Page 4 of Battle of Evyndral (Rebel Moon Shifters)

Elledan

Elle’s feet were aching by the time they stopped. She trailed behind the wagons and horses but not far enough Grevolus couldn’t see her. The one time she stopped to rest, he threatened to kill her if she didn’t keep up. As much as she hated her home, Elle would give almost anything to be back in their small cottage where she could mix a potion to soak her feet in.

There were hundreds of dark fae gathered just outside the forest that led to Evyndral. Novus hadn’t returned, so she didn’t know if the raven had been successful in warning Yari and Thran. The wagons driven by the others were uncovered, and crates of arrows were being offloaded. Tovin climbed down from his carriage and shoved her aside. When he drew back the thick covering, he removed a bow and thrust it at her.

Grevolus approached, his dark eyes bearing down on her. “I know you’re practiced with a bow, and you will do your part in our efforts to take down the dragons.” The “or else” was implied.

Elle clasped the curved bow to her chest. It had been ten sun cycles since she’d held a weapon, but the wood was familiar. She backed up several feet so that she wasn’t in the way of Tovin removing his own crates. Asherah joined them. Instead of being given a bow, Grevolus motioned her forward to where several quivers were piled inside their wagon. If Elle had been allowed outside more often, she might have figured out what they were up to.

Asherah grabbed one of the ratty bags and tossed it to Elle. It was so poorly made she refused to call it a quiver. “Fill that with arrows. And don’t get any ideas in that stupid head of yours about using them on us. The arrows are spelled against Und?nthú, so even if you were to hit one of us, it wouldn’t kill us.”

Elle wondered if they would harm her considering she was only half dark. She didn’t want to find out. As she gathered arrows and placed them in the leather bag, she took in their basic design. There was nothing special about the tips that she could see. Then again, spell work wasn’t visible, as she well knew. Stepping away from their wagon, Elle held the bow with practiced ease and tugged the string. It was tighter than she was accustomed to but not insurmountable. Still, she pretended to struggle with the tension as Grevolus looked on.

While some filled their arrow bags, others withdrew swords from the multitude of wooden crates. The rebellion had to have been in the works for quite some time given the number of weapons. Bows had to be carved from trees. Swords had to be forged. The Und?nthú weren’t a wealthy race seeing as how Queen Melisandra kept most of the gold for herself, but maybe this was the reason for that. She held onto the riches to provide enough weaponry to go up against the royal family. The treaty had been in place for hundreds of sun cycles. So why now? And did the dark queen think she would be allowed to take their throne if the Und?nthú managed to overpower the dragons? Would the goddess not consider this battle an act of treason?

“Gather around,” one of the dark males called out, and everyone did as commanded. Elle remained at the back of the group, still within earshot. “Those of you with swords will fight the D?nthúlú. Those with bows will aim at the vermin. If they shift and take to the sky, you must bring them down before they get too far away. We cannot allow them to use their fire. Not all of us will live to see another moon, but it is our duty to Queen Melisandra, and she will richly reward those of us still alive at the end of the battle once we take over the castle and bring down Titus. Sword bearers will move out first. Let’s go.”

Both Grevolus and Tovin carried swords, while Asherah approached Elle, a dagger in hand. “Let’s go, girl.”

Ah, her stepmother had been given the duty of ensuring Elle didn’t run off. Elle threaded the strap of her arrow bag over her chest. It was cheaply made, the strap having no adjustment buckle. It had clearly been assembled for someone taller, and as she walked, it bounced against her back instead of hugging her tightly. Not being given proper gear would hinder her ability to remove an arrow in a timely manner. That was a shame, truly. Elle snorted quietly, but Asherah still heard her.

“Something funny, girl?”

“Just the shoddy workmanship of the arrow bags.” After living with the evil female for ten sun cycles, Elle learned early on to skirt the truth. She had abilities that had shown themselves over the many moons since she came to Winterhaven. Elle honed them during the night behind her closed door, often foregoing sleep to better her skills. If Grevolus found out what she was capable of, he would use Elle. She had bided her time, waiting for the perfect moment to escape, but it never presented itself. Her sleeping chamber window was sealed shut, and if she moved through the cottage while the others were in their beds, one of them would hear.

