Page 28 of Oaths & Vengeance (Realm of Zadrya #1)

Aella

A nxiety filled me, and my stomach felt like it had twisted into knots. I sat astride Astra next to the ring as mounted troops disappeared through it. There were a lot of them—far more than usual.

While channeling wind and light to keep the massive portal open, I tried to keep count.

Finally, those on horseback had all passed, with the centaurs and foot soldiers coming next.

Lines of five or six at a time marched into the blue miasma with stoic expressions and weapons in hand.

By the time the last disappeared, I estimated at least five hundred, almost double what we usually sent for a raid.

My gut churned with dread.

Taking a deep breath, I guided my horse through the portal.

We zoomed through space in a whirl of colors.

I arrived on the other side, approximately a mile from the village of Parvayn, situated on the southeastern edge of Veronna.

Its population was just under nine hundred, with only a small contingent of soldiers to guard it.

I knew because I’d researched all the border towns when my uncle started having me channel his troops there.

The last time we targeted this town was when our forces still physically traversed the mountain passes, as it sat near the southernmost crossing between our lands.

The people here would be quickly overwhelmed, considering half of them were elderly, infirm, or children, and many others were either miners or sheep herders with limited fighting skills.

The last time we came here was ten years ago when my uncle slaughtered dozens before I intervened. He'd promised he wouldn’t do it again.

I found myself surrounded by thick woods with a narrow dirt road running alongside the portal ring.

It was dark since the moon was only a sliver tonight, but most of our soldiers had powered their glow stones to see better.

There were many soft lights, primarily in shades of blue or green, so that no one would see them from far away.

Armed fae and horses were scattered everywhere.

The captains called out orders and quickly reorganized them.

Tadeus joined me off to the side of the ring. “This is going to be a long night.”

“Why do you say that?” I asked.

“My father hopes to steal a few crates of blue burst gems the Veronnians plan to ship to Juvarn tomorrow, and he’ll do anything to make certain he gets them instead,” he said, voice grim.

My eyes widened. Those gems were rare, with the mine near Parvayn producing over half the total for the realm.

They amplified spells that could be protective or destructive.

Once activated, the stones only worked once before becoming inert dust, so there was always a demand for more, making them quite valuable.

Therress didn’t have direct access to blue burst gems, but our northern neighbor, Raumandia, had a small mining operation.

They gave us twenty percent of their output in exchange for taking some of their people because their land was suffering from large sections of dead zones—both in the sense that nothing grew there and the magic was fully depleted.

Fae could die quickly on land devoid of life and energy.

Within our own land, we had spots that had either died or would soon, but nothing like Raumandia.

Even the dead pocket near my sister’s village hadn’t lost all its magic yet, or else the portal wouldn’t work anymore.

They would have to move it before long, though.

I noted it was weakening during my last visit.

I gripped my reins. “You know Veronna is going to retaliate.”

“Father plans to triple the border guards for a while.”

Two soldiers, both strong elves, rode up to us as all the rest headed south toward Parvayn. The tallest one met my gaze. “Your uncle has asked that we guard you.”

Leaving one elf with me wasn't unusual, but two plus my cousin didn’t sit right with me.

With some trepidation, I moved with them away from the ring to avoid the risk of someone coming through and noticing us.

We stopped behind a grouping of trees and brush that provided ample cover for us and our mounts, especially in the darkness, but still offered a direct view of the ring.

Should anyone use it, we’d ascertain their identity first. If they were innocent civilians, the guards would grab and hold them until we left. Threats would be dispatched right away.

My wedding ring had grown warm on my finger over the last few minutes.

It was almost as if it could sense my guilt at being here and my part in the raid, reminding me that I was attacking my husband’s land.

The four of us dismounted, tied off our horses, and found comfortable places to sit.

My uncle, Ulmar, and the rest of the forces would be gone for at least another hour.

