Wildest Dreams

by Kristen Ashley

  Therefore the men in the tent didn’t hesitate further but filed out, Garik and Calder doing so after nodding to me and I smiled at them, pleased at their show of loyalty for their brother and Lunwyn and saddened he’d never know they’d shown it. Eirik, as usual, didn’t look at me which didn’t bother me, I didn’t like his eyes on me anyway. Ravenscroft, Sinclair and Lazarus stopped to mutter polite words to me before taking their leave.

  I watched the flaps of the tent swing closed behind Olwen then I stood, looked into Apollo’s remarkable (it had to be said because they truly were) green eyes and whispered, “I should get back to the wounded.”

  He crossed his arms on his chest and studied me. Then he said softly, “Finnie, we’ve not had a skirmish in days. Their wounds are healing and not one of them requires your constant attention.”

  “They bled for my son,” I reminded him.

  “They bled for Lunwyn,” he corrected me.

  I pressed my lips together and nodded because he was right.

  He continued to study me. Then he pulled a breath in through his nose, closed his eyes and turned his head to the side and when he did this, I studied him for this was unusual for Apollo. He rarely showed emotion and the only emotion I’d ever seen him show was gentleness to me.

  And, sometimes, anger.

  But now he looked conflicted.

  Then he opened his eyes and looked back at me.

  “It is early,” he said gently, “for you, too early for such talk. For Lunwyn, however, it is not and therefore it must be said. But I have concerns, concerns I discussed with Lazarus and Ravenscroft, concerns they share.”

  I felt my brows draw together as I felt a thrill up my spine. “What concerns?”

  As was his way when he was with me, he continued speaking gently. “You are vulnerable, Finnie, as is your child.”

  I knew this. Boy, did I know it. Therefore I nodded.

  Then I reminded him, “I have Frey’s men. They will stand behind me.”

  And I knew they would for Ruben told me they would, in fact, he vowed it.

  “Indeed,” he agreed. “And this is an alternative for you to consider.”

  I blinked.

  An alternative?

  “I have another choice?” I asked, sounding confused.

  “I think, and Ravenscroft and Lazarus agree, that once this is done, the traitors are punished and Lunwyn is again at peace, you should wed me.”

  I blinked at the same time I drew in a sharp breath but Apollo didn’t stop speaking.

  “I will vow to keep you and your child safe. I will vow to stand beside you and assist as you raise him king. And he will have a brother and sister who I’ve no doubt will dote on him.”

  I said nothing, just stared.

  Apollo got closer, dipped his chin and held my eyes but he didn’t touch me.

  Then he whispered, “We share something, you and I, something no one but us understands. I do not offer you avowals of love and I think you understand I never will. I understand I will not receive the same from you. But our union would provide stability for our country, a mother for my children, a father for your child and company for us both. If your heart was to mend in such a way that you grow to find me pleasing, then perhaps we will create our own family. If not, I will understand and I will take my attentions elsewhere.” Eyes wide in shock, I opened my mouth to speak but he shook his head and lifted a hand. “This is not for now. This is for you to consider. This is for much later. This is simply an option, Finnie, nothing more. There will be no animosity should you refuse and you leave this tent knowing, no matter what you chose, I stand behind you and always will.”

  I pressed my lips together again, this time for a different reason then I let them go and forced out a heartfelt, “Thank you.”

  Apollo nodded, moved slightly away and I knew by the look on his face his mind was on other things and he was done with me.

  But I wasn’t done with him.

  “Apollo,” I called, his eyes focused on me and then, haltingly, I asked, “Does it… I mean, I get the sense from you, um…” I stopped, his brows rose and I finished on a whisper, “It doesn’t get better does it?”

  His gaze grew soft and his lids slightly lowering but I still saw the flash of pain in his eyes, the same pain I felt in my soul.

  Then he whispered his reply, “No, sweet Finnie, it does not.”

  I nodded. I knew that. I saw it in his eyes, felt it in my soul. I knew it.

  It just sucked to have it confirmed.

