Pounding Earth

by ERIN BEDFORD

“You don’t look happy.” Aeis stopped before us, her eyes giving the guys a cursory look before settling back on me. “You get to stay out of the fight.”

  I frowned harder. She said it like I wanted to be stuck here. Like I wanted to watch my mates go off to battle where I couldn’t help them. For all the powers the babies have given me, I still couldn’t use them to save those I loved. It wasn’t fair.

  “Don’t rub it in.” Raiden slung an arm around my shoulders. “Maya’s feeling a bit left out right now.”

  I shrugged his arm off. “No, I’m not.” I scowled at Aeis. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready to lead our men into battle? What are you still doing over here?”

  Aeis was supposed to lead our father’s army into battle. I didn’t know why she had waited this long to go to her position, we’d be starting at any time. We were just waiting for the trumpets to sound.

  Aeis shifted in place, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. “I will be. I was just saying good-bye.”

  “Good-bye to who?” I asked just as the twins came barreling into the area, laughing and joking with each other. When they saw Aeis, they immediately stopped and beamed at her, causing her to blush even more.

  “Come on, dude.” I shook my head, my lips twisted in disgust. “I don’t need to know. Just go make sure we’re not going to lose this thing.”

  Aeis slid her eyes to the side, a silent exchange between her and Jack that I couldn’t figure out. As soon as it happened, it was over, and she was pulling me into her arms. She held me to her tightly, and I slipped my arms around her.

  Burying my face in her neck, I inhaled her scent. An earthy tone mixed with my sister’s own flowery perfume and filled my senses. She smelled like home, something I hoped to God I’d see again. Though with Ned still there, it wouldn’t be a happy reunion. Not yet anyway. But that was a worry for another day.

  “You be careful, okay?” Aeis said after a moment, holding me to her. “Don’t do anything rash. You need to keep yourself and my nieces or nephews safe. I need someone to spoil when this is all over.”

  I chuckled and pushed back. “Well, you have to come back to be able to spoil anyone. So, you be careful too. Besides,” I sighed and then gave her a teasing grin, “I think there are two guys who would be devastated to see you die.”

  Aeis ducked her head and sneaked a peek at the twins who were sharpening their blades a few yards away. “Yeah, well, we barely know each other.”

  I forced myself not to make a rude joke, but Raiden beat me to it.

  “Never stopped them before,” Raiden said, earning a glare from Aeis and a smack on the arm from me. “Hey, what was that for?” He rubbed his arm with a pitiful puppy dog look on his face.

  “You know,” I snapped before turning back to Aeis. I planned on reassuring her that the twins weren’t like that, but the trumpets blared, signaling everyone to get ready.

  My body tensed at the sound of them, the beat of my heart racing in my ears. I’d been in a lot of fights but never in a battle of this magnitude. Nervous didn’t even begin to describe how I felt.

  The guys seemed to freeze as well. Though they didn’t seem as worried as I was. Their stances shifted as they prepared to take to the skies, Firestar’s wings came out first, and I knew my time with them was nearly up.

  “Firestar.” I grasped a hold of him before he could walk away. My eyes burned as I dragged him down, pressing a desperate kiss to his lips. I drew back with a deep breath, holding his face in my hands. I stared at him like I was memorizing every inch of his face, and in a way, I was. No matter what any of them said, there was a real chance none of them would come back.

  “I know,” Firestar answered my unasked question with a sad smile. “I know.” He pressed his forehead against mine before releasing me to go to Jack.

  Jack didn’t kiss me right away. He cupped my face in his hands, doing pretty much exactly what I did to Firestar. His fingertips trailed along my cheeks and then traced my lips. Pale lashes fluttered close as he dipped down to give me a soft, gentle kiss. This time it was me who pulled back first. Jack’s kiss made my heart hurt, and I couldn’t take it.

  I was thankful when Raiden pulled me into his arms. I was just this close to breaking down and bawling like a baby. Raiden’s hand wrapped around my braid, angling my head back. His mouth ravished mine as he nipped and sucked at my lips. By the time he released me, I had forgotten all about my fear and wanted to pull the three of them into a tent to have one last hurrah.

