Page 23 of The Shadow Fae Rhapsody (Elven Fantasy Romance #3)

Chapter 22 Rhianelle

E verything pauses for a short moment at the bone-chilling roar from that shatters the heaven and the earth. It’s the kind of bellowing that echoes to the deepest bowels of Hel and silenced all its denizen.

I blink. Once. Twice.

It’s Svenn.

The world slowly comes into focus once again as I look at the orc before me. This is not the end. I wake up from my despair and realize I do have a weapon…

I take the dagger from my baldric and angle it towards the orc’s chest. Cursed or not, I will it to obey my demand. With one unfaltering movement, I plunge the blade straight into my opponent’s heart.

Yes, bathe me with blood. The dagger cackles almost giddily. It slides out smoothly from the creature’s flesh, like any other dwarven made weapon.

Light fades from the orc’s eyes and he falls to the ground, unmoving. I don’t get a chance to recover when I feel a hand on my shoulder.

“Come on.” Shade urges me to move on. We keep running until the next holding line. My heart is hammering so violently that all I can hear is its thunderous beat.

“Chase those cowards!” the enemy leader shrieks. They do not give us the chance to recover. Orkan arrows soar above our head.

I underestimated the number of skilled orkan warriors in their ranks. They are all empowered by the Asterdust. We are vastly outnumbered and outmatched. For a heartbeat, I wonder if I have brought these elves to their doom.

“Call in reinforcement!” The leader signals to his brethren on the battlement behind them. The giant impenetrable gate creaks open. Despair brews in my gut once a stream of orcs flows through the gargantuan door.

Somewhere in their frontlines, an Orkan flag-bearer blows an ominous horn taken from an Auroch, akin to the ones the Fae used to summon their Wild Hunt. The high pitch bleating note is cut off when Rainer puts an arrow through his throat.

“Hold the line!” Lord Wesley barks another command to his knights. “More are coming. The second wave is here.”

“Push through!” I hear Rainer screaming through the chaos.

The field has become a blood-drenched mud pit. We keep weathering through the never-ending flow of enemies, swarming us like bees.

A spark of hope flickers when I see the support line manage to intercept the opened gates.

Finally… Thank the gods.

Baiting them to come out is the only way we can breach the fortress. This is what I had planned.

“They tricked us! Fall back!” one of the orcs screams a little too late.

Fear spears through my chest at the thought of my mate facing his enemies, but I have faith in him, just as he believed in me.

Smoke burns my eyes and I’m shaking with exhaustion. The battle rages all around me. I have no idea how everyone is still moving.

I take a deep breath and regret it instantly. The smell of blood and steel drown me. I can’t see a future past the raining arrows, past the sea of orcs surging towards us.

The green field from before is now coated in red and littered with corpses. Defend. Attack. Defend. I don’t let myself think anymore as I swing my blade. I’m merely reacting. I think I almost slip at the brain matter of someone bludgeoned with a club.

This is hell.

I want time to stop. I just want this to end.

Please, dear gods.

I thought I was prepared for war. I didn’t expect for it to be so brutal.

My pulse is thundering in my ear as I scan the battlefield to see how the others are faring.

I see Darstan out of the corner of my eye. His back is pierced with a heavy blade. Blood flows out of his wound in a steady stream and yet he rages towards another mounted orkan commander.

“Darstan!” I scream. Before I can get to him, panicked cries move through the infantry.

“Riders!” a soldier shouts hysterically. “Save yourselves! The Riders are coming!”

Pure horror washes over me at the dire warning. Then I see them in their black robes. Orkan Mages riding on their chimera steed. The world quiets into submission at the thunderous charge of their beastly mount.

Riders from hell.

They are the most revered warriors in Myrkheim for their mastery and skill. The myriad of animals merged to create their sleek feline chimera is the testament to the mages’ vast knowledge of alchemy. Despite their brilliance, they all have fallen for the promise of Asterdust.

In their hands is the Scepter of death. The green glow of the orbs tells me they are ready to set everything ablaze. Friends or foe.

For a moment, I think everyone on the field stops breathing.

“No… please.” I mutter hopelessly. This can’t be happening. Not when we’re so close to winning.Death awaits us in the next few seconds.

I squeeze my eyes shut and the world disappears in a swirl of darkness.

“I need help,” I call to the Un.

It takes an eternity for them to reply.

It’s dawn in Astefar… Everyone is sleeping, they protest.

Their indolence comes at an absolute worst time.

“Please…”

In the darkness behind my eyelids, one of them finally cares enough to answer. I feel a soft hand brushing against mine, tugging me to move forward.

Follow me.

I tread behind her across ponds, swamps, forest, and meadows in Astefar; past creatures mad, sad, terrifying, and forgotten.

Come, hurry.

The invisible spirit means well but I remain wary. She once brought me to Miss Bernadette’s den.

Here we are.

This time the Un has guided me to the worst of their kind.

Not a monster.

A god.

I swallow nervously as I enter his kingdom. No one ventures to this part of Astefar, where even the most resilient of plants are desiccated and shriveled. There is no life.

This is the domain of He who controls the sun.