  Then I watched him suddenly tense, his torso twisting so he could look to the flaps of the tent and he ordered, “Remain here,” as he turned and walked to them.

  I heard a restless commotion that seemed to come from all around before he made it to the flaps and then they were thrown open and Lavinia rushed in followed by Valentine.

  Their eyes went to Apollo first (he was a big guy and standing in their way so they would do) then they both looked at me.

  “We’re bound,” Valentine hissed, sounding pissed and worried at the same time but looking only pissed.

  My body got tight.

  “What?” Apollo clipped.

  “We are bound,” Lavinia repeated, her eyes moving to Apollo. “The witch is close, she’s bound us. Something is –”

  She didn’t finish as shouts were heard, running feet, galloping horses and Apollo turned to me.

  “You and the witches, remain here. I will call Frey’s men to your guard,” he ordered then stalked quickly to a table, grabbed his sword in its scabbard and stalked even more quickly out of the tent.

  Without word or movement, we all stared at the tent flaps after he left. The sound of shouting, running feet and galloping horses increased significantly within moments of his departure and this gave me a very bad feeling.

  “We’re under attack,” I whispered.

  “Do you think?” Valentine muttered drolly.

  I glared at her; she held my glare and raised her brows.

  I tore my eyes away.

  Damn, shit, damn, shit, damn, shit, shit, shit.

  I looked around Apollo’s tent and saw his war chests, the quiver chockfull of arrows and the bow leaning against the wall of the tent and I dashed to them.

  “Finnie, what are you doing?” Lavinia asked.

  “Arming myself,” I answered, dropping to my knees and throwing open a chest to rummage inside.

  “The Drakkar’s men will –” Lavinia started.

  But I cut her off, finding what I needed and pulling it out, I gained my feet while talking. “Frey’s men will put their lives on the line to keep ours safe. That doesn’t mean we can’t help.”

  “Seoafin, I don’t think –” Valentine started but I turned to them and interrupted her too while strapping on the loaded knife belt.

  “Come quickly to these chests and find a daggers of a size and heft you’re comfortable with. Don’t bother with a belt, just take the dagger,” I finished saying this to two wide-eyed witches as the noises outside grew louder, the increasingly alarmed vibe penetrated the tent and I reached for the quiver to strap it on, commanding, “Now, ladies.”

  Lavinia shook her head to shake herself out of her stupor and dashed to the trunk. Valentine stared at me clearly rethinking her show of remorse and not spiriting herself home before her magic was bound again, this time during what was sounding more and more like a battle zone.

  “Valentine,” I said warningly as I finished with the strap on the quiver and reached for the bow.

  “Merde,” she muttered and stomped forward.

  They got their daggers and we all stood by the tent flaps waiting, waiting and then freaking waiting some more for one of Frey’s men to come.

  But the noise escalated outside the tent, grunts and clashes of steel, whizzing arrows, male cries of surprise or pain, galloping hooves.

  None of it good.

  All of it seriously, fucking scary.

  Then we all jumped as a sword tore into t
he side of the tent and slashed through. I turned to the sword, lifting an arm to yank an arrow from my quiver, setting it to the bow and pulling back the string but the sword disappeared and we heard the ring of steel against steel.

  A mishit.

  I released the tension on the bow but none of the tension left my body and I turned to face the tent flaps with the arrow at the ready and it was then I realized my breathing was not steady.

  Not even close.

  “My princess,” Lavinia whispered, “The Drakkar’s men, they are loyal to their Drakkar and to you. If they could have come to us –”

  “They will come,” I hissed, staring at the tent flaps, refusing to believe what I would have to believe if they didn’t and that was that they couldn’t and the only thing that would hold them back was something I would not think about.

  No, I refused to believe that even as the vibe pounding against the sides of the tent became more desperate, the noises of war coming so fast, one on top of the other, it was impossible to distinguish them and two arrows tore through the tent walls on the opposite side to us, imbedding themselves in carpet and snow but, if we had been close, they would have imbedded themselves in one of us.

  Shit!

