Awaken (Slumber Duology #2)

by Christy Sloat

  The mist burst into a million little lights and went up into the night sky. All at once in the moonlight it shot back down, bright yellow now, and speared the ground. The earth trembled as it sunk down and the trees shivered with the brunt of it.

  The grass at my feet turned from brown to green. I watched as the evil, wicked forest turned bright and flowers grew in the moonlight. The power took hold of the forest as it changed it right before my very eyes.

  Disbelief flooded me, leaving my mouth open in shock.

  Raven’s body was gone, shriveled to ashes before me.

  Gray’s body still lay lifeless upon Midnight and regret filled me.

  Tears streamed down my face when I realized I should have asked the power to bring her back.

  I ran over to her and cradled her face in my hands. She looked so peaceful, so young. Aiden had closed her eyes, and she looked like she was sleeping.

  “I should have asked it to bring you back, Gray. But I didn’t. I’m so sorry,” I cried. “I could have saved you, but I didn’t. I’m sorry.”

  I searched for Aiden, but I was alone. He had left like I asked him to and a part of me was glad. I wanted him to find a life somewhere else and wanted to see him find the happiness, he deserved it.

  I wiped my eyes and pulled Midnight along with me through the changing forest. I had to make it back to the castle and see what lay ahead for me there.

  I had to lay Gray to rest and wake Sawyer.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Merry

  The whole castle was in peril. The Duke had brought in soldiers from Bordell and they were slaughtering Ancora’s warriors that were left behind to protect the castle. Rory took most of the army with her, leaving the castle weakened.

  There was no signs of the shapeshifter Fae, so the three fairies tried joining the fight.

  Where were the shapeshifters?

  The last she saw them they were in the castle corridor, but they were needed now.

  After being thrown and tossed aside like pieces of paper, Merry and her sisters retreated. Now Merry stood in the corridor hiding and watching the mass chaos ensue. Men fought and some laid down their lives at the hands of the Duke’s men.

  Where did they even come from and how had he been so sneaky?

  Hating him as much as Aiofe did, she was certain she had never hated anyone like she did this duke.

  She gripped her weapon, looking at the spikes that lined it. Boy, it would do damage if it actually hit someone. She was worthless as a fighter, but as a fairy she was amazing. They weren’t raised to fight like the Warrior Fae. She was raised to be a protector and Gray taught her to watch over princesses of this realm. She wished, right then, that Gray would have taught her to defend herself.

  “Merry?” Fauna called out from somewhere in the castle.

  “Fauna, where are you?” Merry whispered.

  She walked into the small kitchen alcove where they hid before and found Fauna holding her hand, blood pouring from her finger tip.

  “Oh, Fauna, what happened?”

  Fauna blew her wispy gray bangs out of her face and laughed. “I cut myself … on my own knife. I’m not a fighter, Merry.”

  She surely was not. Neither of them were. They were good fairies, and while they would do anything to help Rory, fighting wasn’t in their nature.

  “We must call the Fae to help and find those shapeshifters,” Merry decided.

  Fauna nodded and looked around her, trembling with fear.

  “Where is Flora?”

  Oh no. Flora had a tendency to hide when things got too scary for her. One time they found her hiding in the bathroom during a thunder storm. Sadly, she was scared of many things.

  “I’m here,” she said peeking out from a cupboard in the kitchen.

  “Oh, good heavens, Flora.”

  Merry rose up, straightened her skirt, and grabbed her weapon. She may not have been raised to fight, but she was going to find them help.

  “I will go find the shapeshifter Fae. You stay here and tend to Fauna’s finger,” she ordered Flora.

  She left the kitchen and skirted around the corner. No one was near and she could hear fighting outside the castle still. She would have to be brave and handle this on her own if she was to help Rory. This was not the time for weakness.

  She took a deep breath and went down the stairs into the back of the castle. Although hardly anyone knew all of the castle’s halls and doors, Merry was skilled in knowing this castle inside and out. She burst out of one of the back doors and looked out at the sea that raged on before her. A storm was brewing which seemed perfect for the peril that was happening now.

  She felt a drop of rain on her cheek as she walked down a small path that lead to the forest. Soon the rain fell heavy and she saw something in the distance but the rain made it impossible to make out.

  She squinted her eyes to help focus, but that didn’t help. It could have been more enemies.

  “Hey, you there?” One of them called to her.

  She bent down, hoping it wasn’t another man with an axe, and held her weapon tightly.

  “Who goes there?” she called.

  The group stopped, and through the rain, Merry saw the form of a man walking toward her.

  Her hands trembled as she remembered the ordeal with the last man she dealt with.

  “It is Boar. Is that you, Merryweather?”

  Oh, thank heavens!

  “Yes. Please help us. The castle is being overtaken,” she pleaded to him as he and his group rushed over.

  She saw the Fae Warriors and the rest of the shapeshifter Fae that followed him and her heart leapt with joy. All her feelings of uneasiness fell away. They now had hope.

  She watched as they marched toward the castle in full armor and the shapeshifters shifted into their forms: boar, wolf, eagle, tiger, and others.

