Page 12

EILISH

Mercenary Stronghold

Kolvar sits beside me, with Dragan on my other side. After giving me a slight nod, Galmer calls for the others to settle, and the leaders of the mercenary clans take their seats at the enormous table with a fire burning at its center. Through the flames, I meet each of their stares unflinchingly. The king raises his hand and makes introductions. One by one, the chieftains stand to honor their leader and make their presence known.

“Kolvar of the Banefire Horde,” Kolvar says as he stands and pounds his fist against his left pectoral before taking a seat again.

“Hemoteph of the Olveroth.” A tall male with thick black hair stands up with so much force, his chair scrapes back. He eyes me with a cunning grin. And Dragan groans something that I can’t make out.

“Belroth of the Adamante.” The leader of the Adamnte clan is a large golem with luminescent blue eyes.

“Draken of the Mournblades.” I recognize Draken as a vampire immediately. Though he seems to be of a different sort than Baron, his mannerisms are similar to those of the former King of Death.

“Imatriat of the Thradsaryl.” My eyes nearly bulge out of my skull when a crowned spirit floats up. He looks human, aside from the ghostly transparency of his flesh and the tattered remains of his robes.

“And last but not least, my son Novak represents the Sunder’s Might,” Galmer says.

The other centaur at the table looks far too young to be a leader of any sort, but there’s a wisdom in his eyes that belies his age.

Galmer turns to me next and smiles. “I present to you, Lady Eilish Inoa Fulthain, daughter of Gildlorthoine, the lost King of The Succubae, and Maeline Fulthain, Healing Light of The Angels. Eilish is here on behalf of the Rebel Lords of The Vindication.”

I resist the urge to glare at Kolvar for informing the king of my parentage. For so long, my existence has been hidden, but now it seems like a power play and I’m not sure how I feel about that. The others in the room chatter amongst themselves for a moment and I sit up straighter in my seat. Dragan grips my hand beneath the table. I give him a small smile.

Dragan is then introduced and the king lifts his hand once more and silence falls on the Hall of Clans. “Eilish and Dragan have come here to ask for our aid in the liberation of the Threst . Many of us have heard of the horrors that take place in those marshes, so let us keep that in mind as we deliberate.”

I sit in silence as each clan leader presents their argument or their support. After hours of getting nowhere, I stand. Kolvar grabs my wrist and pleads with me to sit, but I refuse. This is my moment to try to persuade these men, and I’m going to take it. Calmly, I remove my arm from Kolvar’s grasp and face my audience.

“You all fight for one purpose or another, whether that be freedom for yourselves or the freedom of others. I’m not asking you to join us against the false king or to take on Morrigan and her followers. All I ask is that you help me free the fae who are currently being tortured and drained of their life forces.”

“It’s not so simple,” says Imatriat of the Thradsaryl. The wraith warrior’s voice sounds slightly distorted, but it booms through the chamber. “Any act to help the fae in Variant’s clutches is an announcement of war.”

“I understand your concerns,” I say. “But I believe we can accomplish this feat with stealth. After the Threst is destroyed, we can part ways if that’s what you please. But I implore you to consider becoming our allies, as Kolvar has done.”

“And whether you fight Variant now or later, eventually you will have to fight him,” Dragan adds. “Unless you’re willing to subject yourselves to his tyrannical leadership.”

“Never,” Galmer says.

I look at him. “The day for you to choose sides is coming and it’s coming quickly. You can join us in this quest only and free our fae friends from imminent death, or you can pledge yourselves to our cause and help us unseat the false king,” I continue. “The choice is yours.”

Belroth is next to speak. “What says the King of Shadows?”

Dragan stands without releasing my hand. Several of the males at the table glance down at our intimate touch and scowl. Clearly, they aren’t used to seeing women in positions of power. Well, it’s about time that changed.

“I am the King of Shadows,” Dragan says. “And I’m a loyal member of the Rebel Lords of The Vindication.”

“As is Cambion, King of Nature; Baron, King of Death; and Pyre, Guardian of The Veil,” I add.

“With Kolvar and Aima, our Unseelie ally, we are a powerful force to be reckoned with,” Dragan continues. “Variant and Theren have both come to realize that, and so will you.”

“We’ve heard of your necromancer ally. What makes you think we want any part in forbidden magic?” asks Draken of the Mournblades. “Even we vampires have limits regarding what we’re willing to subject ourselves to. Soul magic is frowned upon for a reason. It’s dangerous.”

Galmer raises a brow and meets my stare head-on. I nod to Dragan and he returns to his seat as I remain standing. My hands rest on the tabletop, and I lean forward to get a good look at the males around me.

“Whether you help me or not, I will lead an attack on the Threst ,” I say, my eyes narrowing as I glare each one of them down. “Anyone who isn’t afraid to get involved in this fight is more than welcome to join us, but this isn’t a mission for the weak-willed. Only those with the courage to face Variant and Morrigan should stand with us.”

