Page 12 of Stone Sentinels (Shadow Guardians #6)

DRAGAN

The Veil

“That bastard!” I storm away from the window and immediately punch a hole into the wall. Pyre grabs my shoulder and spins me around, pressing me against the brick. I see red. My fists fly before I have time to pull my head out of my ass and realize who I’m swinging at. Pyre dodges all my blows and uses a spell to force my muscles to go slack. “Let’s fight and end this!” I say. “Cambion betrayed us. We see that now. No need to hesitate any longer!”

“It isn’t that simple,” Pyre argues.

“Bullshit!”

“I agree with Pyre,” Baron says, predictably.

“Of course you do. The two of you are practically inseparable since we came to The Veil. But this isn’t the time to argue. We need to come up with a plan and attack quickly, before we’re overrun.” I struggle against Pyre’s hold and he releases me from the spell. He repairs the hole in the wall and points to the chair beside the window. I take a seat and try to regain my composure. “You know I’m right.”

“But you aren’t,” Pyre insists.

“Cambion made a mistake, but this isn’t that simple,” Eilish says as she faces me. She juts her chin toward the forest. “He’s bound and held like a prisoner. I don’t think he willingly led them here.”

“None of us knows what happened,” Pyre adds.

I nod and face Dragan again. “We at least owe him the right to explain.”

“He needs to face punishment for his actions,” I demand.

“Do not be so hasty,” Pyre warns. “Theren’s numbers will draw the creatures of The Veil here.”

“What creatures?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Restless spirits, demons, and harpies, to name a few. But we must worry about the dragon most of all.”

“The dragon?” Eilish repeats as her eyes go wide.

Pyre nods. “Wynroth is in his season of slumber, but too many life forces within The Veil will awaken him and—”

“Dragon?” Flumph faints and drops to the floor. Pyre steps over him and shakes his head as he continues explaining the dangers that could happen and are already happening.

Pyre tells us that he senses archers surrounding the cottage. More and more soldiers appear as each moment passes.

Eilish paces in front of the window, appearing unsure of what will happen if she agrees to speak with the Unseelie King. “Would he try to kill me?” she asks.

“Of course,” I start but Pyre stops me and faces Eilish, but he doesn’t say anything.

“I feel... connected to him, somehow,” she says in a soft voice. “I don’t know what it means, but I want to go to him.”

Aima nods. She hasn’t been the same since her sparring session with Eilish and keeps glancing down at her arm or hand. Kolvar looks at them both protectively. I walk over to the decanters in the corner of the room and pour myself a drink as Morrigan limps out of her room.

“There are Unseelie outside,” she says. I snort bitterly and toss the contents of my glass down my throat, allowing the soothing burn to slither its way into my belly to loosen the knots that furled when I first saw Cambion.

The others take the time to explain the situation to the Midnight Queen as I pour another drink. Kolvar takes it from my hand and drinks it in my stead. The satyr seems just as put out about saving Cambion as I am.

“They have us outnumbered,” my companion grumbles. “But we have a necromancer. I don’t care if Cambion loses a few limbs in this fight, so long as the good people in here don’t get hurt.”

“They’ll try to bargain. And Eilish shouldn’t be forced to be the one to negotiate,” I say.

“It ain’t our decision,” Kolvar responds. “Theren’s gonna grow impatient and more violent as we delay the inevitable.” He glances over at Eilish then. “She’ll have to talk, but that don’t mean she’ll have to do it alone.”

“You mean Aima should go with Eilish?” I question him. He nods. “Won’t Aima’s presence further anger Theren?”

“I believe he still harbors a soft spot for her.”

“Are they still together now or not?” I demand.

“They aren’t,” Kolvar answers on a sigh, his voice low. I presume he doesn’t want Aima to overhear him. “No matter how much Aima loves him, they’ve been driftin’ apart for a long time,” he continues as his gaze settles on Eilish. Then he looks at me again. “Aima is like a sister to me. I don’t want her goin’ out there anymore than you want your angel goin’ out there, but it don’t change the fact that that’s what’s gotta happen.”

“And will Theren try to kill Aima if she goes to him?” I ask.

Kolvar shakes his head. “Theren won’t harm her, even if he doesn’t feel the same for her as he once did..”

“I feel like this is a mistake,” I protest as Aima comes to stand beside us. She gives me a warm smile and her eyes twinkle like black marbles in the faint light cast by the hearth. I can see what Cambion fell in love with, but her beauty seems empty in comparison to Eilish’s.

“It’s all right, Dragan,” she says. “We’ll bring this plan up with the others. If they agree, then we can go from there, but we do nothing without consulting the group. Not after all of this.”

The three of us return to the discussion and learn that Pyre is already sensing the spirits from the mountains drawing toward our borders. Eilish looks afraid for the first time in so long, and I remember that she hasn’t had time to test her new skills against anyone who isn’t part of our group. This will prove to be good practice, if it doesn’t kill her. There’s no telling what tricks Theren has cooked up.

And if Cambion told him of our weaknesses, we’re in deep shit. I can’t help but think of the fact that Kolvar and Aima nearly died to keep The Veil secret and to keep our enemies in the dark, with regard to our plans. And fucking Cambion, who spent a much shorter amount of time with his brother, fucking led the bastard right to our door.

