Hyacinth, Scarlet - From the Ashes [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 7] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove)

by Scarlet Hyacinth

  Yes, it was kind of insane to even come here together. If the draechen found them, they could take them all out, which would be a devastating blow for the remaining fae troops. However, if there was anything that life on the run had taught Sari, it was that, sometimes, a dose of craziness paid off, especially when combined with crystal clear military strategy.

  Given all that, he was ready when the human released a loud shout. “The fae!” the man said. “The fae are here.”

  The attitude disappointed him severely, since he had hoped that the people here would understand that Sari and his family only intended to help them. However, they’d come here expecting refusal and rejection.

  They had also expected an attack from the draechen forces, and it came. It didn’t even seem triggered by the shout. Rather, the shifters must have been on standby, because a huge group of draechen appeared out of nowhere.

  Instantly, a sense of calm flowed over Sari. He hated war, and he hated doing battle, but he acknowledged the necessity of it. If he’d had a choice, he’d have preferred to be solely a healer. However, he’d learned from a very early age that Ivenians had been deprived of that benefit, of choosing for themselves what they wanted to be or do. Sari accepted it as his legacy, as his duty, and called Jenarra’s power to him again, this time for an entirely different purpose.

  Together with the rest of the fae, he threw powerful shields around them all. It wouldn’t be enough, and he knew it, but that was the logical beginning of any battle between fae and draechen, something their opponents had grown to expect. It had once been their greatest advantage, but it could no longer protect them.

  The draechen were ready for it, of course. One of them, a particularly fierce-looking fire dragon, landed straight in front of Sari. As the rest of the draechen started throwing spells at the shields, the fire dragon melted into a red-headed female. “Prince Sareltae Myrthylar, I presume,” she said with a sickeningly sweet tone. “And these must be your beloved parents. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for accepting my invitation.”

  Normally, Sari would have ignored her taunts, but today, he planned to exploit the arrogance typical to the draechen. “I can’t believe you would torment these people just to trap us,” he said.

  “Believe it.” She smirked. “Now stop trying to fight the inevitable and you might actually live to see my brother, His Imperial Majesty Shtamakarein Tersain.”

  So this was the famous princess Akarawem. Sari hadn’t met her until this point, and really, he could have lived without the dubious honor of doing so for the rest of his years, as many or as few they might be. But the war had thrown them together, and unfortunately, Sari’s family had been forced to act to stop Akarawem from taking her abuse of the humans even further. These people might not appreciate fae assistance, but that didn’t mean Sari and his parents could just abandon them.

  “Your brother is a monster,” he replied, “and so are you. No matter what you do, you won’t win.”

  Akarawem laughed. “No matter what you do, you won’t win,” she parotted. “What a cliché. Let me tell you a little secret, Prince Sareltae. We’ve already won.”

  “Your parents would think differently,” Sari’s father offered.

  Just like that, the princess’s amusement vanished and her eyes flashed with unconcealed anger. A ball of flamed bloomed in her palm, and she angrily threw it at the shields. The spell held so much strength that Sari winced. Akarawem was clearly fierce in her fury. “Don’t you dare mention them,” she said with a snarl. “It’s all your fault that they died.”

  “Actually, no,” Eanera answered. “Their blood, and that of all of your people, is on your brother’s hands. You just had to have everything. That was the price you paid for it, and you’ve only just begun to pay it.”

  “The sprites might be reluctant to use their weapon against you,” Selbrian added, “but they did do it, and they will again if you force them to.”

  “Perhaps,” Akarawem answered. Suddenly, she seemed calm again, and that didn’t bode well for Sari and his family. “But as you well know, the sprites have abandoned you. So by the time that happens, you’ll be long dead, or rotting in a Draechenburg dungeon.”

