Dead Moons Rising: First in the Honest Scrolls series

by Jack Whitney

  The feeling of a warm body suddenly at her side didn’t make her jump this time. She sighed into the navy world and willed her breaths to relax.

  “Not bad, Sun Queen,” Draven muttered at her side.

  Aydra opened her eyes, but she didn’t look over to him. “Not bad for a Sun Queen or for a woman not versed in battle?”

  Draven pulled one of his short swords from its sheath and held it up to the moons light, allowing it to reflect off the silver. The jagged edge of its blade cut the air, and she noticed the ivory on the handle. “Both,” he replied.

  “Are those bones?” she asked about his sword.

  He laid the blade in his hands, allowing her to see the handle more clearly. “Portions of phoenix breastbone as the handle.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “Phoenix?” she repeated. “There hasn’t been sighting of a phoenix in decades.”

  A small smile rose on his lips, and he reached down into the bag she’d been curious about earlier. The skeleton head he pulled out of it made her eyes widen. A phoenix skull, complete with black horns and sharp bone over the open eyes. It narrowed down to a sharp point at the beak, and would have covered his entire face.

  “Your true crown,” she realized.

  His smile widened as he held it by its horns and then looked out at the scene before them. “Is your raven already down there?”

  “She will tell me when the Honest have taken the boats,” she replied. Her eyes narrowed then as she started to see centuries dropping like flies down the dunes away from the strangers’ camp.

  “Do you have a before battle ritual you usually do?” she asked him as her nerves began to heighten again.

  She heard him huff amusedly under his breath, and she looked sideways just in time to see his hair to fall over his shoulder. He fumbled with his hand a moment, and then watched as he turned the ring on his finger three times.

  “Ah… Not really,” she knew he lied. “What about you? Were you praying to our Sun mother for help earlier?”

  “The only being I ever pray to for salvation is myself,” she smarted.

  A low growl that she didn’t recognize emitted from his throat, and she saw his fist tighten around the blade in his hand.

  “I wish you wouldn’t say things like that,” he muttered in a raspy voice.

  “Why not?” she managed.

  He turned to face her fully then. Her eyes met his darkened gaze, and she felt her heart arrest at the sight of the smolder resting in his features.

  “Because restraint lives poorly in my core,” he growled. “And I don’t have enough time before this battle to fuck you fitly into oblivion.”

  If it hadn’t been for the sudden screech of her raven overhead, she would have pushed him to the ground right then, had him hold his hand over her throat as he railed her maniacally like the Venari King stories of old— damn whoever was around them.

  But she would have to settle for the fantasy of it.

  For the raven did screech over their heads.

  And the battle had begun.

  Draven slid the phoenix skull over his face, and Aydra felt her mouth dry, her thighs squeeze together at the sight of him standing over her, his face hidden behind the great creature’s ivory skull, his eyes staring menacingly into her being.

  She’d never seen a skull look diabolically sexy until that moment.

  And then Draven reached out for her hand, and when his lips pressed to her knuckles beneath the skull, she felt her chest cave, her mouth open, and her breaths shorten.

  The wind picked up around them, her hair billowing from beneath the scarf she’d tied around her head. A low whistle sounded as it pulsed through the forest towards them. But she couldn’t look away from him, too entranced by the carnal man standing before her that made her heart constrict with a single look. His wind was pushed down the hill and over the dunes, and she swallowed hard as the raven circled them over once more.

  Fucking curses of Duarb.

  Focus Aydra.

  She forced herself to push her distraction from mind as her raven cursed at her.

  Draven let go of her hand, and together they turned away from each other to face the ocean. Sand was picking up in the wind he’d sent, wrapping itself around the centuries that were left and confusing those coming out from the tents.

  Aydra closed her fist at her side, and her eyes rolled backwards as she felt for the cores of the birds in the trees above them.

  A ray of sun hit her back.

  Every bird in the forest rose from the top of the canopy. Bewildered shouts filled the air. The swarm swallowed the sunlight.

