by S. M. Boyce
Audrey had stayed in the hidden tunnels to strategize, and Fyrn was off buying some rare potion that could only be found here. Since he had created the illegal portal that had gotten them here so quickly, he was Victoria’s ticket home.
After she got Angelique to agree to join their war, of course.
“Victoria, it’s more than ‘a big ask.’ You’re requesting that my people die for you.” Angelique leaned back in her chair, food forgotten as she processed the appeal.
Victoria sighed. “I wouldn’t be asking unless I absolutely needed your help. Fairhaven is being overrun, and every time I leave it gets worse. More people die. More people disappear. More homes are burned to the ground. He’s taking over my home city, Angelique. Surely you can understand what that’s like.”
Angelique’s jaw tensed, and her gaze flitted to the floor.
Victoria leaned across the table, choosing each word as carefully as she could so as not to lose what progress she had made. “We don’t know who will be king when the dust settles, but I can promise you this—you will have a powerful ally in whoever rules next. Fairhaven will be forever in your debt, forever your friend when you need us. You’re reemerging in the magical world after being lost to the ages, and you’re going to face growing pains as con artists and mercenaries come here to make their fortunes. We can help each other, Angelique. Always.”
Angelique smiled ruefully, softly shaking her head as she made her decision. “You present quite the argument, Victoria Brie.”
She shrugged modestly. “I say it like it is.”
“That you do. How would we even find you?”
“With this.” Victoria pulled out a roll of parchment.
“What is it?”
“An enchanted map, courtesy of Fyrn. This will lead you to us and includes the counter spells to the protections we’ve put around our camp. If we move, this will show you where we’ve gone.”
The Queen frowned deeply. “That’s a dangerous map to have made. In the wrong hands…”
“If you accept and help us, this map will only work for you.”
The Queen sighed and tapped a thin finger on her chin, eyes shifting out of focus as she internally debated everything Victoria had shared thus far.
“So what will it be?” Victoria asked softly.
Angelique caught Victoria’s eye, and the concerned frown bled away into a gentle smile. “Very well, my friend. For you, anything. It will take some time, but we will assemble our army.”
Victoria sighed with relief. “Thank you, Angelique. Oh my God, thank you.”
Angelique chuckled. “Don’t thank me yet. Keep in mind that my soldiers haven’t trained to fight anything but a single monster. We will need guidance from your military leaders on what to expect and how to prepare.”
“How long will you need?”
“A month.”
Victoria let out the tiniest of panicked moans, trying her best not to be ungrateful. “I don’t know if we have a month.”
“Then I apologize, but we cannot move faster. We need not only to mobilize our army, but also train them to fight new foes. A month is fast, seeing as we are utterly unprepared to fight a Rhazdon host as powerful as you say this Luak person is.”
“You’re right.” Victoria leaned her elbows on the table, trying to calm her racing heart. This was still a win, even if it put her pulse into overdrive.
Would they arrive in time? She simply didn’t know.
Angelique set a graceful hand on top of Victoria’s. “Remember, my friend, that these witches and wizards have never fought a real war in their lives. What we do for you, we do to repay the freedom you gave us. We need time to make sure we do it properly.”
Victoria nodded and forced a smile, one she hoped seemed genuine. These witches and wizards weren’t really soldiers. They were recently-freed prisoners who had no idea what life was like outside of Lochrose, and yet they still rallied to her defense.
As her mind raced with possibilities of how to delay Luak a month, her heart sank into her stomach as she realized she might have just signed these good people’s death warrants.
CHAPTER 14
Once more disguised as a Light Elf, Audrey pressed herself against the wall in the mercenaries’ assembly hall. Dozens of ogres and elves congregated, arguing with each other or sharpening their blades as they waited for the captain to arrive.
During the last week, Audrey had slipped into the meeting hall whenever she could. The resistance needed as much information as they could gather, and she possessed a unique ability that could get them that information.
Even if Victoria hated that her friend slipped away to do this, Audrey didn’t feel like she had a choice. It was a risk, sure, but it had already paid off. They knew patrol routes, times, the size of Luak’s army—incredibly valuable intel.
But lately, more eyes drifted to her as she entered. More gazes lingered. More heads tilted toward each other, whispering as they watched her lean against the back wall.
She glared at one pair of orcs who stared openly at her, waiting for them to look away.
They didn’t.
Her jaw tensed. Perhaps she had been pushing her luck. Maybe they had begun to notice the Light Elf no one seemed to recognize, the one who always hung out near the door.
Last in, first out. That was Audrey’s way to stay safe and give herself an escape route should she need it—and it was starting to look like she might.
