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Hawthorne

The witch and the light bringer were each the half of a powerful whole—the witch’s raw power a question, the light bringer the answer. Without the shared burden of a bond, the power would have corrupted the witch’s mind, making her go insane, as so many others before her. But with her light bringer by her side, she saved the realm from the beasts above.

Unknown Story, Unknown Origin

Screams and moans fill the Valley of Moormyr after the explosion. I push Laurel behind me amidst the chaos, angling our bodies away from the sight of the explosion and wrapping a shield of light around us both. Eyes trained to the opposite side of the valley where people run from, both Laurel and I miss the bomb that detonates right by the dancing area. We’re knocked to the ground, and only my light shield protects us from flying debris. More shrieks pierce my ears as I try to make sense of my surroundings, never taking my hand from Laurel’s.

I light up the meadow with magical orbs to help us see the attackers—and the damage.

Dozens, maybe more, are injured or worse, though water and plant healers have already reached them and are quickly trying to heal those who can be saved. Fionn and Silene slowly make their way toward us through the running and screaming, but their progress is slow. Another explosion shakes the ground, this time from right beside us. Laurel is ripped from me, and the mating bond explodes in fury. I roar, and my light is so bright across the sky it’s blinding. Lightning crackles in the sky above, though I won’t allow it to strike the ground until I know where Laurel is, too afraid I’ll hit her in my heightened emotional state.

My eyes frantically scan the ground around me, and I finally spot Laurel twenty paces away, still lying prone on the ground. With a single step, I’m by her side. Nothing will keep me from her, not the rebels and not the limitations of my magic. I offer my hand, and she grips it tightly as she stands. For a second so quick I almost miss it, she looks up at me with confusion, brows furrowed in deep thinking. But with another round of screams from a smaller explosion, she shutters it away behind a look of pure venom. Laurel is gone, and in her place is The Witch Queen.

We turn together to survey the scene. The valley is in absolute chaos now, and people are panicking as they try to escape, running over one another as they look for a safe route out. Royal Guards have unsheathed their hidden weapons, and some are trying to quell the chaos while others make their way toward their monarch. Around the ring of the festival, shadowed figures appear.

“It must be the rebels,” Laurel whispers, true fear in her voice. “I knew this would happen. We have to protect these people.” Without warning, Laurel jerks her hand out of mine and aersteps away, reappearing in the very center of the valley, her body lit up with an ethereal glow. Something in my chest breaks open at her disappearance, and I break into a run, desperate to be by her side again. “Silence,” Laurel commands with the strongest aether-voice I’ve experienced yet. The valley around us goes completely still as her words ring in my head, and I’m taken to my knees along with everyone around me. “You will not harm the innocent here today. If you’re an air channeler, gather as many with you as your magic will allow and aerstep to safety.”

Slowly, people wink away, but it’s not enough. There are hundreds of Thayarians left, terror written across the faces of those nearest me. Royal Guards who took a first round of citizens out of the valley return for more, but they barely make a dent. We’re far from Arberly, and the magic it takes an average magic user to aerstep that great a distance limits the numbers they can bring alongside them. The shadowy figures that line the perimeter return to their slow march inward, and I can tell they plan to circle us. I order the handful of Royal Guards near me who can’t aerstep to focus on the attackers and spread the word. They hesitate for only a moment, unsure whether to take orders from a foreign prince. I repeat the order, voice allowing no room for argument, and they obey.

Across the meadow, Laurel wars with herself, chewing on her lip in a gesture so subtle I’m the only person who would recognize it. But I’ve studied her face closely for months. I know she’s trying to determine what the right strategy is, running through endless possibilities in that brilliant mind of hers. Once again, with barely a thought, I’m by her side, wrapping her hand in mine. Her eyes widen in surprise, but she shuts it down to focus on the attack.

