Chapter 3
Aella
It was pure chaos outside, and had been for the last half hour, despite being oddly quiet before that.
Now, I regularly spotted teams of dark elves moving through the street, killing any fae they found.
The number of mutilated and dead bodies within view of the front window left me trembling.
How could they be so cruel to those who didn't even fight back? So far, they’d left us alone, but they kept contemplating the townhouses with open malice in their gazes.
What would they do if they knew I was in one? I was the half-light elf, half-druid who’d single-handedly pushed back their naval fleet less than five days ago, sinking many of their ships with my wind powers. They would kill me for sure if they knew I was here.
Still, every time I saw them attack someone, I wanted to run outside and stop them. Only two things held me back. One, I was still recovering from the severe torture my own uncle inflicted on me for several days. I’d nearly died.
It was only late last night that Darrow had rescued me. Healers worked through to this morning repairing my numerous broken bones, cuts, and contusions, but I still hadn’t returned to full health. It was all I could do to stand while peeking around the curtains and not sway too much on my feet.
“Aella,” Rynn begged. “Please lie down for a little while, or you’re going to pass out.”
She was the second reason I forced myself to stay here.
My cousin was twelve years old and had only gotten her magic four and a half months ago, granting her healing powers.
Already, she was wise beyond her age. Part of that was likely due to her losing her mother and father at seven years old, when her parents’ ship sank at sea.
She’d had to grow up faster under Lord Morgunn’s care.
Rynn had been one of those who helped mend my injuries. I didn’t dare go outside and try to save innocent fae with her here. She’d pay the price right along with me if I did.
“Darrow and the others should have been back by now,” I said, bracing a hand against the wall.
She grabbed me and nudged me into the nearest chair a few feet away, giving me a stern look. “With all those dark elves out there, we’ll know when he’s coming because he’ll have to deal with them first. You need to be strong enough to open the portal so we can leave, Aella.”
After eating a quick meal, which had helped boost my strength a bit, we’d carried the case with a temporary ring and placed it by the back door.
It would be ready to take outside the moment the others returned.
While I could have set it up in the living room, it would require significantly more power if the metal circle with special runes wasn’t grounded.
I also refused to leave our horses since we had no idea when we’d be able to return for them.
As a result, I had every intention of using it in the backyard.
“Fine,” I said, relaxing into the chair and trying hard to ignore the sounds of battle on the street. “But you have to peek outside now and then to check on the dark elves.”
She quirked her lips. “It’s ironic you’re married to one.”
“He’s only half,” I pointed out, closing my eyes. Dear nameless ones, I hated being weak right now. It was the worst possible time.
“Still, it has to be weird.”
I forgot that Rynn hadn’t spent much time with Darrow.
She was barely conscious when we took her to his aunt’s home to save her from her fatal illness, and she’d had no reason to see him again until he invaded Ivory Castle last night.
Then, all she’d seen was him brutally killing our uncle, followed by him cleaning up the body parts in my garden this morning like it was any other chore.
That had been gruesome, considering how ruthlessly my plants tore the fae soldiers apart.
I supposed she hadn’t seen anything yet to really endear her to him, aside from rescuing me.
“He’s not that bad,” I told her, keeping my eyes closed since it did seem to be helping restore my strength. “Better than some other options.”
She snorted. “Yeah. At least Darrow is pleasant to look at.”
There was something in her tone that caught my attention.
It was then that I realized she would be thirteen in a little over a month and would be getting curious about these things.
I would be the one in charge of covering those subjects now that I’d assumed guardianship with Darrow.
Since her parents had died when she was only seven, they’d never had the chance.
At least mine had lived long enough for that.
“When we aren’t facing an invasion from Karganoth,” I said with a sigh. “We’ll sit and talk. I’m sure you have questions.”
I could hear the smile in her voice. “Okay.”
Fifteen minutes passed before a gasp sounded from my younger cousin’s lips. My eyes flipped open. “What?”
