by Candy Crum
She was Nikolai’s sister, and had so far proven to be very useful. She was working with Kade in the mass of guardsmen, gently pushing feelings of motivation and determination.
We are getting close, Scarlett answered. In another mile, the Guard will stop, and we will send the magicians forward.
So far, the entire unit had moved as smoothly as any magitech machine she had ever seen. Each piece working in sync with the others. Each part serving a purpose. Given how atrociously trained the recently increased Guard had been when she came to Arcadia, she couldn’t believe just how far they had come.
Arryn and Amelia had no idea who they were fucking with.
As they approached the place they would halt, Scarlett could hear shouts ahead. The Guard had stopped and left aisles wide enough for the magicians to pass through with the carts full of oil.
“Magicians!” Scarlett shouted to the magic users behind her, as well as with those pulling the carts behind their horses. “Move forward!”
Scarlett bit her lip to keep herself from smiling as she watched them execute the movements they had practiced just outside the Arcadian walls. For two days she had drilled them on the plan, and the squad leaders had tested them to make sure they remembered their parts without fail. If something happened, or if the druids sensed their arrival, the magicians couldn’t be risked.
Those whose horses pulled carts went first, and the magicians followed closely behind as they made their way through the gaps in the Guard formation.
Scarlett was in charge of the magicians and walked down the center aisle until she reached the front line. “Front lines! Fan out!”
She turned her head from side to side as she watched the Guard’s front two lines fan out in a semi-circle, which left the magicians exposed, but in a position where they could quickly cover them.
“Magicians, go!” Scarlett called out.
Rows of eyes flashed black as the magicians began to call their magic. Several guards punctured large holes in the tops of the barrels as pairs of magic users went to work. One would levitate the barrel as the other manipulated the liquid inside it.
Some of the oil would be sprayed above the canopy while other magicians tried to reach the vegetation underneath. Given how close they were to the forest and the number of barrels of oil they had brought along, they would be able to coat a large portion before they set it on fire.
We have scouts watching for Arryn, Kade sent. Try to relax. Everything is going well.
He was right, but watching everything move so smoothly was giving her anxiety. As the barrels were lifted from their carts, the magicians carefully levitating them over the trees, her apprehension became even worse.
We have to hurry, Scarlett sent to the mystics in her employ.
The wind picked up as the oil spilled, and a cold chill ran down Scarlett’s spine.
Can anyone sense anything? she sent. The wind could be the druids.
Scarlett, Nikolai sent, it’s just the wind. There are clouds in the sky, as there have been all day. This is natural.
She shook her head, taking several deep breaths before exhaling. That doesn’t matter. It won’t be long. We must move faster.
For the first time since she had arrived in Arcadia, she felt a moment of panic. Normally, she was very calm and collected. Nothing bothered her—unless it was a hitch in a plan.
The barrels are empty, Lacy sent.
Scarlett nodded, though she knew the mystic couldn’t see the response. “Light the bitch up,” she said to the magician standing only a few feet in front of her, her voice sounding far more confident than she felt.
There was a flicker of something in the magician’s face. Hesitation. Looking into the woman’s mind, Scarlett saw that she was questioning her leadership. She wondered if this was the way things should be done.
Scarlett pushed against her, filling her mind with a sense of loyalty and pride in their cause. Finally, the woman smiled, turned, and arced her hands over her chest.
One by one, the other magicians followed suit as they created large fireballs.
“Loose!” Nikolai shouted.
The rain of fire ripped through the sky, and the forest exploded into flames. But they didn’t stop. They threw more fireballs into places where the oil hadn’t been poured, orange and red immediately flicking to life in the brush on the ground.
Within only a couple of minutes, thick black smoke filled the sky as the Forest was consumed. Birds everywhere took to the sky, blacking out what little was left of the sun before they scattered to the north.
As Scarlett realized what was happening and remembered the one piece of the puzzle she had forgotten, it was too late. The birds were airborne, flying to safety. Flying for help.
We need to move now! Scarlett sent to every mystic in the crowd. Panicking, she turned her horse and began to run back through the gaps in formation, others taking note as she did.
But before she could get far, a deep, earth-shaking clap of thunder boomed overhead, stopping her and everyone else in their tracks as fear grabbed them.
More chills seized Scarlett as the rolls of thunder slowly dwindled. Her eyes widened, and she turned her head to look for what she had heard in the midst of the rumbles—a growl so loud that she had at first thought it was more thunder.
She had heard it before. It was the sound of a bear.
Her eyes darted upward when she heard a loud screech pierce the skies. She saw a bird that she had seen before—in the mind of Talia, when she had met Cathillian.
“Fuck,” she said out loud.
What is it? Nikolai asked.
Scarlett looked around, searching for any face that was truly loyal to her, but they were surrounded by the sheep.
We’re surrounded.
“What do you mean, ‘surrounded?’” Barbara asked as she came up to Scarlett and Nikolai from behind.
Scarlett looked up once again and saw that Echo had turned and was now flying back south.
“Arryn’s coming.”
