Deceptions fall, p.28
Deception's Fall, page 28
part #6 of Call of the Elements Series
Surely they didn’t think they could move the tons of rock and expose the portal, did they? I followed their movement, slicing at Saighdear and dark fae as I went. My breath caught in my throat when the group crawled up onto a wide chunk of broken stone and linked hands. Their lips started moving, and the air shimmered between them.
“No!” I screamed.
Ronquil! The Arcanists are trying to open a portal!
I sprinted towards them, pooling my magic in my core as I gripped my glaive tighter. I didn’t know who they would summon, but I was certain it wouldn’t be allies. If more of the elves intended to fight with us, they’d already be here.
As soon as I was close enough, I pointed my glaive at the group and released my magic. A stream of blue flames shot towards the Arcanists, cutting two of the four in half. The portal between them wavered as an elf in long, flowing robes stepped through it, followed by two more. I cursed myself for not being quick enough. All I’d done was let three more in to replace the two I killed.
I leapt the last few feet between myself and the elves, screaming my murderous intent. Pain bloomed in my head, like someone jammed a hot poker up my nose and scrambled my brain.
Cradling my skull, I fell to the ground. Images of the burning planet Dusha showed us in the warehouse weeks ago flickered through my mind. Thousands of Saighdear and other creatures I’d never seen stretched across a barren plain, fire and molten lava spewing from the rocky crags surrounding them.
The scene jumped to a dark room barely lit by open fires. A tall creature with long, curved horns stood in the front of the room. Red cracks ran along its charcoal skin, flaring as if fire ran in its blood. Shadows drifted across the floor like a thick fog, concealing everything below its knees.
Six elves knelt at its feet. Arcanists receiving their gifts of power from Neobitch if I had to guess. It had to be.
Another surge of pain assaulted my mind, but a strange pressure prevented me from looking away. The horned creature looked over the elves’ heads, and its fiery eyes focused on me. No, not me. I wasn’t there, was I? A long, sharpened claw pointed at me as the demon’s thin lips split into a knowing smile.
You’re next, little goddess. A husky female voice penetrated my mind and sent shivers of fear racing through my body.
Neònach.
She brought me here to this place on purpose. I knew it, could feel it in my gut. She wanted me to see what was coming. Was she also responsible for my last nightmare? I hoped not, but it was a better explanation than me suddenly becoming a Seer.
I will kill you before I let you take my world, I promised.
Her shrill laugh sliced through my brain just before she tossed me out of the vision.
My body collapsed in a torrent of shudders as the vision faded. A pair of strong hands grabbed my shoulders and jerked me off the ground. I lashed out, dragging my claws against armor.
“AJ, stop!”
My eyes snapped open with Mal’s panicked voice. I stopped fighting against him and sucked in a deep breath. Yera stood at his side, blood dripping down her arm and across the bow in her hand. Heidi and Phoebe rushed up behind Yera. Streaks of blood covered their armor, but they didn’t appear to be hurt. Resignation mingling with determination pulled at their lips and created a deep furrow between their eyes. I could see their fear, but they held it back. They rose to the challenge the elementals set before them, even though it might cost them hours of therapy.
Mal released me, and I turned towards the Arcanists’ portal. Four smoldering bodies lay on the rock. Another shiver racked my body, and I fell against Mal. Images of Neobitch’s world flickered through my mind, along with her words. How did she reach my mind? Did the Arcanists have something to do with it? Or maybe it was the Earth’s ley lines beneath my feet. Mal said they were strong here in the Highland Palace. I didn’t have answers, and now wasn’t the time to get them.
I pushed out of Mal’s embrace and turned to my team. “Where are the other Arcanists?”
“Three of them escaped through the portal they created before we could stop them,” Ronquil replied from behind me.
I looked past him at the dwindling battle. Our army now outnumbered the enemy. Very few of the dark fae and Saighdear remained, but they hadn’t quit fighting. Maybe they didn’t know the meaning of surrender. Or maybe they weren’t allowed. My heart ached for the fae who were forced to destroy what was left of the Highland Kingdom.