“Get Fionn and Silene,” I tell her, and she nods. They appear at our side, windswept but otherwise okay. “If the four of us go after the rebels and try to lure them into a fight away from here, the Royal Guards can use the distraction to get everyone to safety.” My voice is strong and confident. Laurel looks like she wants to protest, but I cut her off. “Even if they aren’t here for you, they won’t be able to resist the opportunity to attack you if you engage them in a fight, especially the strongest magic users. Some of the combat fighters might stay, but your guards can take them.”

Silene nods her agreement. “It’s a good plan. We’ll lure away as many as we can and then take them on in a fight once we’re isolated enough that there won’t be casualties.” Laurel’s face hardens.

“No, the three of you should stay here to help the Royal Guard. I’ll lure the rebels away alone. I won’t put you three in unnecessary risk. I can take them alone.” Her words are clipped, like she doesn’t even want to take the time to utter them in her impatience to release her fury on the rebels attacking. But the thought of her going after them alone makes my heart race. This is different from the throne room attack where we used her as bait. That was a controlled environment. We have no idea how many of them there are, how many might wait in the shadows to come after us as soon as we turn our backs.

“Laurel, other than you, Fionn and I are the next two strongest fae alive . Silene is as skilled a fighter as Fionn. We’ll be okay. You don’t have to do this alone. We’re stronger together.” I keep the pleading from my words, trying to sound like the equal partner she deserves her mate to be.

She hesitates, uncertainty and the desire to do everything herself as clear to me as the mating bond. Her eyes flash to Silene, who resents Laurel’s protection. Silene has spent her life training, trying to compensate for her less than average magic. She won’t be left behind, but Silene can tell Laurel that herself.

“I’ll be fine,” Silene says firmly. “Plus, I have a small amount of thayar concentrate left.” She pulls a vial strung on a leather cord around her neck from under her shirt. “It’s a small amount, but enough to give me a few hours of a boost.”

Finally, Laurel nods, and Silene downs the small bit of elixir. Explosions and the sounds of hand-to-hand fighting continue to ring out around us as we strategize our attack. Thankfully, my order to the Royal Guards seems to have made the rounds, because they’ve set up their own perimeter around the valley, fighting the rebels that continue to advance inward.

“Look over there,” Fionn says, nodding his head toward a stream entering the valley from a canyon carved into the mountain. Dozens of rebels gather there while their lower ranks continue the assault on the valley proper. Laurel nods, staring into each of our eyes for a brief moment before taking my hand and aerstepping all four of us to a shadowy crevice near them.

Fionn takes control of the tactical operation. As he makes quick hand gestures to signal the plan, Laurel only nods, shockingly letting him become the de facto leader. If we weren’t in a life-threatening situation, I’d smirk. With a count of three, Fionn and Laurel step from the shadows and instantly disarm the dozens of rebels around us, dropping their weapons at our feet. Silene and I stroll out and we all arm ourselves, though Laurel and I only take one blade each, reserving our other hand for light weapons.

The rebels stand their ground, attacking us with magic. It causes enough commotion that dozens more rebels abandon their posts around the perimeter of the valley and run to help the group assaulting us. Our plan is working . Laurel and I trade off shielding our small group to conserve our strength, and together the four of us advance. Our shields are impenetrable. Not a single plant, drop of water, gust of wind, or dagger reaches us. The onslaught grows, nearly three quarters of the attacking rebel force now gathered before us to take us out. I scan their faces, looking for Krantz, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Coward .

“Forward ten steps,” Fionn commands, his voice strong yet not loud. We follow his instructions, advancing as a unit as he counts out the steps we’ve taken. It puts us in a perfect position for Laurel to use the plants that grow along the stream to bind the rebels closest to it. At the same time, Fionn sends a slew of weapons from the pile he and Laurel created hurling into the group of attackers. They break their formation to dodge the onslaught, and Fionn’s face breaks out in a satisfied grin. “Another ten steps,” he orders, and again we advance.

