by Raven Storm
“It’s likely to be completely destroyed if there is a full out assault,” Benedict noted, his eyebrows raised slightly.
“Burn it to the ground for all care,” Thad responded, his voice tinged with disgust. “I’ll rally the ones here able to fight, just tell me when.” He stomped away, leaving us to the final details
“We don’t know if they’ll rally to Thad. He was raised in Aldur, and—” Zara cut off her protests to Spike, realizing Benedict, Kieran and I were listening intently
“That is…is it true you have magicks?”
I nodded, and the conversation delved into further talks of weapons, strategy, and guard rotations. Kieran bent low, whispering into my ear.
“Thad is rumored to be a descendant of the Cantradian royal family.”
I turned, and he smirked.
“While you and Benedict snuck away, I was busy.”
Kieran gestured to Spike.
“He is from Aldur—a wealthy merchant who has sunk all of his money into the rebels. He has further ties and resources south.” Kieran’s eyes flicked to Davos, who was scowling over the large map as the others gesticulated wildly.
“No one is entirely sure where Davos came from, though he claims to have been a slave to Severn when he was younger. He knows the palace intimately and has many contacts who still work there.”
As if he felt our eyes, Davos turned from the map, and bowed his head. I turned away.
“I’ll bet he does.
We spent the next day planning and planning some more. I wasn’t particularly needed for any of it, though Kieran had mentioned working on my voice magicks and possibly doing another blood ritual. I wandered throughout the refugee camp, my draken form on full display. It was easy to see how our presence lifted their spirits.
Benedict and Kieran were entrenched in conversation with Spike, mumbling over charts and other things that apparently didn’t concern me. I wandered off, unbeknownst to either of them. I passed a few families, waving to the children who came to the edge of their tent to see me. They were fascinated by my scales and wings, told all their lives I was some sort of fantastic creature, like a unicorn. It was hard not to preen under their praise.
“Wren!”
I turned, just in time for Becca to plough into me. My arms wrapped around hers, squeezing tightly. It was wonderful to have a female friend again.
“You’re a draken! You sneaky devil! You said you grew up in a breeding manor!”
Her eyes took in my form, lingering on my wings.
“To be fair, I’ve only been a draken for a few months. I just recently came into my inheritance. Before then, I did live as a human in a breeding manor.”
Her eyes nearly went cross-eyed in confusion.
“I thought drakens were born, not made.”
I laughed as Thad stepped out from a tent, a frown marring his strong features.
“I suppose I was an exception,” I offered, but Becca was already backing away, bowing slightly to Thad. “Later,” she mumbled, and was gone.
“Drakens can be made? I suppose the history books left that out.”
I raised an eyebrow
“Indeed, since they all proclaim Cantradian royalty dead and gone.”
He stopped short, then made an amused sound in the back of his throat.
“Will you walk with me? I have wanted to ask the drakens a few questions, but the large one is…”
“Prickly and sour?” I added helpfully, struggling not to laugh. Thad put a hand to his face, rubbing it. I shifted into my human form he and seemed immediately more at ease. Well, until he noticed the lack of clothing.
“My eyes are up here.”
Thad blushed.
“Apologies.”
I waved them away. “What questions do you have?”
“You are with the large draken, Benedict?”
I scoffed. “That cannot be your question. And it’s King Benedict, actually.”
His eyes bugged out, and he went silent as he considered this. I noted how the eyes of the refugees followed us, judging and wondering if we were up for the task of freeing them—if dreaming of a better life was even a possibility.
“King Benedict is one of my mates,” I admitted, relishing the drop of his jaw. I could feel his mind spinning next
“And the redhead, Kieran?
“Yes, him too. As well as my third mate who is back on Lyoness.
Thad frowned, then shook his head
“The books I read on drakens did not mention this."
He looked so politely befuddled that I took pity on him.
“If it comforts you, I believe I’m a special circumstance as the last female. Benedict hinted as much when I first came to him.”
“It seems quite the fantastical story. Does that make you a queen then?” He snagged a ripe fruit from an open bowl, biting into it. My eyes pricked in interest as the juice ran down his chin.
“Get me a bowl of that, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Provided you tell me your story, as well.”
He lifted an eyebrow, and flicked a gold piece towards the woman who had been scowling at him after his thievery. Her scowl vanished when the gold appeared, and she offered the entire bowl on one knee. His lips tightened, but he took it. I snatched the bowl from him, digging in immediately.
“Come sit by my fire, and we’ll trade stories.”
I continued to eat as we walked, coming upon a tent that looked more worn than most. Calling it a tent was generous—it was barely more than a tattered piece of cloth stretched and nailed down between a crack in the stone wall and tied to the tent next door.
“I have no need for privacy; those with families need it more. Couples.” He offered as an explanation, shrugging as he sat in front of a small, dwindling fire. I sat and polished off the fruit as he threw a few more logs on, patiently encouraging the embers to be stoked into a proper flame. By the time he was ready, so was I.
“You grew up as a human?”
I liked my fingers clean, then ran them through my hair. I pretended not to notice how his gaze lingered on my lips.