To my surprise, the clan leaders begin to stand, one by one. I can’t hold back my surprise and awe as I watch each one pledge himself and his people to our cause. After another few seconds, each person in the room is standing. Tears well in my eyes as each of them names us their allies. Galmer casts a fond smile my way, giving me the sense that he’s proud of me.

“You have earned the respect of the clans, Eilish. And we will stand by you in the liberation of the Threst. ”

***

BARON

Jadyrar Sea

I crouch in the sands, not at all surprised that our efforts to secure the tears in the Veil have brought us here. Morrigan was here not long ago. The imprint of her body is still pressed into the sand. Beside me, Pyre kneels and hovers his hands above the ground. His brow pinches slightly and I watch his eyes flicker, knots forming in my stomach.

“She took a vessel,” he says as he looks around himself. “There’s barely any magic here at all. Morrigan used what magic was left to enter the physical world to possess some unsuspecting person,” he growls. “But her body isn’t in the Veil, which means she found enough power to summon the vessel to her.”

“She has the talisman…”

Pyre nods and stands. I raise to my feet only to sway slightly, but Pyre’s hand on my arm steadies me. It’s been too long since I fed from Eilish and I’m feeling weak, light-headed.

“You must feed soon,” Pyre says.

I scoff as I regain my footing, gesturing with my arm stretched wide. “And whom am I supposed to feed from?” I ask.

Shuffling across the sands, I look at the footprints that litter the beach. Morrigan survived here without food or water when she was injured and without much power.

As much as I hate to admit it, I’m impressed by the treacherous Midnight Queen.

“Come,” Pyre says. “We must find the tear here and repair it before something slips through. Morrigan’s magic obscures the energies here. It may be difficult.”

Pyre leads me along the shore, and I think back to the days when we tore through the library at the cottage and speculated on what the hell was going on in the realms.

“Did you ever figure out your part of the prophecy?” I ask.

“Just that I will die, and I fear it may be soon. Much sooner than most of you realize,” he replies with a shrug that reveals he cares little about the subject of his own mortality. “And my death is not mentioned in just that one prophecy, but many. Different languages, different verses, different rhymes, but all translate to the same thing.”

I stumble and Pyre catches me. Nausea and pain render me useless. “You can’t keep pushing yourself unless you feed, Baron. Let me help you, take my blood…”

“No. We don’t know what your blood will do to me,” I say as I shake my head. “I’ve already been addicted to forbidden power once before. I’m not willing to go through that again. Just... help me up.”

Pyre supports most my weight as we travel closer to the rift. When he sets me down, I watch him work his magic. No matter how many times I see it or attempt such spells on my own, I will forever be captivated by the control and power it takes to close a tear in the Veil.

My attempt to stand on my own doesn’t go well. My body heaves and I expel the contents of my stomach onto the beach. Vampires can only digest real food if they’ve fed recently. But Eilish has been gone too long and her blood no longer sates me. Pyre seals the rift and walks over to me. As he uses his thumbnail to slice along his wrist, I feel the hunger take over. He holds his wrist out to me and though I don’t want to, I grip his arm and sink my teeth into his flesh as I pull strength from his veins. Each mouthful is like a current of magic that causes my body to tremble from head to foot.

When I’ve had my fill, Pyre heals his wound and helps me stand. I can feel my strength returning within seconds. Colors are more vibrant now, and the air seems thick with life and energy. The world was so dull before, in comparison.

“You should be sated for a while, but I’ll keep an eye on you to make sure I haven’t created a monster. There are more than enough in the Veil already.”

I follow Pyre further along the beach and each time my feet sink into the sand, I wonder if this will be the last time he and I walk beside one another. There’s so much I have left to learn from him—so much to still know about being a guardian. Even more importantly, Pyre is my friend. One of my only friends. I can’t imagine a world where he doesn’t exist, and that realization catches me off-guard.

“I’m going to find a way to save you, Pyre.”

“There’s nothing that can be done about my fate and the sooner you accept that, the better.”

I grab his arm, and he glances down at my hand with a lift of his brow.

“I’m serious,” I tell him. “I don’t care how forbidden or tainted the magic might be, I’ll resort to whatever low I have to so I can make sure you’re still around to see us fix the bullshit Morrigan and the others started.”

“Fate won’t…”

“We can’t do this without you and, quite frankly, I don’t want to. You’re a friend and an ally and I don’t want to lose you. Maybe I’m being dramatic, but I don’t care.”

“Overly dramatic.”

“I will find a way to beat this, Pyre,” I promise.

The vow lingers between us. I know Pyre is skeptical, but if he doesn’t know it already, he’ll soon learn just how stubborn I can be.