by Candy Crum
Arryn struggled to move her hands to the wound in her chest, and her knees buckled as she fell. She couldn’t speak or cry out. She could only feel intense pain, the same pain her mother must have felt.
She died because of you, Scarlett told her telepathically, her magic lending a bit of influence to truly drive the point.
“N-no,” Arryn finally forced out.
Scarlett laughed as Elysia’s and Zoe’s screams filled Arryn’s ears. She wanted to see what was happening, but she couldn’t move.
“No?” Scarlett laughed again. “Oh, honey. It’s adorable you believe that. Had you been a better student—a better daughter—you could have stood together to fight. Instead, she had to protect you. I can see everything you hide in that twisted little brain of yours, Arryn.
“You never paid attention to your mother during lessons. You wanted to play instead of learn anything, didn’t you? She had to fight you to spend time with her at all. Look what it cost her! She raised an ungrateful little bitch, and you’re still ungrateful. That druid boy loves you and would die to protect you, yet you can’t even tell him the truth. You string him along, knowing you’ll never let him be with you. He’s fated to die for you, too. Just like your mother. Just like everyone around you.”
Arryn’s entire body tensed even harder as pain ripped its way through her again. She could feel her cheeks growing wet as tears spilled, but she couldn’t focus.
Snow? Where was she?
Snow…
The animals…
Elysia had said something about them, but what? It seemed like forever ago, though it had only been minutes.
“Don’t bother fighting, sweets. I’m going to make sure you feel every ounce of pain you deserve before you die from your injuries,” Scarlett assured her.
But Scarlett had made a mistake.
That Hunter....
Arryn forced her eyes to look up at the man who had shot her. There was no doubt he was one of the Hunters that had killed her mother. She had briefly seen his face in a flash of moonlight as they chased them down that night through the Forest.
But he was dead.
Her mother had seen to that. She had died protecting Arryn, but she had succeeded. Her mother had killed all the Hunters who had been after them before succumbing to her own wounds. Celine had even confirmed that.
It wasn’t real. He wasn’t real. And if that man standing before her wasn’t real, then neither was her wound.
Arryn fought Scarlett as rage filled her. She fed every raw emotion from that night into a seething ball of hatred in her chest and built her power.
She slowly regained her senses. Her companions were still screaming under the onslaught of the other four mystics.
Snow! The moment her familiar’s mind connected with hers, she inhaled deeply. When she focused all the mental power she could muster into seeing through Snow’s eyes, Scarlett’s control weakened.
Arryn now looked down on Scarlett from ten or so feet over her head. Snow was on top of the Capitol building.
Scarlett caught a glimpse of what Arryn was seeing, and she whipped around, her eyes darting to the tiger perched above her. With a loud roar, Snow leapt down onto the mystic, which immediately broke her hold on Arryn.
The magically-induced pain vacated her body and she gasped, slowly climbing to her feet. Her eyes turned black and green again as she looked around.
Snow had Scarlett pinned, snapping her massive jaws at the woman, but purposely holding back. Two of the mystics had overwhelmed Elysia, and the other two mentally battered Zoe.
Arryn pulled the energy tight around herself as she allowed it to transport her behind the mystics torturing Elysia. She pulled her daggers from her belt, stabbing each directly through the ribs and into their lungs before pulling the blades free.
She left them alive. In her fury, she wanted them to suffer a slow, painful death for the suffering they had caused so many.
She turned to the two who had attacked Zoe, and their eyes widened as they turned to run. She dropped the daggers and quickly extended her hands to the side as she flexed her entire body, pulling water from the thick, humid air before sending hundreds of jagged shards of ice to pierce their arms and legs while leaving them alive to bleed out on the ground.
Three people were stirring by the main road: Rae, Clara, and Cassondra. They had arrived at some point during the confrontation, only to be subdued with the rest of them.
Go, Clara sent. It was weak, but it was there. I’m sorry we weren’t more help. Take that bitch. We’ll heal Elysia and the young mystic.
Without saying a word, Arryn stalked toward the steps of the Capitol building where Snow had Scarlett trapped. The big cat stepped away as she approached and the mystic flipped onto her stomach, her eyes immediately turning white as she tried to force her way into Arryn’s head again.
But it was pointless.
Arryn’s emotions had ravaged her and intensified her power, her mind now like a steel fortress. No attack of Scarlett’s would get past her shield now.
Scarlett’s eyes faded to normal as she tried to back away on her hands and knees, but Snow was in her way. She growled at the woman and nipped at her thigh, causing her to jump forward again. She struggled to her feet, ready to run.
Arryn thrust a hand out, twisting her wrist as she created a rotating wind to pin her in place.
“You have destroyed the lives of so many,” Arryn said. “You actually make me miss Talia. She was an evil bitch and deserved the end she received, but she didn’t have a fucking thing on you.”
They mystic struggled, so Arryn increased the grip of the wind to the point where the woman couldn’t breathe.
“You warped the minds of innocent men and women—people who will carry the memories of the lives they took, the damage they wrought, long after you’re gone.”
Scarlett clawed at her throat, and Arryn dropped her, allowing the mystic to breathe.
