by Plum Pascal
My heart beats painfully within the confines of my chest as Baron hands the others their weapons. Dragan summons a blade of pure flame, and even Flumph and Noni gather their crossbows. When Pyre shuffles over to the window, I follow. We pull the curtain aside and watch the tree line for signs of movement. “What do you sense?” I ask.
“At least two hundred Unseelie now. Archers and swordsmen mostly, no spellcasters aside from Cambion and Variant, from what I can tell,” he answers.
“Cambion is with Variant?” I ask, my heart dropping at the thought.
“Appears so,” Pyre answers.
He gives me a look filled with so much weight. He’s worried. I suspect, for once, that the necromancer can’t foresee the outcome of this event.
“Whatever happens, we fight together. We need to make a stand,” he says. He takes a breath and continues. “Letting them take The Veil will be worse than anything they could do to the Realms.”
“We will stand and fight,” I say.
He nods. “We must make sure they don’t gain control.”
My hand rests on his shoulder and he holds my stare for a few more seconds. A small company moves through the trees and into the clearing. I hear the others curse as Cambion appears beside Theren, bound and gagged with enchanted cuffs and a muzzle. He looks like a wounded, feral dog trying to cling to life.
“They’ve taken Cambion as their prisoner,” I whisper, shocked but also pleased to know Cambion didn’t join them, as I’d worried earlier.
But, then my gaze shifts to Theren. On top of his head is short, midnight blue hair, cut in a way that shows off the severe arch of his brows and the fine points of his ears. His skin is tawny, not unlike Cambion’s bronze complexion, looking like the physical manifestation of sunlight. Theren’s eyes are the color of honey and wheat, just like his brother’s, and they glow faintly, as though his soul is reaching out through them. His face features full lips, long lashes, and high cheekbones. He’s nearly as captivating as Pyre, but there’s a cold brutality hidden behind his illuminating gaze.
###
Cambion
The Veil
The pain in my body is eclipsed by the sense of regret I feel when Eilish stares at me from the window of the cottage. Her beautiful blue eyes bore through me with the intensity of a war-hardened fighter. I can’t tell if she’s angry, disappointed, saddened, or a combination of the three, but I don’t see the expression of betrayal in her gaze. I half expect to see hurt there, though I see none. Perhaps Eilish will be willing to hear what I have to say? Because what I have to say is an apology.
I was a fool to think Theren could change. I was a fool to have hoped such would be the case. And I was a fool to have bet on it.
“Is that your angel, Brother?” Theren asks in a strange tone.
Not mine, but an angel, I think in response. Yes.
I can’t speak, for my mouth is bound as well as my hands.
Regardless, my brother doesn’t need an answer. He knows who Eilish is.
“Then you wouldn’t mind if I had my fill of her?” Theren’s voice is teasing now. He licks his lips and watches Eilish through the tinted glass, eyes feasting on the succubus as if he’s never seen anything more delicious.
I understand. There isn’t anything more delicious. And this I know from experience.
There’s something answering in Eilish’s gaze as she takes in the sight of him. I can practically hear her pulse quicken as she watches him, tracing his body with her eyes. I’m almost grateful when Pyre pulls her away.
If she fucks Theren, my fucking brother… I will forever turn my back on her.
Not for the first time since I joined this mission, I wish I weren’t the one looking in from the outside. But I have no one else to blame but myself. I stole from Pyre and betrayed his trust, placed my own needs before those of the group. Even Dragan and Baron, two of the most selfish individuals I know, are changing for the better. And yet, here I am—just outside the line of trees that separates The Veil Forest from the clearing before the cottage.
I should have been here, training Eilish and helping the others plan our next attack; instead, I was in Oronrel trying to reason with my brother. Shame and bitter regret fill me up inside. Dragan moves to the window next, with Baron at his side. The vampire sneers through the glass and they look at me like they’ve already decided I’m guilty of betraying their trust, nevermind the fact that I’m returning with my hands and mouth bound. Nevermind that I’m returning as Theren’s prisoner.