“There was a complicated sacrificial ritual involved but yes. I’m told I have lived many lives at the breeding manor. Part of the black magick, I suppose.”
He blinked, and I resisted the urge to laugh.
“But now you are not human.”
I looked around, wondering if there was any more fruit to be had.
“Benedict broke the protection, curse, whatever you want to call it. Lied to me to get it done, but I suppose it was all for the best.”
Thad opened his mouth, but I cut him off.
“So you’re royalty, I hear?”
His mouth closed, a storm gathering in his eyes.
“Hardly. Just because someone says I am doesn’t make me feel like I’ve earned anything.”
I sighed. “We are similar in that, then: the unlikely queen and the forgotten king. It has a nice ring to it.”
Thad added another log to the fire.
“You act like you don’t deserve your lineage,” I observed. He sat back down heavily, poking at the fire with his sword to get the logs in the position he wanted. “It won’t help men to follow you.”
“And you talk too much,” he retorted.
“I’ve found that grumpy men and annoying, talkative females are a good match.”
He tossed his sword angrily to the ground.
“Yes, that’s the sort of reaction my grumpy man had at first.”
I set down my bowl, giving him my full attention.
“Why do you doubt yourself? If you are of royal bloodline, act like it and lead your people!”
“It’s none of your business!” He shot back, standing up and leering over me. I couldn’t help it—the position he took, his dark hair and eyes, and the anger. For a split second I was back in the breeding manor, cringing in front of Crullfed’s cane. The small trill of distress escaped my lips before I could help it, and Benedict and Kiera
n were there an agonizing five seconds later, claws scrabbling on stone. Kieran grabbed me even as Benedict crashed through the fire, mindless of the flames and hot coals he stepped on to get to Thad.
“It’s fine, I’m fine, he just startled me,” I responded lamely.
“You don’t sneak off!” Benedict roared, sending everyone in earshot quickly finding something else to do. Kieran looked angry at me for the first time that I could recall. They both ignored Thad, now that they knew he wasn’t a threat.
“This is why you should never run off without telling one of us! We had no idea where you were! We thought you were being kidnapped!”
Kieran’s disappointment hurt the most, and I would have preferred Benedict screaming at me over the quiet, saddened eyes.
I looked back to apologize to Thad, but he was shaking, visibly fighting some invisible force as his body contorted and twisted. A pained sound left his mouth, and he stumbled backwards.
“Excuse me,” he grunted out, and disappeared into his tent. I whirled on my mates.
“You’re just angry because I was with another male, aren’t you?”
Kieran’s brow furrowed, but I knew by the gleam in Benedict’s eyes I was spot on. He lowered his voice, mindful of nearby ears.
“I don’t trust him. Something about him seems off.”
I glared at him. “Why don’t you just smell him then? Or am I a special case?”
Kieran put a hand lightly on my shoulder, pleading.
“You know you’re a special case. It’s our duty to protect yiu. If we fail in that, we fail our entire species.”
When he said it like that, it just made me feel worse.
“I am not an errant child, so stop treating me like one.”
Kieran took a deep breath.
“We know. Just...please understand where we’re coming from. You are literally the future of our entire race.”
It always came down to that, didn’t it?
“Come,” Benedict nudged me with his wings. “It’s time to get some sleep.”
Reluctantly I followed them back to the main camp, and further on as we went past it.
“I secured this area for us. They loaned us a tent, but I moved it away for further privacy.”
Kieran gestured about one hundred yards away from the camp, down a side tunnel. The tent was in no worse or better condition than the others, but it was larger. A few blankets were scattered on the ground, as well as three small bowls.
“Let’s rest.”
I had no complaints as Benedict laid me inside the tent, then sat up against the wall outside. Kieran laid down behind me on the blankets, gesturing for me to come with him. The bottom half of his body hung outside of the tent, his upper half facing the other direction to monitor the other tunnel.
“Aren’t you going to sleep?” I asked them both. Benedict looked away, settling further into the wall and facing outwards.
“We will sleep in shifts. It’s wise to leave nothing to chance,” Kieran answered instead, hooking his arm around my waist and pulling me in close. I inhaled the scent of him; cedarwood and understanding. My eyes grew heavy, and I quickly fell asleep to the rhythm of his beating heart.
Seventeen
Iwoke up abruptly, cold in the lingering dampness of the tunnels. I sat up, and spotted Kieran propped up against the far wall, asleep. Benedict was propped up on my other side, facing the opposite direction. He was also asleep.
I scoffed, imagining them arguing over who was to stand guard and who should sleep, and not able to agree on anything, only for both to succumb. Well, now no one was keeping watch.
Looking down the darkened corridor, I stretched carefully as I touched the sigil I knew lurked underneath my chest. The night lit up with my enhanced vision, allowing me to see much further down the passage than I could with my human eyes. When I saw a figure standing just out of reach of where I could see, I nearly screeched with a distress call. Instead, my hands fisted in the blankets around me. The figure stood and stared, and I saw it was Thad. He motioned with his hands for me to join him. I cast an eye warily over my two bodyguards—should I wake them?
