by Candy Crum
Nikolai walked into Scarlett's office, a bottle of whiskey in his hand. "I think you need something a little stronger than the brew."
She nodded, extending her hand to accept the bottle. She didn't even bother with a glass, just pulled out the stopper and brought it to her mouth. "How many of our own did we lose?"
"We lost Jonathan and Zara," Nikolai said, a twinge of sadness in his voice.
Scarlett thought for a few moments, trying to remember their faces. "Which ones were they?"
"Zara had the fiery red hair, and Jonathan had a shaved head. How do you not know these people? You were the one who recruited them."
She waved a hand in the air. "No, I said that I sent for friends. Those friends sent other friends, and I didn’t realize that until they arrived. The only one I bothered remembering was Lacy, and that was only because she just happened to be your sister. Kade was rather attractive, so I remembered him as well."
Nikolai shook his head as he smiled. "Well, minus my sister, they’re all expendable. That's the good news."
Scarlett sighed as she stared at the bottle. "What should we do? I need counsel more now than ever."
"Relax. Right now, we’re rallying the Guard. The full Guard. We aren't wasting any resources this time. From what Barbara and Lacy have told me, things are going well."
Scarlett laughed. "Clearly, you and I have wildly different opinions about what 'going well' means. Didn't you see what was happening out there? The druids weren’t killing the guardsmen. The druids knew not to kill them. Arryn was turning them right and left. Our hold on them was so frail that a simple knock to the head brought them out of it."
"That may be so, but they will be scarred for quite some time. We can easily get back in. We've been working on these people for a very long time, and the effects of that won't disappear overnight."
Scarlett sighed. "No, but the direct control we have over them will. Those men saw her taking others out right and left—breaking their legs or just knocking them out to keep from killing them—which wasn’t what we've been telling them to see. They didn't see a cold-blooded murderer. Even when they came at her in the heat of battle with swords and knives, she couldn't bring herself to kill them. That made them wonder why in the hell she would have snuck into the city, broken into the barracks, and slit the throats of several guards in their sleep if she wouldn’t even use a blade in battle. She used a staff, for fuck’s sake."
Nikolai sat there, quietly considering her words. It was obvious he had no idea how to respond to that.
"Exactly," Scarlett said, taking another drink. "I want scouts to surround the city. With the druids to the west and the threat of the remnant to the east, we can't afford a single mistake."
His eyes widened for a moment before a look of guilt crossed his face.
"What is it?" she asked in an exasperated tone.
"I completely forgot. I'm so sorry. As I was on my way in here, a guard stopped me to report that a scout spotted the remnant marching this way."
Scarlett's jaw fell open slightly in shock. "This can't be happening. It doesn't even matter how it happens. We're fucked! If the remnant arrive first, they’ll kill countless guardsmen before the druids even get here. If the druids arrive first I'm sure most of the men will survive, but they will take the city."
Nikolai swallowed hard, nodding. "And if they arrive at the same time…"
Scarlett shivered. "Keep your damn fear to yourself. Trust me, I've already thought about that." She exhaled deeply, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Set up a perimeter on the eastern and western walls. Make sure no less than one hundred guardsmen are waiting at the gate. Place bowmen and magicians along the wall."
"Uh," he started nervously, "during the time I’ve spent with the Guard, I’ve learned there really aren't any bowmen. Before Arryn was run out of the city, she had been training a few, but most of them were the ones that she was able to turn against us on the field."
Scarlett shot him an angry look. "Then double the magicians on the walls, you idiot. Think!"
Nikolai was visibly hurt by her statement, but he blew it off, nodding in response before taking his leave. Scarlett took another long drink from the bottle, then put the stopper back in and set it down.
Any more than that and she would be drunk, unable to focus. As it was she was beginning to feel relaxed, and that was exactly what she would need while preparing for Arryn.
As she stared at the floor, her eyes drawn to the bloodstain where Talia's head had rested, she couldn't help but think about Arryn coming for her. Scarlett smiled. "May the best bitch win."
24
Arryn and Snow slowed down as they approached the Arcadian border. Arryn could see guardsmen along the western wall of the city, and she could only imagine there were more waiting inside.
Their approach had to be perfect. Like last time, they would be fighting men who didn't deserve to die for someone who not only didn't give a damn about them, but had put them in that position to begin with.
She wished the Cellan Guard was with them, knowing some of them had at least a working knowledge of physical magic and were well trained. But it was too dangerous to leave the Forest unguarded, so the Chieftain—shockingly—had asked them to stay behind while he and the rest sought revenge for the death and destruction Scarlett had caused.
The governor had wanted to come along, but knowing what it was like to want revenge for their home being destroyed, he agreed—giving his word no harm would come to the druid people while he was there.
"Are you ready for this?" Elysia asked.
Still focused on the men ahead, Arryn nodded. "Absolutely. Let's go."
Everyone broke into a run, their horses or familiars carrying them as fast as they possibly could. Given how many warriors they had with them, Arryn knew the guards would be worried. As they approached, she saw that she had been right.
The men outside the wall sprinted for the gate the moment they saw the druid army approaching, obviously hoping to get to shelter before their enemy reached them.
