Heir of Vaashaa: The Lost Child of the Crown (The Lost Child of the Crown Series Book 2)
Page 17
“He will not succeed, we would not allow it.” Talen spoke in complete certainty.
“Mm, yes. But at what cost to the Rouella? To the people of Kavasta? It would be best
to end it here, before it reached anywhere near your shores.” I had him.
I knew he wouldn’t be able to argue with that. To be able to stop the threat on someone else’s land. His eyes slid to Loralet’s before he moved back to mine and I knew they would be fighting with us.
Twenty Six
The march south took us five days.
The size of the Shellandiran army was far more rattling in their lines of formation. Their silver scaled armour glinting in the sun as we marched day in and day out.
Our time on the move was slower, that was to be expected of course. Their armour was strong and light, but there were weapons and other items of necessity that were carried, pushed and pulled along during our journey.
I stayed close to Silas, not willing to leave his side. Not yet. Not when it would be forced upon us sooner than any of us could have anticipated. We had counted the days. Everything – thank the Gods – had gone to plan and in our favour. This moment did not sneak up on us unannounced or catch us off guard, but the days had seemed to lessen in their hours of daylight. The minutes felt like mere seconds that were gone too quickly. Filled with things that outweighed any other need. There was nothing more important now than what we marched towards. What we went to meet.
My heart had been kept at a constant race every step that brought us closer to the army that in all truthfulness, we did not know what to expect of. Montreese was a smaller kingdom than the others, but it was still filled with hundreds of thousands of people. Where were they now? My blood ran cold at the thought, something I had not allowed myself to ponder. The people and families and lives that were no longer their own, fighting for a side they didn’t choose to be on. And the people of my kingdom. The people I had sworn to protect, where were they?
Anger suddenly pulsed through me at the lack of knowledge I seemed to have about these things that were too important to not know anything about. All I was sure of was that we had done our best, rallying three armies. All of varying greatness, all deadly and brutal.
The sixth day saw us camped along the end, or the beginning depending on where you’re coming from, of The Altrey Ranges. We allowed our soldiers to rest, taking the time to gather our own strength too. This night was not like the others when we saw the end on our horizon. It didn’t allow for moments of privacy or stolen love. It was the loudest silence I had ever known. The need for sleep was echoed in the racing of my heart, it was clear in the slickness of my palms, the sickness in my stomach. Even so, I was grateful to be able to see the sunrise. The sky filling with soft pinks and oranges. Colours that were once reflected in the wildflowers of this kingdom but now were no more than decaying, brittle husks littering the fields and meadows we passed on our journey.
We knew that the Lygot army would be coming from the east, the plan being that Cander’s army would split themselves around the ranges and with any luck the Rouella would vanish toward the centre, breaking them apart further. The downfall of this was that we would not be able to see the Lygot army until we broke down the lines of Cander’s forces that came for us to the west.
A scout that was tasked with a single mission of making their way to the top of the ranges left late last night. He was to alert us when Lygot had met the front lines of Cander’s army to the east, we would know this by one blow of the battle horn. His second task was to alert us should they fall, this was two blows.
We were ready.
I wore my own scaled armour, it differed from the traditional Shellandrian outfit. My scales were black, running over my body like it had been painted onto my skin, the crest of every kingdom sat upon my shield but it was only the crest of my kingdom, of Vyterra that shined in gold across my heart. I stood amongst the soldiers of the Shellandria army as we awaited our signal. Knowing we had but minutes.
I stepped forward to take my place in the front lines. Issac to my left and Silas to my right. Jude and Asher had made their place beside Silas’s other side, followed closely by Simeera, Cassidy, Breanalee and Yana. I looked down the line, taking in every single one of their faces. Thinking of our friends on the other side of the ranges that we could not see.
I felt the thundering feet of running soldiers pounding along the earth.
I looked to Silas. “They’re here.” I breathed to him. “The Lygot army, I feel them.” His head turned to the direction they would be coming, I saw a spring breeze tussle his hair as it made its way to search for their presence. When he found what he was looking for he moved his eyes back to mine, not leaving them again. Even as the horn sounded and the sudden clash of steal carried through the air. Even as the storm of soldiers raided around the bend of the ranges, he still looked at me.
I turned to face him one last time, knowing our time had come, there was no more waiting. He brought his hand up to the side of my face, the gesture didn’t belong on this battle field but perhaps that’s why he did it. He spoke to me the words he had when he stepped through the forest off the coast. Though this time I could feel every emotion, every part of his soul as it moved against mine down the bond that would forever be a part of us.
“There is nowhere you could ever go that I would not follow, Terraleise.”
I didn’t need to say it back to know he felt my response, felt every single piece of the blackened, hard exterior that had encompassed my soul, I knew he felt it wash away just as I did.
So, we turned from one another to face the oncoming slaughter preparing our first line of defence. Silas forming his arrows of solid air, his ribbons of wind fit with razor sharp edges. The vines beneath the ground crawling to the surface awaiting my command to reach up and pull those above, those who stole so unforgivably, down to the core of the land we stood on. Issac beside me began to fashion balls of fire, one after another, letting them simmer above us crackling in anticipation of meeting their targets.
As we released our hold on our magic, as we sent our affinities to meet stolen untrained familiars in those before us, time slowed. Like a fine mist at first, then turning into a darker cloud. The soldiers charging for us were distracted for a moment as the Rouella and their legion upon legion of armed and wicked witches and warlocks materialised right between the split army, right where they said they would be, Dee at the front lines amongst her people.
It was but a second that time slowed, perhaps completely unnoticed by many of the soldiers around us. And then, all at once, we released ourselves upon them. Those who had now reached us, were so close I could make out the dark circles of bruising under the lifeless eyes. I did not think about who they were or where they came from, only what they now stood to destroy and so I didn’t feel any sense of remorse as I released the leash of my power, called to my magic and let it join with the earth around me, I did not hold back as I tore them all to pieces.
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About The Author
Celine L. A. Simpson was raised on the Mid-North Coast of Australia and now resides in Melbourne, Victoria. She graduated from La Trobe University with a bachelor’s degree in creative arts, majoring in Creative and Professional Writing. Growing up with a passion for reading, she began writing at an early age, moving into content creation as a career path before writing and publishing her own novels.
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