Page 103 of Lady of Starfire (Lady of Darkness #5)

There was a tense silence. Even the mortal children seemed to have picked up on it and quieted.

“Explain again what happened,” the commander finally said.

“The Prince got word that a few more seraphs were prepared to come though the mirror gate. It takes more mortal blood than magical blood, but after fifty, the mirror gate was still doing nothing.”

Fifty.

They had killed fifty people trying to do something with the godsdamn mirror gate?

“Why did you kill fifty? It has never taken more than ten at one time unless children were involved,” Mordecai asked.

And his tone was a warrior demanding information. No emotion behind his words. Just a commander assessing a situation.

Callan thought he might vomit.

“I told him this would happen,” Mordecai said. “The cost would grow greater and greater.”

“So we do simply need to spill more blood?” the seraph asked.

Mordecai shifted suddenly and then Nuri was in their view, the seraph clearly holding her back.

“We do not need the mortals more restless than they already are,” Mordecai said. “You ripping out his throat will upset them.”

“I thought Scarlett locked the realm with the keys,” Callan whispered to Azrael. “How is this possible?”

“Scarlett closed all of the Maraans’ current rips in the realm.

She altered the keys so that they locked the spiritual planes being used, but there are always workarounds.

Alaric apparently found one using the mirror gates,” Azrael answered grimly.

“But whatever he was doing appears to have stopped working.”

The pointed look Azrael sent him had Callan saying, “You think this is Scarlett?”

“Someone fucking with Alaric’s plans? There is no doubt in my mind it is Scarlett,” he answered.

“Even if we manage to get all these people out, what do we do from there?” Callan asked. “Can you Travel with that many?”

“It will drain me to move that many so far.”

“But you can do it?”

“Yes, but I also need to be able to Travel to the Wind Court when the time comes.”

Callan nodded, trying to sort through options and scenarios. He didn’t know the Rydeon Kingdom well enough to know where to hide the people. Maybe they would know somewhere to go? But they’d never be able to outrun the seraphs.

“You could create a portal though, right?” Callan said suddenly.

“And send them where?” Azrael asked.

“Siofra? Or the Witch Kingdoms?”

Azrael shook his head. “They will not go if we tell them that is where they are going.”

But another idea was forming. “What if you took them to the Wind Court? You want to be there to help fight anyway. You go there to help them prepare, and take the mortals with you.”

“You want me to take mortals to a Fae Court that is about to be attacked?” Azrael repeated, shooting him an incredulous look.

“Behind a Fae Citadel would be safer than a rebel camp in the woods. Is it not what we are planning to do once Eliza has the Fire Court?” Callan countered.

“I do not have the time to deal with this shit,” Mordecai suddenly said loudly, drawing Callan’s attention back to them. “There are rumors the Witches are assembling to fight at the Wind Court. I need to be preparing for that, not overseeing this nonsense.”

“What do you want us to do, Commander?”

“Do not waste resources until you have figured out what is wrong with the mirror gate.”

“But how do we—”

“Are you too inept for your position?” Mordecai interrupted.

“No,” the seraph gritted out.

“Then get it done. I want this figured out before Alaric shows up here himself.”

“What do we do with the humans until then?”

“Do you need to do anything with them?” Nuri asked.

“I suppose not,” the seraph relented.

Azrael was tugging Callan back down the passageway. Once they rounded a corner, Callan said, “What?”

“If what Mordecai said is true, the Citadel will be one of the safest places for the mortals to be. If the Witches have been told of the plans and are coming to aid in the fight, the battle will be well met,” Azrael said.

“So you will do it? Make a portal for them? Make sure they are taken care of?”

“What will you do?”

“I need to go back to Windonelle and my people,” Callan answered.

“How will you get back there?”

“Don’t worry about the king, Grumpy Gardener. Cai and I will make sure he gets back to Baylorin,” Nuri said, appearing from a shadowy corner.

Azrael gave a full body sigh of irritation. “Stop doing that.”

“Death’s Shadow,” Nuri drawled. “Have we met? This is what I do.”

“How do you plan on getting Callan back without issue?” Azrael asked through gritted teeth.

“We got the two of you here, didn’t we?”

“My wellbeing is not the issue here,” Callan interrupted. “How are we going to get all those people through a portal unnoticed?”

“Oh, I have an idea for that,” Nuri said.

“Care to share?” Azrael asked when she didn’t continue.