Shoulders tensed, legs itching to run, Audrey eyed the door. Maybe it was time to go. If she was subtle, possibly she could just slip out without anyone stopping her. Wait for a distraction and then—
“Shut the doors,” a booming voice ordered from somewhere in the crowd.
Shit. She gulped, trying to relax her shoulders as she panicked internally.
As the doors creaked shut to begin the meeting, the massive ogre who often spoke to the troops pushed through the crowd and jumped onto the platform. She would have to wait this one out.
The soldiers fell silent as the ogre paced the platform, hands behind his back as his gaze drifted from face to face in the crowd. It seemed almost like he was looking for someone, and Audrey gritted her teeth with nerves.
You’re being paranoid, she chided herself.
I do not think you are, the koi said in her mind.
Not helping. Not. Helping.
Please find an exit, the koi prodded. I’ve grown rather fond of you and would prefer it if you did not die today.
Audrey rolled her eyes. Thanks for the warm fuzzies. Focus!
Audrey scanned the walls as the orc continued to pace the raised platform, but the only other door was on the opposite end of the room. It stood open, like a beacon inviting her to freedom, but she knew better. It led into the castle, toward Luak. Besides, she couldn’t move through a stationary crowd without being seen. It was better to wait for the meeting to adjourn.
The ogre’s eyes rested on her and he sneered. “There you are.”
Nope, change of plans. She would not be waiting for the meeting to adjourn.
“Grab her!” the ogre shouted. The crowd surged toward her, and the nearest elves reached for her neck.
With her cover blown, Audrey didn’t bother keeping the elf form. She needed her Atlantean magic to fight, since she couldn’t do much of anything as an elf. Her body hummed and shimmered as it returned to its natural state, and she lifted one hand in front of her. The other she shoved into her pocket, grabbing the Atlantean gem hidden in her clothes.
Her hands brimmed with white energy, the electricity rolling over her skin like lightning. Several of the nearest soldiers shrank away, apparently not certain what she was doing, and her threat kept the crowd at bay.
For the moment, anyway.
If she wanted out of here, she would have to keep the upper hand. That meant acting first and staying on the offensive.
It also meant blowing shit up.
Audrey turned her attention to the door, and in a matter
of seconds blew it apart with her brilliant white magical energy. Splintered boards rained on the crowd, and while they ducked she ran.
She bolted through the hallway, shooting rays of white light at anyone in her path. Some of the elves jumped out of the way or pressed themselves against the wall, but many tried to attack her. She dodged sword after sword, fist after fist, and spell after spell while she raced for the exit.
With every burst of magic from her hands, she wondered if this was it. She was facing an army by herself with only the now-lost element of surprise on her side.
Worst of all, she had to admit Victoria was right. She should never have done this.
***
Back home in the protected tunnels, Victoria leaned over the Fairhaven map in their war room. She bit her lip as she pored over what she knew of the remaining families, wondering which—if any—would be willing to help.
The flutter of tiny wings caught her attention, and she glanced as a fairy bolted through the cloth covering the doorframe. The little male huffed, wheezing as he waved for her attention.
“Yes?” she asked, a little confused by the interruption.
“Audrey…castle. Hurry…” he wheezed.
Victoria frowned, heart thudding as she processed the fairy’s warning. Audrey had infiltrated the meeting hall again, and this time they had caught her.
“Where?” Victoria demanded.
“South side, near the town square,” the fairy said, finally catching his breath.
Victoria charged through the door, running toward the exit. Portals took time to create, time she didn’t have. She had to run, and even if she did she might not get there in time.
***
Four elves and two ogres blocked the barred doors as Audrey sprinted toward the exit. This was the final door—her salvation—and she would make it through.
With the last of her magic, she shot a brilliant bolt of white light at the guards. Some of them jumped out of the way, but most were thrown into the massive doors, which burst open and sprinkled shards of wood and metal on the cobblestone streets outside.
She raced into the brilliant light from the overhead crystals, sucking in deep breaths of victory and relief as she bolted through the street. A tunnel in the nearby alley would take her back to—
Something hit her square in the back. The force knocked her over, and she rolled several feet. When her body finally stopped, she groaned. Every inch of her ached, and searing pain shot up her leg. She tried to stand, but agony splintered through her shoulder. Whatever had hit her had broken several bones.
Grimacing, she glared back the way she had come to find a familiar elf sneering at her as he slowly approached, all but swaggering through the street.
“Hello, little Atlantean,” Luak said.
Audrey tried to stand, to push through the pain, but she fell again onto her stomach. Dirt and blood covered her hands, her arms—probably everything. Her tousled hair hid much of the world around her from view, but all she cared about was Luak.
