Page 15

EILISH

Vindication Camp

I touch my hand to my face, unable to fathom the change in my appearance.

Though my features remain the same, there’s no denying the eerie color of my eyes or the darker side of one half of my hair.

My fingers move to toy with the black strands.

There’s something inside me and it’s growing by the second, roaring to life like a storm at sea.

It’s power and it’s dangerous—beautiful, but dangerous.

“We need to prepare the soldiers to march soon,” I say.

Silvanus approaches. He places a hand on my shoulder before snatching it back.

His fingers flex with a crackle of magic.

“You can sense the impending war. It’s no surprise you’re feeling the urgency of battle with the rise of your power, but you must remain resilient in your convictions and try to see through the emotions emerging within you. ”

“That’s easier said than done,” I snort irritably. “I can feel so much and yet, at the same time, I feel… numb.”

Dragan moves me away from Silvanus and over to the table.

He sits across from me and holds my hand on top of the table.

“When I first met you, I was a shell of the male I’d been.

I was no warrior, no king. It wasn’t until I took you from Anona that I felt my life was beginning.

It was just as you described. You feel as though you’re filled with so much angst and uncertainty that you’ll burst, but there’s also a part of you that dreads what will happen if you let go of the control you try to cling to. ”

“I know what we must do—no, what I must do,” I say.

“But I can sense the fragile souls around me each time I draw breath.” My voice cracks and I tear my gaze away from Dragan.

I don’t want him to see me as weak, as the frightened girl I was when he found me.

But Dragan tilts my chin up and stares into my eyes once more.

“I’ve never seen a more strong and beautiful woman in all my days, Eilish. There’s no part of you I don’t love with all my being. You are the last beacon of hope for the realms and we stand beside you as your lovers and your champions.”

Pyre returns to the items I requested of the blacksmith.

I see the runes he engraved within the metal as he hands them to me with a smile.

The men to whom I’ve given my heart, body, and soul stand before me.

They’re ready to fight this war, to lay down their lives, in hopes of building a better world. I’ve never felt more humbled.

Pyre helps me to my feet and I present him with the first cuff.

It circles his bicep and adjusts to fit perfectly, marking him as my consort.

It’s a symbol of love. Pyre accepts graciously and bows his head in honor of the claim.

Baron approaches next, offering his arm without hesitation.

There’s a glimmer of mischief in his gaze, but he only smiles as I mark him as mine with the bracelet.

Next, I move to Cambion and Theren where they sit on the edge of the bed. “Do you accept?” I ask them.

Theren stands and then drops to his knees before me. “I pledge myself to you in this life and in the next, should we face our end at dawn.”

I bend forward and kiss his lips before clasping the cuff on his arm as I’ve done with the others.

Cambion’s display of loyalty is much more subtle, but no less impactful.

He takes one knee beside his brother and waits quietly.

The cuff for Cambion is gold, unlike the silver used for Dragan, Theren, and Baron or the iron used for Pyre.

And it’s with no light heart that I walk towards Variant and Silvanus. Their eyes lock onto me and I slow my steps. Variant keeps his head low, and watches me through a curtain of hair as he avoids looking into my eyes. I present Silvanus with a golden cuff and he smiles impishly.

“This is a very unusual gesture for someone to make to a god, but I suppose I can make an exception,” he jests. Silvanus’s smile broadens further as I turn to Variant. He looks on as though proud of the changes our old enemy has already made.

Variant no longer holds himself with the arrogance and entitlement of a false king, but he assumes a position of great remorse and determination.

I cup his cheek and feel him flinch slightly.

He doesn’t pull away from my touch, but he seems surprised by it.

“Variant, do you accept my claim? Will you love and remain faithful to only me?”

“I am... unworthy of the gift you offer, Eilish.” Variant shakes his head. “If you care at all about how your people will perceive you, I can’t accept. Everything you’ve fought for…”

“Will be judged and scrutinized whether you’re by my side or not,” I interrupt him.

“If we are to face any adversity, then I wish for us to face it together.” I push the hair back from his face and marvel at the perfection I see.

Beneath the beauty and the seemingly flawless appearance of Variant, I can see the scars of a damaged man.

