Winter Princess: A reverse harem novel (Daughter of Winter Book 1)

by Skye MacKinnon

  “It’s okay. Guess I’ll get used to it eventually.”

  In silence, we watch the demons lazing around the stones. They’ve posted a few guards on their perimeters, but most of them aren’t paying attention to their surroundings. They’re relying on their numbers to be enough of a deterrent.

  Well, we’ve got no choice but to fight.

  And we will beat them.

  Suddenly, a fire erupts at the bottom of the cross, close to the visitor centre. Almost at the same time, a wall of water rolls over the beach, at least ten feet high; while a small tornado springs into action to the right of the Stones.

  The battle has begun.

  Chapter Fifteen

  My Guardians kill dozens of surprised demons before the rest of the horde notice that they’re under attack. Smoke is rising from the battle line closest to us where Aodh is conjuring a wall of fire that slowly pushes forwards. It’s drifting towards us and the smell of burned demon fills my nose. It’s probably the most disgusting thing I’ve ever smelled.

  In the distance, balls of ice are raining down from the sky, carried through the air by gusts Storm is creating. On the other side of the battlefield, several demons have begun to attack their own ranks. That must be Arc’s doing.

  It’s chaos, but that’s exactly what we want. This isn’t about killing as many demons as possible just now. It’s about identifying which demons are the strong ones, the ones we need to look out for.

  During breakfast, the guys gave me a crash course in demonology. Apparently, some of them have almost no magic, they purely rely on their physical powers. That doesn’t mean that their claws, beaks and teeth aren’t any less deadly than magic. Then there are the ones who specialise in different elements, just like mages and Guardians. Most of them only have one power, and are physically weak. The problematic ones are the higher demons, who have several magical skills and physical prowess. Usually, they are the leaders, more intelligent and devious than their fellow demons. In the worst cases, they’re like corrupted Guardians, equal in strength and intelligence. Our hope is that none of those, or only a few, are at Calanais today.

  Storm’s theory is that the higher demons won’t join the fray immediately. Which is why Crispin and I are now searching the battlefield for potential demon leaders. I press the binocular against my eyes, trying to see as much as possible.

  There’s one standing perched on top of a fallen stone close to the centre of the circle. His bright-red wings are outstretched and he is shouting at the demons on the ground below. Black horns erupt from his forehead, almost looking like a stag’s X. A bushy mane runs down his spine to where a long tail grows from just above his arse. I point at him and Crispin nods.

  “A fiend. I had hoped there wouldn’t be any. They’re the princes of the Demon Realms; strong and unpredictable. See the barb on his tail? It’s poisonous, deadly to humans and debilitating to Guardians. Let’s not find out what it does to demi-gods.”

  He points to the entrance to the cairn, which is now guarded by a giant, fleshy demon. It looks a bit like an orc that’s been boiled in hot water. Not pretty.

  “I think I know her—”

  “Wait, that thing is a woman?”

  “I’ve not had a chance to check her anatomy,” Crispin says drily. “But her name is definitely female. They call her Brenda. She’s got quite the reputation. She likes to kill her victims slowly and brutally. She’s also partial to nibbling on them while they’re still alive.”

  I shudder. “Can we kill her?”

  “With pleasure.”

  We spot two more higher demons: one that looks almost human, except that his skin is bright blue, and another who seems to be a cross between a yeti and... well, something with four arms.

  I regret that it’s not my task to kill those demons. At least, not yet.

  The Guardians have managed to turn the area around the Stones into chaos. Demons are running around screaming, some are lying on the ground, dead or injured, and the higher demons are barking commands.

  But now that the initial attack has passed, the demons are starting to fight back. A group of them has separated from the horde and is running down to the beach, apparently trying to circle Frost, who has moved away from the sea to be closer to the battle line. If they succeed, he’ll be surrounded. If only I could use my bond to send him a warning - but both his and my own mind need to stay shielded. We don’t know yet how strong some of these demons are. Possession doesn’t sound like much fun (not that they can actually possess you like in the films. Instead, they break your mind and control you, turning you into a mindless slave. But because that shell of a human talks what the demon wants it to, it looks like possession).

