Wrath & Desire (Realm of Zadrya #2)

Chapter 1

Darrow

Smoke and the acrid stench of death permeated the air in every direction.

I’d smelled it many times in battle, but never here.

Porrine had always been vibrant and peaceful, but a handful of hours ago, dark elves swarmed the city.

They’d slain the king and queen, conquering the palace.

I wanted to smash them all into oblivion for what they’d done.

None of my informants had caught a hint of an upcoming attack on the realm of Zadrya’s capital, which could only mean the enemy had made the decision quickly, or they’d hidden it somehow.

During the last few days, I’d been recovering from severe injuries and then rescuing my wife from her sadistic, murderous uncle—who I’d broken piece by piece until he died.

While that part had been satisfying, I’d had no chance to check in with my spy network recently.

The king’s personal seer had known something would happen to the light elf monarch before he turned one hundred and fifteen years old.

He’d told him nothing could stop it, but he only saw Worden collapse with a sword through his heart in the throne room, not the perpetrators.

The king’s birthday wasn’t until spring, and it was only early fall.

We thought we would have more time. We were wrong.

My closest friends, Jax and Loden, followed behind me as we skirted our way south of the palace.

We had to move past the massacred bodies of soldiers, innocent fae, and Paxia natives who’d been out on their morning business when the invasion began.

Some were killed by blades and others by magic, but all were gruesome enough to turn a weak stomach.

The dark elves had shown no mercy and made their point. We’d grown lax.

It was eerily quiet at the moment, with only the faint sounds of fighting in the distance. Nothing stirred on this end of Porrine, but we didn’t let down our guard as we moved. I could only assume they’d concentrated their forces closer to the palace for now.

We crossed the bridge over the Caspus River, stained red with bodies floating atop the water.

It had always been a pristine blue before.

There were so many various races filling the waterway that I couldn’t hope to count them.

I regretted that I hadn’t been around to help, but I couldn’t allow my thoughts to linger on matters I couldn’t change.

I had a sacred vow to keep and little time to follow through—if it wasn’t already too late.

Careful to keep our footsteps light, we continued our journey in silence.

We didn’t dare make a sound until we reached the flat, open event field designed to hold ten thousand and found the vast space empty and still.

The place wouldn’t have been in use today, so there were no victims. It was usually used for jousting tournaments, fairs, or royal outdoor ceremonies.

Despite my senses telling me we were alone, I didn’t like moving through an exposed area.

We sprinted toward the path at the far end and then cut west, reaching a long row of inns, taverns, and shops that continued for several blocks.

Most had broken doors and windows, and the interiors were trashed.

I caught more than a few lifeless bodies inside as we passed.

The more I saw, the more I wanted to go after those who did this and make them pay—and I wanted answers. This attack shouldn’t have been possible. I’d made it my life’s mission to collect critical intelligence across the realm, yet something this significant had slipped past me.

Up ahead, the sounds of battle carried through the wind.

The route we took would intersect with the south road out of Porrine and into Raumandia.

If the dark elves had taken over the city, they should have already secured that border point, so who would they be fighting?

Impatience hastened my footsteps. I hoped this meant I could finally reach an enemy to kill.

“Darrow, where are we going?” Jax whispered.

He was a large elf with a muscular build similar to mine, only standing a few inches shorter than my six-foot-four.

Our hair also ran the same length, to our shoulders.

His was a solid brown, rather than mixed with black strands like mine.

I’d been friends with him since my youth and never cared that he was a low-born fae, meaning less powerful.

He was loyal, strong, and fought with impressive skill.

One only needed to see past his faults—the worst of which was that he often failed to think before speaking aloud.

I hadn’t told him or Loden, my other close friend, what we were doing other than that it was vitally important. There was no time for detailed explanations, especially when we couldn’t be sure who might be listening. They’d understand once we got there—if we weren’t too late.

I gave him a disgruntled look. “Maybe you should worry about the trouble right in front of us because we have to get past that first.”

