by Lilly Wilder
I was growing anxious. With every minute that passed, I was getting closer and closer to losing her and that was something I didn’t want to think about. Just considering it brought a deep, penetrating ache to my heart. I steeled myself against it. Now was no time for emotions.
Where are you? I thought to myself. Where has he taken you?
“Ari…” It was a longshot but I tried to connect with her mind.
“Lyle?” Came her surprised response. “Is that really you or is this another one of Nester’s tricks?”
A sigh of relief washed over me. If she was able to respond then it meant that she was alive. “Where are you?” I asked. “I’m coming to get you!”
“No.” She answered.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Ari.”
“I’m not risking your life. This guy is absolutely insane. He wants to kill you.”
“And he’s going to kill you anyway if you don’t tell me where he hid you.”
“I refuse to let you die for my sake.”
“I’m not going to die.” I was starting to lose my patience with her. Didn’t she understand the severity of this moment? “It’s my job to protect you so please, just let me do that for you. I will never forgive myself if something were to happen to you.”
Silence.
I paced along the edge of the lake. This was killing me inside. I should have been doing something to help her and yet, here I was – a sitting duck.
“Ari. Please.”
“He brought me to this abandoned castle-looking place.”
In an instant, I took to the sky. I knew exactly what she was talking about. “Stay put. I’m going to come and get you.”
“Please, be careful.” Even through our telepathic link, I heard the latent worry laced within her voice.
“I will. We’re going to survive this, Ari. I promise.”
My wings flapped with a vengeance as I forced myself to fly faster than I ever had before.
A thick fog had rolled over the landscape making it hard to see. There were a few times where I narrowly avoided crashing into a tree trunk.
I stayed focused and relied on my reflexes to get me safely to my destination.
Finally, I saw the castle emerge through the fog. It was crumbling, piece by piece. The moat had long since dried up and many of the watchtowers had fallen with time.
I landed before the open doorway. Nester was smart. To fight inside a castle meant that I could not rely on my dragon form. My size would only hinder me. So, if I wanted to get Ari back, I needed to do so on my own two feet.
Carefully, I crept forward. I kept to the shadows, hoping to use it as camouflage.
“You’re wasting your time.” Came a deep, menacing voice.
I stood up and rolled my shoulders. “Where is she?” I demanded as my eyes adjusted to the dim torchlight.
“She’s in the other room, safe and sound.”
I glanced at a wooden door.
Nester was quick to jump on my distraction. He dashed across the room, his body a blur. Before I could stop him, he had me pinned to the wall. “But let’s not worry about her right now. There’s some unsettled business we need to attend to.” He dropped me to the ground and turned on his heels. As he walked from side to side, he played with a dagger. Its blade glistened with a deadly sharpness. “And we wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt, now would we?”
“What do you want from me?” I stood my ground and examined my situation. If I wanted to win this fight, then I would need to be strategic about my every move.
“What do I want?” He chortled. “What I want is the return of my authority. I have lived as a beta for the better part of my life. No one respects me because one of my forefathers was too weak to defend what was rightfully his.” He spat into the ground. “Now do you think that’s fair?”
I took a step forward. “Let me propose something to you, then. We will have a fair fight, just the two of us. If you win, you can do as you wish. If I win, however, the Aetos will merge with the Ragnis and this war between the two will never rage again.”
“You won’t win,” Nester said. “But I’ll entertain your little wager.” He held out his hand.
I didn’t feel right in taking it but my honor forced me to do so.
He yanked me forward and drove his knee into my ribcage. I was left winded and disoriented. I lost my footing against the slick cobblestones, giving him yet another opportunity for attack. This time, he took me by the collar and threw me into a nearby column.
“I thought you’d put up a much better fight. This is turning out to be quite boring.” He feigned a yawn as he advanced towards me.
That’s right – walk right into my trap.
I coughed, trying to play up my injured status.
He squatted down beside me and grabbed me by the hair so I was forced to look at him. “And you call yourself an alpha? This is pathetic. That little mate of yours would be much better in my capable hands.”
I lost it.
Nester looked surprised when I lunged forward and overtook him with the weight of my body. While on top of him, I laid down punch after punch after punch until there was a pool of his blood on the ground. Rage consumed me and I was hellbent on destroying this man. So long as I had a choice in the matter, he wouldn’t live to take another breath.
Somehow, that dagger of his came into play. It sunk into my shoulder. My right arm hung limply with pain.
He pulled it out and jumped to his feet. We danced around one another.
“You’re not going to win this,” he said even with a mouthful of blood. “I will not let my family fall a second time.”
“Perhaps there is a reason why they fell in the first place.”
His eyes flashed with rage. The tip of his dagger grazed my cheek, leaving behind a thin cut. Blood stained my skin but I simply wiped it away. “See the problem is that you’re working on vengeance and I’m working on love.”
