Page 69 of Faeling (Monstrous World #4)

It was the longest day of Ravenna’s life.

As the sun rose over Dyfan Bay, she watched as the solitary fae sailed back across the strait, bringing her offer to Amaranthe.

If she thought it could’ve freed Vallek sooner, she would’ve happily climbed into the boat with him, but Amaranthe was too tricksy for that.

Ravenna needed to start being smart.

Turning back toward the camp, she walked with Asta, Mattias, and Oberon behind her. At the top, she found berserkers crowded round the central fire. Some watched the water suspiciously, while others regarded her with much the same wariness.

The tension of before had simmered down, and she didn’t immediately feel in danger from these warriors. Grief had settled over the camp, the reality of the defeat dampening all heat and noise. These were proud warriors, the most illustrious unit, and they had lost.

But it wasn’t their fault.

Moved to speak, Ravenna found a stump to stand upon. It gave her a little height, barely more than Mattias, but it’d have to do.

“I know it isn’t a warrior’s preference to wait, but, for now, that is what we must do. I expect the Fae Queen to accept the offer to trade. I will gladly take Vallek’s place.”

The berserkers murmured amongst themselves, some of them nodding.

“Stay ready to move; word may come at any time.” Looking out across Vallek’s most loyal warriors, Ravenna’s heart ached to see their despair.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, then, louder, “I’m sorry.

This wasn’t my…this isn’t how I wanted the mission to go.

I take responsibility, and I will make it right. ”

She hoped their murmurs were of approval, but Ravenna didn’t linger. Stepping down from the stump, she rejoined Asta and Mattias.

She took some heart to see Asta’s reluctant nod. It wasn’t much, but Ravenna didn’t deserve much.

“They’ll appreciate your acknowledgement,” Asta said.

“I meant what I said. I’ll get him back, Asta.”

“He wouldn’t want you to trade yourself,” the orcess admitted. “He’ll never forgive either of us.”

“He isn’t here.” Ravenna swallowed back the sudden sob that sprung up her throat. “It’s my choice to make.” I shouldn’t have involved him at all.

“We’ll take what time we have to plan,” Mattias said. “There must be a way.”

“I mean to slay her,” Ravenna said. “That hasn’t changed. I want you both to promise me that when the trade happens, you’ll secure Vallek. That’s all that matters. Don’t worry about me, and don’t heed Vallek when he orders you to help me.”

Asta shifted uncomfortably, hands on her hips, and Mattias looked troubled.

“We can’t promise that,” he said.

“Then at least make your best effort. Prioritize him.”

A great puff of hot air cascaded over Ravenna’s head. Crow, I think… Oberon moved forward to stand alongside her, his attention focused on the eastern forest.

Ears swiveling, he listened for a long moment before bobbing his head in excitement. Mattias leaned far back, warily watching the sharp tip of Oberon’s horn.

Stomping the ground, Oberon told her, Some good news at last!

What is it? What’s—?

“ Fae! ” The cry rang out from one of the sentries guarding the eastern flank. “Fae approach!”

What? But it was far too soon for them to return from across the water?

Not those fae, Oberon corrected. Friends!

Ravenna hurried to the eastern edge of camp, Asta, Mattias, and many berserkers behind her. They gathered along the ridge, peering down the grassy slope toward the line of oak trees to the east. Three sentries stood near the tree line, spears raised at a figure walking forward.

Two figures.

A unicorn and mounted fae.

“It can’t be…”

The black unicorn came to a halt just out from the trees. His dread-rider, clad in leathers rather than armor and regalia, lifted a hand to his brow, shading his eyes to look up the hill.

“Crow? Is that you?”

Oberon neighed merrily, nudging Ravenna’s shoulder. Allarion and Bellarand have come!

For a moment, she teetered on the edge of the ridge, not quite believing Oberon or her eyes. It just couldn’t be.

It’d been years since he left her in the safety of her bower to take the deep sleep behind the layers of wards set by her father.

Their plan had been so simple; she would sleep to dull her powers until Allarion could secure a place in human lands to make his own, warding it with his own magic.

When it was safe, he would bring her there, hide her away to begin again.

That seemed so long ago now, another life.