  The trumpets sounded again, and I had to let them go. Jack’s wings sprouted from his back like a dance of snowflakes, they mesmerized me every time I saw them. Sadly, I didn’t have time to get lost in them, because Raiden’s bright electrified wings broke the air. He shot me a wink before flapping his wings and taking flight. Jack sighed and shook his head before following suit. Firestar was the last to go, his eyes lingering on me.

  I gulped, my emotions getting the best of me, but before I could express them, Firestar was gone. They’d left me. They’d really left me here by myself. I forced myself to take slow, deep breaths, I didn’t have time to freak out. A grand scale battle was about to go down, and I couldn’t let my emotions distract anyone from the job at hand. I wouldn’t be responsible for anyone getting killed.

  I wouldn’t.

  “Are you doing all right?”

  I jumped in place, spinning around to find Lord Amun standing behind me. He had donned his armor as well, the same suit he’d worn during the invasion of the unaligned camp. The concern on his face made him far less intimidating this time around though.

  “No, not really.” I glanced back to where the guys had taken off and sighed. “But I guess I don’t have a choice. This must happen, whether I like it or not.”

  “I know the feeling.” Lord Amun walked forward up the hill upon which we were supposed to wait and watch like helpless babes. I followed behind him, my eyes on the gathering troops below. “You wouldn’t know it, but I hate fighting.” Lord Amun’s shoulders quivered, a wry grin on his lips. “I hate the sight of blood, and I’m a big baby when it comes to getting hurt.”

  I laughed politely. Whether or not what he was saying was true, I knew he was trying to help ease my nerves. No one wanted a stressed-out pregnant woman with magic powers.

  “Firestar, however, he’s like his mother.” He glanced at me with raised brows. “Fierce, strong, and stubborn as an ox. Not surprisingly, there was never a fight she didn’t win, except when it came to childbirth. That was one battle she hadn’t been able to win.”

  The look of horror on my face must have been frightening because Lord Amun’s expression dropped with his mouth, his hands waving in front of him. “Not that you will have that problem. You’re going to be great. You have three powerful little guys - or girls - inside of you, I doubt they’d want anything to happen to their mother.”

  Trying really hard not to let his words freak me the fuck out, I decided to give my father-in-law a break. I placed my hand on his arm and offered him a small smile. “You’re right. The chances of that happening are low. Plus, if any complications happen, I can always go to Earth. They have great doctors there, I mean, medics.”

  “Earth, huh?” Lord Amun sniffed. “I’ve never been. Maybe after all this, I’ll take a little vacation there. Maybe you can show me around?” He arched a brow, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Sure, it’d be my pleasure.” Just as the words fell out of my mouth, a roar ripped through the sky. My eyes jerked to the battle below. Mouth dropping open and eyes wide, I watched as twin dragons, Raijin and Fujin, swooped through the sky. A bolt of lightning sprayed from their mouths and down on the fighters below.

  The scent of blood filled the air as our men poured into the field on both sides of Lady Nariko’s mercenary army. I was sure some of those were men that used to be loyal to Lord Shen, but for all I cared, they could go sit on a lightning bolt and die.

  The roars of the twins barely over shadowe
d the shouts and yells from down below. Some of the dragons actually used weapons while others lit up the battlefield with a full array of magic. There were entire swaths of ground that had iced over, proof that the ice dragons were doing their jobs. I just hoped it would be enough.

  A few of the dragons had morphed into their half-dragon forms, their wings flapping in the air and causing large gusts of wind to blow in our direction. I was thankful to see that Raijin and Fujin were the only ones who were able to go full dragon. It gave us the advantage we direly needed. At least, that’s what I thought until they started spraying their magic all over the field with no care as to where they were shooting their loads.

  Fear that they might accidentally hit one of the guys, I searched for them in the crowd, but it was like picking a needle out of a haystack. They were several hundred yards away, and almost impossible to find. That was until a large group of men was thrown away by a swinging ice hammer.