  Aydra’s eyes opened. She felt as the noir of the creatures’ cores ate her insides.

  Kill them.

  Screams.

  The sight of her flock attacking the strangers on the beach filled her vision. Bellows echoed out of the water. Nadir and his men charged the beach. The wind pushed hard over the dunes, sweeping men off their feet.

  Aydra pulled an arrow from her quiver through her bow. Draven’s open hand went up into the air. His wind slowed their side of the dune.

  The arrow released from her hand. Draven’s fist tightened, and the noise of a hundred more cut the sky. The thud of their hitting their targets reverberated in her ears. Some of his company continued firing as Aydra paused to watch the scene. More and more of the strangers were coming out from their tents. She saw a cluster forming to her right, shrouded around a weapon she knew was a ballista.

  “Lex and I will take care of the ballista,” Aydra told him as she drew her sword from her belt.

  Draven didn’t say anything to her. Instead, he thrust his own sword in to the air, shouting, “Venari!” to his people. A great bellow echoed back, and Aydra’s heart pounded in her ears as she heard him say—

  “Show them who you are.”

  They ran.

  Lex already had her sword drawn. Aydra caught up with her at the bottom of the hill. They charged at the front of the throng of Venari soldiers, blood pulsating through their veins.

  “We’re taking the ballista to the right,” Aydra called to her Second, who was smiling maniacally as she ran at her side. “Keep grinning like that and the Venari will think you mad,” she mocked.

  “No more mad than you, my Queen,” Lex bantered.

  Balandria’s company was at the top of the dunes, knelt down and firing arrows down below. At some point, Aydra threw her boots off as her feet were heavy in the dumpy sand. Traction caught onto her steps, and she dove her way down the front of the sandy dune on her back. She met the bottom with a somersault, and was immediately in contact with a man running at her.

  Loudly.

  Her sword struck his kneecaps. She jumped to her feet and thrust her blade into his neck just as another came running up on her side.

  She and Lex made their way to the right, slashing down men coming at them as they pushed through the sand. Blood spattered over its nude innocence, guts spilling onto the coarse of it. She kept one eye on the men charging the ballista at all times. They’d begun to pull the bolt through.

  Aydra grasped an arrow from her quiver and aimed quickly at one of the men. It struck his neck, and he fell from the weapon. Attentions were turned on her. One of them took an arrow and converged it at her—

  Her raven landed on the man’s face.

  The man screamed and fell backwards onto the sand.

  “Nice shot,” called a familiar voice. Aydra turned, finding Dunthorne watching her, his foot against the chest of a man who was leaned forward towards him, his short swords crossed over the man’s neck. The blades sliced his throat, and Dunthorne kicked him to the ground.

  Aydra’s brows raised. “You’ll show me that move later,” she told him.

  Dunthorne grinned. “With pleasure.”

  Behind!

  Another bird calling to her diverted her attention. She whirled around and struck swords with the man over her head. He shouted as he blocked her advance. And when he pushed her
backwards, her back caught against someone else’s.

  “We should start every morning like this,” Lex called jovially to her.

  Aydra almost laughed, and her sword caught the man’s throat then. “Blood. Adrenaline. Beautiful people fighting at our sides.” Her gaze caught Lex’s, and she grinned. “It’s the morning we’ve always waited for.”

  Spear!

  Aydra yanked she and Lex both to the ground suddenly as the thunk of the ballista being fired sounded in her ears. The bolt flew over their heads and went through the man that had been running at them.

  The pair stood, watching the men who’s faces were pale as they stood frozen on either side of the great crossbow. The pair exchanged a short, raised brow glance, and Aydra twirled her sword in her hand.

  “I think they want to die,” Lex said.

  “We should oblige,” Aydra agreed.

  The men quickly began to load another bolt. Aydra and Lex ran towards them, pushing back any men getting in their way. The men were faster loading it this time. Aydra had to duck once more as the spear came whizzing past her. She didn’t look to see where it landed this time.