It would be easy to be angry at how they treated me; like a child who couldn’t make decisions. At the same time, I wanted their trust. If I woke them, I had no doubts Thad would be walking back to his tent with a bloody face. I resolved to meet with him in the corridor, where I could easily scream for help. I wouldn’t go any further with him without telling one of the mates. That sounded reasonable, didn’t it?
I carefully padded over to him, careful not to click my claws too loudly on the stone floor. Thad looked unnerved by my draken form, licking his lips nervously.
“What?” I bit out.
“I just...I wanted to see you. Maybe ask some more questions.”
My wings twitched in irritation. He couldn’t have done this earlier?
“Here I am.”
“You’re annoyed with your...mates.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t see how that’s relevant to anyone other than myself and them.”
He leaned in, close enough that his scent filled my nose. Leather, and something else. Something familiar. Then his hands were on my waist, his nose buried in my hair. I tried to pull away, but he pushed my body into the stone wall, using his greater weight to his advantage. His head tilted and he kissed me, and for a split second I kissed him back. He tasted like danger and darkness, like Benedict but with a darker edge underneath. What was it about him that I found so intriguing? It was infuriating to not be able to put a finger on it. Then I remember who I was, who he was—not my mate!
“Thad, get off!”
He ignored me, moving down to my neck.
“NOW!” I growled, knowing I could easily skewer him, but reluctant to hurt him. When he continued to ignore me, I buried my dagger into his thigh without a second thought. He grunted, a released me.
“Back away, or with one chirp you’ll be gutted forehead to pinky toe by two extremely pissed off drakens. And that’s after I’m done with you.”
His hands tightened, then he withdrew further. He took three steps backward, breathing heavily. Blood dripped down his leg, but not as much as there should have been. Perhaps my aim was off.
“If they even smell you on me, you’re a dead man,” I hissed. I licked his blood off the blade, intending to unnerve him. His eyes flashed, the pupils dilating in arousal. I spit it out before I could taste it.
“Get the fuck out.”
Thad kept backing away, his eyes glued to me the entire time. He disappeared into the darkness, and I didn’t relax until I was back in between my mates. I rubbed myself into the blankets, hoping it was enough to dispel any lingering hint of his scent. Thad may be a stupid, brainless boy, but that didn’t mean I wanted him dead.
Benedict didn’t question my sudden distrust of Thad as we continued to plan and prepare for our attack, as well as the evacuation. He was mostly smug that I agreed with him. I tried to catch Thad limping, but he showed no signs of any injury. I grumbled, vowing to get in some more practice with Kieran at the earliest opportunity.
“Sit down everyone, we have important information.”
Zara had news from the coast.
“My runners report that the hordes that were guarding around Lyoness have disappeared.”
Zara paced back and forth, the news making no more sense to her than it did to us. Thad ran his hands through his hair, his voice rising with emotion.
“Where have they gone?”
“It’s unclear. We should start evacuating the refugees tonight and will attack tomorrow.” Zara turned her weathered gaze towards Davos.
“Can you warn your contacts in time?”
Davos wiped his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief
“My contacts in the palace are prepared. They will slip a poison into the wine, which will hopefully cull the vampyre numbers a bit. Severn is not supposed to even be there tomorrow. If I go now, we can slip it in
to tonight’s wine, so they will be out by the time we storm the palace in the morning.”
Benedict nodded, and one by one the others around the table agreed. Davos sheathed his own sword and leathers, and went off down the passageway by himself, disappearing into the gloom.
“I agree, but I don’t like it. What if they are concentrating their forces here, and plan to massacre everyone?”
Benedict huffed, gesturing to Thad with a spoon.
“It does your people no good to panic, little king.”
Thad gripped the hilt of his sword, aggressiveness in every line of his body.
“Stop it with the nicknames.
I snorted, trying to break the odd tension
“Good luck with that. It’s an irritating habit of his.
Thad walked past us to the table, helping himself to more ale. As he went by, Benedict flinched, his head snapping back to stare at the other man. Spike took over, taking a long drag from his pipe as well as my attention
“It does not matter what the Overlord plans. We move tomorrow, no matter what happens. The refugees are packed, and my contacts in Aldur are ready to receive them. Leaving now as opposed to the morning may give them the extra time needed to reach safety.
There was silence around the table, a quiet agreement. It began now.
“Wren, you seem to have become friendly with a few of the refugees. Would you mind helping oversee their safety to bay? That will leave Zara free to focus on her ship.”
Spike’s gaze landed on me, and I felt myself puff up under his trust. I could already see the disagreement on Benedict’s face, but Kieran was quicker.
“It will keep her out of the heavy fighting, and she can shift to us in a moment if anything goes wrong.”
I exhaled through my nose, embarrassed to be discussed like property in front of the other rebel leaders.
“It doesn’t matter what you think, because I am going.” I spat, glaring at my mates defiantly.
“I will go as well, as extra protection.”
Spike’s eyes widened as Zara’s jaw dropped open in surprise. A tinge of red stained Thad’s cheeks, but he didn’t take it back. Benedict stood, facing Thad squarely. He took a large breath in through his nose.