But that wouldn't save them.
The Chieftain lifted his fingers to his mouth, letting out an ear-piercing whistle. Birds quit circling overhead and flew directly over the city. Each one carried a seed of some tree variety, most of them acorns.
The group rounded the southern edge of the city. As they headed toward the now-closed gate, Arryn watched the birds dropping the seeds onto the main street.
Magicians had been stationed on top of the walls and began throwing fireballs at them as they approached. Arryn, Amelia, Celine, and a few others moved to the front to keep the fire from hitting anyone. Their eyes turned black as they used their own power to deflect the fireballs as they came.
Before they got too close, Arryn stopped Snow, dismounting along with Cathillian as they made their way to the gate. They briefly looked at one another before nodding, their eyes flashing green as they lifted their arms to the side and then thrust their hands forward.
A blast of wind hit the gate hard, breaking it apart and blowing it all the way in. Amelia and Celine stepped toward the guardsmen standing with their magitech rifles lifted, their eyes turning black as they erected a large shield between the magitech rifles and their warriors.
The Chieftain, Elysia, and several other druids, their eyes glowing green, lowered themselves to the ground. They placed their hands in the grass, and the ground began to shake.
Inside the city, rocks crumbled or split with sounds like shots as the growing root systems tore apart the cobblestone streets. The seeds had begun to sprout.
The guardsmen looked around, frantically trying to see what was happening. Within moments, the seeds the birds had dropped from overhead had grown into large, sturdy trees. They grew even larger as more druids dropped to the ground, adding their power.
The Arcadians watched in shock as the collective power of the druids overgrew their main street with trees.
Once they were large enough, the Chieftain st
ood and shouted, "Schatten!"
Vines burst from the ground as the Schatten warriors ran forward. They wrapped around their waists as the druids’ magic manipulated the vines to thrust them over the stunned guardsman and into the newly-grown branches.
Loud yells came from the east just as the guardsmen regained their wits, and began firing their rifles at the druid warriors outside the gate. Each shot was deflected by Celine and Amelia’s shield.
"What's that screaming?" Amelia shouted. "Please tell me that isn't what I think it is. Because what it sounds like to me…"
Arryn broke formation, striding off to the side where she could see, but was still protected by the shield. "Uh, if you think it's a massive hoard of remnant, you're not wrong."
"I think you were supposed to tell her that it wasn't what she thought it was," Cathillian said.
"Oh!" Arryn said, walking back to Amelia and Celine. "In that case, no. It's not an angry horde of remnant. But if it were, it's possible that we should get the fuck out of the way. Maybe now."
The Chieftain turned to Arryn. "We need the Guard. There are ten times as many of them coming over that hill as there are of us."
More fireballs rained down on them from the wall. It shocked Arryn that they would still attack them instead of turning their attention to the invading remnant. Then again, the remnant were still too far out to reach easily.
Arryn's eyes turned black as she swung her arm to the side, deflecting the fireballs toward the oncoming horde.
"I think it's time for one of your famous speeches," Cathillian advised.
Arryn nodded and allowed her power to swell around her, pushing against her in all directions before it imploded. She disappeared from where she stood behind the shield and reappeared on the wall next to several magicians.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Arryn shouted as she held up her hands. "Stop this! There is a fucking horde of remnant coming this way. What you don't realize is that we are not here to kill you. But they are! We’re here to kill Scarlett—the mystic who has been controlling all of you."
"Arryn!" Cathillian shouted. "Maybe you should talk a little faster."
Arryn turned to the army of guardsmen standing on the ground below, their magitech rifles aimed at her now. "You Arcadians can choose to fight us, the people who haven't tried to kill any of you—even on the battlefield. Or you can fight with us against the remnant. Because I promise you, they're here for Scarlett, and they will rip every one of you to pieces just to get to her."
Arryn looked around as they turned to one another and considered their words. A few hesitantly nodded while others stood quiet, taking their lead from the others.
Arryn turned to the druid warriors on the ground. "Druids! To the trees! Everyone else, get inside the city.”
Vines began shooting from the ground as the druid army advanced into the trees they had grown. Arryn turned toward the Arcadian Guard inside the gate. "Retreat farther into the city! Let the remnant come inside."
"Are you sure you're on our side?" a magician on the wall behind her asked. That very magician had been one of her coworkers when she had taught at the Academy.
Arryn turned to face her. "The safest place for any Arcadian to be is underneath those trees. We're going to fight using the exact same tactics that we came here to use on Arcadia, only this time we won’t use it against you. Understand?"
Someone shouted her name from the ground, and she saw Celine and Amelia below. Several magicians on the wall used their power to levitate them to the top, much to Arryn's surprise.
"Thank you, Cheryl," Amelia said.
"Chancellor," Cheryl acknowledged with a curt nod.
"Amelia, you call the shots from up here on the wall. I'm going to stay on the ground with Snow and Cathillian," Arryn said. "If the Arcadian Guard see all of us fighting to keep them alive, maybe we can take back the city without lifting a finger against them."
Amelia nodded. "Go now! They're coming."
Arryn smiled before jumping to the ground and rushing over to the terrified guards. They had started backing farther into the city, hands shaking as they held swords or rifles in front of them.