“They just attacked the townhouse three doors down and dragged some light elves onto the street. The parents and a boy who looks like he’s not much older than me. They’re…” She made a strangled sound and pulled away from the window, horror filling her gaze. “They’re dead now.”
All feelings of weakness fled.
“Step back,” I said, surging to my feet.
I stepped closer to the window and carefully peeked outside, stiffening when I saw they’d moved to attack the home next to us. The sound of magic striking the wards, with sparks and sizzles, was a warning of what was to come. We’d be next.
“Okay.” I drew in a deep breath. “We need to fortify the spells protecting the house and hold them until Darrow gets back, which should be very soon.” I had to believe that while he was out there doing whatever it was he found so important, he would return as quickly as possible.
This was why I hated depending on anyone else for my safety.
“How do we do that?” Rynn asked.
While the ward was originally Darrow’s creation, his adding Rynn and me to the spell gave us a path to the magic. “We’ll need to touch it, but that means opening the door. Let’s go to the back, where they can’t see us.”
We hurried through the townhouse, passing the sitting area and dining room before entering the spacious kitchen.
In the corner, we’d stacked the portal case and our bags.
I checked the window over the sink first to be sure no one was lurking in the rear yard before yanking open the back door.
The sounds of magic grew louder without the thick walls to muffle them.
I lifted my hand and brought it forward until I felt the pulse of Darrow’s protective magic. It was oddly comforting, but I brushed that thought away. We might have become intimate, but there was still a chasm between us in many other ways.
“Place your palm next to mine,” I ordered. Once Rynn obeyed, I began guiding her through the spell’s web and how to connect her power to it. “Normally, I wouldn’t encourage this at your level, but every little bit we can do to fortify the ward could buy us extra minutes.”
Also, I had to retain enough magic to get the portal open, and protecting the townhouse would likely use a lot.
When I was perfectly healthy, I could manage both more easily, but I had no idea where Darrow would want us to go.
If we went to Darynia, I would need a tremendous amount because I doubted they’d adjusted the ring’s defenses there to allow me through, and it was some distance from here across the mountains.
A jolt hit us, and we jumped.
They’d begun attacking our ward. Fear squeezed my chest, realizing we’d run out of time.
Rynn and I clasped our free hands together, and then she began chanting with me as we worked to fortify the magic protecting the townhouse.
More attacks came. I concentrated harder, thickening the shield.
That worked at first until they changed tactics and began focusing on punching a singular hole directly ahead of the front door.
It required far greater and precise magic to do that, but they must have realized this home was better protected and inhabited. We couldn’t stop them from the kitchen. “Curse the nameless ones. Move…now!”
With my heart pounding hard against my chest, I dragged Rynn with me to the front of the house, positioned us on each side of the door, and unlocked it. Fear glazed her blue eyes.
“What are we doing?” she asked.
I drew in a deep breath. “Try to stay out of sight and only show your hand. We have to strengthen the section where the dark elves are weakening it the most, or else, they will get through in the next five minutes.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “Will we be able to keep them out this way?”
I could have lied to soften the blow, but we were beyond that. “If they break through, I’ll fight them to my last breath, but there are a lot more of them. I’m still not up to full strength.”
“They’ll kill us,” Rynn surmised. I watched a myriad of emotions cross her features, but the brave girl eventually set her shoulders. “Then we’ll make them work for it.”
“Good girl,” I said, proud of her.
She wouldn’t be able to contribute much since her powers were so new, but I’d take every little bit of help I could get.
Rynn was strong-willed and determined, which counted for a lot.
I swung the door open, and without revealing my face, pressed my hand to the ward.
It was flashing yellow from the spells they volleyed against it. Rynn followed my lead, doing the same.
We chanted in unison to magnify our magic. Outside, in the street, the dark elves cursed and banded together. They began working cohesively against us, hitting the section in front of the door even harder. It went on relentlessly as we kept pouring our energy into the ward.