“Don’t make me sick. You don’t love that girl.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong.” I grabbed for his arm and pinned it behind his back, threatening to break it. The dagger fell from his hand as a crack echoed through the castle. “Now we’re even.”
He kicked away and panted. “This isn’t over yet.”
“Not by a longshot.” I agreed. “But in the end, you’ll be the one begging for mercy.”
Chapter 29: Ari
I could hear everything that was going. I flinched every time I felt the castle shake. There had to be something I could do to put a stop to this madness.
Crash!
I held my breath and listened.
Was it over?
“Lyle?” I called out in my mind. “Please, answer me.”
“I’m here.” He assured. “You aren’t going to get rid of me that quickly.”
“What’s happening out there?”
Dust dropped from the ceiling as the two men went at it. My heart tightened at the possibility that maybe Lyle wouldn’t win this fight. He was doing everything he could to protect me and now I had to do the same for him.
“Vern?” I tried but there was no response.
I guess this was something I had to do on my own. I took a deep breath and focused on loosening the rope from around my wrists. If I could only free myself then I’d be able to do something – anything – to help Lyle.
The rope was tight – too tight. The more I wiggled my wrists together, the more it chaffed my skin. The smell of copper wafted up to my nose. Something warm and wet dripped over my fingertips. Despite the fact that I was bleeding, I continued my efforts but I was getting nowhere.
I opened my eyes and looked around for something that could help me make my escape. That’s when I saw a jagged brick jutting from the wall. Maybe I could use that to cut through my bindings.
Sweat dripped down my brow as I bounced the chair over to that specific wall. I was terrified that one of the legs would
break and that I’d topple over but luckily, they held out long enough for me to reach the brick.
I had to hold my arms at an awkward angle to glide the rope along the jugged edge. My muscles screamed for a moment of rest but I did not listen to them. I needed to get us out of this mess.
Snap!
My wrists came free.
“Thank goodness,” I muttered underneath my breath.
A second later, I was untying my legs. It felt strange to stand again. I steadied myself against a wall as a sudden wave of dizziness washed over me. I had never been a fan of blood. The smell was getting to me.
But I had no choice but to power through it.
I glanced around the room and spotted what looked like a spear. When I picked it up, it was much heavier than I had anticipated. It was difficult for me to keep it level. It didn’t help that my palms were sweaty and covered with blood.
Nervousness threatened to cripple me. I couldn’t do this. I wasn’t a warrior. I was a goddamn secretary, for crying out loud.
“It’s over, Lyle.” Nester’s voice dripped with venom. “You’ve been a lot of trouble but it’ll all be worth it when I see that dying look on your face.” A pause. “How is it going to feel to know that your mate has to live out the rest of her life with me? But don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her.”
Lyle said something but his voice was so weak that I could barely understand his words.
My time was running out.
With no other choice, I adjusted my grip and went running out.
Nester looked up. “What the…?” That was all he was able to say before I rammed the tip of the spear into his chest. I thought for sure that would be enough to stop him but he simply ripped the spear from his body and marched towards me. His footsteps were thunderous and his eyes as black as night. I backed away until I hit a wall. There was nowhere left for me to go. “You have a death wish, don’t you?”
“Don’t you touch her!” Lyle shouted as he threw a dagger and its blade sunk into Nester’s upper arm.
He roared as he staggered.
I took the chance to run to Lyle’s side. He pushed me behind his body. “When I tell you to, I want you to run.”
“I’m not leaving you behind.”
“How touching.” Nester mocked. “But let’s be real here, neither one of you are going to survive.”
Suddenly, I heard something. I cocked my head to the side trying to figure out what it was.
“Vern.” Lyle smirked, lips stretching from ear to ear.
The castle rumbled as something landed on top of it.
I clung to Lyle as the roof threatened to collapse. In fact, a few of the bricks came tumbling down. Lyle held me in a protective embrace as the debris fell like rain.
The dying sun filtered through and the head of a dragon appeared.
It nudged Nester against the wall before snatching him up between his teeth.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Lyle said. “You’ll be sick for months.”
“You’re right.” I heard Vern say.
“Wait…”
“We’ll explain later.”
“Any last words?” Lyle walked up to his enemy who could not escape the killer jaws that now held him.
He spat in Lyle’s face and that was the last straw. A plume of fire escaped Vern’s lips, burning the man to a crisp. His ashes blew away with the wind.
I couldn’t believe it. I sunk to my knees, crying.
Lyle was by my side in a second. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m just relieved. We made it.”
“I told you we would.” He kissed the top of her head. “And we always will.”
***
We arrived at the clan to find the remaining members hard at work. Some tended to the injured while others tended to the living. Those that couldn’t stomach such things, worked to put out fires.
“It’s destroyed…” I said aloud.
“We have risen from worse than this.” Vern carried Lyle on his back. “Our clan is resilient.”
“Was there no way we could have prevented this?”
