by K. M. Shea
“What if we capture them and they don’t surrender? Presumably they’ll be executed, but what about the rest of their troops?”
“In fae Courts, the ruler’s orders are absolute,” Killian said. “But once that ruler is no longer alive or in power, the fae are no longer obligated to follow those orders.”
Momoko chewed on her lip. “So the fighting will stop once we take out those two rats?” She spoke quietly, and probably only meant for us wizards to hear.
But vampire hearing was a thing, so Killian said, “Yes. If we provide a proper motivation, they will definitely give up. Fae are selfish things. They have no desire to die for monarchs who are no longer around to protect them.”
Manjeet raised his hand. “Then I imagine we will need a specific strategy to capture Queen Nyte and Consort Ira, given that they will probably spend the bulk of their resources protecting themselves.”
“Exactly. I haven’t settled on a strategy quite yet,” Killian said. “But I do believe it will involve intermingling wizard and vampire forces. Wizards are capable of shielding fae magic and in some cases breaking it, while vampire troops are more skilled at whatever offensive strikes we decide to go with.” Killian glanced at me, which I knew was my cue.
I stood and joined Killian by the smart board. “That’s why we’ll be holding daily joint practices,” I announced. “Allowing us to grow familiar with the process of fighting together.”
“Our strategy will shape and take form as we discover how we best move together,” Killian said.
I hesitated, then added, “Although I personally would like us to experiment and try new things.”
All eyes in the room shifted to me. It was a little intimidating, mostly because I didn’t know what I was talking about and was going entirely based off what Leila and the Paragon had said. “After speaking to several fae, it seems the way to best minimize bloodshed would be to catch the Night Court off guard—as we wizards did at the Curia Cloisters.”
A vampire I recognized but didn’t know by name raised his hand. “Wouldn’t it be easier to overwhelm them with our combined forces? With wizards shielding, we vampires will have an easier go of it.”
“It’s probably the most solid strategy,” I agreed. “But if we can surprise them and catch them in a way they didn’t expect, they should be easier to handle. Fae are prideful and deeply believe in their own intellect. Surprising them would ideally make their forces crumble.”
There were several long moments of silence—I hadn’t even mentioned this idea to Killian.
“A strike team might be a good base design to work with.” Celestina tapped her fingers on the leg of her chair as she thought. “If we could get a well matched team they could cut through the Night Court army, straight to the queen and consort.”
“We could try match-making wizards and vampires together to find the best pairs to make up the team,” Franco suggested.
Josh unsheathed a dagger and studied the edge. “An intriguing idea.”
“Killian or I would need to be with the strike team,” I said.
“Why?” Felix asked.
“Because if the queen and consort surrender, we’ll need to be there to make it official and to give them the terms of surrender.”
Rupert shrugged. “Is that really necessary?” he asked. “Given they hate the Drake Family enough to break Cloister law and bring the wrath of all supernaturals down on their heads, they’re not going to give up.”
“I don’t care,” I said. “We have to give them the option of peace, first.”
There were a few eye rolls, but my people seemed a little relieved.
“We’ll create articles of surrender,” Killian said. “But there are some hard stipulations we’ll include—like requiring that they step down from their positions in the Night Court.” He smiled widely, flashing his fangs. “I will not allow them to surrender, simply so they can rebuild their forces and try again.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right.” I exhaled deeply and pushed some of my blond hair out of my face. “They’ve proven they have no honor, so we should expect they will try a stunt like that.”
“Celestina will research the various places where we can hold the battle and will test which one will be most advantageous for us,” Killian said. “We will continue to hold strategy meetings, but our main focus will be training and practicing together.”
“So let’s get to it!” I grinned. “Who wants to blow stuff up?”
The House Medeis wizards cheered, and more than a few vampires looked pretty pumped at the idea.
The meeting broke up as everyone stood.
I watched Gavino make a break over to the wizards, dragging Julianne, Manjeet, and Tasha with him.
Mr. Baree offered them a smile and his hand, pumping each vampire’s arm with great enthusiasm.
Great Aunt Marraine wriggled her eyebrows and playfully elbowed Gavino, making the pale vampire laugh.
“You’ll oversee the training today?” Killian asked.
I slightly shook my head and shuffled around to face him. “Yeah, Celestina and I came up with a list of things they should do. I already have a few groupings of who I think might work well with who, so I’ll be playing around with that today.” I pulled my smartphone from the pocket of my black jacket and waggled it. “Since we have more vampires than wizards, I think in most cases I’ll assign two or three vampires to a wizard.”
“There will be some exceptions?” Killian asked.
“I’m figuring that will be part of our surprise strike team, but I’ll have to wait for us to come up with an official strategy before I really settle on who works with who.” I groaned and rubbed my face. “I can’t believe we only have a week to pull this all together.”
“We’ll make it.” Killian slipped a finger under my chin and tilted my head up so I looked at him. “And we’ll protect your people.”
I smirked. “Actually, I think it’s the other way around. We’ll protect you! We’re the ones with shields, anyway.”