“Please. Accept this bond and start anew. We can be strong together. You don’t have to be alone anymore. ”

Variant unbuttons the sleeve of his tunic and rolls back the fabric. I slip the cuff onto his arm as he mutters a heartfelt thanks. The look of pure gratitude in Variant’s eyes is proof that change is coming.

***

CAMBION

Vindication Camp

A scout rides into the camp at dawn as the forces don their armor.

Forged from a rare metal found in the Delendren Glade, the blacksmith and Eilish have designed something as fierce and beautiful as the queen herself.

I buckle the last of the plating onto my legs and stand to exit my tent.

On the wind, I hear whispers: Eilish and Theren’s voices.

It’s wrong to spy and yet I feel no regret when I hear the nature of their conversation. Eilish lowers her voice. “You can’t ask me to do this. After everything you’ve suffered?”

“It’s imperative that if the decision should present itself, you choose what’s best for the realms. That means if it comes down to saving us or the people, you choose the people no matter what.”

Eilish’s footfalls stop just outside my tent. Her gasp is loud enough for me to hear through the tent’s cloth. “Theren, if you have foreseen something in the mirror, I should know.”

“Just promise me, Eilish.”

It’s then that Variant’s voice joins their discussion. “Eilish, if anyone is to sacrifice themselves for this cause, it should be me. The others have suffered enough already. I told you about my past.”

“Variant,” she starts.

“It’s always been my destiny to do this,” he interrupts.

“I’m not going to argue with either of you,” she says.

“No life is more valuable than another. No one is a sacrifice. That was Morrigan’s way of doing things, not mine.

We stand and we fight. If we die, then we die together and for a purpose.

I’m not leading this army like a herd of sheep to slaughter,” she states firmly.

“Now, I need to see Pyre before we leave.”

I push through the opening of my tent with a practiced air of casual politeness. Eilish smiles up at me, unaware that I’ve been listening. “Good morning, my queen.”

“Cambion.” The breathy sigh as she speaks my name causes my heart to ache. She wraps her arms around my waist and rests her chin against my chest. “You smell like summer rain and elfroot smoke. Where are you off to?”

“I wish to meet with the scout to see if he brings word from the Sori. Queen Ivana and Lydia of the Amazons wanted nothing to do with this war when we met them in the Dales of Arborel, but I’ve kept in touch, hoping they change their minds.

When we first set out to make camp, I sent a man to the Dales to get their final answer. ”

Eilish kisses my cheek and gives a nod of approval.

She disappears through a black tent as Variant glances my way.

I wave to him and walk swiftly towards the scout as he removes his helmet.

The young elven male bows in a show of respect and holds out a scroll.

I accept the rolled sheet of parchment, expecting yet another rejection.

Instead, I peer down at a blood smeared letter written with obvious desperation. “What happened?”

“The camp was attacked in the night. Most of the Sori were able to retreat to the Delendren Glade, but not without cost. Lady Lydia asked that I bring this to you immediately and inform the queen that the Amazons will be marching to the Plains of Reckoning to fight beside us.”

I clap the young man on the shoulder and hurry over to Pyre’s tent. The necromancer is still bare from the waist up, but his long crimson hair is secured back from his face in an intricate style, reminiscent of a Viking warlord. He cocks his head to the side as I enter.

“Why do I smell blood on you, Cambion?” he asks grimly.

Eilish appears at his words with a bundle of fabric in her hands. She takes one look at me and discards the cloth on the table. “They’re dead, aren’t they?”

I shake my head. “Not all of them. Queen Ivana is dead. Lydia has taken her place and led the Sori Amazons to the Glade to seek refuge. They are now on their way to the battlefield.”

“Was it Elioth?”

“The Knights of Umbra raided the tribe’s camp,” I reply. “If the Sori are marching to the battlefield, that means Elioth and Abedon won’t be far behind. We must move out as soon as possible. Have the men prepared the horses?”

Pyre nods.

“Good. Then I shall begin leading the soldiers out of camp. The Seelie will follow me. We can establish our position before the dark army arrives.”

Eilish clears her throat. “May luck guide you, Cambion.”