Page 76 of A Fate of Ice and Lies (Fated #1)

Chapter

Thirty-One

ELIAS

With my own two hands, I’d killed creatures and other threats to the kingdom. I was born to. All because my parents, my uncle, and the Elders wanted more than what was given to them. In the end, they’d betrayed us for nothing. They’d caused this destruction for nothing.

The thunderbirds’s blood was on their hands. The fae in the dungeon cells, their blood and torment were also their doing. And this, the humans in their realm?

It didn’t change anything. Leanora still had to die. Then I’d deal with the arrogancy, the idiocy of my parents and uncle.

Once I killed Leanora, the fae would learn the truth. All the truths, including those that hurt my family. And the dragons, they’d go back to being just another creature from our realm. Magical, but nothing more.

Nalari’s irritation at my thoughts stirred inside me, but we could argue about it later.

I held Teddy’s hand the way she’d held mine in Niev.

I tried to offer her some reassurance, but her world, her town that had become my home, was beyond destruction, the streets lifted and ripped apart, like the way the streets of Niev were.

The square was nothing but a rubble of ruination, already covered in thick sheets of snow.

The shops were gone. The fields that had once harvested the vegetation that kept the people alive were incinerated, burned by a fire that went beyond what the eye could see.

The people, though, frozen in states of shock or terror, shook me. Eyes unblinking with a hazy film of gray. Bodies unmoving, without breathing. I listened for their heartbeat, for the swish of their blood flowing, but nothing came. They were alive, though. I felt it.

One fae appeared and ran toward me wearing the leathers we fought in back in Niev. Several others, who also wore our fighting leathers, followed her.

Unsure if Leanora had entrapped their minds the way she had mine, I pulled out my sword. Beside me, Brenton did the same while Teddy grabbed her gun. Nalari let out a deep growl that the other dragons mirrored.

Seeing our weapons, the fae stopped several feet before us. One, a male I recognized as Hayden, whose face was lined with cuts, held his hands up.

“We tried to help them,” he said, his words shaking with nerves. “But. . .” He shook his head. “There was nothing there to fight. Fires erupted everywhere without warning. The streets and buildings crumbled on their own. I—we don’t know what happened. Why they’re frozen or anything.”

“We got as many out of the buildings as we could,” a female named Ximena said.

“The homes are like this too?” Teddy asked.

Hayden nodded. “Those of us who could bend space took as many out of their homes as we could. We couldn’t get them all, though.” He lowered his head. “I’m sorry. ”

Teddy bit down on her lower lip. When Brenton pulled her to his side, she went to him, her grip on my hand still tight.

Sorrow clashed with the brewing anger, which rose and rose with no one to direct it to. Leanora had said she’d be here, but all I saw was the evidence of her destruction.

“I’ll go check on—” Brenton started, but he didn’t need to finish.

Giving Teddy a final squeeze, he ran through the mix of frozen people and went to Donnie and Ryenne’s home, where I hoped he’d also find Javier and the girls.

“See if you can find George, Everly, and my uncle,” I told Nalari.

Without replying, she raised her head and sniffed. Then she was in the air, leaving the three dragons at my side.

“Someone is coming,” I told the small group of fae. “A mage thousands of years old with an army of the creatures we’ve been fighting. Once we survive this, I’ll explain everything. But for now, we must do everything to kill her, or she’ll destroy our realm, as well as this one and every other.”

More fae ran toward us, each one learning about the upcoming battle. I searched the faces for my friends and kept glancing at the sky for Nalari.

The snow seemed to stop. Freeze the same way the humans had.

Then I heard her—that silken voice that made the hairs on my arms stand as snow began to fall once again.

“No more hiding,” she sang out. “No more lies.”

With one hand holding mine, Teddy used her other to grip my arm, digging her nails into my skin.

“The trees,” she whispered.

Hundreds of lirio stood in front of the trees. Just as thunder clapped, dozens of nyxx rose from the fallen snow .

“Elias.” Teddy’s voice cracked.

Despite her fear that clouded my senses, she let go of me to take out her gun once again. Her hands trembled, but she held it out, pointing toward the lirio, who still hadn’t moved. The nyxx held just as still while more thunder rumbled, growing closer.

The dragons inched away from us, their attention on the threat that still didn’t move.

When I pulled her behind me, the fae lined up to stand in front and around her, surrounding her like a shield. Hayden nodded at me.