Before she’d even thought to, her legs were moving. She heard someone call her name, but she didn’t heed it. Arms wheeling, she ran down the slope, bending and crushing the tall grass beneath her boots.

Her heart beat wildly, so quickly that she nearly flew to him. The sentries were but blurs as she passed them, avoiding their caution and arms.

Allarion jumped off Bellarand to meet her. Arms thrown wide, he caught her when she threw herself at him.

It wasn’t quite the arms of her father, but it was the closest Ravenna would ever get in the living world.

So many evenings had been spent round the table with her parents and Allarion, telling stories, joking, playing dice.

Her father’s closest friend, he’d quickly become something of an uncle to her, a second father.

When her parents perished, it was Allarion who came for her. It was Allarion who comforted her and took her to safety.

A shudder passed through him, and he rocked them back and forth. “Goddesses, I’ve longed for this day.”

Ravenna couldn’t pull away for long moments, more tears leaking from the dregs of her soul. Fates, she didn’t deserve—she could hardly believe—why now? Her old life and her new one were colliding, and she didn’t know if she could bear the impact.

Allarion held her tight for long moments, silently offering his comfort as she wept. Goddesses, fates, the spirits of Maxim and Aine—she didn’t care what had sent him, only that he was here.

When she did manage to pull back her tears, she was shocked to look upon him.

No longer the grayish color of a fae reliant on magic, his skin bore a purplish hue and his sclera were white, emphasizing the dazzling amethyst color of his irises. When he smiled, she couldn’t help catching his chin in her hand to inspect his gums and tongue. Both were a healthy pink.

“How—?” she choked.

“There’s much to share. For both of us.” Glancing at the baffled sentries around them, he added, “Because I’m intensely curious about why you find yourself amongst an orc war party.”

Fates, where to even start.

“Erm, my queen…”

Ravenna looked over her shoulder to find Bellarand teasingly knocking his horn against one of the sentries’ spears.

Allarion poked his dread-mount’s flank. “Don’t scare them.”

Whatever the unicorn said back had Allarion rolling his eyes.

“There’s no danger,” she assured the sentry, wiping at her tears. Stepping between Bellarand and the berserker, she petted the unicorn’s gleaming black muzzle. “These are good friends.”

Bellarand’s head bobbed in greeting, his ruby red eyes laughing with mirth. Such a scamp. When the blew his hot breath in her face, Ravenna couldn’t help a small grin.

Oberon joined her, knocking horns with Bellarand. The sight of the known unicorn calmly greeting the new one seemed to relieve the sentries somewhat, all of them slowly lowering their spears.

“I mean you no harm,” Allarion told the sentries in orcish. “I am an old friend of Ravenna’s, come to help her.”

His words had more tears pricking her eyes. “Allarion, something’s happened…”

Sobering, he put his arm around her in comfort. “Tell me everything, Crow.”

“Well fuck.” Allarion stood inside the great tent, staring in shock at Leita. “This changes everything.”

Letia seemed less than enthused to hear it, her lips pursed as she scowled up at him and Ravenna from her cot in the corner.

It’d taken them quite a while to meander up the hill back into camp, Ravenna explaining through her tears how she’d come to be amongst the orcs and find herself mated to their king. Hardest of all was recounting his loss the day before.

By the time she’d introduced him to Asta and Mattias, as well as reiterating he and Bellarand were to be welcomed as guests and friends to the berserkers, she’d at least gotten through the salient points of the story.

She had so much to tell him that when they walked into the tent, she’d entirely forgotten to prepare him for the sight of a potential fae heir.

Allarion scrubbed a hand over his face, looking understandably overwhelmed. “So you have an orc king for a mate and a royal fae as your captive. Am I missing anything?”

“Amaranthe has my azai .”

“Yes, that.” Allarion pressed his mouth into an unhappy line. “Goddesses, Crow, I worried you’d get into trouble on your own, but I never imagined this much trouble.”

“I must get my azai back.” She hadn’t informed him of the trade to do just that. Not yet, at least. He was already cross with her.

Allarion nodded, his gaze straying back to Leita. The two of them assessed one another, and finally it was Leita who said, “You don’t look like one of her fae.”