“Please,” Scarlett begged between heaving breaths.
Arryn laughed, taking a step forward. “You know, when I watched the Dark Forest—my home—burn, I made a vow to the people who took me in so many years ago. Who taught me respect and loyalty.”
The sounds of hundreds of footsteps behind her caught her attention, and she could sense hundreds of people standing there. The battle with the remnant was over, and with the other mystics dead, the compulsion they had been under was gone.
“I promised them I would rip you limb from fucking limb,” Arryn said.
The mystic’s eyes turned white again, giving it one last shot.
“It wasn’t a lie! She’s really one of ‘em!” an Arcadian behind her shouted.
“Help me!” Scarlett shouted to the crowd, clearly desperate to change her fate. “You see? She’s come to take my life now! I told you this would happen. There are far more of you than there are of them. Save me!”
Arryn turned to the people behind her, her eyes still fearsome. “Anyone who doesn’t want to see this woman die should leave now. I won’t let you stop me, but I won’t harm you. You should know I’m not leaving until this is done. She will pay for what she has done to everyone, druid and Arcadian alike.”
Cathillian, Amelia, Celine, and Samuel stepped to the front of the crowd. They looked around, and Samuel took yet another step forward.
“Lass, I think everyone here’s realized the truth,” he said. “Do it. Do it for the whole Valley.”
Everyone began to nod and mumble agreement, many of them shedding tears as they did so or holding the person next to them. She turned to face Scarlett, whose eyes were filled with disbelief.
“Scarlett. It seems the people you manipulated and controlled have sentenced you to die—not that it would have stopped me if they hadn’t. For all the people across the Valley who were killed in the remnant attacks, the innocent students at the Academy whose lives were taken, and for all those who died under your rule, I will fulfill my promise.”
Scarlett began to
shout protests, but Arryn didn’t care to hear any more. She thrust her hands forward, vines bursting through the ground as they wrapped around the mystic’s limbs and neck.
Pulling her hand back, Scarlett was lifted from the steps and slammed to the flat ground.
“I will not subject these people to even one more drop of blood because of you,” Arryn said. “Not even one more horrific memory.”
More vines appeared, enveloping Scarlett as she screamed and struggled. Once her body could no longer be seen, Arryn forcefully pulled her hands apart, the vines responding as they ripped Scarlett’s body into six separate pieces, the mystic’s screams came to an abrupt end.
Sighing, knowing it was over, Arryn relaxed knowing she had fulfilled the vow she made to Cathillian.
Exhausted, Arryn’s eyes returned to normal as Cathillian wrapped his arms around her.
“You did it,” he said, kissing the top of her head.
Cheers erupted behind them, shocking Arryn. “They’ve been through a lot,” Zoe said as she approached. “The things Scarlett did to them will be there for a while, but right now they’re enjoying their freedom. Once the hold is gone…”
Arryn smiled. “I imagine it feels like a hundred-and-twenty-pound weight was lifted.”
Zoe nodded. “That’s exactly what it feels like. And with Amelia back, they’ll heal. It’ll take time, but they’ll get their lives back.”
Arryn leaned more on Cathillian, both from fatigue and for comfort. He was warm, and her body was chilled from the lingering effects of the mystic’s magic and her own magically-induced exhaustion.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to protect you and Elysia,” she said. “She slammed into my head, and I had no idea you were being attacked until you screamed.
Zoe smiled. “Did you really think I came all the way here from the Heights to be completely useless?”
“No,” Arryn replied. “I never thought that for a second.”
“What she means is, that was the plan the whole time,” Elysia said.
Arryn looked at her in confusion, then back to Zoe as the young mystic reached for her hand.
“There were five of them. Scarlett knew you were a huge threat, and she knew we would be distracted—and useless—if anything happened to you. I saw what she planned to do. All five of them were going to go for you, and you alone. They were going to overwhelm you and drive you insane,” Zoe said.
“Zoe told me what they had planned, and we agreed we would protect you. We couldn’t let them do that to you,” Elysia said.
“That was when I told you to go for Scarlett—we had the others. I used my power to make them think we were the much bigger threat, and they attacked us instead of you. It was worth it.” Zoe smiled.
Arryn looked at her with wide eyes. “Except you almost died!”
Cathillian squeezed her shoulders. “It’s fine. Everyone’s fine. Don’t worry about that now, okay?”
Snow headbutted Arryn’s arm, and she smiled at the big cat as she scratched her colossal head. She had saved Arryn. Had she not taken Scarlett down, Arryn’s fate would have been sealed.
“What do we do about that?” Arryn asked, gesturing to the dismembered body of Scarlett.
Amelia joined them, several guards behind her. “No worries, my dear. You go and get some rest. I’d recommend staying in Girard’s since it hasn’t been touched. My house is still a bloody mess from the night I was arrested, so I’ll come to you soon myself. As for the bitch, I have a few men who will help me put her exactly where she belongs.”
Elysia smiled. “In the sewers with the other one?”
Amelia nodded. “Yup! Let the rats sort it out.”
Arryn didn’t care much about anything at that moment except sleep. Cathillian lifted her to Snow’s back and climbed on as well so he could hold her up.