I find myself hating him more than I’d ever thought possible.

***

BARON

The Veil

“He knows you,” I hear myself say to Eilish. I walk to the door where I peek through the crack along the frame. Theren’s soldiers move into position as the two brothers continue their bickering. “I think that's why you feel drawn to him and that’s also why he knew your name and lineage.”

“He spoke my full name and knew my parents,” she says as she looks at me in shock.

I nod as I look at Dragan. “I don’t believe Theren will harm her.”

Dragan looks at me and his expression doesn’t change. “You don’t believe he will but you don’t fucking know .”

“Eilish talking to him could buy us some time.” I offer.

Pyre looks to Eilish. “Are you comfortable with this?”

“If Baron is right and Theren knows something about what's happening or who I am, then I need to speak to him. Alone, so that no one else risks getting captured,” she finishes.

“Absolutely not,” I say as I shake my head. “I remember what happened the last time you were left alone with one of our enemies, and I don’t trust Cambion’s judgement where his brother is concerned. You’re going with someone or you aren’t going at all.”

Aima, Dragan, and Kolvar come to stand beside Eilish and Pyre. I keep my eyes trained on the legion of soldiers just outside. Pyre scratches the back of his neck thoughtfully. “What if we let them come? The creatures of The Veil, I mean. Let the spirits and the demons and whatever else come so that we may have a fighting chance?”

“Wouldn’t that put all of us in danger?” I ask. “Not just Theren and his army?”

“Only if we aren’t careful,” Pyre answers. “If we work quickly and come up with a feasible plan, we may be able to scatter their numbers enough to gain the advantage. One person will have to stay here in the cottage to guard Morrigan and the little fae, of course.”

“I’ll do it.”

My eyes flicker over to Dragan with surprise. The gargoyle never misses an opportunity to fight, let alone fight Unseelie. But I don’t question him—not if he’s willing to volunteer for such a position. Eilish taps her chin absentmindedly until Pyre asks what she’s thinking.

“Maybe Aima and I can approach Theren and Cambion, get them to soften a bit towards us. I might be able to use my seductive abilities on Theren if I’m careful not to allow my hunger to overcome my sense of survival.”

“And the rest of us?” Kolvar asks.

I crack my knuckles and yawn as I stretch my arms above my head. It’s been days since I last slept, and I’m feeling the effects. “Kolvar, you and Pyre can wait inside with Dragan while the two women speak with Theren. When the fighting starts, you aid them. I, on the other hand, will be shadow walking and trying to take out as many archers as possible so I can get into a position where I can watch you from a distance.”

“Observe and distract before the creatures of The Veil arrive?” the satyr chortles. “I like that plan, vampire. You would’ve made a fine mercenary had you not saddled up with this lot.”

I run over to the table and pull one of our maps out. “Theren doesn't know the forest as well as we do. We have the advantage of fighting on our own territory.” I draw a few marks on the map. “He'll most likely have sent scouts to find high ground so he can place the archers here, here, and there. We have to assume whatever isn't covered by the archers will be teeming with foot soldiers.”

Dragan comes to stand beside me. He taps his finger on the map and positions himself to block Morrigan's view. “Once the numbers are scattered, Kolvar, Eilish, and Aima should keep the soldiers contained and occupied. Rev… Baron, you and Pyre should hurry to close as many portals in the area as possible to keep anything from getting in or out.”

“Closing any nearby portals will cause Theren to retreat back through the one in which he and his men came over. Once they're on the other side, we can shut that portal and lock them out,” Pyre says and stares with an arch of his brow. “It could work.”

“Will you be able to wrangle the dragon and other creatures back to their territories?” Eilish asks him.

“With Baron’s help, yes. Though, most of them will return on their own.”

Aima appears particularly nervous until Kolvar looks her way. In general, she seems more on edge than anyone else. “So, this sounds good and all, but we still don’t have a plan for what happens after Theren retreats, if Theren does retreat. Will Cambion stay with us? Will Theren find a way to tear open The Veil, now that he’s been here already?”

“What are you proposing?” Pyre asks.

“That no matter what happens, I go back with him.” Aima rolls her eyes at the uproar of protests. “Look, Theren disappeared for months until Cambion found him and we still don’t know why. He's making moves, and we'll need someone on the inside. We need someone to watch him.”

I thank whatever gods may be listening for Flumph's inability to shut his mouth. The sprite keeps Morrigan busy with his bickering and the Midnight Queen hears none of our plans. Aima’s offer is sound, if not a bit self-destructive, but none of us argues her logic. Pyre hurries to the second floor and peers through another window. I follow. He looks over his shoulder at me and smiles, with a strange set of green eyes staring back at me. I hate when he uses the spirits to see. Freaks me the fuck out.

“You excited to see a dragon?” he asks.

I run over to the window. Far off in the distance is a blur of movement. It looks small from here, but I know this great beast will be something to remember. “Hide the gold and lock away the virgins,” I start with a sigh. “We’ve got a dragon on the way.”