  “Crispin, they’re trying to—”

  I was worrying about nothing. Frost has turned around and an icy blizzard is now surrounding the demons who tried to sneak up on him. I almost want to cheer him on, but that might make the demons aware of our position. It’s not like we’re hiding, but we’re far enough away from the battlefield to not draw attention. Hopefully.

  Crispin laughs grimly. “Look, Storm’s using your techniques now!”

  A tornado is surrounding Storm. It looks a lot more planned than the one I conjured by accident in this morning’s lesson though. Gods, was that really just a few hours ago? It feels like years have passed.

  Demons are trying to get to Storm, but instead, they’re lifted off their feet and thrown through the air. Impressive.

  I look over to the other side of the Stones, where Arc and Chesca started their attack. I can’t see them. “Crispin, where is Arc?”

  He scours the battlefield with me. They’ve disappeared. “Where could they have gone?” I ask, worry hugging my heart.

  “They must be around somewhere... They’re going after one of the higher demons, so they must be cloaked - ah, see there, behind that blue wobble demon?”

  I swallow a question about the ‘wobble demon’. It looks exactly like it sounds. Imagine a blob of jelly that has a head, arms and something that looks like stocky legs. And it’s bright blue.

  Behind it, a golden demon has appeared, ignored by the other demons around it. Despite her colouring, Chesca blends in. She drags Arc behind her, shouting something to the wobble demon. He turns around and inspects my Guardian, who is looking dazed and not quite right.

  Anger bubbles up in me. “Chesca! I knew she was up to something!”

  Crispin chuckles. “Wait, I don’t think it’s as it seems.”

  The blue demon stretches out an arm to touch Arc - and the arm flies through the air, cut off by Arc’s sword. A second later, that same sword has buried itself in the demon’s chest. I shudder as the demon... dissolves. Yucky.

  Chesca holds up a hand to high-five. That’s her, high-fiving on a battlefield. Crazy.

  “One higher demon less to go,” Crispin murmurs next to me.

  “How many are there?” “I’ve counted six so far, but that’s only those who are physically strong. There may be some that look unremarkable but are higher demons nonetheless.”

  “So they’re outnumbering us.”

  “Princess, have you counted the demons? They’ve outnumbered us from the beginning.”

  I huff. Of course I knew that. But there’s a difference between having 150 stupid demons or 144 stupid demons and 6 very strong ones.

  Crispin gasps and points to where Frost is fighting.

  “He needs help!”

  My Water Guardian is surrounded. More demons must have followed the initial breakaways. He’s shooting icicles in all directions, but whenever a demon goes down, another takes his place.

  I reach for my bond and give Storm a tug. I can see how he falters for a moment and know my message got to him. Now he knows someone is in trouble. Once again, I regret that I can’t give him more information via the bond.

  But he’s already running towards his brother, blowing demons out of his way with large gusts of wind. They’re not intended to kill, just to
make it quicker for him to reach his twin.

  Frost is fighting hard. A wall of water is rolling over the beach, towards him and the demons. Is the water going to hurt him when it breaks over them?

  Surely not. It’s his element, after all.

  I notice I’m gripping Crispin’s hand. When did that happen?

  Storm has almost reached his brother when the wave crashes over Frost and the demons surrounding him. For a moment, they’re hidden from view. Storm skids to a halt, waiting for the water to disappear.

  With bated breath, I wait. Every second feels like an hour. Then, the water wall that has stood upon the ground crashes down, releasing its victims. Demons collapse, drowned where they were standing. A few still move, but they don’t pose a threat anymore. Frost stands in the middle of them, victorious.

  And collapses.

  Storm is by his brother’s side in a flash. He lifts him up, obviously concerned. I wish I could understand what they’re saying. He stretches an arm into the air, waving.

  He needs Crispin’s help.