The smile that filled Nuri’s face mirrored one Callan had seen on Scarlett numerous times. Then his eyes went wide when Nuri said far louder than she should, “What is this? A mortal king and Fae Prince?”

“What the fuck are you doing?” Azrael hissed.

“This is the part where you run. Or rather, do that cute little disappearing thing,” Nuri replied. “The mortals are closest to the southern passageway.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Azrael grumbled, gripping Callan’s arm and Traveling them.

When they reappeared at the southern passage, the central chamber was in utter chaos.

Mordecai was barking orders and sending seraphs to search the northwest passages, effectively clearing out the main chamber.

And once again, Callan was left to contemplate how someone could be both insane and so godsdamn clever.

As the last seraph went down the opposite passageway, Callan and Azrael made their way into the chamber. There were two guards remaining with the mortals, but their attention was fixed on the opposite passage.

Which left them open for Azrael to have their wings bound in vines before they even realized it was happening. He and the Earth Prince strode forward, swords drawn and plunging through the seraphs’ backs. As they sank to their knees, they were drawing the same blades across their throats.

There was screaming and crying as Callan asked, “How are we going to keep them down without fire?”

“I think we can leave that for Mordecai and Nuri to deal with,” Azrael answered, an earth portal appearing. “Convince them to go through.”

Callan turned to face the frantic mortals behind him, quickly picking out three of the men who had clearly been part of the rebel movement and weren’t refugees of any sort. Callan pointed at them, “Help me get everyone up. We have minutes, if that.”

“For what exactly?” one of the men asked.

“We have a safe place for you to go in the Wind Court. Prince Azrael will take you there,” Callan answered.

“You want us to go to a Fae Court?” a woman cried, terror at the idea evident in her voice.

“I think we’ll take our chances here,” one of the other men said, crossing his arms.

Callan glanced over his shoulder at Azrael, who jerked his chin at the mortals. “They’re your people. Convince them.”

Right.

He turned back to the mortals. “We just killed the people holding you all prisoner. We are clearly on your side. Why would we send you into more danger?”

They seemed to pause at that, but still none of them were moving.

“Look, I do not know if you know who I am—”

“I know who ya’ are,” came a voice from the back. “The Crown Prince of Windonelle. Or ya’ was.”

“Yes,” Callan said, his grip tightening on the sword he still held.

“I was that. Now I am the King of Windonelle. I have been with the Fae for the last several months. They are our allies. More than that, I am your ally. Your rightful king and princess are in my kingdom. I am here on their behalf. If you cannot trust the Fae, trust me. And if you cannot do that, trust Drake and Tava Middell.”

“You know of them?” one of the men said, his arms dropping to his side.

Callan shook his head. “I am working with them and the rebels there. We both are. So are the Fae and Witches. We have help coming, but the safest place until they get here is with the Fae.”

“You have been assembling armies?” another man asked, trying to get to his feet. He was older, likely in his late sixties, and had clearly done hard labor for much of his life.

“Yes,” Callan said, stepping forward to help him to his feet. “Help is coming. We just need to hold out a little longer. We have a safe place for you to do so. Prince Azrael can take you. I cannot force you to go, but I can promise you certain death if you choose to stay.”

The people looked at each other, soft murmurs coming from them that he couldn’t decipher, but the man he’d helped to his feet straightened some.

“Thank you, your Majesty.”

Callan smiled warmly. “Go. You can trust the Fae where you are going.” He stepped to the side so the man could make his way to the portal, and as he did, more people got to their feet.

“I will go through first to receive them,” Azrael said. But before he stepped through, he added, “See you soon, your Majesty.”

Callan nodded before he began helping more people to their feet and ushering them to the portal. The three men were the last to go through, and one stopped before Callan.

“There are more of us. Throughout the kingdom,” he said.

“I know,” Callan answered. “Help is coming.”

The man nodded, and Callan sent him through with a message to tell Azrael he could close the portal. He was planning to go back down the passage and wait for Mordecai and Nuri, but when he turned to head that way, he found a seraph standing there.

“A mortal king,” the seraph sneered, and Callan immediately recognized his voice as the male who had been arguing with Nuri and Mordecai.

Callan had sheathed his sword while helping the people, but he had it drawn with his next breath, instantly falling into a defensive stance that Eliza had drilled into him.

The seraph huffed a laugh. “Mortals really are the lowest form of intelligence, aren’t they?”