The Chieftain had been busy with the children, training them how to heal wounded plants, when the first warning came. He and Elysia had known an attack was likely, so the perimeter had been extended to the eastern edge of the Dark Forest—not just the edge of their barrier.
Schatten posted high in the trees saw the army approaching from a couple of miles out and had sent birds to warn them. Luckily for them, they had also seen the barrels, and so had known the plan from the start.
They retreated, allowing the network of trees and their knowledge of their inner workings of the Forest to benefit them as they soared through the branches. Using vines, they moved as fast as any horse could have carried them. Even faster, for some.
The warriors had been placed on alert, and the Chieftain sent them out the moment the birds arrived with the messages. The druids began sending familiars out all over, warning the animals of the Dark Forest of what was to come.
Some fled, while other larger animals headed southeast, even with the threat of fire.
“Ride fast,” the Chieftain told Elysia. “Don’t wait for Zobig and me. I have plans.”
With nothing more than a nod, Elysia jumped on Chaos’ back. He had already knelt for her to mount. The Shire horse and his master ran hard then, more druids trailing them on their own horses.
The designated healers took to the trees with the Shatten, and the shadow warriors propelled them through as quickly as possible. The healers had no other responsibility—just as they did in training. They would keep the fighters from having to mend themselves.
The Chieftain watched his people effortlessly fall into their roles—the roles they trained for day in and day out—and checked around his village to make sure those who remained were safe as well.
Maddie helped the elderly to gather up the children and move toward the Kalt. There they would shield themselves in a barrier so tight and so thick that nothing could get through, the proximity of water ensuring it couldn’t be burned.
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“Zobig!” the Chieftain shouted.
The black bear roared as he approached, kneeling for the Chieftain to mount just as Chaos had for Elysia. The Chieftain climbed on, and the two ran into battle. A normal black bear could run as fast as a horse in short distances, and Zobig was both larger and stronger. He could nearly match Chaos in speed and endurance.
They ran for nearly a mile before the sky was blackened by the terrified birds flying wildly overhead. A few minutes after that, the smell of smoke hit him. It was thick and heavy, not the natural smell that wood gave off when it was burned. This carried something else. Oil.
“They will pay for this with their lives,” he seethed, rage taking him over as terrified and injured animals fled through the trees.
His pure hatred erupted and his eyes flashed, the sky growing dark as a loud clap of thunder shook everything it touched.
Arryn and her group saw the smoke as they rode through the Valley. Their pace had been leisurely until they saw the plumes rising above their home. Then the group saw the clouds over the Forest turn dark as the thunder ripped through the sky.
“That’s the Chieftain!” Arryn called out. “Snow!”
Snow needed only to hear her name and she began to run at full speed toward the forest. Cathillian and the others followed as closely behind as they could manage.
“Echo!” Cathillian called out. “Find out what’s happening.”
The bird immediately changed direction, heading northwest toward the Forest.
“It’s the Arcadians,” Amelia said. “I just know it. They’re making their move.”
“I thought we would have more time!” Arryn shouted.
Within ten minutes, Echo returned, sending Cathillian the images of what she had seen.
“There’s a whole fucking army,” Cathillian reported.
Arryn didn’t need to see Echo’s images to know that. Her entire body radiated with anger as she realized exactly what this meant. Scarlett had made good on her promise.
Though she had threatened to burn the Forest several times, Arryn had never believed she would actually be brave enough—or stupid enough—to do it. Unfortunately for everyone involved, this battle would not be simple.
Not only did they have to save the Dark Forest, they had to find a way to fight without killing.
“Guys!” Arryn shouted toward her companions over their loud hoofbeats. “I know this will be hard, but you have to remember that these men and women are innocent.”
“They’re being controlled by the mystics,” Amelia called back for anyone who could hear her. “Find a way to subdue rather than kill, if possible.”
“But kill if necessary,” Cathillian said.
When Arryn risked a look at him, she saw his brows creased in deep concentration. She could actually feel the anger radiating off him, just as it was from her.
“It’ll be okay,” she said to him. “I took Talia’s head for much less. Trust me, Cathillian. Believe me when I say that I will rip that bitch limb from limb. She will pay for every life lost on the battlefield.”
He looked at her then, his eyes blazing green with the intense emotion he felt. His lips were pursed tight, and she could actually see how fearsome he would appear to anyone who crossed his path.
“Don’t stop until you do,” was all he said as he turned back and urged Maia to run even faster.
20
Elysia’s heart felt as though it would stop as she rode up on the devastation before her. She could smell the oil that clung to the trees. It hadn’t even been the darkness of a bad person that had caused this. This was pure evil, something cold and irrevocably broken. Something that could never be fixed.
In all her days, Elysia had never faced a foe capable of such a horrifying act. Burning the home of innocent life—man, woman, child, and animal alike.
Chaos huffed, his large front hooves repeatedly digging into the ground as if he itched to run into battle.
As she investigated the area, it became clear that the fire had been much hotter than normal, and in some places, it even burned blue. It had been magical fire—of that she was certain. The trees had already died and were charred so badly that going past them would mean risking the lives of everyone stalled behind her.