As we make our way into the heart of their formation, shouts ring out, and the rebels abandon their attack and run. We give chase, following them up the canyon, keeping as close to the stream as we can. I hurl daggers of light toward them as we pursue, Laurel and Fionn doing the same with their respective magic. When several of them trip, I know Laurel has used her plant channeling to drop them, even while maintaining a shield and weapons made of water and light. Despite her endless well of power, if she tries to keep up using this much aether for what could be an hours-long fight, she’ll burn out. I put up my own shield, yelling at her to drop hers and conserve her strength.

Silene quickly dispenses of the rebels who fell, slicing their throats with brutal efficiency. Despite our quick scrambling, we lose sight of the rest of their contingent and are forced to stop to regroup in a small clearing of trees.

“They’re gone. Let’s cut our losses and get the people back there to safety. We did what we set out to do by forcing them to run,” I say, but Laurel growls in frustration.

“We need to find them and take them out!” she hisses through gritted teeth.

I’m about to reassure her we’ll search for them tomorrow, when arrows fly toward us. One catches me deep in the thigh, but I barely feel it as I race to cover Laurel with my body. I’m struck in the shoulder and in my lower back before Laurel’s magic wipes out the arrows still flying and the archers with one blood-curdling shriek. I grunt in pain before standing and helping Laurel up.

Fionn and Silene have both also been struck, though the arrows seem to have only skimmed across their flesh. Laurel’s okay, and that releases some of the tension coursing through my veins. I rip out the three arrows, hissing in pain and realizing the actual tips remain inside my flesh, then stalk toward Fionn to heal him. When I hold my hand against the wound on his outer arm, I can’t feel the magic rise to my call. I realize my access to the aether has diminished. I try to conjure light, but it sputters.

“Iron arrows,” Fionn hisses before walking away to survey Silene’s injured arm.

Laurel growls behind me, the sound animalistic and so unlike her, and I turn to see a group of fae led by none other than Krantz advancing toward us with weapons and magic. Laurel aersteps to my side, bringing Silene and Fionn to us in the same movement. Her eyes rove over the wounds on my shoulder and thigh, and she bares her teeth, a low hiss coming from deep in her throat. Her eyes are pure black, filled with a feral rage, and I understand. Had our roles been reversed, and she was the one losing blood right now, I’d be lost in the primal urge of the mating bond.

As Krantz and his group of dozens of fae surround us, Laurel replaces my light shield with her own. It’s so thick it lights up the entire canyon around us, as if it’s daytime. Weapons and magic slam into it, but it doesn’t budge. She tries to heal the wound on my shoulder, but it won’t work until the iron barb has been removed. She roars out in frustration, completely lost to the fury incited by an injured mate.

“I’m okay,” I soothe, trying to break through the animal-like rage that’s consumed her. “Let’s aerstep away and focus on helping the valley.” She makes a low gravelly noise and only shakes her head.

“Krantz,” she growls, and I know we won’t be able to convince her to leave when she has the opportunity to take him out.

“I’ve got him, queenie,” Fionn says, wrapping his good shoulder around mine to support my sagging weight. Laurel hisses when he touches me and conjures a dagger made of ice that she presses against his throat. There’s nothing in her eyes but a beast. Fionn falters for only a moment, and I give him credit for staying firmly by my side despite the lethal look she gives him. He’s come a long way since we arrived in Thayaria. I take her hands in mine, stroking soft circles over her thumbs.

“I’m okay, witchling. Fionn is my friend. He won’t hurt me. Turn that sexy rage the other way.” I give her a wink and a half smile, trying to use the irreverent and cheeky tone I know she loves so much to break through the mating bond. Her eyes lose some of their blown-out inkiness, and a small sliver of green rings them. She slowly backs away, keeping her eyes locked on mine as she crosses to the other side of the thick shield she keeps up around Silene, Fionn, and me. As soon as she’s outside of it, water and wind join the swirling mass of light that protects us.

She turns back to the rebels, thankfully at the exact right moment to see weapons hurtling her way. They wink out of existence, and she stalks toward them, a predator caging her prey. Lightning cracks down from the sky in an astonishing display I’ve never seen her manage, branching out in all directions. Right before it strikes, the small group of rebels disappear, reappearing ten feet away. Krantz laughs coldly.