  Jack. My heart jumped into my throat. I took a hesitant step forward, but Lord Amun’s hand stopped me. My gaze dipped down to it before going back to the battle.

  Don’t run out there, I had to tell myself. They’re fine without you. You’ll just distract them.

  I kept repeating those words over and over like a mantra. Not that it helped much as every fiber of my being wanted to dart out there and find them. Help them before someone hurt them. The tingles in my stomach told me the babies wanted that as well.

  A loud uproar jerked my attention back to the battle, where a whole section of dragons was thrown about, their bodies shaking from the electric bolts of Raiden’s trident. Raiden moved so fast, he was like a blur, knocking men out of his way as he barreled toward the walls of his home. The only thing more magnificent to watch was the fight above.

  Most of the fighters had chosen to stay on the ground. Fighting in the air was a challenge for most dragons, seasoned warriors or not. Of course, that’s where I found Firestar. At least I was pretty sure I had. He was flying so swiftly that the only telltale sign of his passage were the screams and burning body parts falling from the sky as his kusarigamas sliced through the enemy.

  I couldn’t find my sister in the mix, though she didn’t have a larger-than-life dragon form or a magical weapon to help me pick her out of the crowd. Knowing Aeis though, she was kicking ass and taking names.

  Our father would be so proud.

  Luckily, they were keeping the majority of the battle to the field, and we hadn’t had to worry about any stragglers. I didn’t expect that to last for long. We might have a lot of men, but someone always got through. Always.

  The sound of my name being called was all the warning I had before I was shoved to the ground by Lord Amun. A bolt of lightning flew through the space where my head had been before. Lord Amun shifted to the side, so his weight wasn’t on top of me, letting me sit up slowly, my eyes searching for the one who had cast the electricity.

  A man wearing the bright yellow colors of the East came charging forward. Without even rising to my feet, my hand began to burn before a ball of fire shot out. It hit the man right in the chest, lighting him up like a Christmas tree. The man screamed and fell to the ground as another one took his place.

  Jumping to my feet, I bumped Lord Amun with my foot. “Looks like we’re going to get some action after all. Hope you skipped breakfast.” I threw another fireball before shooting a terrified Lord Amun a grin. And they said I was the one with a weak stomach.

  18

  I didn’t realize how much I needed to fight until those men started pouring over the ridge. It wasn’t a huge amount, a dozen at most but enough to get my blood pumping, excitement in every movement.

  Throwing fireballs left and right, I hardly had to think before the next one left my hand and blasted a soldier away. The others who had stayed behind to guard the border were swept up in their own battles. I couldn’t take the time to glance back to see if anyone needed help, I had my own fight to focus on.

  “You bitch!” a lightning dragon screamed at me as my fireball missed him, skimming his arm. Irritation filled me for missing, and only slightly for being called a bitch. Though I might be calling me the same if I were in his position.

  But right now, it just made me dig my power into the earth, pulling up the vines to wrap around his legs, knocking him to the ground. He snarled and clawed at them, calling me even worse names than before. The more he struggled, the tighter the vines wrapped until they completely covered every inch of him.

  “Call me bitch, will you?” I muttered, turning away from his still form in time to come face to face with another attacker. This one had half-shifted into his dragon form, his eyes yellow and slitted, and scales covered the majority of his face and arms. Before I could react, his claw lashed out and caught me across the shoulder and part of my chest.

  Forcing myself to ignore the bloody wound, electricity crackled in my hand. With a growl, I shoved my fist into the guy just as his claw came down to take another chunk out of me. When my hand hit his chest, his entire body spasmed as lightning danced up and down his form, stopping his attack mid-strike.

  His eyes rolled into the back of his head, his mouth foaming before he collapsed on the ground. I bumped him with my boot, making sure he was actually out before turning back to the fight.

  When no one immediately came at me, I took the time to scan the area. There were dozens of bodies littering the ground, but no more fighters coming our way. I searched for a familiar face in the swirling mass of the battle but couldn’t find one.