At first, it was dark and quiet as we sat silently, but after a while, I could have sworn I heard screams. My hearing was better than most. I stood and strained to listen closer, twitching my ears. A moment later, I heard the tortured cries of women and children.

“He’s killing people,” I said, furious.

Tadeus ran a hand through his hair. “I told you he’d do anything to get those gemstones.”

I glared at him. “You knew about this and didn’t tell me?”

“You wouldn’t have opened the portal if I did, and Father would have punished you.”

I dashed toward my horse, fury filling me. “He doesn’t need to kill innocent people to get the stones. We both know he does it to be cruel.”

Just before I mounted, one of the guards grabbed me. “I can’t let you do that.”

“Let me go.” I struggled against him. “I have to stop this!”

I slammed my head into his jaw and elbowed him in the stomach.

He let go, but the other soldier grabbed me before I could reach my horse.

They roughly pulled me to the ground, with one elf pinning my arms and the other my legs.

Then Tadeus came over and placed an iron bracelet on my wrist, shutting down my magic before I could use it against the guards .

“Sorry, Aella, but my father made it clear we couldn’t let you interfere.” He shook his head. “If you go there trying to stop him, he’ll punish us as well.”

I glared at him. “You traitor. Innocent people are dying while you do nothing.”

“No, I’m protecting you. We both know what he’ll do if you get in the way, and I don’t want to see you hurt like that again,” he said, trying to speak to me calmly.

I didn’t care. He had let the guards hold me down, and he’d cut me off from my magic.

Tadeus was supposed to be the good cousin who always stood by me.

I struggled some more, but it was no use.

Both guards were too strong. For a while, I just lay there breathing heavily, enraged and unable to do anything, as more screams and shouts filtered toward me.

In my mind, I could envision what was happening with each pained cry revealing another victim of my uncle’s ruthlessness.

Then, a slight pop of air drew my attention.

We looked over and saw the portal glowing with its soft blue light.

I couldn’t see much through the brush from my position, but a moment later, I froze as I heard my husband’s furious voice shouting commands.

He was instructing his troops as they arrived on where to go and what to do.

Based on the amount of noise, he must have brought hundreds.

As soon as the portal closed, they rode hard for Parvayn.

I wanted to shout at him but knew that would only get me in worse trouble with both sides.

My uncle wouldn’t expect Darrow to arrive with soldiers this soon. Therressian forces had only arrived at the village forty-five minutes ago, and it wouldn’t take more than ten minutes before Darrow reached them. With him in the lead, both sides could suffer heavy losses.

“You’ve got to let me up,” I said, looking at my cousin.

He shook his head. “Not until they’re returning.”

“The iron is suppressing my magic. If you don’t take the cuff off now, there is no way I will regenerate enough power to hold the portal open,” I argued, giving him a pleading look.

It was true, and he knew it. Our only hope was that the energy I built before he cut me off, along with what I gained starting now, would be enough to get our troops through the ring when they returned—if they moved quickly.

It would be a struggle, though at least I didn’t have to push through any wards on the way back.

Tadeus cursed. “Very well, but don’t try anything.”

“With the Veronnians here, it’s too late for that,” I said, relieved when the guards let me go and I could sit up.

“Go watch for Lord Morgunn’s forces returning,” my cousin ordered one of the elves. “Let us know immediately when you see them so Aella can begin channeling.”

He hurried away, hugging the trees and brush as he maneuvered parallel to the road.

Tadeus knelt beside me and removed the iron bracelet, dropping it into a special cloth bag. “Do you think you’ll be able to get us out of here?”

“It will be cutting it close if they come back soon,” I said, rubbing my wrist—iron made my skin burn.

“Just do the best you can.”

I swallowed. We would lose enough people from Darrow’s wrath tonight, but I hoped more wouldn’t die if I couldn’t hold the portal open long enough for our forces to flee. For now, I could only wait and pray to the nameless ones that I’d regain enough magic to save everyone.