  Would you like me to take them? the raven asked.

  This one’s mine.

  Swords were drawn. The man on the left jumped from the weapon and met her on the beach. Their swords clashed left, grunts sounding as she battled him. She barely saw Lex join her, jumping onto the ballista and striking the lone man left on it.

  The tip of Aydra’s opponent’s blade cut her cheek. Aydra stumbled, her fingers touching the sliced skin, and she felt blood trickle down her flesh. Her angered eyes rolled up to meet the man’s.

  His gaze widened. Aydra’s jaw clenched as she gave him a deliberate once over.

  The man dropped his sword, stepping backwards, and he fell to his knees as Aydra took one step towards him. Aydra kicked his sword away. His eyes closed, and he pressed his hands together, muttering words under his breath that she didn’t hear. She grasped him by his hair and pulled his head up to look at her.

  “Who do you serve?” she demanded.

  He opened his eyes, and his brows narrowed. “What—”

  “I asked who you serve, stranger,” she repeated.

  Behind!

  Aydra swung her sword backwards without looking, and felt it hit flesh. The man’s head bounced onto the ground and landed at her feet. Aydra was still staring at the man in front of her. His eyes were widened at the sight of his companion’s head cut clean on the ground by his knees.

  The sight of it must have sent some last minute surge of defiance through his bones, for his eyes rolled up, and he seethed, “Long live King Aeron of Mathis, ruler of Man,” before then spitting at her.

  Her sword cut through his neck, and she let his hair go as the blood rushed out of his body. Her gaze met Lex’s on the ballista.

  “Who the fuck is King Aeron?” Lex asked.

  Aydra took a short glance around them. “What did he mean by ‘Man’?”

  The battle continued to rage around them, and Aydra gave Lex a short nod. “Think you can handle that thing?” she asked.

  Lex grinned. “Living the dream,” she said with a wink.

  Aydra smirked at her. “Let’s finish this.”

  Aydra ran from her side then. Her sword met and clashed with man after man as the sun continued to rise. Her birds dove and pecked the eyes of strangers, taking some down whole and eating them alive. She’d just turned her attention to a man coming up on her left when—

  “My Queen! Your left!”

  The noise of Ash’s voice made her cringe. She’d nearly forgotten he was there. She dove under the man’s parry, cutting his kneecaps, and then she sliced his head from his body just as Ash paused short beside her.

  Aydra nearly sent the crows at him.

  “You want to be useful, captain?” Aydra said, her sword pointed at his throat. “Kill the intruders and stop paying attention to what I’m doing.”

  As to whether he listened to her order or not, she didn’t care. She turned on her heel and ran down the beach to the next kill.

  Ash intervened a few more times, and each time she tried to run further down the beach away from him.

  At one point, she battled a man in the surf, and one of the cannonstinger creatures had wrapped its lightning tentacles around her arm when she fell into the water.

  The sand and sting of it made her blood boil.

  So she made sure the man died a slow death by raven and crow peck.

  Blood sprayed on her face with every kill, and she felt her hair coming undone from beneath the black fabric, the splay of her ginger curls growing with with every frustrated breath she took.

  “Whoa—”

  The noise of Draven’s voice didn’t startle her. She kicked her opponent to the ground and thrust her blade into his face before turning to Draven standing behind her. He moved the skull up so she could see his face, and he muttered, “Having some trouble?”

  Frustration swelled through her, and she whipped the scarf he’d made her wear off her head. Her curls flayed out and over her shoulders wildly. Another man was coming at them behind Draven. She pulled an arrow through on her bow and it zoomed past Draven’s shoulder, making him flinch backwards as it went whizzing by him.

  “Well—” her blade met an oncoming man and she blocked him above her, then kicked him backwards “I have sand in my ass—”

  Left! the raven called.

  She pulled another arrow and smashed it into the stranger’s throat to her left, knocking him backwards.

  “—burns on my arm from a stupid cannonstinger—”

  She grabbed another and hit the man running at them from the water.