  “You ready?” I ask the healer.

  “Yeah, let’s do this. It’s best if we circle the field as much as possible. It’ll take longer, but if we get caught in the fighting it could mean we won’t reach them at all.”

  I nod and release his hand. He pulls his sword from its sheath, and I do the same with my dagger. Into battle.

  Progress is slow. We’re trying to stay out of sight, hiding behind low heather bushes and in an occasional ditch. It’s a pity that this area has been landscaped for tourists who want to enjoy the view. There isn’t much cover.

  Once, we run into a demon struggler, but Crispin dispatches him with a single stroke. A drop of blood splatters on my face. But I don’t have time to think about how disgusting it is, as Crispin takes my hand and drags me on.

  Our original plan was that I’m to protect Crispin if we have to get to one of the Guardians. So far, it’s been the other way around. I really need to start pulling my weight.

  By the time we reach Frost and Storm, I’m covered in sweat and am having trouble breathing. I need to do more exercise. Maybe one of the Guardians can become my personal trainer once we’re in the Realms. Or perhaps all of them. Of course they’d have to be topless to do that.

  I’m grateful for my mind being silly as always. It distracts me from the dead demons littering the ground. One of them grips my ankle – okay, he’s not quite dead yet. Instinctively, I bend down and stab him with my dagger. With a crunch, it sinks into his ribcage. There’s almost no blood.

  He lets loose of my foot and breathes his last breath.

  My first kill.

  I shudder.

  “Wyn! Crispin! Over here!” Storm calls, his voice full of urgency.

  Ignoring the dead demon at my feet, I run over to him. Frost is lying on the ground, his cheeks sporting a blue tinge. His eyes are closed and his breath is shallow. His armour lies discarded next to him, giving us a view of his pale upper body.

  “What happened?” Crispin asks, his tone all business. This is Crispin the healer, not Crispin the friend.

  “A demon stabbed him from behind, broke his concentration. The wound is shallow, but he lost control on the water and it almost drowned him, just like the demons.”

  “Turn him around,” Crispin orders, and Storm gently rolls his brother on his stomach.

  A large gash runs from Frost’s left shoulder blade down to the bottom of his spine. It’s bleeding heavily; his armour doesn’t seem to have been strong enough to prevent the weapon reaching his skin. If this is what Storm describes as a ‘shallow wound’, I don’t want to know what a deep wound would look like.

  Crispin curses under his breath. “This will take a while. Wyn, look out for demons, you’ll have to keep them away from us. Storm, the others will need your help. Go back and fight.”

  “He’ll make it, right?” he grumbles.

  “Yes, but none of us will make it if you don’t kill those bastards,” Crispin retorts, already waving his hand over Frost’s unmoving body.

  With a sigh, Storm takes his sword and turns away from us, running back to the battlefield. Two land spouts spring into life on either side of him. The fury of my Guardian is visible. I silently cheer him on. Demons hurt my Frost. They need to die.

  I get up and take a protective stance in front of Crispin and his patient. Crispin is whispering under his breath, but it’s too mumbled to understand.

  I focus on our surroundings. A demon is approaching us, separating from the rest of the battle.

  Brenda.

  Shit.

  I’m not sure I can deal with a higher demon yet.

  “Crispin, there’s a demon coming, but I’ll get rid of her,” I say with a confidence that is entirely made up.

  I grasp my magic tightly, preparing to fight. This demon is going nowhere near my Guardians.

  Now that she’s coming closer, I get a better view of her hideousness. Her flesh looks like it’s too large for her skin. Boils cover her arms and legs, but I’m not sure if they’re from the battle or always like this. Sharp teeth are protruding from her puckered lips; they’re totally out of proportion with the size of her mouth. A few hairs are stretched over her otherwise bald skull. She’s the ugliest being I’ve ever seen.

  And right now, she’s smiling at me – if you can call it a smile. More a slight movement of her mouth.

  “Daughter of Breia,” she hisses. “It’s time to die.”