A hint of a grin tugged at his lips. “I stand corrected. But you really think a surprise strike will work best?”
“After what the Paragon told us, yeah. I had a conversation with Leila, too. You know she’s part fae?”
Up went his eyebrows. “Do you really think I wouldn’t vet my neighbors? Hazel, I am hurt.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. She told me that because the fae will believe they are smarter, the fastest and easiest way to beat them would be to surprise them in a way they wouldn’t expect, or with something they believe can’t be changed.” I hesitated, then added, “She doesn’t seem overly fond of fae, and I don’t think she’s lying.”
“She’s not.” Killian rubbed his chin as he thought. “It is in their psyche to think they are the most devious supernaturals. A surprise attack would shock them. But I don’t know how we could surprise them more given that they already know about House Medeis’s awakened power, and that wizards and vampires make excellent teams.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “That is a problem.” I sighed and picked at my cellphone case.
“We’re going to keep our private practice session in two days,” Killian said.
I peered up at him. “Are you sure about that? It doesn’t seem like the best use of our time given what’s going on.”
“It’s now more important than ever,” Killian said.
“Okay.” I shrugged. “If you say so. I’ll drop by after this first training session to let you know what I think.”
“Excellent. And allow me to lodge a suggestion?” Killian’s eyes had returned to a shiny shade of obsidian cracked through with red, and his smile was too open.
He looked innocent, which instantly put me on my guard. “What?”
“If you truly wish to surprise the Night Court, perhaps it is best to test your various limits. If you agree, I’m sure I could arrange some surprise experiments—for science, of course.”
I scowled. “You just want anot
her excuse to throw me off the roof! Although I expect it will be something different, this time.”
“It would be,” he shamelessly agreed. “Or it wouldn’t be nearly as fun.”
“My answer is NO.”
“I can guarantee there would be a significant moral boost among the Drake Family.”
“Still no!”
Chapter Twenty-One
Hazel
I was facing Killian down during our practice match with my shield raised between us. He tried to ram it, but it held steady—not even flickering. (That was an improvement.)
I jabbed a finger at Killian, and thick ice formed around his feet.
He crouched and jumped free, but I figured he would, so I pelted him with fist-sized chunks of hail. For once I was keeping up with him. (Yet another improvement!)
I blinked, and in that time Killian slipped out of the hail zone, charged around my shield, and stopped at my side.
I pulled in more magic, trying to create an electric charge that would travel up and down my body, but Killian grabbed me, flipped me over his shoulder, and firmly set me on the matted floor with just enough force to make me cough, but not knock the air from my lungs. (Despite being able to breathe, this was not an improvement.)
He lounged casually next to me, his hand loosely holding my throat.
I still wasn’t able to override my instincts with Killian when he had his fangs out, eyes red, and a general glee of bloodlust emanating from him. So I flinched, my whole body cringing.
He was back on his feet in a flash, not even looking winded or at all mussed. The jerk. Though he looked uncomfortable like he always did whenever I cringed. “Surrender?” he asked.
“Obviously!” I snarled.
He chuckled a little, his expression relaxing.
I groaned and peeled myself off the ground. “I am never going to beat you.”
“One day you might grow up big and strong.” He took my hand and popped me to my feet. “Is anything injured?”
“Nah. You’re always careful.” I rolled my stiff neck and groaned again.
Killian tossed me a black water bottle. “I try, but you’re getting better.”
I scoffed. “Yeah right. What does that mean—I’m about half way to keeping you on your toes?” I grumbled to myself before I took a swig of water, successfully tilting the bottle too far so water dribbled down my chin and splattered my shirt.
Killian wiped his hands off on his exercise pants. “Your reaction time has sped up quite a bit, and you’re figuring out what kind of magic most hinders me.”
I gloomily set my water bottle down. “You still finish me off in seconds.”
“Perhaps, but—as we have said before—I have years of experience.”
I closed my water bottle and set it down with an aggravated thump. “I know, I know. That’s why trying to beat you is like trying to strategize how to surprise the fae.”
“Ahh, yes, I wanted to speak to you about the Night Court.” Killian watched as I frowned at the water spots on my shirt. “You seem very insistent that we offer peace. Will you be alright if we have to kill Nyte and Ira in the end?”
“Yeah. I won’t like it, but they essentially chose this.” I frowned and stretched out my arms. “I want to offer them mercy, though, because I don’t want to be like them. If they don’t choose it, that’s their choice. It was the same with Mason and Solene.”
“What do you mean?”
“I offered both of them the chance to stand down and surrender. Solene wouldn’t, and Mason did and then tried to kill me when my back was turned, making his choice pretty obvious. I had to kill them both. I didn’t enjoy it—I won’t ever enjoy it—but they had made their decision.”
Killian nodded. “That’s about what I expected from you. Given your moral code, you want to offer everyone mercy and forgiveness, but you won’t tolerate it if they don’t choose it.”
“I guess,” I slowly said.
“Next round,” Killian said.
I scrambled to throw my shield up—whenever he cued the next match what he really meant was that it started two seconds before.
