Page 4

Arianna

Arianna healed the cuts and bruises across Gavin’s body, then reset a broken arm and put three fractured ribs back in one piece.

She’d given all three males a harsh look when they’d half dragged Gavin through the gate, bloody and screaming as if the trio still had plans to put an end to him. None bothered to mention they were bringing him to her.

He’d nearly sighed in relief, even after Rion had clamped an iron bracelet around his wrist. She knew if it weren’t for her past, it would have been a shackle instead.

Arianna reset his nose and he yelped. It wasn’t that she was being particularly cruel, but Arianna wasn’t making an extra effort to be gentle either.

Rion, her father, and Talon had informed her of everything. Gavin hadn’t betrayed them and Niall didn’t have her little sister. The High Lord did.

Her blood ran cold at the thought. Ellie was deep in enemy territory with only Kirian as her ally. Gavin claimed the half-breed had still been alive when he’d left. Given that Gavin was wearing iron, Arianna supposed she didn’t have to wonder if was lying.

But Ellie was hurting and that made her heart ache even more.

“You’ll help us break in?” Talon repeated for the third time.

Gavin let out an exasperated sigh. “For the last time, yes. I want her out of there just as much as you do.” Arianna couldn’t tell if the reasons were purely selfish or if he actually cared about her little sister. The two barely knew one another and Ellie had called him a pompous ass.

Avalon studied the map hanging on the wall. “If what you claim is true, then we don’t even have an accurate map to know how to navigate the terrain.”

“I know the map. I can point out the landmarks.”

Avalon raised a brow at him and Gavin swallowed. Apparently her father had been the one to break his bones, which surprised her considering Rion had gotten a hold of him first.

“I’m Niall’s nephew, remember? Do you really think he’d let me anywhere near him if I were uneducated?”

“I’m wondering why he’d trust you with a true map of Ashling’s location at all.”

“Everyone in Ashling knows the truth. It’s part of the pride they carry as a city, but it’s also the reason so many aren’t allowed to leave.”

“Meaning many aren’t allowed in either.”

Gavin’s lips stretched into a thin line and her heart sped.

It wasn’t just that Ellie was in the middle of enemy territory. According to Gavin, everything they knew about Pádraigín’s main city was a lie—another fabrication from the High Lord.

Instead of a small port city that traded with the humans for their own kind, an abomination Arianna still couldn’t comprehend, Ashling was actually a large, thriving city full of guards that wielded iron weapons.

Arianna glanced at her mate. He and Eimear had suffered in the hands of Niall. A seven hundred-year-old male with powers beyond anything she’d ever seen. But his father was far older and as a result, more powerful. He was a male who’d manipulated their entire history and he was willing to tear the land apart to get what he wanted. He’d killed countless innocents.

And he had her sister.

“What now?” she asked the question everyone seemed to be sitting on.

“We organize a team to infiltrate and Gavin will be our guide,” Rion said. She noted the spark in his gaze. An anger she knew all too well.

“I’ll join you,” Talon said. To her surprise, Rion nodded in agreement. The two had been spending a lot of time together since Ruádhan. She hadn’t been privy to their conversations, but their relationship had definitely taken a positive shift.

“As reluctant as I am to do it, I’ll remain here and see to the village’s care.” Avalon turned to Rion. “And I’ll make sure your mother gets back to Nàdair safely. We might have to move her to Levea first, given her condition, but she’ll be well cared for. As will Saoirse.”

“Thank you.” Silence fell over the space as the two males stared at one another. Two who might have been allies had their worlds not been turned upside down.

“I’m going with you.” They all knew she wasn’t speaking to her father.

Avalon sighed. “Arianna, you’re needed here.”

“For what? To tell people how to do things they already know how to do? To play the part of a pretty queen so everyone else can feel better?”

“You’re a symbol to the people. Don’t underestimate that.”

Arianna stood. “Ellie has been gone for three weeks.”

“And there’s nothing you’re going to be able to do that Talon, Rion, and an experienced team won’t be able to accomplish.” She cringed at the word experienced, knowing full well she’d barely scratched the surface of qualifying to move with an organized team.

“I found Rion,” she challenged.

“Because you are mates. The bond led you to him.”

“Ellie is my sister—”

“And she’s my daughter.” Arianna fell silent and watched her father bite his tongue, struggling to control his anger. His voice was softer when he spoke again. “Don’t you think I want to join them as well? Don’t you think I’m worried sick, wondering what that evil bastard is doing to my youngest daughter?” Arianna didn’t respond. “But I’m a High Lord and I know where I’m needed. You’re the queen of this continent and you’re needed here as well. A war isn’t won from a single battle. We need to strategize and prepare for the conflicts to come.”