  That was the only warning Sari and the rest of the fae got before the draechen lunged once more, this time even fiercer than before. Princess Akarawem shifted into her dragon form, too, and joined in on the attack. She shot fire bolts at the fae, making their shields groan under the protest of the onslaught of magic. Meanwhile, the ground beneath Sari’s feet began to shake, obviously the work of an earth dragon. Sari took a deep breath and focused his shields to provide them with something to stand on, isolating them from the cracking soil. A few draechen roared in anger at Sari’s maneuver, likely the ones whose actions Sari had thwarted.

  Naturally, the draechen didn’t give up so easily. They came from every direction, cutting off any possible retreat Sari and his people might have attempted to make. Sari’s parents used their abilities to throw force fields into the gathering draechen troops, collapsing the ruins on top of them. They managed to hit some of the draechen, but very few had injuries that actually incapacitated them. The draechen’s scales protected them from most blows, as Sari knew all too well by now. It had been a losing battle from the start, and an expedition that amounted to suicide.

  Or so it would have seemed, except the draechen weren’t counting on one thing. In their quest for world domination, they had made a lot of enemies. People who didn’t have the slightest thing in common had joined forces, united in their hatred toward the dragons.

  With the draechen distracted by the fae forces, reinforcements managed to sneak up behind Akarawem’s army. Sari tightened his shields and sent another wave of power out. At the same time, a shower of bullets struck the draechen, coming from all directions.

  Normal weaponry wouldn’t hurt draechen, as they had all learned the hard way. However, recently, they had discovered old files, records of a long-deceased elven prince who had been trying to find a weapon against the draechen. Prince Jud’Enealh Murdokain had a tentative belief that diamond-tipped arrows could bypass dragon scales if they were crafted the right way. He’d never gotten the chance to perfect the process, or the weapon, because he and his people had been among the first attacked by Ornoz. The few remaining elves had managed to rescue his research and passed it on to others, and those people had eventually managed to craft these special bullets.

  This was the first time the projectiles were tested in actual combat. Preliminary analysis suggested that the bullets would definitely pierce dragon scales. No one had been one hundred percent certain, which was why Sari’s parents had wanted him to stay behind. However, they’d all reached a desperate point in which they knew that, if the tide didn’t turn, the draechen would soon crush everyone who was left, perhaps with the exception of the sprites.

  As it turned out, they were in luck. Hundreds of deafening roars sounded as the bullets struck the draechen army. Some of the projectiles struck the fae shields, but didn’t pass, since they were designed especially to counter the defenses of dragon-shifters, not magical creatures. In front of Sari, Princess Akarawem turned, throwing her large head back. The bulk of her men protected her from the initial round of bullets, and she had the time to hurl several fire bolts in the direction of the shooters. Some of the draechen who hadn’t been severely injured did the same, fighting back against the new attackers. But their switch in focus made it possible for Sari and his army to assault them as well. They dropped the shields and turned them on the draechen. Sari’s mother wrapped a tight bubble of magic around Akarawem, trapping her. The female dragon instantly tried to fight against her power, casting more spells, trying to free herself from the enchantment with the help of her fire. It didn’t work, and Sari couldn’t help but feel a dose of satisfaction as he watched her doom herself.

  He looked away only because there were more important things to do than to gape in awe at the sight of a draechen princess trappe
d like a rat. Together with the rest of the fae and their allies, he attacked the remaining draechen forces. It didn’t take long. In their arrogance, the draechen had been taken by surprise and had been unable to recover from the shock of facing a foe who used such weaponry. This was fortunate, since Sari knew that reinforcements were likely to arrive any moment now.

  In spite of her efforts, Princess Akarawem couldn’t break free. In fact, by using her fire magic, she ended up burning off all the oxygen in her little bubble. It took some effort from Eanera’s part, but finally, Akarawem was slumped unconscious on the ground with the rest of the surviving draechen.

  When it was all over, Sari took in the destruction with a heavy heart. He hated war so much. Why did the draechen have to act like this? Why couldn’t they just live in harmony? It was all Emperor Shtamakarein’s fault. He must have been the one who’d ordered this insanity.