The vampires, however, had no problems with surrender. The elves and trolls surrounded a small group of shadowy-bloodsuckers. Lodron, Jesenia, Kellen, Ekon, Victor’s enormous wolf, and several humans strolled towards the captives. I thought I recognized Zander, the witch, but it was hard to tell. I yearned to join them, but the appearance of Dylan, Vince, and Blaire stopped me. We were no longer part of our kingdoms. We had no say in what would happen to the vampires.
Lodron glanced my way as he passed, his eyes roaming up and down my body—probably looking for injuries. I noticed a limp he tried to hide and a long tear in his armor, running from his shoulder to his hip.
I’m okay, I reassured him. What about you?
He nodded, then continued on his path to the vampires without a word. I wasn’t sure what to think about his silence or the closed-off expression on his face.
I forced myself to look at the bodies littering the blood-soaked ground. The last of the enemy lay dead or dying. My allies stepped among them, looking for the injured and moving them away from so much death.
A group of fae warriors climbed the broken walls leading to Sabina’s body. I was a little surprised they opted to take her down. The death at our feet was her fault. Not all her fault, but mostly.
My beast slowly faded, leaving behind exhaustion and sorrow. My knees quivered, but I managed to stay upright.
A dragon-sized shadow covered the courtyard—or bailey or whatever. Zane changed to his human form before his feet touched the ground. He hesitated for a moment, looking at Lodron’s group, then mine.
“I’ll take the vampires,” he said, closing the space between us. His obsidian eyes landed on me. “I’ve been denied the meal promised to me.”
The look of hunger in his eyes made me shiver. “You’ll have to coordinate with Lodron,” I croaked.
He nodded and turned to Mal, magic swirling in his black eyes. “I also intend to take care of your traitorous Arcanists.”
“Not all of them are involved.” Mal’s voice quivered, and I wondered if fear of the dragon or anger over his people caused it.
“I’ve tasted their darkness. They cannot hide from me.” Zane spun on his heel and strolled towards Lodron and the vampires.
I curled my fingers into fists, trying to clamp down my unease. My already tense muscles ached from the stress of battle and my mind-meld with Neobitch.
Ronquil cleared his throat. “We need to hear what Stephan has to say before the dragon devours him.”
I glanced up at our leader. His perpetual scowl deepened with his disgust. Phoebe’s sharp intake of breath drew me to the rest of our team. Exhaustion mixed with the sadness on everyone’s faces. Our two mages looked like they would pass out if Dylan hadn’t been standing between them with his arms wrapped around their shoulders.
Ronquil started towards the remaining vampires being contained by the elves, and we fell in line behind him. Lodron’s voice drifted towards us before we reached the group.
“You won’t be returning to Trom Laighe,” Lodron stated. “The only thing guaranteed is your death. Either by our blades or the dragon’s appetite.”
A man with sandy blonde hair and deep-set eyes glared at Lodron, but several of the vampires cowered. There couldn’t be more than twenty of them left.
“We’re not done, Lodron,” the blond sneered.
“Yes you are, Stephan.” The captain took a step closer to the ring of elves surrounding the vampires. “We’ll make sure no more vampires are transported to Trom Laighe.”
“Arrogant fool!” Stephan’s barked laugh sent another round of shivers down my spine. “You cannot close the portal. Thanks to the elves, we will always control the Highland Kingdom.”
Mal flinched at my side, and I grabbed his wrist. He didn’t need to react to the obvious taunt. I half expected him to jerk free, but he didn’t.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
I tilted my head to look up at him. His pale eyebrows overshadowed his gray eyes, and a deep furrow ran between them.
Too bad his fellow soldiers didn’t have someone holding them back. The elves circling the vampires reacted violently and swiftly. The vampires didn’t stand by and let it happen, though. Rather than defend themselves, they ran straight for the destroyed tower. The elves gave chase, overcoming the slowest vampires, who were probably wounded.