“Impressive, Witch,” he says with a hiss. “But I told you I had secrets of my own. You didn’t expect a powerful dual channeler from amongst your commoners , did you?” Laurel is completely still, eyes narrowed on Krantz in a rapacious stare.

“I’m going to kill you,” she spits with the icy rage of the Witch Queen of legend. Krantz only sneers.

“I’ve heard that before, and yet here I still stand.” He brings his arms wide, cocky smirk on his face. “I see Prince Hawthorne was never on our side. Can’t say I’m surprised. But you wound me, Your Highness.” Krantz places his hand over his heart in mock offense. I only bare my teeth at him, though even the small movement makes my vision swim from the pain.

Laurel shoots light daggers at his chest, but he evades them by aerstepping away and using his own sword to block, leaving his people behind to be struck with her magic. Several of them drop to the ground with grunts of pain. With a growl, Laurel creates a massive cyclone of air that she sends spinning toward Krantz and his group, but he uses his own air magic power to smother it. With a whistle from Krantz, dozens more rebels surround us on all sides, emerging from deep within the forest. This was a trap, and we fell right into it, surrounded now by at least a hundred fighters. Fionn grunts next to me, the same realization dawning on him.

“Go. Help her, please,” I beg him. Despite losing his magic from the iron-tipped arrow that skimmed his shoulder, Fionn is still a formidable warrior, and the wound is shallow enough that he can still fight with full physical strength. I won’t leave Laurel defenseless, and while I’ll fight until I drop, I can feel my body losing its battle with the iron coursing through my veins. Fionn releases me and I stagger but remain upright. He crosses the thick shield and runs stealthily into the copse of trees surrounding us, swords in both fists.

Without his support, the pain from the gash in my leg nearly overwhelms me. My eyes water and a wave of nausea makes me sway on my feet. I’m about to drop, but Silene scoops her shoulder under mine, supporting my weight despite her small frame. I try not to place all my weight on her, but a shooting pain down my leg forces me to slump. I take a deep breath, wanting desperately to pull myself together to help Laurel.

Grunts from the shadows sound out, and I know Fionn has started his covert campaign. The noises embolden Laurel, and lightning strikes again at the same time that she launches herself forward into Krantz, light sword in one hand and a steel blade in the other. They fight in close combat, a whirl of blades and magic flashing with light as Laurel’s lightning strikes around them. I wince every time a bolt hits the ground, worried she’ll lose track of the magic and zap herself. But my fear is unwarranted, for Laurel fights as well as any Andomer light channeler who’s been training for centuries. She moves through her forms with expert precision, shielding one moment and parrying with a light sword the next, all while maintaining the shield around Silene and me. Pride radiates through my chest even as I clench my hands in fear for her.

But Krantz is a strong fighter as well, and he uses Laurel’s rage against her. It’s obvious to an observer that he’s slowly edging her toward a group of rebels. Silene’s gasp tells me she notices it too.

“Laurel!” Silene screams, but Laurel is too far gone in her fury to hear her. Krantz’s strategy is successful, and now at least ten rebels surround Laurel, and she has to fight off their magic in addition to Krantz’s. The shield around Silene and me drops, and I sag in relief that she’s got her focus entirely on protecting herself.

With the shield down and our attention firmly on Laurel, vines creep from the forest beyond and slowly wrap their way around our legs, pinning Silene and me in place. There’s a plant channeler hidden away somewhere that Fionn hasn’t taken out yet. A sprig of ivy squeezes my wound, and my body shakes involuntarily with the pain. I’m feverish now, the iron arrows still lodged in my wounds leeching away my aether-force. I moan in pain, and slump farther onto Silene, who lets out her own grunt. Fionn notices from the other side of the clearing and runs in our direction, striking down every rebel who stands in his way.

When he reaches us, he slices through the vines holding us and lifts me off Silene, who looks like she’s about to collapse. Her hand goes to her stomach, where crimson blood has soaked through her tunic in a deep arrow wound I didn’t initially see. She’s as injured as I am.