“I’m sure there was but we cannot change the past. What has happened has happened.” Vern seemed wiser now like the battle had aged him somehow.
We reached our hut and the roof had been torn off. The inside was in a state of disarray.
“Clear off the bed, will you?” He instructed.
I did as I was told. “Do you think he’ll be okay?” I asked as he lowered Lyle onto the mattress. It pained me to see him so badly injured.
“Yeah, he’ll be okay. It takes a lot to take him down.”
“There’s something I do not understand.”
“And that is?” Vern spoke as he took a wet wash cloth and wiped away from of the blood from Lyle’s face. I took one of my own and lifted his shirt. The fabric had started to dry into the blood. Carefully, I cut it away and pulled it free from his wounds. “There’s some antiseptic in that chest over there.” He pointed. “It’ll hurt him but it’ll help prevent infection.”
I nodded and grabbed the bottle. Vern had to hold him down as I poured the liquid and watched it fizzle. His face was screwed up with pain. “Shh…” I whispered as I brushed my fingertips gently across his injured cheek. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“So, what was it that you didn’t understand?”
“Why did he come after me all by himself? Why weren’t you two together?”
“Because we found your friend Becky and I had to bring her back to safety.” After everything that had happened, I had forgotten about my best friend. “So, she’s okay then?”
“Apart from a few cuts and bruises, yes, I’d say so.” He squeezed the blood from a rag and sighed. “I told him to wait for me but he wouldn’t hear it.”
“He is pretty stubborn, isn’t he?”
“You can say that again.”
We chuckled.
“I think he felt the burden of bringing this on and causing all this destruction. He wanted to handle it himself but he forgets that we’re partners and that we’re supposed to keep each other safe.”
“Well, I’m sure he really learned his lesson today,” I said. “You really saved the day, Vern.”
He shook his head. “There was so much more I could have done.”
I rested my hand on his back. “You did what you could and that’s all that matters. I don’t think a single soul in this clan would blame you for what you did or didn’t do.”
Instead of soothing him, my words seemed to upset him. With this glassy look to his eyes, he left the hut.
Chapter 30: Vern
I walked through the clan, carrying on my shoulders a weight that dragged me down. Each step was a struggle. I slowed my pace as I approached my childhood home.
It was one of the few buildings that had been spared. The red paint my father liked to use was chipping away in a few places. He was getting on in years and accomplishing such tasks was becoming harder and harder. As his son, I was charged with helping him, but I had never found the time. I was always busy doing this or that. Most of the time, I was just goofing around.
Guilt tightened around my heart like a vice. It threatened to break in two when I walked inside. The atmosphere was somber and thick with remorse. I could smell death in the air and it made me sick. I wanted to run away.
When I stepped forward, a floorboard creaked underneath my foot, breaking the silence.
My mother turned to look at me, her eyes red and puffy. “Oh Vern…” Was all she said before she engulfed me in a hug. She trembled with sobs.
I wanted to say something but I was at a loss for words.
“Son.” My father still loomed like the giant he was but his back had an arch to it that I hadn’t noticed during my last visit. “It’s good to see you.”
I shook my head. “I should have been here to protect her.”
“Do not blame
yourself for her passing.” My father spoke with a leveled voice. “Because of your actions, many others live to see another day.” He leaned on his cane and nodded his head like he was about to doze off. “You were one of the few betas who took up the call to protect this place and you were rewarded for it.”
“Rewarded for it?” I scoffed. “By losing my sister.”
“You are an alpha now. You have an obligation to this clan. You are now one of its guardians but even so, that does not mean it is your responsibility to protect every single soul.”
“But she was my sister.” I could not ignore her any longer. With legs that felt like jelly, I approached her bed. She looked so peaceful with her arms crossed over her chest. If I didn’t know any better, I would have guessed that she was just sleeping. “There was still so much I wanted…” I sunk down to my knees. “She will never get to meet her nieces and nephews. She’ll never…” I buried my head in my hands. “I should have spent more time with her. Instead, I was always so caught up with other things.”
My mother left the room, wailing.
“Vern.”
Through tear-filled eyes, I looked up at my father. “She would have smacked you upside the head if she saw you acting like such a baby.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. My father had a point. “How did she… die?”
“Valiantly. She protected a group of children from certain death. Her sacrifice allowed them all to survive.”
I nodded. “Then she did not die in vain.”
***
The following morning.
Ari was by my side and I was glad for it. The warmth of her hand against mine helped to calm my emotions.
We followed the funeral march to the river where the water flowed with clear direction. It sparkled in the early morning sunlight.
Lyle squeezed my shoulder. “This is not goodbye,” He said. “She will always be inside your heart.”
I nodded. I was still grieving the loss of my sister but with the support of my mates, I knew I would get over it.
The elders chanted a song of farewell as the bodies of the fallen were pushed into the river. The boats that carried them were set aflame in Ragnis tradition.