  “We’re sitting ducks, Seoafin,” Valentine snapped and my eyes shot to her.

  Crap. She was right.

  So I made my decision.

  “Right, so, we fight our way to escape if we have to,” I announced, Valentine nodded instantly, I looked to Lavinia, she did too though hers was not instant and then I ordered, “I’ve had training, not a lot but some so you stick with me, hands on me at all times so I know I’ve got you. You see a threat, you tell me, point it out and I’ll do what I can. You’ve got a shot to stick someone who seems to wish us ill, go for it. We are not on the offense, ladies. I carry the future king of this land and we must all do what we can to keep him safe so our goal is simply to get clear and get away. Got me?” More nods, I nodded back, looked to the tent flaps and whispered, “Okay, girls, let’s go.”

  Then we went and the minute we exited the tent we saw chaos, blood, wounded men, dead men, dead horses, arrows in the ground and body pieces. The clashes of steel rung loud enough to deafen, the whispers of arrows whizzing one on top of the other. It was hideous, extreme but I felt Valentine and Lavinia’s hands on me, I thought of the little being in my belly, I blocked it all out and I moved swiftly. Leading my witches, we skirted sparring men, ducked around tents when horses galloped through, picked our way over obstacles but steadily and as quickly as we could we kept moving.

  Twice, I had to raise my bow, take aim and let fly as I caught a soldier’s eye and knew he meant harm.

  Twice, my aim was true.

  More blood on my hands.

  I still didn’t care. The only thing I thought was I was pretty fucking pleased I’d practiced so goddamned much.

  I kept moving, quickly, always vigilant, glancing left and right, up and down, over my shoulder, around tents, my witches always with me.

  We got out of the tent area and into the forest but it was happening there too.

  God, there were so many of them. Men all around, beasts, dead, wounded, it was everywhere, blood staining the melting snow in what seemed like a river of red and pink.

  But our way was clearer, we only had to look around trees not tents and we moved more swiftly, gaining ground. I was feeling hopeful until I felt the loss of a grip on my gown. I heard Valentine cry out and I whirled, bow up, arrow at the ready and I looked into a man’s eyes. That man was holding Lavinia with a dagger at her throat while her hands were curled around his forearm, her back arched, her head pressed hard in his shoulder to get away from the blade, her eyes filled with terror.

  I aimed my arrow at his face. “Drop the blade.”

  The battle raged on around us as Valentine pressed close to my back with hers, protecting it.

  “Drop the bow, Winter Princess, or she dies then I take you,” he replied, pressing his blade deeper and Lavinia whimpered.

  I pulled the bow back tighter. “Drop the blade,” I repeated.

  “Your life for hers or I take both,” he returned.

  I closed one eye and lined my arrowhead to my target.

  “Drop the blade,” I whispered.

  “Listen, princess, listen all around you. Your men lose. Die now or die at the noose. Our heads hold no affection for you as the prince had done. You will drop through the gallows,” he whispered back. “Your choice.”

  He was wrong.

  I had another choice.

  And I took it.

  I let my fingers loose and hit a bulls-eye, he fell back, dead instantly as my arrow shot through his eye socket and pierced his brain, his arms dropping and Lavinia fell forward to her hands and knees.

  “Let’s go,” I commanded but suddenly Lavinia’s head snapped up then twisted like she was listening to something and Valentine whispered, “Oh my goddess,” at my back.

  I opened my mouth to tell them to get a move on when it happened.

  I heard it.

  Flapping.

  Loud, leathery flapping that accompanied an enormous shadow that was sweeping quickly over us, so vast, it blotted out the sun.

  Lavinia pushed up so she was on her knees, her head tilting back to look at the sky, her lips parting in shock as I felt Valentine tense behind me and the noises of battle faded as men stopped to stare.

  I looked up and that was when I saw them.

  Dragons.

  Dragons.

  A delicate, delicious shiver slid over every inch of my skin as I watched the huge beasts fly through the air, webbed wing to webbed wing, hundreds of them, big as houses, their barbed tails snapping, their ferocious, horned heads tilted down, their beady eyes sweeping the landscape then it started.