  Boar walked over to Merry and said, “Follow us and help us into the castle. I need you now, Merryweather.”

  She agreed and walked the band of them to the rear door.

  They filed inside and stormed the castle. She ran along with Boar and the other shapeshifter Fae. They were swift as they stomped through the castle looking for the Duke.

  She pointed to the entrance where she could hear him shouting orders.

  Eagle took to the air and she watched as he flew around the Duke’s head.

  “Get off me,” he shouted, waving his arms around, “you disgusting bird!”

  “Where is the Duchess?” Eagle asked. The Duke’s mouth hung open in shock of the talking bird. Then, slowly, realization set in as he recognized the shapeshifter Fae.

  Merry saw Duchess Ellie sitting in the middle of the square surrounded by the Duke’s men. Her hands were tied loosely behind her back, her head held high.

  She didn’t look scared or upset at all. Ellie had always had strength, but now she was showing the utmost bravery.

  “Get off of him, you filthy bird!” Hunter called, throwing a stone at Eagle. Eagle flew away fast enough and dropped down to the ground next to the prince.

  He shifted fast and punched Hunter in the face, sending him scrambling backwards.

  “I’m not filthy. I’ll have you know I wash twice a week!” Eagle retorted.

  “Look, the whole town is coming!” someone hollered from the Duke’s army.

  Looking out, Merry saw the townspeople were in fact coming to aid in the fight. They were fitted with their own weapons and torches. She wished Aurora was here to see how her people banded together to help save them. Even the townspeople, who were not fighters either, had come to their aid.

  The storm raged on and Merry was full of hope now, despite the rain that had quickly turned to sleet.

  She knew she had the advan
tage, and if Ellie could be brave, then so could she.

  “Ellicott, you silly boy,” she shouted using the Duke’s first name. “How dare you involve yourself in such affairs? I knew your father and he would be ashamed, rolling in his grave for sure.”

  It was true that Merry had once known his father, but she never knew the Duke’s real name until Aiofe told her down in the dungeons where she sat with her son.

  It seemed to work. The Duke’s eyes looked strangely remorseful.

  “When you work for Queen Hilde you must join in on whatever fight she has. It’s my duty.”

  She laughed. “What about the duty to your son, then? Hmm?”

  He got down from his horse, slowly.

  “What duty?”

  “He’s royal, is he not?”

  Please go my way. Please.

  “Yes. That’s why I’m here, fairy. I came for him. It’s his birthright,” the Duke said.

  “Say it then and you can have him,” Merry declared. “Use his real name.”

  Boar stepped forward and shook his head. “Merryweather, no!”

  She gave Boar a look that she hoped he could read.

  Ready yourself.

  Boar walked closer to Ellicott and nodded his head thankfully.

  “Fine. I declare that my son, Sawyer, is my royal heir. He is to be a Lord Sawyer and to serve in Bordell’s army as a knight if Queen Hilde shall have it. And upon my death, he will be the Duke of Ancora when we overtake your silly castle.” A wicked smile appeared on his lips.

  She hated this duke with a passion. He was really starting to get on her nerves.

  “Fine,” she said without hesitation. “Do it then. Take him.”

  She looked right at Boar when she said it, hoping he understood the meaning. And when Boar shifted back into a Fae, she threw her weapon to him. He caught it in midair and without the Duke’s knowledge of their understanding, stabbed him with it.

  The whole field went quiet, except for Prince Hunter. He screamed and ran toward the fallen duke, wailing like a silly child.

  “Look what you’ve done,” he yelled at Boar. “Mother will not be happy about this!”

  “Oh yeah? Well, how would mother feel about your head on a plate?”

  Merryweather stifled a laugh and turned to see Fauna and Flora walking out of the castle. She smiled at the sight of her sisters.

  “Prince Hunter,” Ellie said standing and untying her ropes. “You can escape today; this is your one chance. You take your pathetic army back to Bordell and tell your mother that she is to be punished for treason. She will await her trial and I will be sending my daughter’s strongest Fae Warriors to help you tell her this, just in case she gets confused. Queen Aurora will be the one to decide her fate. You’ve done enough damage here for one day.”

  Prince Hunter gave Ellie an awful look and shook his head.

  “You’ll all regret this someday.”

  “No. There will not be retaliation,” Ellie told him sternly. “I’m letting you go free on your word, Hunter. You will be stripped of your title and so will your mother. Ancora will now be in charge of Bordell. Your army now belongs to us. And if you decide to try anything, I promise you will lose your heads.”

  The former prince shook his head in dismay. He looked to his soldiers who were starting to lay down their weapons in front of them. The Fae Warriors walked over to them and surrounded the ones who did not accept the terms.

  The Duchess smiled at Hunter.

  “Looks like they no longer listen to you, do they? Maybe ruling with an iron fist isn’t the best idea after all.”

  The soldiers began to take off the Bordell crest from their armor. Over fifty men walked from one side of the field to join Ancora’s side.

  “Prince Hunter,” the soldier’s leader said as he approached him. “I will assist you back to Bordell, but once there I will aid in the removal of your mother from her fortress. For too long she has mistreated my army and the people of Bordell.”

