Page 21 of The Shadow Fae Rhapsody (Elven Fantasy Romance #3)

Chapter 20 Svenn

A splitting headache pounds against my skull.

I look at the girl from afar.

Rhianelle is talking to her war commanders. Her voice is pleasant, sweet with a musical lilt to inspire the elves.

I touch my chest where she had stabbed me with the Rhunhraefn’s shadow spear. The witches had inflicted far worse pain on me. It hurts like hell right now because it’s her.

Why are you lining up with her troops like a loyal dog? the voice asks.

I can’t answer that. This is Rhianelle’s battle plan. She wants me to stay with Red and Eyepatch in the support line. All I know is I do not wish to ruin it. I do not wish to hurt her.

She ripped you into pieces last night, it whispers again, full of hate. The feeling is foreign as it courses through my veins. Perhaps she’ll put a leash on you to make you obedient.

Rhianelle has succeeded where the other curse bearers had failed. She has broken my spirit.

Make her pay for her betrayal with blood.

“No!” I bark to the tendrils of darkness coiling around me. The thought of hurting her punches a hole in my gut. I’d rather tear myself apart before I do that.

Raw panic scrapes in my chest when I see Rhianelle running across the field towards me. “Svenn! There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Rhianelle takes my hand into hers with affection and starts praying in reverence, kissing each one of my knuckles. Every uttered word is melodious, like a long-forgotten song.

“Please be safe.”

Her touch is soothing, gentle. I can feel the shadows in me dissipating with every tender stroke.

Such foul pretense. It’s all fucking lies.

You believed Rhianelle was different.

She’s just like the rest of them.

The girl never intended to break your curse.

She kisses my hand again and maggots sprout on my skin. Thousands of them spread like an infestation, some falling to the ground with a thud.

Damn it all to hell.

I jerk my hand out of disgust.

One blink and the squirming worms disappear and I am staring back at a confused Rhianelle.

Eyepatch steps forward, his usual calm demeanor long gone. The knight places a hand on the pommel of his sword, ready to gut me right where I stand.

Well, if it’s a fight he desires, then he won’t have to wait long.

“Don’t worry, Svenn,” she reassures me. “I’ll come back to you. Stay safe.”

I bristle at the promise.

The girl turns around to join the main squadron. I can see the puzzled look on her face right before she leaves.

“The fuck was that?” Red asks with a rankled look on his face. I barely hear him through the chaos in my mind. When he fails to get a response from me, Red moves towards the strong line of foot soldiers marching silently towards the fortress. The support army’s armors and weapons are light and minimal. They are coated with the forest’s dark color to camouflage us among the trees. Stealth and speed are the keys to Rhianelle’s plan. I stalk after them, fighting the pounding headache in my brain.

We’re going to kill every last one of them , the voice promises.

I suppress the damn suggestion to the furthest chasm of my mind. Hurting them, hurts her. I made a vow to Rhianelle.

She broke her end of the bargain last night. It’s only right that you should do the same. The whisperings continue, intruding my mind with visions of the Rhunhraefn’s shadow spear impaling me in the tent. My claws elongate just as the soldiers halt their movements in the woods.

“Wait for the signal,” Eyepatch orders, passing the instruction to the tiers of knights. The command is brief and succinct.All of them begin blending themselves among the leaves and branches.

This will be their graves. Give me their blood, their heads, their hearts. The voice’s command is getting harder to resist. I must comply with its desire for bloodshed or else my brain will implode.

I see something through the heavy fog of pain.

A face.

Anger infiltrates my thoughts and I struggle to bring its features into focus.

Lilith?

This is where you betray her.

Sinister images of Rhianelle’s army crushed and torn apart fill my head. They flicker like the flipping pages of a book, intruding my mind.

Go on. Take your revenge on her.

“Where are you going?” Eyepatch asks sharply, his hawk-like eye darkening. “Stick to the plan. I can’t have a rogue soldier deserting the field.”

Kill him. This one is precious to her. It orders me. Tension thrums through every inch of my body. I can’t get the voice to shut up.

Let me out. I’ll grant you strength beyond anything you’ve ever imagined.

The thrill of power flickers in my vein.

Blistering rage burns through me and I erupt. I give myself to the hatred, my body shifting into my darker form. Through the eyes of one of the worst beasts in me, the owner of the whispering voice finally reveals itself.