The Sun God, Helios.

The God is the complete opposite to his twin sister Astraea, the Goddess of Light. Numerous wells, shrines, and temples are dedicated in her name.

While Astraea celebrates the warmth, healing, and life-giving aspect of the sun, her brother embodies destruction and devastation.

In the past, people tried worshipping him by bringing offerings and sacrifices into his home. He awarded them with endless draughts and rains of fire.

I trail along the river of molten flames into his residence deep in the Batara volcanic range. This used to be my favorite hiding spot in Astefar to escape from predators. I would curl into a ball near the foot of the mountain for sleep and refuge.

The God never bothered me. He ignored my existence like he would an insect or a rock. They say deities will manifest in a way our mortal soul can understand.

To me, the Sun God Helios is a tall, broad-shouldered, heavily bearded man. He is a Glassblower and a metalsmith. I sneak silently behind the jars and his crafts. Swords, battle-axes, and spears crafted from various metals and glasses litter the cavern. His death instruments.

I watch him silently as he forges another lethal weapon with his hammer and anvil. I’ve never interacted with him before. But I’ve heard his temper is far worse than Lulu’s or even Jessica’s.

I inch closer to him for a better look.

I see you sneaking behind me, caterpillar.

My tongue feels sour in my mouth as I try to speak to the god.

Let me guess. You are here to borrow my power.

“No, I’m not,” I say, putting as much strength in my voice as I can. “I volunteer to become your instrument.”

He laughs, deep and dark.

Why in hell would I want a caterpillar as an instrument?

My cheeks flush at the question.

Lulu almost killed Svenn the last time I called forth a being from Astefar. It’s too risky for me to summon Helios into this realm in the middle of a battlefield full of people.

But I can let him channel his power through me.

I inch closer towards him, feeling the scorch from the metal-smithing process on my skin. This is the closest I have ever been to the sun god. He ignores me the same way he did when I was a child, like I am nothing but a worm in his path.

“Have you ever beheld twelve strings before?” I dare ask, inhaling a deep breath.

Twelve? Impossible for a mortal.

He has a vaguely amused expression on his face. My heart stutters when he shifts his attention to me.

No, I can’t back down now. I am made of fiercer and better things than this.

I show him my strings.

The god holds my gaze with interest.

Well, how can I refuse such a lovely offer?

Helios snatches the strings—snatches me from the confines of my mortal shell. The world tilts around me and I become his weapon, The Burning.

I return to the battlefield, my body bathes in his inferno. The Orkan mages are about to scorch half of our elven troops to ashes in the next breath. But a single breath is an eternity in the realm of the gods. Helios whistles and I sing to his tune as promised, becoming his bow and arrow.

Unbridled power flows through me as Helios harnesses the strings. I pass through the incoming orkan riders, leaving nothing but ashes and dust in my wake.

I take a small window of opportunity to touch Darstan’s back, cauterizing his bleeding vessels. I feel the burn around my neck when Hellios pulls his leash on me.

You are my weapon now, caterpillar, he bellows sharply. Obey or perish in my hand.

I abide by his ruling. My enemies—his enemies perish one by one as my fire separates them from skin to bones. I am nothing but an instrument to a wicked god, not to be seen, not to be heard.

Everything belongs to the fire, Hellios hums his wicked poetry with savage delight.

“Everything belongs to the fire,” I repeat after him, my voice is a thing of nightmares. The flame blazes through my body and I continue burning for him.

Long shall be their suffering. Let the flame ravage and purge them of their sins, the god commands. The rebel forces rend and fall to the blitz of his wrath. I lost myself in the midst of his boundless rage, as ceaseless and never ending as the sun.

“Please, don’t kill me.” An orc raises his hand in surrender in a moment before I strike.

I remember who I am once again.

“Enough,” I snap at the god. “Return me to my body.”

I think I like you as my instrument, caterpillar.

Fear seizes me over those words. I draw from the endless well of power within me to resist him.

“Let me go,” I demand.

His hold on me tightens to the point of pain. Why should I? You’re my perfect new weapon.

I thrash harder against the god’s cruel grip.

It’s frustrating—wielding so much power within me and yet feeling so utterly and completely powerless.

Being confined in his clutch reminds me of that time I hid in Landon’s dark wardrobe. Except now I’m helplessly trapped in it and forced to watch everything from the narrow slits on the door.

Something strange suddenly happens. The sun god’s eyes widen and his lips part. I can sense the surprise filtering through his mind.

He blinks, stunned and paralyzed. His power and his hold flicker out from me.

Hellios stares at me in disbelief.

What did you do? he asks, wrath darkening his features.

It wasn’t me. I shake my head. I’m stuck in my new form as his shiny new weapon on earth.

A harder invisible blow strikes his face, sending him several steps back. Blood trickles through his nose.

Pain.

The feeling is foreign to a god who has never experienced it in his entire existence. It scares him enough to throw me back into my body.

I awaken with a sharp gasp. Bouts of cough shudder through me. My lungs can’t decide if I have insufficient air or if I need to expel them out.

I find Shade cradling me in his arms.

“What happened?” I ask him.