Again, Arianna didn’t speak. She bit the inside of her cheek, feeling that familiar emotion well up inside her. Trapped. Caged. Useless.

Avalon ran a hand through his hair and it was the most frustration she’d seen in him these last few weeks. Her father’s face had turned haggard and large bags hung beneath his eyes. They weren’t the only ones pushing themselves hard.

“I’m going to speak with the village elders again. I’ll threaten to pull my warriors out if I have to, but we need to relocate everyone to Levea. It’s not safe here anymore.”

“Have there been more attacks?” she asked.

Avalon shook his head. “Don’t worry about it right now. Take the day to yourself. We’ll regroup in the morning.”

No one moved and it took Arianna a moment to realize her father was waiting for her approval. Right. She still wasn’t used to that.

“Okay.”

Avalon nodded once, glared at Gavin, then stormed across the room and let the door click shut behind him.

Silence filled the space. Gavin shifted and she could sense him wanting to speak yet holding back.

“So, when do we leave?” Talon asked.

Arianna’s head shot up. “What?”

Talon shrugged. “You said it yourself, you’re useless here.”

She looked between Talon and Rion, but both males just stared at her.

“What do we tell my father?”

Talon shrugged again. “Don’t tell him anything or leave a note if you prefer. We can pack and leave tonight. Worst-case scenario, we come back empty-handed.”

“Or don’t come back at all,” Gavin added.

All three of them glared at the male and he shrank away. Arianna looked between Talon and Rion again before shaking her head, a smirk creeping to her lips. “And here I thought you were the reasonable one among us.”

“I’ve been reasonable long enough. Besides, I have to take some of the responsibility of mischief maker without Ellie to fill the role.”

“And you,” Arianna addressed her mate, “you’re okay with me going?”

“Have I ever held you back?”

No. No he hadn’t. Because he’d met her in the middle of a war camp when she’d already been fighting for her life. He’d seen her take down seasoned warriors despite her inexperience. And he’d stood with her against Ruadhán.

“Are we going alone?” she asked.

“I’ll gather a unit of my warriors and I’m certain Saoirse will spare a few for the cause.”

“My sister will stay to care for our mother.”

“What about Raevina?”

Talon bristled at the name. “Do you want her to come with us?”

“Do you?”

“She’s strong,” Rion reasoned. “But can she be trusted not to run to your father?”

“I don’t think Raevina is the reasonable type either.” She turned back to Talon. “But if you’d rather not—”

“I’ll ask her tonight.”

Arianna nodded. She wanted to ask more questions, but didn’t quite feel it was her place to do so. Talon would talk when he was ready. Perhaps on their journey to Ashling if Raevina decided not to accompany them, which wasn’t likely.

“Don’t I get a say in this?” Gavin asked.

“No,” they all replied in unison.

“Tonight then?” Arianna clarified, feeling a jolt of excitement spark through her.

“I’ll gather the supplies,” Talon said. “Rion can sneak us out underground and we’ll be long gone before anyone becomes the wiser.”

Arianna glanced at the stack of paperwork she still hadn’t sifted through. “Do you think they’ll be alright?”

“Avalon will manage. If all goes well, we’ll be back with Ellie to help you sort through what you left behind.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

If they all just ended up captured … or worse.

“Then we take Niall and the High Lord down with us,” Rion finished.

#

Arianna continued to work through the paperwork she deemed important. She answered questions regarding the slaves and wrote up an entire paper on how she wished for them to be treated. With her gone, her father would be responsible for keeping their affairs in order. She wasn’t sure if a document would hold much merit, but she hoped the nobles would respect it at least.

Avalon would likely send out teams to search for her, that was almost a given. If they caught up, she supposed she’d give them a choice, to either return to her father with a message. Or join her in their mission and rescue their future High Lady. Arianna already knew which option the warriors of Móirín would choose.

A light breeze shifted papers on the desk and Arianna took the moment to breathe in the fresh air. She kept the window open as much as possible, just to get a little piece of the outside world while she worked.

Arianna could almost feel a growing storm outside, as if the world were charged and ready to shake the very foundations of Alastríona. She wondered if the feeling had something to do with her magic, volatile as it was. Her father regularly had his warriors accompany her outside the village just so she could release it, otherwise it spilled out of its own accord. Even now she could feel it tingling at the edges of her skin, begging for release.

She still didn’t understand why her body wouldn’t just shift. Maybe it was waiting for something. The elders were just as baffled. With everything she’d faced, her body should have given itself over. But no one really knew how her magic worked either, given that the previous Divine had destroyed the knowledge.

Arianna thought back to the statue still seated in the rubble of Ruádhan. Some of the fanatics had flocked to the area, the nobles included, though they’d been more than disturbed to find a statue of someone with Rion’s magic beside it. It made them question everything they’d been taught.