In hindsight, the vampires probably should’ve been tied up or something, but the battle had just ended. It wasn’t like we’d really had time. How many of us were carrying handcuffs? Not me.
The ground beneath my feet rumbled, then shook, tossing me on my ass. The crumbling rock around the tower shifted, and a deep foreboding settled in my chest. Another quake shook the ground, and an explosion of rock erupted from the ruined tower.
Dozens of magical shields flared to life, preventing our army from getting crushed by the shower of rock. Blaire reacted first in our little group, and I added my own magic to hers, quickly realizing I was about out of gas. At the worst possible moment.
One of our favorite monsters rose from the wreckage, throwing chunks of stone like missiles with all six hands. Stephan and his small group of vampires raced around the creature and disappeared, escaping the death they’d been promised. Zane would be so pissed.
“Ron, how do we fight this?” I yelled over the sound of rocks still battering our shield. “I have no magic left.”
“We fight without magic,” Mal replied, pushing himself from the broken ground and drawing his sword.
He was right, of course. This time we had several thousand warriors at our backs. I spun around and took in our army. The shifters, still in their animal forms, growled menacingly despite the layers of blood and grit covering their fur. The goblins on the walls reloaded their guns, and the handful of mages with them dropped into a meditative stance. Probably trying to regain some of their own strength.
We were all tired and not trying to fight one of these massive creatures, but it wouldn’t give us a choice.
An aura of energy surged around the mages, and a low chant echoed from the witches. A large group of trolls merged with them and joined the chant. My pendant didn’t zap me, but I didn’t need to understand the words to feel their magic saturating the air.
A bone-chilling roar nearly knocked me back several steps. Fear raced up my spine, mostly because the roar came from behind me. I spun around with the rest of my Dionadair only to find a large dragon.
Zane’s chest glowed with the fire now building in his core. No one had to be told to get the hell out of the way. We scattered like cockroaches, leaving a clear path between the dragon and its target.
I almost felt bad for the six-armed monster tossed out of its comfortable home and into a wall of dragon fire. It screamed in agony for two whole seconds. The heat from Zane’s assault singed my hair and exposed skin despite the distance I’d put between us.
When the fire faded, Zane’s enormous head spun around. His obsidian eyes met mine with a fury that froze me in place. Between steps, he changed from fearsome dragon to deadly human. The look of hate and promise of pain in Zane’s eyes made my skin crawl. He was definitely pissed. I just hoped he didn’t blame me for his lack of snacks.
Mal stepped up beside me, his arm almost touching mine. His closeness reminded me of his promise of friendship and loyalty. He had my back for all it was worth against an angry dragon.
“You owe me blood, little goddess,” Zane growled. “I will deal with your elf problem, but we are not done.”
The temperature dropped drastically, and a blue aura surrounded Zane, obscuring his body before he disappeared.
The breath I’d been holding escaped in a loud hiss, and my knees gave out. Mal lowered me to the cracked earth, and Lodron was at my side a second later.
“The trolls and witches are going to try to close the portal,” Lodron said, tilting my chin up to meet his eyes. “Then we’re going home.”
I latched on to his reassuring gaze. “What about the elves?” I twisted around to find Mal on my other side. “Will Zane only hunt out the Arcanists? Or will he…?”
Mal shook his head. “We aren’t the only ones betrayed by the Arcanists. They made a deal with Zane, which is now breached.” He glanced over my shoulder, I suspected at the Elvin warriors. “He’s vicious and self-serving, but he never breaks an oath. The Arcanists will feel his wrath, but my people will not.”
“Why does he think I still owe him?” I asked, searching Mal’s face for an answer. “I promised not to command him, and he promised to be an ally. That was it.”
“We’ll figure it out later.” Mal stood and looked at Lodron. “Can they close the portal?”
“We’re about to find out,” Lodron replied. He pulled me to my feet and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, giving me the support I needed.