  Turning around in a circle, I kept looking this way and that, practically giving myself whiplash from how quickly I was turning my head. Where was Lord Amun? He’d been right beside me. Please don’t be dead. Don’t be dead. Raiden was already losing one of his parents in this whole debacle, I couldn’t bear to see Firestar lose his father.

  A hand clamped down on my shoulder, and on instinct, I commanded flames into my palm, a fireball ready to throw. My throwing arm relaxed as I turned around and found Lord Amun standing there with his hands up.

  “Whoa, there,” he cried. “I’m on your side.”

  I extinguished the fire and dropped my hand. “Sorry, I’m a bit jumpy.”

  “Understandably.” Lord Amun nodded and then frowned, his eyes going to my shoulder. “You should have that taken care of.”

  Why was it that only when someone tells you that you’re injured, does it actually start to hurt? I’d barely remembered that I’d been cut before Lord Amun had so kindly reminded me. Now, it stung like a mother as blood dripped down, staining my shirt. The strap to my chest piece had been sliced through, leaving the top half hanging down.

  Wincing, I started toward where we had the medic tent set up. I waved off the attendant as I entered, grabbing what I needed to clean up my shoulder. I hissed as the cleaning swab touched my heated skin. Holding it to the wound until the bleeding stopped, I took in slow, shallow breaths.

  “You know you really should let the medic take care of that,” Lord Amun gestured to where I had my hand pressed.

  “It’s not that bad,” I insisted, pulling the gauze away to look at the wound. “See? Already stopped bleeding.” Still hurt like a son of a bitch.

  “You’re almost as stubborn as my son.” Lord Amun chuckled, running his hand through his red hair laced with gray. I had a feeling he’d have a few more gray hairs in there after this was all done and over.

  “I’m not stubborn.”

  Lord Amun snorted. “Only someone stubborn would say that, and since you’re pregnant three times over, your stubbornness meter is out of the roof.”

  I gave him an impatient look, not even bothering to comment on the pregnant jab. We were in a middle of a war, this wasn’t the time to get into a petty fight. Even if he was being a jackass. And he said that I was the one like Firestar.

  “So, what’s the plan now?” I asked, fidgeting with my ripped strap. Eventually, I gave up and just let it hang there. This wasn’t a beauty contest
after all. At least, my guts weren’t hanging out.

  “The plan is to stay alive and stick to the original plan.” Lord Amun leaned against the pole holding up the tent. “Our men are doing their job, and we are doing ours.”

  “But there’s not any more coming this way.” I gestured toward the hill where we still the enemy’s bodies were still littered about. “You can’t tell me you are happy just sitting here and waiting?”

  “Yes, the hell I am,” Lord Amun snapped, his eyes going hard and fierce. “My job is to keep this border clear and to—” He cut off his words, his mouth clipping closed.

  My eyes narrowed at his slip up. “To what?”

  “Nothing, just to keep this area covered.” Lord Amun crossed his arms over his chest. I didn’t believe him for a second.

  “Tell me what you meant.” I stood to my feet, my gaze focused solely on him. Lord Amun shifted in place, my stare obviously making him uncomfortable. Good, I needed to practice my mom look. Three babies were going to be hard enough, but when they became teenagers? Hell, I didn’t envy my future self.

  Lord Amun scoffed and glared at the ground. “Damn it, I told them this wouldn’t work.”

  “What? What wouldn’t work?” I urged him on. I had a feeling I knew what he was going to say, but I needed to hear it from him.

  He met my gaze and sighed. “They wanted me to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid.”

  “Stupid?” My brows raised up into my hairline. “Like what?”

  “Like going into the fight yourself.” Lord Amun waved a hand toward the fight. “They know how you can get.”

  “And how’s that?” I asked, my teeth gritting with my growing agitation. Lord Amun just stared at me as if too afraid to tell me what the guys had said. “Come on now, you’ve gotten this far. You might as well go all the way. What did those jerks tell you?”

  “Goddamn it, I’m getting too old for this shit.” Lord Amun cursed more than I’d ever heard any lord curse. Not that I should be surprised, he was Firestar’s father. “They said, and this is a direct quote,” - he shook a finger at me - “so don’t go killing the messenger …”