by Sela Croft
“Where are the vampires?” I asked.
“This is but one of dozens of attack locations,” Florian said. “It’s hard to get men out this far, when so much inside the boundary is under attack.”
When he explained the situation, my heart sank. I couldn’t stand there and watch my subjects die for a land that they felt captive in. Callie’s words rang in my mind—her pointed arguments that her race was treated like slaves, in our realm.
I’d argued that wasn’t the case, and told her they were our equals. I needed to prove that to her and to myself.
A cry for help drew my attention. The trees surrounding us were large, their trunks thick, but through the bark and low-hanging branches, I identified the source of the terrified pleas.
A woman, clinging tightly to a child, no more than four years old, cowered back in fear. A Wildling Fae, one of the more terrifying members of their race towered over her. Fangs protruded from its mouth, saliva dripped down its chin. Its eyes were dark, empty orbs. Yet they fixed on her with a deadly stare.
“We need to help them,” I said, then jumped from the pile of rubble.
I soared through the air, moving faster than either the woman or the Fae could process. I approached the trio, with my hands extended, and summoned my inner strength. Energy surged through me, flowed through my chest, and tingled along my arms, until it spilled out my fingertips.
I landed on the ground, then threw the Fae creature to the side. The strain of its weight nearly thwarted my effort. But I drew on my ability and directed my strength toward my target. Despite the constant sounds of battle serving to distract me, I focused.
The Fae crashed into a tree, sending bark and splinters flying into the air. I watched it collapse to the ground.
“Go,” I said to the woman. “Get to safety.”
“Where?” she asked, tears streaming down her dirt-covered cheeks. “No place is safe.”
I scanned our surroundings. She was right. Even high up in the hills, I saw clouds of smoke rising and flames dancing in an orange glow. I tried to think of what to say, where to send her, how to help. I couldn’t find the words; there were no words.
A pain-induced scream rang out to my left.
It had come from a man. He was in the grip of one of the creatures, with blood running down his side, and fear in his eyes.
“Florian!” I cried. “Get them out of here!”
“How? There are too many…they’re too spread out.”
“Then help them,” I said, and pointed to the woman with the child.
“No,” the woman said and shook her head. “I won’t go without my husband.”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know…” Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Do what you can to disperse the fight,” I said to my brother.
“If it were that easy, we wouldn’t be in this situation, Logan. This location is just one of—”
“This is where we are,” I said. “So, we will help them.”
I spun around to face the carnage around us. Others raced about. But there was no organization, or sense to be made of the scene unfolding. Summoning my ability again, I focused on a cluster of Wildling Fae pursuing a group of humans, wielding whatever weapons they could find—mainly sticks and axes.
Focusing on my target, I gathered all the strength I could find and released it. The force with which it flew forward surprised even me. One second, the Fae beasts were there, the next they were gone—scattered about the forest floor. Florian jumped into action, taking hold of a branch, snapping it in half, and racing forward to finish what I had started.
The battle didn’t last long, but it seemed like an eternity. We didn’t defeat them—not all of them. But we did disperse them, at least long enough to gather the remaining humans together.
“Go into the city,” I ordered. “Get as far inside as you can.”
“But we’re not allowed there,” one of them said.
“I decide what is and isn’t allowed,” I said. “You fought for me. You sacrificed for Crystal City. You are our equals and deserve my protection.”
I wished Callie was there. Not to experience this moment, although I would have taken some solace in showing her this kinder side of my rule. I wanted her support. My strength was greater when she was with me, and I needed that.
When the humans showered me with thanks, a pit of guilt formed in my gut. I didn’t deserve their gratitude. They shouldn’t have been in danger to begin with. That battle shouldn’t have happened. I should have stopped it, ruled better, and blocked evil before it encroached.
Exactly what I could have done, I didn’t know. I couldn’t pinpoint when things had changed, when they’d taken such a grisly turn. The battles had been bad, for as long as I could remember. But it had become full-out war, filled with mayhem and carnage.
Florian took me from one site to another. We did what we could at each one. I fought to help my people—vampires and humans alike. But it did little good. It seemed that the Fae, through their human allies and vessels, had been able to breach the barriers. They swarmed the parts of the city that were most vulnerable, and overpowered us, at every turn.
“It’s no use,” I said to Florian, then retreated with a group we’d saved from yet another bloody battle. “We can’t take them.”
“What do you suggest we do?” Florian said.
We took cover behind one of the crumbling buildings on the outskirts of the city.
“We need to pull back.” I fought to get my breath. “Trying to protect these lands is useless.”
“Pull back? If we do, the enemy will have access.”
“Then they’ll have it!” I shouted. “I won’t let these people die in a fight we cannot win. Call back all the troops, save as many loyal humans as you can, and bring them back to the central defenses.”
“The humans?”
“They’re fighting with us, Florian.”