  Suddenly, Sari’s stomach roiled and a wave of dizziness gripped him. He swooned, bile rising in his throat. Leaning against the wall, he threw up the frugal breakfast he’d had earlier.

  Behind him, his mother appeared, soothing him, petting his hair. Her warm power coursed through him, casting away the nausea. With her help, Sari began to recover and turned toward his mother. “Are you all right?” she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

  Sari wiped his mouth and nodded. It wasn’t exactly true, but he hated looking weak and worrying his parents, especially on the field of battle. The fact of the matter was that sometimes, he felt… He couldn’t even describe it. It was as if a heavy emptiness settled over him, and he himself didn’t know what was missing.

  A voice drifted in his mind, tormenting him, following him from his dreams. “Your skin is like the silk of your robes. I can’t bear it,” it said. A seductive awe-struck murmur followed, “You are a gift from above. No one so beautiful can exist out of mere mortals.” Finally, a plea echoed within Sari’s heart and mind. “Wear your hair down for me, Sareltae.”

  It was a strong, masculine voice, the huskiness sending shivers down Sari’s spine. He found himself reaching for his bound hair and arranging it, oddly nervous. He wanted to blame it on the battle, but it wasn’t just that, and he didn’t know how to explain it.

  Pushing away those thoughts, he forced a smile. “I’m fine. Let’s get out of here.”

  His mother didn’t look convinced by his efforts, but Sari got lucky. Their allies approached, and their actions let Sari know that they didn’t have the time to linger.

  Sari grabbed the opportunity with both hands, focusing on the matter at hand instead of his own fears and insecurities. “Any casualties?” he inquired. “Do you need our help?”

  Philip Strange nodded. “Lord Selbrian and Raleigh are already handling it. Fortunately, we’ve had no fatalities. We’ve immobilized Akarawem and are ready to take her away. But we need to move quickly.”

  Philip was a panther-shifter and one of their most important allies in their fight against the draechen. Even if the felines had suffered great casualties in the war, Philip’s efforts had kept them from suffering the werewolves’ fate.

  “We still need to find the humans,” Sari told Philip. “We have to provide them with healers.”

  He glanced around, only to see the man who’d alerted the draechen was gone. It was possible that the human would try to get involved by offering information to his masters, although he might also be reluctant to draw attention to himself. Either way, that was beside the point, because the whole reason they’d taken this chance was to give assistance to the injured.

  “I think we’ve already helped enough,” Philip replied. “We’ll take Princess Akarawem with us and let the draechen know that any violence against human settlements or other resistance groups will result in her losing limbs.”

  Sari mentally winced, hoping that it wouldn’t have to come to that. It would make them no better than the draechen. Perhaps the emperor still had some values, at least where his family was concerned.

  As they spoke, Raleigh Connors manifested by Philip’s side. Also a feline, he nevertheless had distant connections to the sprites through his adoptive family, the benandanti. Even so, he’d always been dedicated to their cause, and to Philip. He leaned against his mate’s shoulder, their hands brushing together in a discreet, yet obviously affectionate gesture. Seeing Philip and Raleigh together always made Sari smile, because it reminded him that love could exist in spite of all the horrors of war.

  “We’re ready to go,” the tiger-shifter announced. “The prisoners are secured and the injured have been tended to. We have to hurry to get out of here. We’re meeting the naga in a few hours.”

  Even knowing that Philip and Raleigh were correct, Sari couldn’t simply leave. Obviously, his mother realized that, because she said, “You go ahead and leave Florenz. We’ll do our best to move as quickly as possible, too.”

  The two men didn’t question Eanera. “Good luck,” Philip said simply.

  Without further ado, he and his mate turned, already gesturing for the rest of the shifters they’d brought with them to start retreating out of Florenz. Meanwhile, Eanera and Sari joined the rest of the fae. Sari’s father shot them a telling look. “You two go with Philip,” he said. “I’ll take it from here.”