“I’m afraid I’ve forgotten your name,” he said, chuckling. “I usually refer to you as ‘the sidekick.’”
Her anger getting the better of her, Audrey reached for the crystal in her pocket. Luak, fast as lightning, shot a fireball at her side, driving her backward from the sheer force of the blow. More bones broke as she rolled, and she stifled a scream of agony.
He clicked his tongue in disappointment. “You come uninvited into my home, destroy much of my barracks, and have the audacity to try to attack me?”
“It’s not your home,” she spat.
“Oh, but it is.”
He lifted Audrey by the collar, and her entire body screamed with pain as he shifted broken bones that were not meant to be touched. He chuckled, no doubt relishing her suffering.
“You’ll make excellent bait to draw out Victoria,” he said, his face inches from hers. “Let’s make sure you put on a proper performance though, hmm? Scream for me.”
“Kiss my ass.”
He chuckled and, instead of answering he grabbed her broken forearm. She bit back a shriek and her body recoiled at his touch, the agony threatening to tear its way out of her throat.
“Come now,” he said gently, as though helping a child learn to walk. “You’re almost there.”
Time slowed as he held her in the air, suspended and biting back tears. But with a sudden, violent shift, the mood changed. One moment, his hand on her collar sent ripples of pain throughout her body, and the next a stranger’s fist had collided with his cheek. He flew across the street and Audrey dropped, suddenly unsupported.
Two powerful arms caught her. She looked up to see Victoria glaring at a pile of bricks as Luak climbed out of the hole he had dug in the street. She winked at Audrey.
“Thanks, Superman,” Audrey slurred, the pain too much to bear.
Victoria’s brows tilted upward in concern, and she raced toward a nearby alley. “Fyrn’s slow as hell, so Diesel is coming. He’ll get you out of here.”
“But you—”
“I’m fine.” Victoria smiled briefly and returned to the street as Audrey huddled in the shadows, sick and horrified at what she had done.
Victoria wasn’t ready to face Luak. Not now.
Not yet.
***
Victoria and Luak didn’t banter. No need… Each had what each other wanted, and all they cared about was taking what was theirs.
Luak wanted Victoria’s Rhazdon Artifact, and Victoria wanted Fairhaven. Neither would get what they wanted until the other was dead.
Their battle raged, and Victoria lost track of time. No nearby buildings survived her impact when Luak’s fist connected with her body. No structure survived the crackling rage of his fire.
And no one dared come close to the carnage.
After a sharp blow to her chest Victoria sailed backward and rolled in the cobblestone road. She finally slid to a stop, focusing all her energy on the Rhazdon Artifact that would heal her while she summoned her bear figurine’s sheer force of will to keep going.
She didn’t know how long she and Luak had been fighting, but half her clothes were singed off and Luak’s broken jaw gave him an almost comical appearance as he stalked toward her. He likely wished he had a wizard medic handy, but she wouldn’t give him a breather long enough to use one.
His army surrounded them, no doubt waiting for the order to attack, but his pride had kept him from it. That, or the fear they would take the Artifact if she died—Victoria couldn’t be sure.
But with every blow, he pushed her farther down the street. He broke her bones, split her skin, hit her hard enough for her to see stars.
He was ruthless. And she…
She wasn’t strong enough.
As her body healed yet again, she stumbled toward him. Even with all her strength, even with her healing powers, even with the massive sword and shield she could summon at will…
Luak was winning.
The Light Elf raised his hands, palms outstretched, and fire erupted along his skin. His magic had already burned her so many times that she knew how he would attack—one hand to her head, the other to her chest. If she didn’t raise her shield in time, it would hurt. Badly. She would be thrown into the air and she would hit something hard, and probably break another bone—or five.
She gritted her teeth, wishing this was like tackling ogres. She didn’t fully understand the magic in Luak’s Rhazdon Artifacts, but it was enough to defeat even her new power.
Sure enough, the swirl of fire surged at her. She summoned her shield, but it appeared one second too late.
Her skin charred, black and bubbling as his attack threw her backward and she hit something hard. As she sank to the ground, her vision blurred, edges darkening, and she desperately tried to keep her head upright.
“Stay awake,” she muttered to herself.
Victoria pushed herself to her feet, but she swayed and the world spun as a fiery blur stalked toward her from afar. Hand out
stretched, she ran into a wall. Bricks crumbled under her palm, and she cussed loudly.
“Stay awake,” she told herself again.
She fell to her knees, the force of her fall denting the cobblestone road. Her hands hit the street as she fought to retain her balance, but she couldn’t.
She just couldn’t.