Maybe she could get lost during the battle. To do that, she would have to evade Asherah. Elle glanced at the dagger in her stepmother’s hand. Elle hadn’t practiced with one nearly as often as she wielded her bow, but she knew how to use one. Knew how to grip it in defense as well as using it to attack. The way Asherah held it loosely made it evident her skills weren’t on par with Elle’s. If she were to get away from the female, she could remove the glamour masking her true hair color. Her clothes might give her away as being with the Und?nthú, but if the others were fighting for their lives, hopefully, they wouldn’t notice she was dressed differently.

A mighty roar echoed through the land, and Elle shivered. Please, Goddess D?nthú, protect the dragons, my siblings, and the D?nthúlú fighting for the royal family. Elle never prayed to the goddess on her own behalf. She always made entreaties for others.

The forest thinned, and soon those wielding swords were embroiled in a fight. Asherah grabbed Elle’s arm, dragging her along a path Elle hadn’t noticed. “This way,” her stepmother commanded. She wasn’t the only archer skirting the fight. They continued along a trail leading up a hill with the other dark fae carrying bows. When they reached the summit, Elle gaped. Evyndral castle, although made of stone, gleamed in the pink hue of the sun. Several dragons circled high overhead. They couldn’t breathe fire upon the D?nthúlú without incinerating the light fae at the same time. For a lesser archer, it would be impossible to hit a dragon from that distance. For her, it would be as easy as breathing.

The archers spread out, nocking arrows against strings. Elle held her breath as arrows flew toward the great beasts, and released it when none hit their mark.

“What are you waiting for?” Asherah waved the dagger in Elle’s face. How easy it would be to take it from her, but there were too many witnesses. No, she would bide her time, and when the opportunity arose, Elle would take the weapon. Would she use it? To save the royals or her siblings? Absolutely.

Elle removed an arrow from her bag, fumbling while nocking it. When it was in place, Elle struggled with drawing the string back, displacing the arrow. She leaned over to pick it up, and when she stood upright, Asherah brandished the dagger in Elle’s face.

“Quit stalling. I know you’re adept with this weapon. It’s the reason Grevolus insisted he bring you into my home where I had to look at the evidence of his betrayal day in and out.” Asherah’s face was mottled red, and spit flew from her mouth with each word. Elle wiped her face on her shoulder, glaring back at the female. It wasn’t Elle’s fault Grevolus was a monster who took an innocent woman while pretending to be her mate. Had that been his plan all along? To produce an offspring with light fae abilities?

Elle readied an arrow while those around her loosed their own, never hitting their mark. Shouting from below caught her attention, and when she saw a familiar face among the ranks, her heart skipped a beat. Thran hadn’t changed a bit in looks, but his words made it clear he oversaw the guardians. Pride bloomed in her chest. Instead of aiming at the dragons in the sky, Elle turned toward the battlefield below. The Und?nthú outnumbered the light fae three to one. There were a few dragons in their bipedal forms fighting amongst the others, and it was those Elle focused on. Her arrow wouldn’t kill a dark fae, but it might distract them long enough for her brother to make the killing blow.

Elle took a breath, drew back the string, and released the arrow and air at the same time. It hit its mark, knocking the dark fae off his feet. The guardian next to him took aim with his sword, and blood sprayed from the downed fae’s neck.

“What are you doing?” Asherah screeched.

“Taking out the dragons like I’m supposed to.”

“You hit one of ours, you stupid chínt.”

“I haven’t held a bow in ten sun cycles. Excuse me for being out of practice. Now get out of my way so I can concentrate.”

Asherah huffed as she backed away. Elle retrieved another arrow, aiming this one closer to her brother. He was fighting two Und?nthú, so she aimed at another coming behind him. The arrow flew half an arm’s length away from Thran’s head, hitting its target. Upon feeling the whoosh of the fletching, his eyes turned her way, narrowed at who was aiming at him. When he locked onto her, she winked. Asherah, in a rage, reached for the bow, but Elle was stronger. She wrenched the wood from the female’s grasp, then whipped it across the hand holding the dagger. As the blade fell, Elle caught the hilt on her shoe, flipping it into the air, where she caught it deftly in her free hand. The other Und?nthú were too busy shooting at the dragons to notice the skirmish, and Elle took advantage of their focus being elsewhere.