“You scaring the living fuck out of me, that’s what happened,” he replies.

“Why does my cheek hurts?” I touch the tender, throbbing spot.

“Your hair was burning and there were flames in your eyes… so I slapped you,” he recounts without feeling.

“Oh…”

“You still didn’t wake up and that was when I had to punch you.”

Oh…

He clasps my cheek with his gloved hand, inspecting for damage. “I don’t think I broke any bones, but yeah… sorry about that.”

“Thank you, Shade,” I say, my shoulders sagging with relief. If it weren’t for him, I don’t know what Hellios would have done using my body. The thought alone is terrifying enough to make me shiver.

“Do I even want to know what that was?” The assassin quirks an eyebrow.

I shake my head and he doesn’t press on.

Stars obscure the edges of my vision. I try to sit up, but my head is still throbbing. The consequence of wielding twelve strings is taking its toll on my body.

“It’s fine, lay down,” he assures me, pulling me back to lie on his lap. “Take your time.”

“The battle…” I murmur.

“Your plan worked,” Shade says. “The support line has breached the fortress and they’ll conquer it soon. It’s almost over.”

I make another attempt to get up but fail.

“Don’t overexert yourself. Remember your promise to me,” he reminds me.

I look up to meet his gray, stormy eyes.

Yes…I remember that weird, weird promise. How many days was it now?

He must have seen the question in my eyes.

“There is a place deep in the hive city of Tiamat, a dark place devoid of sunlight or joy where our guild keeps traitors and those accused of sedition…” Shade pauses to take in a tight, strained breath. “My mother has been imprisoned there for over fifty years now.”

I swallow dryly at his confession. “Did she end up there because of my father?”

He nods.

I crumble as my heart split clean in half.

“My mother was a Grimsbane, a master assassin, and she betrayed the guild for him,” he says, fighting to keep his voice steady. “Reinhart promised he would come for her. He never did.”

My father is dead, Shade. He can’t come for her anymore.

I raise my trembling hand to touch the cold, demonic mask on his face.

“We’ll pay the guild and get her back,” I promise him, my voice breaking.

Shade laughs a sad, hollow laugh. “That’s not how we pay the debt in our caste. Don’t worry, I’ll buy her release soon.”

I draw my brows together. “How?”

He stares deep into my eyes. “One hundred completed missions in exchange for her freedom.”

The assassin gazes heavenward for a moment.

“This assignment to protect you and the Silverra is my last one. All I have to do is be a good watchdog for three hundred days,” he says, his eyes gleaming and brilliant like I’ve never seen them before. “I’m almost there. Ninety-one days to finish our debt. Ninety-one days until I see my mother.”

His voice is filled with so much hope and yearning that it makes me want to cry.

Shade misses his mother.

“So, you can’t die until then. Do you understand?” The assassin levels me a hard look.

I nod fervently.

He narrows his eyes at me. “Don’t go turning yourself into a candle or putting yourself in harm’s way.”

“I won’t,” I promise.

My eyes feel shiny and I think I’m crying. I’m just too exhausted and physically hurt to feel anything.

The assassin shakes his head, as if realizing he made a mistake. “Fuck… that was unprofessional.”

“No, Shade. Thank you for telling me that,” I say quickly.

Shade still hasn’t answered how he came to know my father, or how he became a summoner, or who my father was to him. I almost ask the gray-haired assassin, but his last reaction to Reinhart Wiolant’s name makes me reconsider. A battlefield is probably not the best time or place to mention that.

“Did anyone else see what happened to me just now?” I ask instead.

Shade blinks at the question. “Your hair was burning and you wiped out five orkan mages from the face of the earth. Yes, I think people noticed.”

I inhale and bottle my breath. It’s fine… calm down.

Victorious cheers resound from around us and I heave myself upright with Shade’s help. The soldiers are cleaning through the broken enemy lines, picking them up one by one. Everything has worked out as well as I’d hoped. The remaining orcs descend into panic, turning and fleeing towards the trees.

My eyes quickly move to Darstan. Relief shudders through me when I see three Hlaryan elves surrounding my knight. They’re healing the cauterized wound on his back.

I look for my uncle, but I don’t see him or his Grimsbanes. Instead, I see one of the Valorians launching himself on the back of a retreating orc. They’re attacking our enemies who yielded, abandoning all rules of warfare.

“You can’t do that…” I croak through a parched throat. I don’t have the energy and the voice to stop them.

“No more! Stand down!” Wesley steps forward to control our batallion, his armor painted in blood and dirt like the rest of us. Thank the gods he’s here to control the situation.

“Don’t look immediately, but the fae rider is staring at us,” Shade whispers in a low voice. “He’s been watching us this entire time.”

Not us Shade.

Me.

The Shadow Fae is watching me.

He’s assessing Aelfheim’s strength. I don’t know what he will make of what he saw earlier. But Landon is not focusing on me anymore. His gaze is set upon the ashes and smoke erupting from the fortress before us.

A hurricane of shadow is moving along the barricade, swallowing everything in its path.

Pure terror washes over me at the horrific sight.

It’s my Svenn…