  “—dealing with Ash trying to save me every few minutes—”

  Another arrow flew from her bow.

  “—and you’re standing there staring at me instead of helping me take the lives of those who want our land—” her blade pushed into the neck of a stranger, and he fell to her feet as she whirled around to Draven again. She blew upwards to puff the hair out of her eyes, and she took a few steps forward to meet his figure. “Are you going to help or are you going to fuck me here on the beach?”

  His brows raised. “Bit of an audience.”

  “I doubt it’s ever stopped you before.”

  The raven screeched overhead, and she impetuously pulled an arrow, sending it flying past Draven’s ear and into the man running towards them.

  Before she could move, Draven pushed her behind and struck swords with the man running towards them. Another met Aydra, and she forgot about the battlefield flirting for a moment as this new opponent dodged her advances. Her short sword cut swiftly across the man’s throat, and she kicked him to the ground.

  She barely realized Draven had taken her bow from her hands until she felt one of his swords in hers. She whirled around and he grabbed an arrow and sent it flying into the man running at her back. Another man ran at her, and she bolted down the sand where she slid and slashed at the man’s kneecaps.

  Draven was watching her when she stood. She strode a few steps in his direction and tossed his sword back, to which he did the same with her bow.

  “Tempting,” he growled, eyes blazing through her.

  The noise of someone shouting diverted both their attentions. Draven shoved the skull back over his face. They were separated, Draven running in the opposite direction towards where Balandria had been. Aydra’s sword clashed with another overhead. She kicked him into the surf and stepped on his hand before he could slash at her. Just as her blade landed in his chest, she caught site of someone, not of the strangers, falling to his knees.

  Her eyes did a double-take up the beach, and her heart sank.

  “No!”

  The stranger had Dunthorne’s curly hair in his hand. Aydra pulled an arrow quickly— but it landed in the man’s neck too late.

  His sword had already crushed into Dunthorne’s side.

  Aydra ran and dove
to the sand, her knees landing behind him the moment Dunthorne fell sideways. She cradled him desperately in her arms, pleading with him to stay conscious.

  “No—No, hang on Dunthorne—” she begged, grasping his hand. “Stay with me! You’ll be okay—HELP!”

  But everyone around her was too occupied to escape to her. Aydra pulled him further onto her lap, holding his beautiful face in her hand. His eyes were slowly fading before her. She swallowed hard, feeling a lump rise in her throat as she held him. “Stay with me,” she told him. “It’s just a scratch. You’ll make it—DRAVEN!”

  Dunthorne’s dark golden skin glistened in the sunlight. He squeezed her hand and tried to swallow as the blood began to come up in his throat.

  “Tell my king—”

  “No, no, you will tell him yourself— DRAVEN!”

  She didn’t know where he was, but she shouted his name anyway, hoping someone would hear her desperate cries.

  “Will you sing it?” she heard him whisper.

  Her stomach knotted at his request. She drew a raspy breath as she slowly accepted the little time he had left. Her hand wiped the tear off his cheek, and she gave him a small smile. “Yeah… Yeah, I can sing it,” she whispered.

  “From once a wind… and brisk of leaves—”

  The Wyverdraki song flowed from her jagged breaths. Halfway through, she looked up, finding Lex standing a few feet away, seemingly frozen to the spot. Aydra’s eyes pleaded at her, hoping she would understand to find Draven.

  Lex’s feet moved, and Aydra turned back to Dunthorne’s fading face. She squeezed his hand again as the last of it came from her breath.

  “Set me free,” Dunthorne whispered with her.

  Her jaw tightened, and he reached up to her face.

  “Save my King,” he breathed.

  She wasn’t sure what he meant, but she didn’t have time to question him. She nodded desperately and kissed his palm. “I will,” she promised.

  With a final breath, Dunthorne’s life left his eyes. Aydra’s head hung low, and she laid him down onto the sand as swords fell to the ground around her.

  And then the scream she’d least wanted to hear filled her ears.