Jax shot a look at the street ahead, stiffening. “Right. Good point.”

We stayed close to the shops and pubs as we edged closer to the battle. My heartbeat thundered in my chest, and a feral smile spread across my face. The sounds of swords clanging, magic buzzing through the air, and the cries of the injured grew louder as we neared the main road.

I took the lead since both of my friends were lower fae and needed to conserve their power as much as possible.

We’d probably face many obstacles before returning to my wife and her young cousin, Rynn, who waited for us at my townhouse.

I wanted to get this done and return to them as soon as possible.

If not for my vow to the slain king, I wouldn’t have left them at all.

The enemy, clad in black leather, came into view as we crept closer.

Their pointed onyx ears confirmed their identity.

They fought Raumandian forces, who wore their traditional burgundy and gray uniforms. The fighting was fierce, with dozens already dead on the ground in mangled and burnt piles.

Blood coated the formerly golden cobbled road, stark in the afternoon light.

I estimated there were no more than a dozen fighters from Karganoth left before us, but there were even fewer from Zadrya.

Our side had been decimated, likely due to the dark elves' judicious use of malevolent magic. I’d been forced to endure such attacks at a young age, suffering defeat after defeat, until my rage drove me to fight back with the same ruthlessness.

Gesturing for my two friends to come closer, I leaned toward them so I could keep my voice low. “Jax, take Loden and turn invisible. Get as close to the Karganoth soldiers as you can. Once I’ve got them standing still, kill them.”

Jax grinned. “With pleasure.”

Loden nodded, always the serious one. They disappeared from my sight a moment later.

The remaining Raumandians, still fighting fiercely for their lives, would be slaughtered in the next few minutes if we didn’t intervene now.

They were part of Zadrya and neighbors of my land, Veronna. I couldn’t let more of them die.

As soon as I estimated enough time had passed for the two men to get into place, I edged close enough to capture the dark elves with my powers and keep them still.

My head ached from the effort of mentally holding so many bodies, but none of them were high fae, so I pushed harder until they could do nothing more than tremble.

Now, they would face opposition they couldn’t defeat so easily. Did they realize that their king’s grandson would help kill them? Only half of me was dark elf, but I was every bit as ruthless as any of them, probably more. I’d spent my life proving myself to both sides.

Only one of those mattered these days, though.

I gritted my teeth as the Raumandian troops and my invisible friends slashed their way through them, finishing the Karganoth soldiers with a spray of blood.

It wasn’t easy letting others finish the job.

I immediately let the dead go so that they could crumble to the sodden ground.

A surge of pleasure shot through my veins at the sight of their lifeless bodies as the dark half of me attempted to overtake the light. It was always there, waiting, whispering for me to give in to it. Aella had a way of naturally quieting those urges, but she wasn’t here.

Every time I faced enemies from Karganoth, it happened.

My mother’s family had conditioned me during my youth to kill with callous intent and revel in slaying my foes.

Each time I succumbed, it grew a little harder to return from that shadowy place in my mind where I didn’t have to feel pain or regret.

I resisted the urge now, even though the power it could bring was immense compared to normal.

If I’d wanted to, I could have snapped all their necks with a single thought and hardly used any energy.

I strode forward to survey the remaining Raumandian soldiers, counting seven. All except three had severe injuries that needed urgent tending. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t get the care they required here.

“Grab your wounded and go home,” I ordered. “It’s going to take a much larger force to reclaim Porrine, so you need to report what happened here. Urge your lord and others to form a plan because they won’t make it easy for us to retake the capital.”

“We appreciate your assistance,” a male elf with an officer’s rank on his collar said, nodding respectfully at me.

He’d likely been surprised at my intervention, considering my own black-tipped ears, marking me as half-dark elf.

While I didn’t want to take full credit, they couldn’t see my friends, who were still invisible to them.

Jax knew better than to show himself until I ordered it, and I wanted him to stay out of sight until I was certain it was safe.

“Of course,” I replied.