I wish I could lie and say Dragan and Baron are wrong to look at me with so much disgust, but I can’t. I won’t.
“Eilish Inoa Fulthain, daughter of Gildlorthoine, the lost King of the succubae, and Maeline Fulthain, Healing Light of The Angels,” Theren calls out. The mention of her mother’s name causes me to flinch and lower my head. “Come forth, so that we may speak peacefully. My men will not harm you so long as Dragan and Baron stay where they are.”
Good. Theren doesn’t sense Pyre. The necromancer’s signature must be masked by the magic of The Veil.
I don’t want Eilish to walk into the clearing, because I’m suddenly not sure what Theren will do to her. Maybe kill her as soon as she makes it through the door?
He won’t kill her, I tell myself. Not before he fucks her.
And clearly he wants to fuck her. I can see it in his eyes.
Theren lifts his hand and gestures for his men to move into position. Archers take to the trees as swordsmen stand in formation to defend their king. With a snap of his fingers, Theren removes the gag from my mouth.
“They don’t wish to fight you, Theren,” I say for his ears only. “We know someone is controlling you. We can help you break free from that person’s command.” It’s my last chance to try to reason with him. To try to make him see the truth—that he’s merely someone’s puppet. I face him earnestly. “Join us, Brother, and rise with those who resist the crown. Variant may be lost to the darkness, but you don’t have to be.”
“You think I don’t wish to be one with the darkness?” Theren asks, shaking his head as his eyes bore into mine. “I’m Unseelie, Cambion! You can have your forests and your fucking light. I want none of it. What I desire is the throne of the gods. That’s where the true power lies.”
“True power comes from within—”
“Quiet!” he shouts. “Morrigan’s teachings are false. Or have you still not opened your eyes to the truth of her nature? How blind you must be.” Theren shakes his head in disbelief. “You are, aren’t you? I can’t understand how someone so wise and knowledgeable about the ways of the Realms, with a vast comprehension and natural talent for the arcane arts, can be so fucking stupid. Stop trying to think the best of everyone while you make a villain of yourself.”
“Is this where you gift me with your words of wisdom, Theren?” I demand, my voice angry and hurt. “Right before you kill me and… my friends?”
“I told you not to take the oath,” he says quietly. I see something flash in his gaze, something that looks like regret? Whatever it is, it gives me hope that he’s not completely lost, after all. “The words were there, beautiful and full of vision, but they weren’t spoken with truth. Listen to those who show doubt around you, Cambion. Ask yourself the important questions and do away with the rest.”
“And what are the important questions?” I demand. Theren shakes his head once again and falls silent. One of his men comes over to ask about battle strategies, and I try my best to listen in. In doing so, I learn there are soldiers all over the forest, surrounding the cottage. Theren regrets leaving behind the troll, which would have been terrible news for the others. Another small miracle for which I’m grateful.
When my brother finishes with his little strategizing meeting, he turns back to me with a devilish grin. “All of your friends and allies will die if the angel does not respond to my request and soon. I will not speak to anyone else in that cottage, I can smell their incompetence from here. Eilish or no
one. Keep that in mind as we wait.”
“And what of Aima?”
“She won’t be around long. Aima has always run away from her troubles unless they can be solved with a blade or cunning,” he replies.
“That isn’t true. The Aima you know now is merely the person you forced her to become. The Aima I knew long ago would never have come close to a sword.”
“I turned her into a survivor.”
TWENTY-FOUR
Dragan
The Veil
“That bastard!” I storm away from the window and immediately punch a hole into the wall. Pyre grabs my shoulder and spins me around, pressing me against the brick. I see red. My fists fly before I have time to pull my head out of my ass and realize who I’m swinging at. Pyre dodges all my blows and uses a spell to force my muscles to go slack. “Let’s fight and end this!” I say. “Cambion betrayed us. We see that now. No need to hesitate any longer!”
“It isn’t that simple,” Pyre argues.
“Bullshit!”
“I agree with Pyre,” Baron says, predictably.