“And if a vampire hunter hides among them?”
“Then we deal with it. But we need to focus on regrouping, and plan a counter attack.”
It was the best option I had. It was the only choice. We wouldn’t be able to save them all. We couldn’t bring back every individual residing in the city’s outskirts. We could only save so many.
The realization of how many lives would be lost turned my stomach. Hundreds would die, probably thousands.
It was my fault. I led the group of survivors to the heart of the city. I was their leader, and that’s what I intended to do.
It had been my responsibility to protect them, yet I hadn’t done so. I had been charged with commanding my troops, but my orders had backfired.
We rushed through the streets, with the sounds of battle raging at our backs. I was the one who felt like the traitor, because I’d let them down. I had betrayed their trust.
Chapter 36
Logan
I couldn’t let doubts get the best of me, despite my internal battle. I had to keep my insecurities at bay. Giving in to a fatalistic view would only serve to make the worst come true.
If I allowed my own feelings to gain more importance than the devastation taking place around me, then I’d be as horrible of a leader as I feared. I wouldn’t let myself go down that path.
I was the only leader my people had, and they needed me.
The fear-filled faces around me begged for my guidance. The muffled cries and groans of agony were pleas for help. And that is what I would give them. I had to push all other thoughts aside: self-doubt, confusion regarding Dequan’s betrayal, concern for Callie.
“Get them to safety,” I said to one of the men at the entrance.
The massive central building was made of stone—one of only a handful of its kind in Crystal City. The dark gray stone gave the place an ominous feel. But it represented hope for the survivors crowding in behind me.
“And call my brothers!” I shouted over my shoulder.
The large, industrial-sized holding spa
ce was already crowded with others who had fled there for safety. The voices around me were muffled, yet the droning seemed to come together to form one resonating thought, which was of uncertainty about what to do.
I hurried to the back of the expansive space, with the eyes of the people burning into me, asking that very question. They looked to me to answer it. Pushing back the lump in my throat, I used their gazes to fuel my conviction, not discourage me.
“I want all officials here as soon as possible,” I said to another guard, in the back corner of the room.
The guard didn’t question my order. There was no use keeping the commanders at the war front when the front was being torn apart by the Fae and their human allies. The best option we had—the only option we had—was to regroup and redirect our energies.
By the time I reached the top of the stairs, my brothers were waiting for me. The walkway wrapped around the perimeter of the building. From up there, I was able to witness the extent of the mayhem that had befallen our realm. Looking out, it was hard to find an individual that wasn’t injured, in one way or another. Even the vampires were shaken up.
“What are your orders?” Florian said, then fell in step behind me, with Valter at his side.
I led them down the grated-metal walkway, toward the conference room at the other end. My mind raced, contemplating the options. The Fae were in our city, meaning perhaps their own defenses outside the barrier were unmanned. If we staged an attack there…
But the priority was to protect our people, before going on the offensive.
Although moving our counter-attack away from Crystal City might mean that some of their forces retreated to protect their territory, the reality was that they didn’t care about their territory. They wanted mine and were on the brink of getting it. The enemy wouldn’t pull back that without a fight.
I walked into the room then shut the door, needing silence to think. The dull roar of voices outside was beginning to drain me of whatever confidence I’d mustered, letting fears surface.
“Rally your men and all the dragons,” I said to Valter. “You’ll be our first line of defense. I’ve called back the officials from the front, meaning that the Fae will have little to divert them until I relocate our forces.”
“That’s what they think,” Valter said, then stood a little straighter, flashing a cocky smile. “They haven’t faced the full wrath of my fleets.”
Without waiting for another order, Valter started to go. When he pulled the door opened, the sounds of the crowd outside flooded into the room. I held my breath, waiting for the door to shut again.
Florian stood at attention. “And what should I do?”
“There will be plenty for you to do, once the other officials arrive.”
My brother nodded, then stepped farther into the room. It was a large room, with a table and a dozen chairs in the center. The walls were made of reinforced steel, which gave the place a cold, militaristic feel.
I’d only been in that room twice before. The most recent was when I’d taken charge of the realm. It was here that I’d met with the officials and given my first official order. It was a space reserved for the most serious occasions, including handing over a position of power. For that event, holding the meeting in that room had been more symbolic than anything.
The other time I’d been in this room was years before—so many that I’d lost count. My father Cedric had still been king, and I’d been doing my best to learn from him. He’d led with authority and confidence. He’d commanded respect and his orders hadn’t been questioned.
That meeting had been similar in nature, to the one about to be convened. It had been during the worst part of the war that my father had endured. The Fae had begun to push the boundary farther inward, taking over lands right and left. They hadn’t breached the border—my father wouldn’t have allowed it.
I recalled sitting in one of the chairs at the far end of the table, looking at my father with reverence and pride.
