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He turned to us with a frown. “There are light fae warriors just ahead. They’ve set up a war camp at the base of the mountain, right in our path to Tessa’s route through the mountains.”

“A war camp?” Fenella asked sharply. “How many are there? Did Boudica spot Oberon with them?”

“A hundred or so, by Boudica’s estimation. There’s no sign of Oberon, but that doesn’t mean he’s not in one of the tents.”

Niamh rubbed the bottom of her scar, eyes alight. “Could we fight our way through them?”

“It’s a war camp, but they’re not preparing for battle.” Kalen gazed into the darkness, the mists transforming his powerfully built body into a shadowy silhouette. “They must be some of the light fae who survived the fire. They fled here to find safety, not war.”

Fenella clucked her tongue. “Are they civilians?”

“They’re wearing armor. So I would guess not.”

“Then use your power against them.” She motioned in the general direction of the camp. “They’re our enemies, and they’re in our way. Call upon that power of yours and kill them all.”

Forty

Kalen

Fenella’s harsh voice echoed in my mind.Kill them all, kill them all, kill them all. The only thing worse than those unforgiving words was the fact I’d already considered it myself. It was my first instinct. Those in that camp were the enemy, light fae warriors who had no doubt done a plethora of terrible deeds in the name of their king.

If they knew we were out here hunting for Oberon, they’d turn their weapons against us.

“They’re taking refuge at the base of the mountain, Fenella.” I turned to Tessa, almost expecting her to join Fenella’s rage-fuelled chorus. Instead, she gave me an encouraging nod. “Destroying them when they’re only trying to survive would be needlessly cruel.”

I would be just as bad as Oberon. It would make me into the Mist King, just like the world had always feared. I’d already done so much harm.

“Kal’s right. They haven’t tried to take the city back from the soldiers we sent there. I say we leave them alone,” Alastair added.

Fenella huffed and turned away. “Talk some sense into them, Niamh.”

“If we don’t fight them,” Niamh said, “how are we going to get past them?”

We all turned to Tessa.

She shifted uncomfortably on her horse. “I’m the wrong person to ask. I was stuck in Teine my entire life.”

“But you know more about those mountains than we do,” Alastair said. “That’s why you wanted to come along.”

“No, I wanted to come along so I can stab Oberon in the fucking heart.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Fair,” Alastair chuckled.

“So, you’re saying we have no other choice,” Fenella said, narrowing her eyes. “Because we either have to go through the army, or we turn back and return to Endir empty-handed. Oberon gets to live and bring back his god.”

I closed my eyes. A magic deep inside my bones tugged me toward those mountains while my mother’s voice whispered in the back of my mind. I’d made a vow, and now that I knew exactly where Oberon was, I didn’t have a choice. I had to go forward, one way or the other. Returning to Endir wasn’t an option for me.

It wouldn’t be the first time I’d spilled blood—a lot of blood—to influence the future of this world. The ends justified the means. At least, that was what I tried to tell myself when the memories of screams and destroyed flesh haunted my midnight hours. I’d taken so many lives hundreds of years ago, and I’d done it again only a few weeks past. On and on and on it went. When would this end?

Tessa feared she was a descendent of the God of Death, but I was the one whose hands had drained so much life from this world.

“Kal?” Niamh’s familiar voice cut through the fog in my mind. The four of them sat on their horses, waiting for an answer, but I didn’t have one. As much as I hated death, I could not turn away from this fucking camp.

Tessa speared me with her eyes. She nodded almost imperceptibly, as if she knew—as if she understood the ghosts that haunted my thoughts. “We could approach the mountain from the other side and cross over the western peaks.”

“Aren’t they impossible to traverse?” Fenella asked.