  “Can’t you come up with something more creative?” I yell back at her. “That’s such an overused sentence.”

  She stares at me. Apparently, no one has called her out on her stereotypical phrases.

  Then her smile grows broader and with a flick of her hand, the ground before me explodes. I’m thrown back; luckily not onto Crispin and Frost.

  “Do you need help?” Crispin shouts. I want to say yes, but he’s busy healing.

  “I’ll deal with her,” I respond through clenched teeth. That bitch is going to die.

  She wants to use magic against me? I’ll show her my magic.

  I don’t even have to think about what to do. I simply reach into myself, take a bundle of magic and throw it in her direction. A huge fireball races towards her.

  She shrieks, but manages to throw up a wall of earth in front of her just before the fire hits her. Damn it.

  Let’s try something else. I twist my hands and a whirlwind springs into being in front of me. I nudge it towards Brenda, and it shoots forward, crashing against her wall of earth. I twist my arm further and the wind turns into a small tornado, ripping through the earth, destroying her protective barrier.

  I will the wind to move further, until it reaches the demon. She shrieks as it tears at her, ripping her few remaining hairs off her scalp. I laugh as I form another fire ball and throw it at her.

  It mixes with the wind, turning the tornado into a burning torch. She screams as the flames touch her. Burn, demon bitch.

  I channel more magic into the fire, willing it to burn even hotter. Her screams turn into wails, and I smile grimly as her skin begins to melt on her body. She threatened my Guardians. Now she’s paying for it. They are mine.

  “Wyn!” Crispin suddenly shouts, ripping me from my victorious rage. I turn around – and my heart drops. A demon is holding a knife to the healer’s throat.

  It’s a small, unremarkable demon – he looks just like most of the other ones. But there’s an intelligence burning behind his eyes that makes me categorise him as a higher demon immediately. This one is dangerous, probably more so than Brenda (who has now burned to a demon crisp behind me).

  Crispin is looking more annoyed than scared. Well, guess I’m scared enough for both of us. That knife looks very sharp. And deadly.

  “What do you want?” I snarl at the demon.

  He laughs. “The same thing as every single one of us wants. You.”

  “Well, you’re not getting me. Now release my friends.”

>   I quiver with rage. I’m not going to let him get away with this.

  He laughs even harder. “You’re not in a position to make demands, abomination.”

  “What did you just call me?”

  He grins widely, saliva forming a spider’s web around his crooked teeth.

  “You’re a halfling. A bastard. An abomination born of incest. You should have been killed when you were born. Now my Mistress is making things right. And I will be the one to do it. She’ll reward m—”

  He drops to the ground, taking the knife with him. A tiny drop of blood runs down Crispin’s throat. He wipes it off with his hand. Strange how he is wounded, but the demon lies dead on the ground, no sign of injury. He could be sleeping. Nobody will know how I stopped his heart with just a single tendril of magic. Except for Crispin, of course.

  “Couldn’t you have done that a little earlier?” he huffs.

  “Sorry, couldn’t decide how to do it. It’s strange, his heart looked just like a human one.”

  He smiles sadly. “You’re a good student. But I wish you wouldn’t have had to do that.”

  Actually, I’m glad. Stopping that demon’s heart was the best thing I’ve ever done. I’m glowing inside. I want to jump and tell the world. Then I want to burn it.

  “I’m going to kill some demons,” I announce and leave the two Guardians, ignoring Crispin’s protest. I stride onto the battlefield, looking for demons to kill. My magic is sharpening her claws inside me, purring at the thought of demon blood pouring onto the ground.

  No one is going to stop us.

  I’m a demi-goddess. These demons are no match for me.

  I’m feeling a little hot, so I conjure fire balls and let them rain down on the battle field. Demons shriek all around me, running away from their burning comrades. I laugh as heather brush catches fire on the ground. Thick smoke is beginning to rise, making it hard to see. But I don’t care. I throw more fire all around me, not caring whether it actually hits someone.

  I’m drunk on magic, and it’s the best feeling ever.