  Sari opened his mouth to protest. He’d come here to help, not to run at any sign of trouble. But before he could argue with his father, that voice sounded in his mind yet again. “If something bad happens to me, or if for whatever reason, Draechenburg becomes a danger for you, I want you to leave. Don’t look back. Don’t think about me, or the fae, or anyone else. Find a safe haven and leave.”

  Sari froze. He had no idea what the words meant, but the emotion behind them almost made him fall to his knees, overwhelmed. He couldn’t figure out the identity of the speaker, but he did know that he didn’t have it himself to refuse the plea. And so, he remained silent and didn’t argue with Selbrian.

  If his mother was surprised at his attitude, she didn’t show it. Instead, she shared a look with his father, obviously using mind speech. A few seconds later, she said, “All right. We’re going.”

  She brushed her lips over Selbrian’s in a brief kiss. Sari quickly hugged his father. They didn’t have time for any further displays of affection, but they just had to touch one last time, if only because they were aware that, at war, the possibility always existed that a separation would be permanent.

  As much as Sari regretted it, when his mother started to pull him away, he went with her. There was someone calling out to him, and for that someone, Sari had to do his best to live on. He had to believe that one day, he would find this person and figure out the reason behind the strange emptiness within him. Until that day came, he needed to continue to fight the oppressive regime of the draechen. Shtamakarein Tersain had to pay for everything he had done, and it was Sari’s duty to make sure that happened.

  He and his mother joined the rest of the group. Philip and Raleigh acknowledged their change of heart with twin nods. “It’s a good thing you decided to come with us,” Raleigh said. “When I spoke with the naga, they sounded quite secretive, and I get the feeling that this meeting might be more important than we were led to believe.”

  Sari hummed thoughtfully. Given that they were all on the run from the draechen, he and his family had met up with other enemies of Ornoz many times. The naga were among them, and in the past, they’d cooperated well enough so that they’d managed to escape the clutches of the emperor. However, he wouldn’t be surprised if they’d been hiding something. As a rule, the naga were a very private people and were unlikely to trust their secrets to others just like that.

  To be true, Sari and his family had some secrets of their own, but who could blame them? He shared a look with his mother, distantly wondering if he was worrying for nothing. In the end, the naga were their allies. Sari wasn’t inclined to trust blindly, but he couldn’t imagine the Isaiat family would stab anyone in the back.

  But that was likely
not what Raleigh meant about his comment at all. “What do you think they’re hiding?”

  Raleigh frowned fiercely. “I’ve heard news that the naga have been in contact with the draechen resistance. Personally, I don’t trust those guys as far as I can throw them.”

  “And yet, you’re still going to meet with them,” Sari’s mother pointed out.

  “Well, we have to take some risks from time to time,” Philip said. “Besides, I have every intention to be there for the whole duration of the event. If anyone tries something, they’ll regret it.”

  Sari felt a deep pang in his heart at the knowledge that Philip’s protectiveness wasn’t so much for his people as for Raleigh. It was sweet that, in spite of everything, Philip’s priority was and would always be his mate. Sari wanted that for himself. It was selfish to even think of such a thing now, though, so he shook himself and struggled to concentrate on the conversation.

  He didn’t say anything else—he didn’t think he could have—but he was saved from it by his mother, who engaged the two feline shifters in conversation. She always knew when he needed encouragement or simply time to himself. For his part, Sari was still trying to figure out his own emotions, all the while hoping and praying they’d escape Florenz safely.

  They were quite lucky, in that they didn’t run into any other guards, and they abandoned the city with no incident. They’d already made preparations for their retreat, so cars were already waiting.

  The moment they climbed into the vehicles, the drivers drove off in a whirlwind of dust. Sari didn’t look back, fearing what he would see, fearing that if he did, he would be tempted to go back after his father. No matter how much he tried to tell himself everything would be all right, he was still worried about the older fae.

  His mother reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Don’t worry,” she mouthed. “If something happens, I’ll be able to tell. He’s safe.”