As they made their way back to Girard’s, the house they had called home when they were last in Arcadia, Arryn watched the now-free Arcadian people come together to help bandage the wounded or carry out the bodies of fallen remnant.
It was over. This war was done, and Arcadia was safe again. Only this time, Arryn had a feeling it would be much safer now. Amelia’s mental abilities had grown and were continuing to do so, and Arcadia now had the support of the druid warriors of the Dark Forest.
Epilogue
Everyone had returned to the Dark Forest, and the governor of Cella had been there, waiting to greet them.
In all his years of leadership, this was the first time the Chieftain had trusted an outsider to oversee the village and the Forest. There had been nothing of note to report—the governor’s men had scouted the area, and had kept a close eye on the village and its young and old while they had been gone.
Impressed with the man, his son, and his Guard, and grateful for everything they had helped to accomplish, the Chieftain offered to assist them in rebuilding their city alongside Amelia and any men she provided.
The Chieftain would send enough druids to help grow the trees they would need for construction while Arcadia’s men helped build. He planned to do the same thing for Arcadia, after all Amelia had done to protect Arryn and save their home.
He also offered to take on a handful of nature magic students, if the governor could find any who were as pure of heart as he was and they promised to use the magic only for good.
Amelia took back her seat as Chancellor, and immediately began putting a city council in place. She wanted the people to feel they had a say in things instead of being ruled by a single person.
Once Marie and Maddie arrived, Amelia planned to promote her former assistant to the position of Chancellor, while she would become Governor of Arcadia, since they hadn’t had one for a long time and the last one had been Adrien’s creature. Maddie would be her assistant.
While Marie was both honored and excited to have her new position in the city, she couldn’t deny she was most excited to see Andrew. Since they had fled for the Forest, she had been worried senseless about him and was happy to find him safe once the battle was over.
After seeing war happen for a second time within the previous year, she decided taking things slow was overrated.
Instead of returning to Craigston, Samuel had decided to stay in the Dark Forest. He said it was for “training” purposes, though Arryn and Cathillian and anyone else with eyes knew it was because Celine had also opted to stay. She wanted to be close to her niece, wherever Arryn chose to live.
While everyone was happy to be back home in the Dark Forest, there was still more to be done before they could rest. There was yet another war on the horizon, and if Corrine was correct, they had only about two weeks to prepare.
That night, everyone gathered around the fire, and wine was passed around by the jug. Everyone planned to get good and drunk with their family and friends.
The Chieftain arrived and sat down in a large chair, holding his usual two mugs of wine. Corrine ran over to sit at his feet, Dante following her. When he caught sight of Arryn, the cub broke away and jumped in her lap, almost immediately rolling over onto his back so she could hold him like a giant baby—his way of requesting tummy rubs.
“Alexander?” Corrine said. She was the only one who called him by his real name, but it didn’t seem to bother him at all.
He was quite smitten with the girl. According to Elysia, it was because she reminded him so much of Arryn when she was little. He liked to think he was a wonderful influence. That he was enlightening someone who otherwise would have been led down a path unworthy of their great potential.
“Yes, young one?” the Chieftain replied.
“What happened with you, Alaric, and Jerick? Why do they hate you so much?”
The question was innocent, but not many knew the answer. Druids didn’t dwell on the past, though they did hold grudges if there was a great enough betrayal. There were some in the forest who were old enough to remember when Alaric had broken with them, but they didn’t talk about it.
“Th
at’s a very good question, child,” the Chieftain responded. “I suppose, given the circumstances, everyone deserves to know why we are headed into war.”
Zoe sat down next to Arryn, giving Dante a scratch. The mystic hadn’t yet left, having decided to stay a bit longer and study the druids of the Dark Forest. They interested her greatly, and she wanted to be able to return with more knowledge than she had left with. “Oh! Is it story time?”
Arryn nodded. “The Chieftain is about to tell us what happened with him and the dark druids.”
Zoe’s eyes lit. “Chieftain?” she blurted out.
He turned to her and smiled. “Yes, young mystic?”
She returned the smile. “If you’re going to tell a story, may I assist? At the Temple, I’m a master storyteller. I would love to help.”
He thought for a moment before finally nodding. “My stories are always the greatest, but I suppose it couldn’t hurt!”
Arryn giggled as she rolled her eyes. The Chieftain never failed to entertain. Cathillian sat down on the other side of her, and she smiled.
“Thanks for saving me a seat,” he said.
“I didn’t, but you’re welcome anyway.” She winked.
He leaned toward her and put his mouth next to her ear. “Don’t forget,” he whispered, “we need to have that talk.”
“Don’t forget,” she whispered back, repeating his words, “we still have another war to get through.”
He sat back and nodded. “As long as you haven’t forgotten.”
She put Dante on the ground before reaching over and grabbing hold of Cathillian’s hand. It was a small gesture, but one that seemed to make him feel loved.
Dante ran over to lie down by his new best friend—the equally energetic and rambunctious Corrine.
“So,” the Chieftain began. “Everyone of age, grab a mug of wine. With Zoe’s help, this should be a pretty good story.”