“Of course you do. The two of you are practically inseparable since we came to The Veil. But this isn’t the time to argue. We need to come up with a plan and attack quickly, before we’re overrun.” I struggle against Pyre’s hold and he releases me from the spell. He repairs the hole in the wall and points to the chair beside the window. I take a seat and try to regain my composure. “You know I’m right.”
“But you aren’t,” Pyre insists.
“Cambion made a mistake, but this isn’t that simple,” Eilish says as she faces me. She juts her chin toward the forest. “He’s bound and held like a prisoner. I don’t think he willingly led them here.”
“None of us knows what happened,” Pyre adds.
I nod and face Dragan again. “We at least owe him the right to explain.”
“He needs to face punishment for his actions,” I demand.
“Do not be so hasty,” Pyre warns. “Theren’s numbers will draw the creatures of The Veil here.”
“What creatures?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Restless spirits, demons, and harpies, to name a few. But we must worry about the dragon most of all.”
“The dragon?” Eilish repeats as her eyes go wide.
Pyre nods. “Wynroth is in his season of slumber, but too many life forces within The Veil will awaken him and—”
“Dragon?” Flumph faints and drops to the floor. Pyre steps over him and shakes his head as he continues explaining the dangers that could happen and are already happening.
Pyre tells us that he senses archers surrounding the cottage. More and more soldiers appear as each moment passes.
Eilish paces in front of the window, appearing unsure of what will happen if she agrees to speak with the Unseelie King. “Would he try to kill me?” she asks.
“Of course,” I start but Pyre stops me and faces Eilish, but he doesn’t say anything.
“I feel... connected to him, somehow,” she says in a soft voice. “I don’t know what it means, but I want to go to him.”
Aima nods. She hasn’t been the same since her sparring session with Eilish and keeps glancing down at her arm or hand. Kolvar looks at them both protectively. I walk over to the decanters in the corner of the room and pour myself a drink as Morrigan limps out of her room.
“There are Unseelie outside,” she says. I snort bitterly and toss the contents of my glass down my throat, allowing the soothing burn to slither its way into my belly to loosen the knots that furled when I first saw Cambion.
The others take the time to explain the situation to the Midnight Queen as I pour another drink. Kolvar takes it from my hand and drinks it in my stead. The satyr seems just as put out about saving Cambion as I am.
“They have us outnumbered,” my companion grumbles. “But we have a necromancer. I don’t care if Cambion loses a few limbs in this fight, so long as the good people in here don’t get hurt.”
“They’ll try to bargain. And Eilish shouldn’t be forced to be the one to negotiate,” I say.
“It ain’t our decision,” Kolvar responds. “Theren’s gonna grow impatient and more violent as we delay the inevitable.” He glances over at Eilish then. “She’ll have to talk, but that don’t mean she’ll have to do it alone.”
“You mean Aima should go with Eilish?” I question him. He nods. “Won’t Aima’s presence further anger Theren?”
“I believe he still harbors a soft spot for her.”
“Are they still together now or not?” I demand.
“They aren’t,” Kolvar answers on a sigh, his voice low. I presume he doesn’t want Aima to overhear him. “No matter how much Aima loves him, they’ve been driftin’ apart for a long time,” he continues as his gaze settles on Eilish. Then he looks at me again. “Aima is like a sister to me. I don’t want her goin’ out there anymore than you want your angel goin’ out there, but it don’t change the fact that that’s what’s gotta happen.”
“And will Theren try to kill Aima if she goes to him?” I ask.
Kolvar shakes his head. “Theren won’t harm her, even if he doesn’t feel the same for her as he once did..”
“I feel like this is a mistake,” I protest as Aima comes to stand beside us. She gives me a warm smile and her eyes twinkle like black marbles in the faint light cast by the hearth. I can see what Cambion fell in love with, but her beauty seems empty in comparison to Eilish’s.
“It’s all right, Dragan,” she says. “We’ll bring this plan up with the others. If they agree, then we can go from there, but we do nothing without consulting the group. Not after all of this.”