Some of them anyway.

Others were worshiping the gods as they’d not seen in centuries. They were the ones who claimed her as their queen, but they’d also grown aggressive with their teachings going so far as to publicly execute any who spoke out against her.

A war was slowly forming between the rebel factions and the religious zealots.

And that was just one of their current problems.

She’d almost been glad to hear the religious leaders were freeing humans and half-breeds as she’d demanded until she’d also learned that they were beheading those that still owned slaves despite her decree.

Arianna rubbed her temples. “How has everything gotten so out of hand?”

Rion peered up over the document in his hand. “You’re here to reshape the world.”

“I didn’t think that meant it needed to break first.”

“The world has been broken for a long time. You’re just yanking on the jagged edges and people are getting cut.”

“Do you think it’ll all be worth it in the end? The death?”

Rion looked away. “Honestly, I can’t say.” He leafed through another paper, then set it on the desk in a pile they were leaving for her father to deal with.

Raevina burst into the room then, clad from head to toe in battle leathers. Knives were strung across her body in a menacing display.

Those who were her most trusted warriors waited outside. Rion stood to attention, his body shifting slightly to stand before Arianna. She scented his magic trying to form, but knew he held it back for her sake.

“What’s wrong?” Arianna asked. The female rarely sought her out for anything. She usually just sent a messenger.

Raevina had taken on the role as her interrogator and head of security. She made sure regiments followed a strict rotation and that all parties were ready in the event that Niall or all of Pádraigín retaliated.

Raevina held up an envelope and Arianna almost groaned. She was sick of paperwork and couldn’t wait to get out of here. “My father sent word.”

Arianna straightened. Her father. The High Lord of Fiadh.

“Is he sending aid?” Talon asked, marching in right behind her. Arianna wondered if they’d had a chance to talk yet. Maybe he’d been following her, looking for an opportunity before she walked in.

Arianna refocused. Her father had sent word to Alec in Nàdair and the High Lord of Fiadh. Alec had responded immediately, likely because Saoirse was with them. But they hadn’t heard from Fiadh and her father’s council feared he might have sided with Pádraigín.

Raevina slowly shook her head and Arianna’s heart fell. “What does he want then?” she dared to ask.

“Me,” Raevina rolled her eyes, “he says he’s grown impatient with my failures and demands I return to Púróg at once.” Right, because Raevina had been sent to assassinate her. A fact Rion certainly hadn’t forgotten.

“Will you?” Rion asked, his tone a bit more aggressive than Arianna thought necessary. She scented another wave of his magic and her heart rate accelerated.

Raevina scoffed and met her mate’s stare with a sneer of her own. One that Arianna was certain made other Fae retreat. “I serve my queen. I go where she commands.” Her attention returned to Arianna. “He also says he won’t assist in anything involving the false monarch, that his boarders are closed, and lethal force will be used if anyone attempts to cross them.”

“Did he mention anything about the Dark Fae?”

Raevina’s face shifted at that. “We already had issues with the Dark Fae before I came. It’s increased in the last few years, so much so that we can’t even venture to the mountain’s peaks for fear of them picking us off.”

“Do you think they escaped the transports?” Arianna asked. Rion had filled them in on Ellie’s findings about the Dark Fae being moved between the strait that bordered Fiadh’s western coast.

Raevina shrugged. “Now that I know about them, I’d venture to say he likely approved their release to roam the lands. He made it forbidden to kill them.”

“That confirms it then. He’s working with Pádraigín.”

“Is. Was. Hard to say.”

“Either way,” Rion said. “They’re an enemy now.”

“Which means the continent is split right down the middle.”

“We’ve always been the stronger two nations,” Saoirse said, stepping inside, causing Arianna to start. Rion moved closer and wrapped a reassuring hand around her shoulders. Were they all stalking one another today?

“I beg to differ,” Raevina said.

“I’m being objective, not offensive,” Saoirse countered. “We have greater numbers, land, and resources.”

“You don’t know what my father has been cultivating in the shadows.”

Saoirse’s face turned a shade paler. “You have more weavers.”

“More than we’ve ever had in the history of our people.”

“He’s kept them hidden?”

Raevina nodded, her expression almost smug. “My father knows there are spies in his midst. He’s arrogant, but not a fool, much to our disadvantage.” She turned to Arianna. “The attack on Levea wasn’t a onetime deal and had nothing to do with my brother trying to start a revolution. It was a test of Levea’s defenses.”

“A successful test,” Talon said.

“Do you think he’ll strike soon?” Arianna asked. There were still so many refugees on the outskirts of Levea.