“Silene,” I cry, but she waves me off.

“I’ll be okay. Go help Laurel, Fionn. Krantz is baiting her,” she commands, no room for argument in her voice. Fionn hesitates, eyes unsure as he looks between Silene, Laurel, and me. But it’s moot, because before he can act, we’re circled by rebels who have been aerstepped by Krantz to surround us. Iron-dipped swords point at our hearts. From across the clearing, Krantz laughs again before he aersteps to stand right in front of me, leaving Laurel swinging her sword at empty air.

She spins around and screams, eyes narrowed in a feral gleam. Her hair is matted with sweat, and blood has turned her pink sundress deep red. There are scratches across her arms and chest, but her blood has not been drawn. If it had, I would know. More rebels appear from out of nowhere to surround Laurel, engaging her in a furious hand-to-hand battle, making it impossible for her to aerstep to us.

“Not so cool and collected when your mate is at risk, are you?” Krantz sneers as he looks over his shoulder at her, and my stomach drops out of my body. How does he know?

I see the same question written across Laurel’s expression for a moment before it fades behind a wild gleam. With a roar, she reaches out her fist and clenches it, and the six fae surrounding her drop dead where they stand. She’s winked out their aether-force, and Krantz doesn’t look surprised in the least.

I take stock of my surroundings, trying to figure out how to get us out of this mess. The rebels have separated me from Fionn and Silene, who now stand huddled together with no less than six iron-dipped swords pointed at them. I can’t see the number of fae behind me, but there are at least four in front besides Krantz. Without Fionn’s or Silene’s support, my entire body throbs with pain, and I can feel the sweat leaking down my face and back as I try to bear the convulsions now wracking my body. I shift my weight to stand on the other leg, but it doesn’t help. Instead of giving into the tempting bliss of unconsciousness, I keep my eyes locked on Laurel forty paces away from me, where she continues to fight off three and four attackers at a time, chest rising and falling with her heavy panting. She’s powerful, but even she cannot keep this up alone, especially not while she’s in a blinding rage and hurling whatever magic she can at her assailants.

Another wave of pure agony washes over me, and I lose my battle to stay upright, dropping to the ground. Krantz uses the slip to advance toward me, and that’s a mistake. I watch as all reason leaves Laurel’s eyes and the only thing that remains is a terrifyingly powerful female whose mate is threatened. With an unholy snarl from Laurel, Krantz and everyone around him freeze, unable to move. Laurel’s magic . She’s stopped the aether from coursing through them, rendering them completely immobile. Fionn’s and Silene’s eyes go wide, unaware of the true depth and nature of her power. But I know, and I also know how much she fears the impact using this much aether will have on the magic of Thayaria. It’s a testament to how lost in the mating bond she is that she’s willing to risk exposure and her kingdom’s magical stability.

She aersteps to me and drops to my side, taking my hand in hers as she helps me stand, eyes completely black with rage once again. She scans every inch of my body, taking in each wound and the scent of my blood. With a deep inhale, her eyes blow out further, and she hisses.

“It’s okay,” I murmur. “Let’s get Fionn and Silene and get out of here.” My words ease the edge of her wrath, bringing a semblance of logic back to her. She nods, thank the aether, and I feel the tingle of magic along my spine that tells me we’re about to aerstep.

Suddenly, Krantz breaks through Laurel’s hold. It’s impossible, and yet, he seems as sure of himself as ever. Laurel freezes, but only for a moment before she’s up again and stalking toward him. She smirks at Krantz, but then her face falls. True fear enters her eyes, and I don’t understand what’s happening, but I can’t focus with the waves of pain that continue to wash over me. I drop to the ground once more, vision blurring. I catch a look of pure glee on Krantz’s face as Laurel backs slowly away from him. His eyes make a quick calculation, darting around the glade, and before either of us can react, every fae surrounding us has disappeared, Silene and Fionn included. I vaguely hear Laurel’s cries of desperation and rancor before I lose consciousness, the pain from the wound finally overtaking me.