  “You traitor!” Hunter seethed.

  No longer did he look like a strong prince, but now a spoiled boy who didn’t get his way, short of throwing a temper tantrum on the field like a two year old.

  “Let us go to Bordell,” the leader told the army. They swore their allegiance to Rory by kissing Duchess Ellie’s hand and professing, “We now serve the true queen of Ancora.”

  Chills ran up and down Merry’s skin as she watched the soldiers leave as things died down.

  She couldn’t wait for Rory to see what they had all done for her kingdom. What the soldiers, Fae and shapeshifter alike, had done to save Ancora. The townspeople cheered and lay down their torches.

  She found the former Councilman Sheppard among them cheering loudly.

  “Sheppard,” she called out.

  He turned toward her and smiled. “Victory is ours, Merryweather.”

  She nodded. “It is. Now that the Duke declared Sawyer royalty, will you all accept him as your future king?”

  Ellicott’s body was being removed from the field with the other soldiers who fell.

  Sheppard smiled. “You mean Sir Sawyer? I did see his father die, so technically if Queen Aurora wanted to, I suppose he would be our grand duke.”

  “Yes, I suppose. Sir Sawyer sounds about right until she comes home.”

  She felt giddy and wanted to jump up and down for helping the council and the people of Ancora see Sawyer as a king. He would be able to take his rightful spot as Aurora’s husband—if he woke up that is. Her happiness didn’t fade, but hope remained for now.

  She thanked Shepperd and walked toward her sisters.

  “We have to let Aiofe out and bring Sawyer to the surface.” The rain stopped and the moon came out again. “It will be good for him to get fresh air, especially since being stuck in that dungeon.”

  “The moon is full of healing powers,” Fauna added.

  Although great changes had happened on this day, she couldn’t help but worry about Rory and her quest. They probably wouldn’t be back until sunrise, so she needed to prepare herself for bad news. There was just too much good happening now.

  “We will make sure he’s put in the royal quarters now,” Clara said coming forward, “since he’s royalty.”

  Merryweather hoped that Rory had performed a miracle in the Dark Forest and that she would see her soon. Until then, they had rooms to ready and a castle to clean.

  Chapter Thirty

  Rory

  The ride back to the castle was beautiful, but I couldn’t appreciate it, not one bit. I pulled Midnight along as I walked through the forest in the moonlight. I tried hard to not cry and to hold my head high, for I had killed Raven, finally. I should have felt proud of myself, but I just couldn’t think like that yet.

  Sawyer was still asleep and Gray was dead. Two of the most important people in my life were gone. However, I could wake Sawyer.

  I wrestled with my thoughts all the way to the edge of the Fae Woods. My mind went in a continuous circle: watching Gray die, killing Raven, denying the power when I could have used it for good. I let it go when I could have tried at least to bring Gray back.

  “Queen Aurora? Is that you?”

  I looked up to see my warriors as they waited in the Fae Woods. Had they been here this whole time?

  “What about the castle? You were supposed to aid them—”

  “My dear, Queen,” Vulture said coming forward. “That’s all been handled. Boar took many of the Fae Warriors that were with you, and I just heard word that your castle is secure.”

  She reached me and took Midnight’s reins from my shivering hands. “Let me take your horse and make sure he gets water and food. You can rest here until first light.”

  I shook my head, but didn’t have the s
trength to fight her.

  “Gray.” It wasn’t a question but a statement. It was all I could say.

  “I know. We will make sure she is prepared for burial in the morning. Let us clean her and wrap her in the ceremonial dress,” Vulture said as she rubbed my hands gently. “You’ve suffered a horrible loss, Your Majesty. Let me help you with this one thing, please?”

  I nodded and watched as Vulture took Midnight over to the Warrior Fae that fought alongside Gray in previous battles. They took her body from the horse and carried her high in the air over their heads while chanting a song in Fae that I had never heard before.

  I sat down for just a moment by the warm blazing fire, and before I knew it, sleep encased me in its comforting arms.

  ****

  “Your Majesty.” The voice called to me from afar, but I couldn’t see the person. Where was I and where was my army? Did I do what I set out to do? Did I retrieve the dagger from Raven and take her life like she had taken Sawyer’s?

  I opened my eyes and saw several fairies making food, readying horses, and doing other chores. I sat up and saw that I was lying on a warm mat of animal fur and felt the warmth of the fire gone from my body. I was covered in a soft blanket but the fire was out, leaving ash in its wake.

  Ash, like what was left of Raven’s remains.

  Yes, I did kill her. I was aware now of what had happened yesterday. There were no doubts that I succeeded in my goal, but I had left without Gray by my side. Her death left a hole inside me that was deep and would probably never go away. Gray had saved me from my nightmare last year and I hadn’t been able to save her.

  “Good morning, Queen Aurora. I’m here to help you get ready to go home,” a small fairy addressed me. She had a large smile, but eyes that were sad. “We’re all very sorry for the loss of Graylor. She was placed in her burial dress, and we all sang over her through the night. She will receive a most respected warrior burial, just like she deserves.”