I’d still had so much to learn from him. He’d been murdered, before I’d been ready to assume his role as ruler of the kingdom.
The orders he’d given that day had led to a victory for our kind. But, also, had put my father into a vulnerable position, since he’d believed in leading his soldiers into battle. He hadn’t survived that fight.
“Are you okay?” Florian said, glancing at the empty seat that had once been our father’s.
“Would you be?”
“We’re going to figure this out, Logan. We always do.”
“Father always did.”
“He chose you for a reason.”
“Do you happen to know what that was? Because I’m at a loss.”
“This isn’t the time for self-pity,” Florian said, in a brotherly tone. “Your people need you to be strong.”
“Even if I’m not?”
“Especially when you’re not. The people need to see strength, in the middle of adversity. They need to know that you can overcome this, so that one day they will, too.”
A soft knock at the door brought our conversation to a halt. Then officials from across our realm entered. They were the best of the best, and were there to receive my orders.
They took their seats but didn’t relax. Sitting stiffly, they gave their reports, and the tension in the room grew with each horrifying account.
By the time they were done, I was ready to give the orders. Their words filled me with fear; fear I turned into courage. Without missing a beat, I got to my feet. A string of commands flew from my mouth, nearly faster than my mind could process.
Florian was put in charge of reconnaissance. And I reorganized our defenses, sending fleets out to various targets. Each official was given clear instructions for how they were to deal with the foe. New strategies would be put into place; sudden attacks would be orchestrated. Valter and his dragons would do the advance work, keeping the Fae busy, while the men on the ground moved in to push them back.
I’d done the right thing, given the correct orders, so I settled back into my chair—my father’s chair—and savored the moment. There was fear, lingering, but it didn’t have control.
I was in control.
While absorbed in planning a counter attack, I had forgotten the most daunting reality of our current situation—Dequan. Our counterattack would only be effective for a short time, if he used his magic to locate our forces then relay the information to the enemy.
It was urgent to find Dequan. I rose and left the room with purpose.
The sounds of the crowd didn’t bother me, but motivated me. After exiting the building, I barked an order to a guard. “Contact Raulia and give her a message to come, immediately.”
If anyone could find Dequan, it was the wolf shifter.
“I’ll be in my cousin’s tower,” I said to the guard then hurried past.
“I will try to relay the message, my prince,” the guard said.
“Try?” I said then turned to face him. “What do you mean try?”
“No one has seen Raulia since the attacks began. We have men searching for her.”
“Continue your search,” I said and quickened my pace.
Raulia had a tendency to disappear in search of a lead, or pursue a scent, without giving notice. I valued her dedication, but her behavior complicated matters, at a time when I needed her to be accessible.
Regardless, I persisted in my search for Dequan. I rushed up the stairs of our cousin’s private residence, and Florian appeared beside me. “The troops are in place,” he said.
“Good, but there is still one crucial issue.”
“I doubt he’s here,” Florian said. “He must know that we’re onto him.”
My brother’s assumption proved to be correct. Dequan wasn’t in his tower. “He has already fled.”
I’d sent search parties out to find my cousin. Florian and I waited in my office at the central government building. Much later, the search parties returned but without word of his location. “It�
�s no use trying to track him. Dequan has escaped our grasp.”
“What would you have me do?” Florian said.
“Return to the front,” I said. “Help where you can. Save as many as possible. But you are a source of intelligence, first and foremost, so keep me updated.”
“And what will you do?”
“One of the search parties was able to locate two of Dequan’s subordinates. I’ll speak to them, see what I can learn.”
Florian nodded, then was gone.
I called for the two members of Dequan’s team, and it didn’t take long for them to appear. Alerick had served my cousin in Shadowland, while Noah had been one of his ambassadors to Callie’s realm, in the outside.
“Where have you been?” I said to Noah, when he walked into my office. “The war is raging.”
“Dequan sent me back to the other realm,” Noah said. “That was his intention, anyway.”
“I sense there’s more to that.”
“I didn’t go. I’ve been staying low, hoping to keep my presence a secret.”
“Why did you decide to go against your superior’s orders?”
“Why do you think?” Noah said defensively. “I couldn’t leave Callie. I won’t leave, until I know that Rosamon is safe.”
“Both girls’ safety is high on my list of priorities, as well,” I said. “Which is why I’ve called you here.”
“Anything we can do to help,” Alerick said and stepped forward.
He was a young man. At least, he had been when the spell had been cast. Physically, he appeared to be no older than fifteen. He still had the wide, bright eyes of youth. Something I’d lost, not by aging, but as a result of my station.
“I need to find Dequan,” I said. “I have reason to believe that he has betrayed us.”
“I haven’t seen him all day,” Alerick said. “He left earlier, and took those in his inner circle with him.”
“Inner circle?”
“His chosen few…his favorites. The ones he trusts.”
“I was unware that he had an inner circle,” I said.