“Because I’m not,” he answered easily. “I broke away from Amaranthe and the faelands. Much as you did, I suspect.”

Not taking the bait, Leita said, “That doesn’t explain why your blood isn’t black.”

“Ah. No, that is thanks to my azai .” Ravenna gasped, not quite believing her ears.

Wearing a besotted grin, Allarion told them of his adventures in the human realm of Eirea, how a whole village of otherly folk had established themselves, all looking for human mates.

Allarion himself had found his azai in a human woman named Molly, who he’d brought back to his new home of Scarborough and helped him seal his bond with the land.

“Once that was done, we traveled south, to the bower.” Allarion’s smile fell as he looked upon Ravenna.

“We came for you, but you weren’t there. ”

Ravenna shook her head. She couldn’t apologize, for she wasn’t sorry. What she could say was, “I regret any distress I caused. But I never intended to stay in that bower.”

Allarion seemed troubled by the revelation, but he didn’t reprimand her, at least.

“What’s done is done,” he said finally. “I’m just relieved we found each other again, in the end.”

“How did you find me?” It was almost too fantastical to believe. Yes, they had sent word through lines of communication to Eirea, but it sounded as though Allarion wasn’t even there to receive it.

A wry grin lifted his lips. “The unicorns. It helped, of course, that Molly and I have been staying secretly on my mother’s estate.

Word reached Bellarand there. We were led through the herds into orcish territory, where Bellarand was able to make contact with Callistix. She sent us westward to find you.”

The mention of her grandmare had Ravenna aching all over again. She could use the matriarch’s steely will and guidance right about now. Of course, she could easily guess what Callistix would tell her.

Kill the bitch. Win back your male. Simple.

That does sound like my mother, Oberon chuffed.

“You left your azai to find me?” Ravenna whispered.

“Molly understands. She’s safe with my kin.”

Ravenna didn’t know what to say. Her stomach clenched uncomfortably to know someone else had sacrificed for her. She was sick of it, sick of being the cause of so much heartache.

Stealing another glance at Leita, Allarion asked, “Has Amaranthe sent terms?”

“Yes. I sent a counter offer. We’re awaiting word back.”

He nodded absently. “If it was known that an heir of royal blood lived, you wouldn’t march alone.

” Turning the weight of his gaze onto Ravenna, he said, “The fae live in fear of her. All understand Amaranthe’s tyranny but have nowhere else to turn.

If given another path, most would choose to walk it. ”

Ravenna’s heart lurched painfully, but she refused to entertain true hope. Such hope had already cost her far too much.

“I’ll be honest—the fate of the faelands means little to me. My only wish is to free my azai .”

“I understand. Your loyalties are to your orc.” Allarion smiled sadly. “Mine too are with my Molly and our home in Eirea. And yet…” he sighed, striding over to stand before Leita and kneel at her cot, “not all hope is lost for the faelands.”

Leita leaned as far back into her cot as she could. “I want no part in your plans. I escaped there once—my luck won’t hold for a second time.”

“A great destiny is something to fear, it’s true. But it will come, one way or another. There must be a reason you escaped the slaughter.”

Leita bared her fangs. “That reason was my mother and sister. They died so I might live.”

“And what will you do with such a gift?”

“They wanted me to live, and so I have done,” she spat. “To do anything else would insult their sacrifice.”

“Insult—or honor?”

“Falling into her hands is exactly what they died to prevent.”

“So don’t fall,” Allarion said. “Rise.”

Leita’s face darkened in a glower, and she turned away from him.

When it was clear she had nothing else to say, Allarion rose. He turned to find Ravenna gone pale.

They died so I might live.

Her stomach rolled ominously.

Allarion reached out to touch her shoulder gently. “If you can buy me a little time and get me across the water, we may just have a chance.”

Much later, after a long day of discussions and planning, Allarion and Bellarand boarded a barge to sail across the strait under the cover of darkness. As the rowers took up their oars, Allarion turned round and lifted his hand, waving farewell to Ravenna.

She waved back, heart in her throat. Goddesses go with you. And the fates, too.

Ravenna kept nothing for herself except the hope that her aim this time would be true.