She heard Amelia shouting orders just before the flashes of fire began. Those were quickly followed by the screams of remnant.
"Druids, here they come! Ready yourselves," Arryn shouted into the trees.
"Arryn," Cathillian and Elysia both screamed, and Cathillian continued, "What the hell are you doing? Get your ass up here!"
She shook her head. "In case you hadn’t noticed, I'm the only thing keeping these men from running. This horde is at least twice the size of the last one that came for the city. They're scared to death, and I'm not leaving them."
Arryn turned her head back toward the gate as someone jumped down next to her. It was Cathillian, and Elysia quickly jumped down on her other side.
Cathillian winked at her, giving a brief smile. "Don't act so shocked. We still need to have that talk, and I intend to see you don't do anything to get out of it. You know, like dying."
"Damn, that was my plan," Arryn replied. “The easy way out.”
Cathillian only smiled and rolled his eyes in response.
The remnant ran through the gate, their hideous faces angry. Some of them had been terribly burned, but it was obvious that the flames had had little effect on them as they ran full-speed toward their group.
Arryn stepped forward, her eyes turning black as she lifted her arms out by her sides. Rocks both large and small lifted from the cobblestone street as she thrust them forward.
The smaller rocks landed hard enough to break the skin, penetrating not unlike arrows. The larger ones beat them unmercifully, throwing some of them back while others fought to keep running despite the pain.
Vines began whipping through the air again as the druids in the trees lassoed the remnant and pulled them into the trees. Their plan was to grab enough to disperse the initial wave.
Arryn pulled her blades from the sheaths on the back of her belt and shouted for her familiar. "Snow!"
To her surprise, the tiger was not the only one to show. Zobig ran forward with the big cat, both hurtling full force into the crowd of remnant and further breaking it apart.
"Go!" Cathillian shouted as he raised his sword to the sky.
The men and women of the Guard and the druid warriors on the ground ran forward, cutting remnant down as the beasts ran into the city.
As expected, the trees were enough to break the horde into smaller groups, since they were forced to move around them. Those clusters got even smaller as the druids above pulled some of them into the trees. They were further scattered by the enormous familiars barreling through their ranks.
So far, the plan was working exactly as expected.
"Stay low, lass," Samuel offered before thrusting his hammer upward into the jaw of a remnant, dropping him before smashing his skull.
Arryn did as the rearick said, ducking and running through the monstrous warriors. She ripped holes in their bellies or hamstrung them before slicing their throats. It was a brilliant technique, and one that was working for her and Samuel.
The remnant were focused on the enemies in front of them, too shortsighted to look down.
But even so, this wasn’t the target she had planned to fight.
She had yet to see Scarlett, which meant the bitch was more than likely hiding somewhere. Arryn knew she couldn't battle the horde forever, but she still needed to make sure the initial plan they had made was keeping everyone safe.
Arryn started fighting her way backward through the more widely scattered remnant. A young guard had been cornered by three of them. Judging from the look on his face, he didn't have any confidence in his own abilities, so she didn't take any chances.
Arryn threw one of her daggers, hitting the center one in the side of the neck as she ran full speed for the one on the left. As that remnant swung his sword Arryn leapt into the air, tumbling once to avoid the blade before wrapping her le
gs around his neck.
She flung her weight backward as hard as she could, put her hands down for stability, and effectively flipped him over her. As soon as he landed, she tightened her legs and twisted, breaking his neck.
She heard the footsteps before she saw the next attacker, her eyes turning black as she flexed her entire body. A shield burst forth, protecting her as the remnant brought his axe down.
Metal crashed against the shield, Arryn gritting her teeth as she used all the strength she could muster to push the shield against the blade to gain any distance she could. She twisted the fingers of her free hand to pull water from the humid air, instantly making her throat scratchy.
With a loud grunt, Arryn shoved her shield forward as hard as she could, throwing him back just far enough that she was able to drop it. As he raised his axe again, Arryn thrust her hand forward, the water immediately freezing as the jagged ice spear shot forward, impaling him through the face.
Groaning in disgust, Arryn rolled out from under the remnant whose neck she had broken and climbed to her feet as the other fell dead. She looked at the young guardsman she had just saved. "You okay?"
The guard nodded in response, clearly unable to speak at that moment.
"If you can't fight, find a place to hide. There's no shame in that, if you think you’ll cost someone their life. But if you have the courage, do your best to save someone. Stick to the outside of the battle and find the stragglers. Catch them one at a time, and you'll be fine.”
Arryn, I can sense her. She's close, Zoe sent telepathically. She's been watching.
Arryn punched a remnant in the gut as he ran for her, then thrust her knee into his groin. As he fell to his knees, she grabbed the knife from his belt and jammed it through the back of his neck, severing his spine. She let go of his knife and ran to the other remnant she had just killed to retrieve her blades.
Zoe, come with me. I'm going to need you for this, Arryn replied.
25
Cathillian caught up with Samuel, and the two paired up to fight next to one another, combining forces. Cathillian figured the rearick could use the help, because he couldn't stop checking the wall to make sure Celine was still okay.