The three of us return to the discussion and learn that Pyre is already sensing the spirits from the mountains drawing toward our borders. Eilish looks afraid for the first time in so long, and I remember that she hasn’t had time to test her new skills against anyone who isn’t part of our group. This will prove to be good practice, if it doesn’t kill her. There’s no telling what tricks Theren has cooked up.
And if Cambion told him of our weaknesses, we’re in deep shit. I can’t help but think of the fact that Kolvar and Aima nearly died to keep The Veil secret and to keep our enemies in the dark, with regard to our plans. And fucking Cambion, who spent a much shorter amount of time with his brother, fucking led the bastard right to our door.
I find myself hating him more than I’d ever thought possible.
###
Baron
The Veil
“He knows you,” I hear myself say to Eilish. I walk to the door where I peek through the crack along the frame. Theren’s soldiers move into position as the two brothers continue their bickering. “I think that's why you feel drawn to him and that’s also why he knew your name and lineage.”
“He spoke my full name and knew my parents,” she says as she looks at me in shock.
I nod as I look at Dragan. “I don’t believe Theren will harm her.”
Dragan looks at me and his expression doesn’t change. “You don’t believe he will but you don’t fucking know.”
“Eilish talking to him could buy us some time.” I offer.
Pyre looks to Eilish. “Are you comfortable with this?”
“If Baron is right and Theren knows something about what's happening or who I am, then I need to speak to him. Alone, so that no one else risks getting captured,” she finishes.
“Absolutely not,” I say as I shake my head. “I remember what happened the last time you were left alone with one of our enemies, and I don’t trust Cambion’s judgement where his brother is concerned. You’re going with someone or you aren’t going at all.”
Aima, Dragan, and Kolvar come to stand beside Eilish and Pyre. I keep my eyes trained on the legion of soldiers just outside. Pyre scratches the back of his neck thoughtfully. “What if we let them come? The creatures of The Veil, I mean. Let the spirits and the demons and whatever else come so that we may have a fighting chance?”
“Wouldn’t that put all of us in danger?” I ask. “Not just Theren and his army?”
“Only if we aren’t careful,” Pyre answers. “If we work quickly and come up with a feasible plan, we may be able to scatter their numbers enough to gain the advantage. One person will have to stay here in the cottage to guard Morrigan and the little fae, of course.”
“I’ll do it.”
My eyes flicker over to Dragan with surprise. The gargoyle never misses an opportunity to fight, let alone fight Unseelie. But I don’t question him—not if he’s willing to volunteer for such a position. Eilish taps her chin absentmindedly until Pyre asks what she’s thinking.
“Maybe Aima and I can approach Theren and Cambion, get them to soften a bit towards us. I might be able to use my seductive abilities on Theren if I’m careful not to allow my hunger to overcome my sense of survival.”
“And the rest of us?” Kolvar asks.
I crack my knuckles and yawn as I stretch my arms above my head. It’s been days since I last slept, and I’m feeling the effects. “Kolvar, you and Pyre can wait inside with Dragan while the two women speak with Theren. When the fighting starts, you aid them. I, on the other hand, will be shadow walking and trying to take out as many archers as possible so I can get into a position where I can watch you from a distance.”
“Observe and distract before the creatures of The Veil arrive?” the satyr chortles. “I like that plan, vampire. You would’ve made a fine mercenary had you not saddled up with this lot.”
I run over to the table and pull one of our maps out. “Theren doesn't know the forest as well as we do. We have the advantage of fighting on our own territory.” I draw a few marks on the map. “He'll most likely have sent scouts to find high ground so he can place the archers here, here, and there. We have to assume whatever isn't covered by the archers will be teeming with foot soldiers.”
Dragan comes to stand beside me. He taps his finger on the map and positions himself to block Morrigan's view. “Once the numbers are scattered, Kolvar, Eilish, and Aima should keep the soldiers contained and occupied. Rev… Baron, you and Pyre should hurry to close as many portals in the area as possible to keep anything from getting in or out.”