My shield flickered to life as Killian sprang at me, a blur I could barely track.
I swung my shield around to protect my back and created a cage of lightning around me.
Unfortunately, Killian was too fast and made it in before the lightning snapped into place. He hooked a foot behind my knees and pulled my legs out from underneath me, making me topple.
On my way down I released an inferno of blue fire, which heated the air and made me sweaty, but didn’t harm me at all given it was my own magic.
Killian scooped me up and pushed me in front of him, shoving me into my own shield—which gave way, giving him the opening he needed to get out of the magic-flooded space.
Before I could mentally select a new strategy, he had me on the ground, a knee pinning my shoulder down.
I cringed, immediately making Killian back up even as his eyes glowed red. “Surrender?” he asked.
“Yes.” I sighed and stayed spread eagled on the ground as my magic faded away.
Killian’s shirt smoldered, and for once his skin had a little more color to it than usual—probably because I’d nearly barbequed him. Otherwise he appeared untouched.
It wasn’t fair! I’d even made a lightning roof on my cage because he could have easily jumped in!
“Hazel?” Concern lined Killian’s forehead as he crouched next to me.
“I’m fine.” I forced myself to stand and tried to shake the frustration off.
I wasn’t a bratty kid. I didn’t need to win. But I wanted improvement—or some sign I wasn’t going to be such a greenhorn in battle when I had my entire House following me.
But every fight with Killian followed a predictable pattern.
Fight, subdue, flinch, back-pedal, done. Again, and again, and again.
I needed to do something different, but what?
Leila’s words about the fae floated through my mind.
You need to take something that they believe with every ounce of their being, and twist it on them.
Couldn’t I use the same strategy against Killian? But what did he believe and take for granted? He had been the one that was insistent I had more magic, and that it could be used in unusual ways modern wizards never thought of.
“Do you need another break?” Killian asked.
“No.” I sighed and rubbed my right wrist. “That last match was so fast I didn’t expel much magic. I’m good.”
Killian looked me over from head to toe—and not in a checking-me-out way, more like he thought I was enough of an idiot that I wouldn’t notice if I was hurt. Or, more probable, he was worried he had overdone it. He seemed convinced I was terrified of him whenever we fought—wait.
That’s it. That’s something he absolutely believes. And while he does freak me out a bit, he seems to think I see him as a monster, which isn’t true at all. But how do I use that…
“Okay then.” Killian retreated back across the mats. “Let’s go.”
I powered up my shield, grabbed my chisa katana from where I’d left it on the side after a previous fight, and prepared for the usual—fight, subdue, flinch, back-pedal. And that’s when I realized how I could get him.
Killian came at me again, his eyes glowing red and his predator smile on his face.
My heart sped up, but not from fear.
I shot off bolts of lightning and spread flames out around me.
Killian dodged my lightning, but I already had my katana up, guarding my left side—which was his favorite side to attack me on.
I stabbed my sword at his gut. He leaned back, but it passed so close to him I heard the tell-tale sizzle of the electricity that wrapped around the blade as it zapped him.
He darted out—the fire was too intense for him to risk skulking around me for long—and laughed.
I threw an ice chunk the size of a bowling ball at him, but he casually leaned out of
the way, disappearing with his speed, again.
I pivoted so my shield was at my back, shut my eyes, and flashed a blazing, white hot light.
The light usually managed to affect a vampire’s sight for a few seconds, buying me precious time.
When I opened my eyes Killian was shaking his head, his lips peeled back in a snarl of displeasure.
I pointed my sword at him, using the blade to more precisely fire off a lightning strike.
He ducked—dodging it entirely—then jumped, tucking his legs underneath him as he soared over my head.
I tried to lunge forward and escape, but he managed to flip midair and grab my shoulder and push, making me stagger.
I dropped my sword as I struggled to regain my balance, but he was behind me by then.
One hand to the neck of my black t-shirt, the other grabbing the top of my pants, and he literally hoisted me out of the fire zone I’d created, dropping me on a new section of mats.
This was it…
My back smacked the mats, and Killian knelt down next to me, his hand again gently resting on my throat, his smirk back on his lips.
And, of course, I flinched.
Killian’s smile died, and he tilted his head back slightly, his muscles tensing as he was preparing to stand.
NOW!
I struck out with my hand, blasting him in the chest with lightning that used every drop of magic I had in my blood.
My fingers tingled with the force of the strike, and Killian fell backwards as if a truck had run him over.
My fists still glowed with magic as I scrambled to his side. I ended up having to rest my foot on his throat because I couldn’t touch him with my sizzling hands. “Surrender?” I asked.
He gave me a tiny and pained nod.
I dropped my magic and panted for a few seconds before I realized what had just happened. “I won.” I fell back on my rear and stared at my white shoelaces for a few shocked moments, then laughed. “I finally won!”
I hopped to my feet and did a victory lap around the mats. “I did it, I did it, I did it!” I chanted.
A quick glance at Killian showed he was fine. His t-shirt had a giant hole in it, but he was already slowly getting to his feet, and his skin looked unmarred.