I turned to the portal no longer buried beneath several tons of stone. The only similarity to the one in the Forest of Tears was the red spiderweb etched into the enormous doorway. It stood upright and covered a thirty-foot section of broken stone wall that used to be inside the tower. Zane could’ve flown through it without worrying about bumping his wings, as long as he tucked them against his body.
The air around us continued to pulse with magic as six humans and six trolls circled the doorway, dragging long staves across the stone. The remaining witches continued their chant as they converged on the portal. They completely ignored the charred, smoldering body of the beast Zane roasted.
If I had the energy to waste, I would’ve created a breeze to take away the stench of burning flesh. It did not smell like roasted chicken or steak or anything else edible.
The swirl of magic in the portal pulsed with a heartbeat of its own. Our entire army seemed to hold its breath, waiting for more of the Saighdear to jump out at any moment.
As the magic grew thicker, the hair on the back of my neck raised, and my chest tightened. Everything about it felt off. I didn’t know why, only that it did.
Should we create another shield? I asked, not caring which of my elementals replied. This feels like it could end badly.
It might be quicker to hide behind the walls, Göksu replied. I’m not certain this will work.
“We should head for cover,” I suggested.
Lodron nodded. “I agree.” He stepped away from me and the ground rumbled beneath our feet. “Everyone behind the walls!” he yelled.
No one needed to be told twice. The army moved as one, rushing through the open gates behind us. Everyone except for the human and troll witches still casting their spell, oblivious of the mad rush for cover.
“We need to protect them,” I said, but I didn’t need to.
Blaire, Phoebe, and Heidi were already moving towards the group of witches. I glanced at Ronquil and shrugged. Maybe the tiny bit of magic I had left would be enough. Or maybe I could just be the glue holding everyone else’s shield together.
I noticed several mages break from the group of warriors and head our way. Probably water and earth mages seeing the need to reinforce a shield. We couldn’t let our allies die trying to close the portal.
My fellow Dionadair and a handful of mages linked hands behind the witches, who didn’t seem to notice us. Yera once again gripped my hand on the right, but Mal took Ronquil’s place on my left. The elf and I probably had a lot to talk about after today. His kingdom was a mess, and despite Mal’s reassurances, I worried about Zane’s retribution.
“We cannot interfere with their circle,” Ronquil said. “Let’s build half the shield and close it at the last second.” The ground trembled again. “Quickly!”
I took a deep breath and reached for the magic that should’ve been pooling in my center. A tiny trickle greeted me. Energy raced over my skin from the others, but it was sluggish. I wasn’t the only one low on steam. Channeling Dusha’s magic always drained me. It wasn’t just me this time. All of us felt the effects of using spirit, and the fight afterwards left us with nothing.
Lovely.
You are not alone, my elementals’ voices echoed in my mind.
Yera squeezed my hand, and I looked up at her. She grinned.
“We are not alone,” she repeated.
A surge of magic pulsed through me, then around me. A shimmering shield started from our outstretched arms and grew, reaching out and hovering over the witches. The rocks at my feet bounced with the next quake.
Then, our world exploded.
Chapter 27
I woke to complete silence. Had my elementals taken me to their council with its unnatural…well…unnatural everything? I peeled my eyes open and sighed at the sight of my room at the Dionadair tower. The door on the opposite wall stood open a few inches, revealing a dark hallway beyond.
Waking up from a magic-induced coma was getting really old. Especially when the memories of what caused it came rushing back and made me want to puke. I never wanted to experience another battle again. Ever.
Wishful thinking. You signed up for the battle to protect the fae realm, dumbass.
I tried to stuff the visions of dead eyes staring up at me from pools of blood back into my little box, but they refused to go. The cries of agony and clashing weapons joined the dead, forcing bile into my throat. I choked the bile and my tears back. I couldn’t lose my shit right now. The tower was too quiet. I needed to find out if my fellow Dionadair survived, then I could lose my shit.
“Göksu? Please tell me I’m not the only one here.” My voice grated painfully through my throat. I swallowed the tiny amount of spit pooling on my tongue, but it didn’t help.