“Elysia,” Ryel said. “We would follow you into hell. You need only lead us.”
Tears threatened to fill her eyes as she prayed to the goddess that she would be worthy of such loyalty.
“The earth is dead here,” she said. “We will be at the mercy of our opponents. Nothing will grow here until the fires are gone.”
Thunder cracked again as the wind picked up, carefully blowing to the east away from the rest of the healthy trees. Rain began to fall, slowly at first. Elysia’s eyes flashed as she lent her own power to her father’s, bringing the rain down in sheets now.
“Elysia!” the Chieftain shouted as he rode up. “What are you doing?”
“The trees are gone. There is no life here. If we ride past them, I can’t guarantee they won’t collapse,” she responded.
As the rain continued to pour, soaking them and their animals, the Chieftain smiled. “It will live again—but only if we do.”
Screams echoed outside the forest loudly enough for them to hear, and a terrifying roar was quickly followed by a loud screech from the smoky sky.
The Chieftain laughed, the sound terrifying even Elysia. “Those Arcadians are fucked now.”
It was Elysia’s turn to smile. She turned back to Ryel. “Into hell it is!”
Chaos broke into a gallop, and Zobig was close behind as they headed toward the flames.
The scene before them was nothing shy of heartbreaking. The smoke had gotten thicker and though rain now poured from the sky, it did nothing to quench the blaze wreaking havoc on the lush Forest she had called home for the majority of her life.
Arryn watched the Arcadians as they began to run back to their horses.
“They’re trying to flee!” Arryn shouted.
Snow roared, alerting the army to her presence. At first, Arryn hadn’t wanted her to do so, but when she heard their screams of terror and saw how disorganized they became, it warmed her.
“I’ve got this,” Cathillian said, bloodlust tainting his voice.
His eyes glowed as he looked at the dark sky that had already darkened from his grandfather’s magic. He lifted his hand, power emanating from him as bolts of lightning crashed into the path of the Arcadians, preventing them from going any farther.
“They have to know hell is coming for them,” Celine shouted.
“They fucking will soon if they don’t now!” Arryn bellowed.
“Remember,” Amelia yelled, “save who you can!”
As a wall of guards began running toward Arryn and her group, she smiled. “Brute force. Got it.”
“Give Dante to me,” Celine called as she rode closer to Arryn.
Arryn lifted and hugged him, kissing him on the head, and Celine’s eyes flashed black. She levitated the cub out of Arryn’s hands and into hers. Without another word, Celine broke off and headed toward the stretch of Forest south of the fires. She would hide him and come back.
Once her baby was out of harm’s way, Snow picked up the pace and ran headlong into battle. The tiger leapt into the air, clearing the heads of several guards before landing on several more. She dropped hard to the ground, crushing their legs as Arryn jumped free of her back.
“Good girl, Snow. Only kill if you have to,” Arryn said, turning in time to throw an elbow into a guard’s face.
Blood spurted from his nose as she kicked his knee hard enough to fold it backward. As he fell to his good knee, she brought her fist down on his temple, knocking him unconscious.
She pulled the staff from her back, knowing she would be most successful at preserving life using that weapon. A guard ran toward her, and she recognized him. Lionel. He was one of the students she had taught every morning with Cathillian.
“Lionel!” she
called as he attacked. “You have to stop! We aren’t your enemy, and you know it.”
“You killed Talia,” he shouted back as he threw an angry punch. He missed, clearly not remembering the lessons she had given him. “You killed all those guards. You’re no friend of mine!”
He lunged again, and she countered with a right hook. Lionel leaned back in time for her to miss him, which caused her to spin slightly in the mud beneath her. Taking advantage of her bobble, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her tightly against him.
As he went for her throat, she threw all her weight back, taking him down. After they landed, she threw the back of her head into his face, then turned over and straddled him.
“Remember! Talia was a psycho who ran me out of town. She killed all those kids, not me. Scarlett helped her. Scarlett is a mystic. Fight this, dammit!”
He groaned as he searched her face. His eyes slowly reflected understanding, followed quickly by guilt.
“No,” Arryn snapped, “you don’t have to feel guilty—not for something that wasn’t your fault. Just get your ass up and help me get your brothers back.”
Lionel nodded, wiping blood and mud from his face. Arryn stood, but was quickly thrown back to the ground. Her attacker still stood, but he was coming for her.
He brought his sword down, but she rolled out of the way before getting to her knees and grabbing his arm. She dropped, yanking him hard as she threw him over her back.
His sword fell from his hands, and she grabbed it, smashing him in the face with the hilt before he could seize her.
“Holy shit,” Lionel said as he rushed over. “Why didn’t you just kill him?”
She sighed, the corner of her mouth turning up in a sad smile. “Because I’m not the enemy. I’m here to save as many people as possible. I want you to do that, too. Break their legs. Their arms. Knock them out. Do whatever you have to take them down without killing them. We can heal damage. We can’t heal death.”
His brows furrowed as he stared at her. He swallowed then, nodding as he helped her up.