Elle took a step toward Asherah, the blade poking the female in the stomach. “You forget who my mother was. Where I come from. If you ever threaten me again, I’ll cut your throat before you can utter another foul word. Do I make myself clear?”

Asherah fisted her hands, her eyes filled with hatred. “And when I tell your father about this, he’ll cut your hands off for your treachery.”

“Yeah? Then you’ll have to do all the cooking and cleaning. Or maybe he’ll fool another innocent light female into believing he’s her mate with glamour while putting a child in her belly. Don’t for one instance think I don’t know the truth of how I came to be.”

Asherah’s eyes flashed with mirth. “And don’t for one instance think I’ll let that female live either.”

Elle sucked in a breath. Asherah had killed her mother? “You murdered Lorhana?”

Asherah lifted her chin. “Since Grevolus wouldn’t let me kill you, she was the next best thing.”

Calling on the shadows around the trees for cover, Elle shoved the dagger into Asherah’s stomach as the mist swirled, cloaking them from being seen. She twisted the blade, then dragged it up, blood coating her hand. Asherah grasped Elle’s hand, trying to remove the blade, but Elle pushed harder, never taking her eyes from Asherah’s. “Consider this payback, you chínt.” When Elle was certain Asherah wasn’t going to recover, she removed the blade, grabbed an arrow from her bag, and pushed it into the wound. Elle then shoved her stepmother down the hill, where she tumbled head over feet to the bottom. Keeping the shadows surrounding her, Elle tossed the dagger into the trees, then used glamour to cover the blood instead of wiping it on her dress. Elle nocked arrow after arrow, loosing them at as many dark fae as possible. When she ran out, she eased from the shadows after ensuring no one was paying attention.

“I’m out. I need more arrows,” she told the male closest to her.

“Where’s Asherah?” he asked, looking behind her.

Elle pointed. “Down there. She had an arrow in her stomach and tumbled to the bottom.” That was technically the truth. Fae couldn’t lie, but they could weave their words carefully.

“Have you managed to hit a dragon?” he asked, his eyes narrowed.

Elle waved an arm in the direction her brother was fighting. “No, but I have distracted them long enough for one of ours to finish them off.”

“Huh. Head back to the carriages and reload.”

Elle nodded and took off toward the wagons. If Grevolus saw her, she had permission to be somewhere other than the hill. When she arrived, no one was guarding the weapons. If she wanted, Elle could disappear. She could run back to Summerland to her home. Knowing Thran was out there fighting, outnumbered, Elle reloaded and returned to her spot where she could help. She searched for Yari, but her sister was nowhere to be seen. An arrow flew her direction, and Elle squeaked as it barely missed. Narrowing her eyes, she focused on the battle below. She caught sight of the light fae aiming her direction, but the male beside her had stepped closer. She couldn’t call on the shadows, and she couldn’t run, so she did what she was best at – she took aim. The arrow sailed past the guardian, almost nicking his ear, as it hit the dark fae behind him.

“Hey, that was one of ours,” the male next to her groused, but in the next instant, he had an arrow protruding from his chest. Instead of falling, he snapped the shaft and tossed the broken bit to the ground, cursing the D?nthúlú and the goddess both. “Don’t stand there gaping. Shoot the beasts!”

Elle focused on the light fae who aimed at her, but he was now engaged with another dark fae. She scanned the battlefield for Thran and found him fighting his way toward the castle. More of the archers on the hill had been struck. Several of them joined Asherah in a tumble down the steep incline. Elle wanted to help Thran, but the dark fae was now watching her more closely. Instead of aiming at the Und?nthú below, she let her arrows fly toward the dragons flying high overhead. She came just close enough for it to appear she was trying to hit them. While reloading, she searched once again for Thran who was now staring at her. He grinned before climbing the steps to the castle.

As she took aim, it appeared the light fae were winning. She inhaled, and just as she loosed the arrow, someone plowed into her from behind. Elle went down to her knees, keeping her eye on the target. When it missed him by a hair’s breadth, she thanked the goddess. Before she could get back to her feet, a strong hand gripped her braid, wrenching her head backward. Murderous eyes met hers just before a meaty fist swung at her face.