“No one will hurt your mate,” he said.

I gripped his forearm before I drew my attention back to the unmoving nyxx.

“Nalari,” I sent through our connection.

A gray dragon flew from the horizon. He flapped his wings irregularly, as if each one pained more than the other.

The lirio and nyxx gazed up to watch my uncle’s Guardian approach.

One of the nyxx threw a spike made of ice toward Sama, but I used my magic to fog the spike and reduce it to steam.

Still, Sama plunged toward the ground as if hit by an invisible weapon and crashed into the snow.

“Help him,” Nalari ordered.

The three dragons flew the short distance to Sama. The fae turned to me, their gazes jumping toward Teddy and Sama.

“Nalari said to help him,” Teddy said. “So we help him.”

With her gun at her side, she ran toward Sama with the fae still forming a shield around her.

Blood spilled from open wounds that resembled the bullet wound Brenton had received. I sent my magic through him, pulling out each bullet the same way I had Brenton’s. While the dragon healed himself, I noted the different metals each bullet was made of, three of which were iron.

Lucky for Sama, iron wasn’t deadly to dragons. Only us fae.

More thunder exploded, this time closer, and when I braced myself for the incoming flock, I saw Nalari leading them. Hundreds of thunderbirds with Adela and the ones we’d freed flying alongside them.

That was all we had. A handful of fae, some dragons, a few hundred thunderbirds, and Teddy. It had to be enough.

Before the thunderbirds arrived, the nyxx barreled toward us. Teddy pushed past the fae who meant to keep her safe and when the fae looked at me for direction, I shook my head. For us to stand a chance, I had to allow the fae to fight without the restriction of protecting Teddy.

The fae fanned out, arranging themselves in the formation we’d been trained to do.

Overhead, the thunderbirds struck, and several nyxx dissolved into nothing.

More came, and I signaled for the archers to loosen their fiery arrows.

Before any hit their mark, they stilled in the air and fell, their flames going out before they hit the ground.

An angry swirl of black ribboned in a circle between us and the creatures.

The nyxx and lirio stopped to kneel before the black spiral.

With a thunderous roar, Nalari blew fire at the creatures, and several thunderbirds also struck.

Their attack ricochetted off a barrier that, when struck, shimmered into shades of black and gold.

With a haughty laugh, Leanora stepped through the thready black swirl with my parents, friends, and uncle at her side.

“Isn’t this cozy?” Although her words were said in a whisper, I heard her taunt .

My muscles twitched in response. I searched George’s face for something. I wasn’t sure what. He held my gaze and only broke away when Everly gripped his hand.

Nalari landed near me, the thunderbirds all following. Sama rose to his feet, and after flapping his wings twice, he growled. His growl only grew louder when my uncle turned to Leanora and went to his knees on a bow.

At that moment, Brenton reached us, taking his position by Teddy’s side. Relief filled me at his words. Her friends, our friends were alive. Frozen like the other humans, but alive. All of them, including Javier and the girls.

My father hissed at Uncle Hudson, but it was the devastating look on my mother’s face that held me. It was to her I walked, breaking formation and leaving my fae and mate behind. I stopped when I reached the barrier.

“Was all this worth it?” I directed my question to my mother.

“Bringing you into this world was worth everything,” she answered.

I held my hands into tight fists, rage making my heart thunder.

“No,” I ground out. “Niev is in ruins. This human world is in ruins. There are fae dying in your dungeon. Humans have died because of you. Was your immortality worth all that’s been lost?” My chest rose and fell with each rapid breath I took.

She had the decency to look away while my father’s features fell.

It was my uncle, though, who looked at me with loathing.

I wondered if he’d always felt that way and had simply hidden it before coming to this realm.

I wondered if the affection he’d shown me when I was younger, the time he’d set aside to train and teach me, had all been a well-worn mask he could now take off.

Leanora’s smile was predatory. “I’ll make a deal with you, Elias,” she said, her voice too sweet, too innocent.

With a wave of her hand, she made a tear in the shield big enough for me to go through. After a quick glance at Teddy, I went in. A ripple of heat seared my skin.

I held my sword out, taking in the lirio and nyxx who had begun closing in around us. Attentive of my uncle, who continued to kneel before the mage who paid little attention to him.

Unarmed, Everly and George held themselves back to back, watching and ready to fight.