  They spewed fire.

  Streams of it shafting out of their mouths, screams of shock silenced in nanoseconds when the flames hit their targets one after another after another.

  It was terrifying.

  It was awe-inspiring.

  “Run!” Lavinia shrieked, gaining her feet, grabbing my hand and Valentine’s, she tugged us and we took off as the dragons flew, raining fire, incinerating men leaving nothing but ashes and melted steel in their wake, trees burnt instantly to a cinder, snow melted straight to the earth, and through it, leaving a charred crater.

  We all halted as one when a man combusted ten feet in front of us, we backed up several paces, shifted simultaneously and ran through the random shafts of flames, dodging this way and that, certain to get caught up in it as the fire streamed down all around us.

  Then we reached a clearing, halted at the vision before us and instinctively huddled together, all of us staring at a line of standing dragons, wings rolling and curling, long necks arching and writhing, tails snapping and thrashing, claws scoring the snow and then, as one, we turned to run but halted dead in our tracks when the next thing happened.

  What appeared to be a large, white, sparkling meteor fell to the earth one hundred yards away exploding in a burst of white light from which a misty ice blue ring shot out moving so fast, if I’d blinked, I would have missed it.

  And it left in its wake two types of men. Those frozen completely in their tracks in whatever position the ice blue ring caught them in and those who still had the capacity to move and did, running for their lives.

  “We must go, we must go,” Lavinia shouted, pulling at my hand and I felt Valentine grab my other one and tug.

  But I couldn’t move.

  “I can’t move,” I forced through immobile lips.

  “Pick her up!” Valentine yelled, sounding panicked and when this didn’t work she screamed, “Drag her!”

  They pulled, tugged, pushed and yanked but my body was rooted to the snow.

  I was caught in the ice ring and I could tell by the frightful, restless sounds of the dragons behind me they were about to blow.

  “Go!” I cried through my frozen lips.
<
br />   “My princess –”

  “Go, go, go!” I screamed but it came out weak for I couldn’t make it stronger.

  “Seoafin –” Valentine whispered urgently, her body close, her mouth at my ear, her hand still tugging at mine.

  “Take her, Valentine. You know the beasts are preparing and you know to look after your own neck. Take Lavinia, get her safe and the minute you can, go home,” I implored.

  “My goddess of –”

  “Take her!” I cried, the words strange coming through unmoving lips but the tone easily read.

  “Goddess!” Valentine exclaimed then she whispered, “You must know, now, that I am sorry, my goddess of love, sorry for everything.”

  “Go!”

  She hesitated then I felt both of my hands squeezed by both of theirs and then they were gone.

  I was alone.

  I had thought when the dragons came…

  Hoped…

  But I was wrong.

  I was alone.

  Frozen but my blood was singing with adrenalin.

  This was it.

  My last adventure.

  And I was ending it alone. At least Mom and Dad had each other.

  But I was alone and terrified.

  I couldn’t even close my eyes.

  Shit.

  “I’m coming to you, baby,” I whispered to Frey but it came out naturally, my lips moved with my words and I blinked.

  I blinked.

  Actually blinked, my eyelids moving and everything.

  Holy moly!

  “No, my love, I’ve come to you,” I heard a beautiful, sweet, achingly familiar voice behind me and, in control of my body, I whirled and stared, mouth open, eyes wide, belly plummeting, heart in my throat at my husband who was standing three feet away.

  Then he lifted an arm and the dragons let loose, their massive bodies bulged, necks extended, their fanged mouths opened and flames erupted, shot forward and I stared as we were surrounded by an inferno over our heads, at our sides, my gown blowing with the force of it, the heat enveloping me, the bloody snow melting to a river rushing over my boots but Frey’s body, to my shock, was impervious and acted as a shield against the flames.

  Then he dropped his arm and the flames immediately stopped.

  I knew everything behind me was gone, reduced to ash. But in front of me stood Frey backed by a line of fierce, colossal, terrifyingly beautiful dragons.