ground, the birds okay but otherwise out for the time being.
Esme’s eyes go wide on mine, her horse rearing its front legs to the large stone wall in front of him, not knowing what to do.
I walk towards her coldly, gripping the dagger in my hand as Keane moves with me, his summoning reaching for the horse’s legs as he keeps it steady and tied to the ground by the earth.
“It’s over, Esme,” my voice is calm as I repeat her own words. “Let this go with dignity.”
The Discerni woman’s face turns into a sneer. “You good for nothing little whore! No human is going to speak to me of dignity-”
Her words are silenced by Keane’s summoning, the earth and vines reaching up her horse and wrapping around her mouth and hands, gripping her tight. Both him and Alexander move towards the woman quickly, with the Lord consoling the horse as Keane rips her from the saddle.
“Hold her in dining room on the third floor,” Keane tells Alexander, “and take Crisjan with you. Wait for Desmond and I. The Ancient Heysan rides with my brother, they’ll be here shortly.”
Stormfall caws loud from behind the stables, his black wings spreading under the red and orange glow of sunset that now greets the sky. He falls on Keane’s shoulder proudly, his yellow eyes staring at the woman as she’s led away by the Knowledge Lords.
“Walker,” Keane turns to the other man, “secure the homes above. No one leaves. Have your men be on guard. Alanna, please watch his back from below. Relay to Desmond and the rest of our group what has transpired when they arrive.”