Raevina shrugged. “Perhaps. With the fall of the royal city and Avalon away, it would be the perfect opportunity. I’d warrant a guess that my father wants me to lead the attack on the city myself. To test my loyalty.”

“If you don’t return, he might retaliate against this village just to make a point,” Rion said.

Raevina’s face turned grim. “I have no doubt. He’d sooner see me dead than risk my betrayal.”

“Can you send a letter and buy us time?”

She shrugged. “I can try, but the Fae in Fiadh don’t … delay. It’d take me two days to travel back. If I don’t arrive in that time frame, it’s likely that he’ll move.”

Niall, the Dark Fae, the factions, and now Fiadh. “We’re too vulnerable here,” Arianna said.

Rion gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. “You should call another meeting with the elders. They might listen to you this time if you fill them in on the situation.”

Arianna shook her head. “I’ve tried. Even with the threat of the Dark Fae, they refuse to budge.”

“Try again,” Raevina said. “The Dark Fae still seem like a myth to most. An army from Fiadh is a real threat. And I assure you, my father will come.”

“Maybe we should consider sending you back,” Rion said.

Talon’s head snapped toward him, but Arianna replied before her friend could. “He’d punish you, wouldn’t he?”

Raevina grimaced. “It wouldn’t be anything I’ve not faced before and certainly not permanent. But yes, he would.”

Arianna saw Talon’s fist clench at his side, then she shook her head. “I won’t send you back to endure that.” She squared her shoulders. “I’ll speak to the village elders again, see what comes from that first.” Her heart was pounding. She’d thought they would be leaving to find her sister tonight, but if Fiadh was marching on them—

Her father entered next and paused on the threshold. His gaze roamed to her first and the way her arms were crossed with Rion’s hand holding her close. Then it drifted to Talon, then Saoirse, and finally Raevina. She grimaced at what this looked like. A meeting he’d been excluded from.

Avalon maintained his composure and cleared his throat. “We have a problem.”

Arianna sighed. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Her father ignored the comment and unrolled the map in his hands, laying it out across the desk before her, heedless of the important papers beneath.

Everyone moved in to examine the circles drawn across the map. Circles that followed a path traveling south, right toward them.

“Attacks?” Rion asked.

Avalon nodded. “Messengers just arrived a few minutes ago. The villages were destroyed. There’s nothing left.” No one spoke. “The Dark Fae have … organized.”

“What do you mean?” Saoirse asked.

Avalon handed her a document that Arianna could only assume was the reports mentioned. “They’re moving together. As a unit.”

“How is that possible? Wouldn’t they just kill one another?” Raevina said.

“We can worry about the how’s later. If they keep moving at the same speed, they’ll be here tonight.”

“Tonight?” Saoirse said, her face draining of color entirely.

“You’re sure?” Raevina asked.

Avalon nodded again.

“Why haven’t we spotted them before now?” Saoirse asked.

“Because they’re moving at night and any who have come across them has paid the price for it. They don’t leave much behind.”

“But where are they hiding?” Saoirse gestured to the documents in her hands. “Someone would have noticed a horde this size moving across the land.”

“Underground,” Avalon said. “They found caves and claw marks, along with anything the creatures left behind. One of the messengers barely escaped and she’s beside herself.”

Arianna glanced outside to the sun. It was still high noon, but even so, that only left them half a day to prepare. They wouldn’t have enough time to evacuate the citizens and the wooden wall wouldn’t do much to protect them from hordes of monsters.

There were younglings, elderly, and humans who couldn’t defend themselves against such creatures.

“Do your messengers believe Niall is with them?” Rion asked, his voice laced with venom. If the Dark Fae had been organized, then he might have used his magic to—

“No.” Relief flew through her. “My reports say he hasn’t left Ashling.”

“And you believe those reports?” Raevina asked.

“I do.” There was no malice between them, just two leaders sorting through the little information they had.

“This is revenge, isn’t it?” Arianna asked.

“Only the beginning of it,” Avalon answered. They all stared at the circles along the map for a moment, then her father straightened. “Raevina, Talon, Saoirse, organize your forces and get them into position. Arianna,” she startled at the commanding tone in his voice. “Find your half-breed healer and inform her of the situation. Have her get beds prepared in the underground safe houses and have her assistants start preparing bandages and medicine.”

Avalon let the map fold in on itself. “I’ll inform the village head.”

No one argued. They nodded, then filed out, running in different directions to prepare.

This was really happening.

Avalon turned to Rion once they were alone. “See what you can do about delaying them.”

Arianna’s magic stirred beneath her skin as the full weight of what was about to happen settled over her. They were under attack. The Dark Fae were coming. And she wasn’t sure if anyone was truly prepared to face them.