Burn the Night
( Dark Days - 6 )
Jocelynn Drake
The Great Awakening approaches . . .
After eons in exile, the naturi have broken their chains and now roam the Earth bent on revenge. It is the sworn duty of Mira, the Fire Starter, to protect the nightwalker race — though even she may be powerless to withstand the horrific onslaught. As Mira and her brave lover, the vampire slayer Danaus, stand ready to do battle, thousands of winged shapeshifters darken the skies. The war of ultimate extermination has begun, and the battleground is Mira's home turf.
The humans don't yet recognize the doom descending upon them. And the nightwalkers will surely perish unless they unite with outcast naturi who claim to want peace. But these unexpected "allies" are the same demons who have long worked for Mira's destruction — and in these darkest of days the lines between friend and foe will blur treacherously before the bloody end of all things.
Burn the Night
The Final Dark Days Novel
A novel by Jocelynn Drake
Dedication
To Gage Miller and Chad Marshall
Thanks for pointing my life in a positive direction.
One
The clang of clashing swords echoed through the woods.
Gritting my teeth, I dodged one blow and swung my short sword at her throat, aiming to remove her head. Rain pelted us in large, heavy drops, blurring vision and soaking clothes. I had called down the rain, but was holding back on the lightning, knowing I would finally need it when they tried to overwhelm me. The torrential downpour I had created wasn’t succeeding in slowing down my opponents as much as I’d hoped. Only the one light clan naturi seemed bothered by the weather, while the four earth clan members stalked me like a pack of wolves looking for a weakness in their prey.
As I fought my onetime brethren, I could easily hear Cynnia’s voice ringing in my head, when I would have liked to walk away from this battle and return to her side.
Please, Nyx, I need him.
The moment Cynnia spoke those words, I knew I was in trouble. Rowe had become a nightmarish creature among our kind, the first in all of memory to ever be banished. Yet, I also understood my young sister’s thinking. Rowe was a powerful naturi, a force to be reckoned with. He would make a powerful ally if we could win him over to our side, which was looking thin and sickly in comparison to those that had gathered to Aurora’s skirts.
After traveling for more than a month, word finally leaked into my camp that a group of earth naturi had gotten their hands on Rowe and were dragging him toward Aurora’s domain in the western part of the United States. I could only guess that their plan was to throw a weakened Rowe at Aurora’s feet so she could deliver his death, rather than allow his continued banishment. He was too much of a threat to leave alive.
Sparing a glance out of the corner of my eye, I found that Rowe still lay on his side not far from the fire they had tried to start before my arrival. His arms were bound behind his back and his clothes appeared to be torn and muddy. Whatever their grand scheme was, Rowe was not going to see his wife-queen willingly. He was being dragged before her.
When I had got within feet of the camp, they did not hesitate to attack, while the light clan member hung back and vainly attempted to maintain the fire they had been building. Blocking blows and sliding out of harm’s way with a practiced ease, I managed to edge closer to the camp while avoiding my opponents.
“I’ve come for Rowe,” I announced, not looking at my fallen compatriot. “I have need of him. Please hand him over.”
“Aurora desires his presence as well,” the light clan member smirked as the others circled me. It was the smirk that caused me to recall that this was Claudia, one of Aurora’s longtime assistants and loyal followers. Now, she was reduced to errand runner, as there were too few that Aurora felt she could count on. Paranoia and mistrust had sunk its fangs deep into the queen over the past several years.
My grip tightened on my sword, but my gaze never wavered from Claudia. “What does she want with him? He’s been banished.”
I could feel a gathering of energy beneath my feet. One of the earth naturi had edged closer. Someone was about to make their move and I needed to be ready. However, I preferred to know what Aurora was up to before I started killing my adversaries.
“She’s willing to forgive him if he can hand her the Fire Starter.”
“I doubt that.” Forgiveness was not something my sister understood or even believed in. While I wasn’t too fond of Rowe, I was willing to let him live if he assisted Cynnia in her endeavors.
“Hand him over to me and no one will get hurt,” I commanded. The muscles throughout my body tensed as I readied for the attack.
“You’re just one pathetic warrior without a nation to protect. We outnumber you now, Nyx, and our queen has ordered your death. It’s you who should run,” Claudia mocked.
Pressing my lips into a firm line, I swung my left hand to grab the small crossbow at my side. As my arm swung up with the weapon, the bolt shot out and embedded itself deep within Claudia’s throat, causing her to stumble backward, gasping in horror and pain. She was the obvious leader of the group, and now would be unable to shout orders while I decimated her comrades. The crossbow was hooked back on a strap at my side before she finally hit the ground.
My sword whipped through the air, slicing one earth naturi across the chest. It was little more than a flesh wound, but the blood saturating his shirt was enough to give some of the clan second thoughts about continuing the fight. Another earth naturi with more common sense and clarity awoke the trees around us. A large limb reached down to grab me, but I ducked out of the way, sliding in the mud and leaves. I grabbed a sleeping branch and swung up so I was looking down on the little camp. Darkness had thickened in the area, giving me an edge. I had spent too many centuries working exclusively at night, making my night vision sharper, keener than that of my brethren.
The tree shuddered once, trying to shake me loose. My balance held as I reloaded the crossbow and wounded two more naturi. I wouldn’t kill my own kind unless they backed me into a corner and left me with no other choice. For now, I would be content to grab Rowe and run.
With the five naturi writhing on the ground with their injuries, I jumped down from the tree and walked across the small camp to where Rowe lay, completely oblivious to the fight that had just occurred over his possession. Unfortunately, being with me wasn’t going to be much more advantageous for him than going to Aurora. Our lovely queen would be happy to have his head if he failed to hand over Mira. And I would be happy to remove his head if he made a single false move toward Cynnia. He was surrounded by would-be enemies, but weren’t we all these days?
Kneeling beside Rowe, I cut the leather thong binding his wrists behind his back. That wasn’t enough to keep him bound by a long shot. He should have been able to break free, barely trying. I could only guess that they were also keeping him drugged in an effort to keep him docile. With a frown, I sheathed my short sword.
Scooping Rowe up, I cradled him awkwardly in my arms before dropping him on one shoulder to carry him out of the clearing. His weight was easy enough to manage. It was just his size, with his broad shoulders and long legs, that made it difficult.
“You belong together, Nyx!” came a rough, garbled voice. Claudia’s throat had healed enough so she could now shout at me. “Two outcasts destined to be slaughtered by Aurora! We’ll come after you. You’re not free.”
“I’m counting on it, Claudia,” I said as I disappeared into the night.
My footsteps were silent on the rain soaked ground, sinking into the soft earth. As I reached a clearing in the woods, I tilted my head back and let the rain hammer again
st my cheeks, eyes, and forehead, washing away the blood that had splashed over me in the brief fight. Claudia and her group had not been prepared for me. In fact, they were not even strong enough to take down Rowe. Someone else had accomplished that task and then handed Rowe over for delivery.
With a sigh, I summoned up my powers and touched the clouds that were still unloading their wealth of rain on the earth. It took only a slight shove to reduce the rain to a mist and then nothing at all. With Rowe in my arms, I leaned forward and braced my legs as a pair of black wings grew from my back, tearing through a shirt specially made to mend itself each time the wings disappeared.
My muscles stretched and relaxed for the first time since I’d come upon Claudia and her group. I fully extended my wings, shaking them out, ensuring that each feather was in its proper place. They flapped twice on my back, stretching stiff muscles. The wind naturi were meant to fly, and fly as often as possible.
Tightening my grip on the sleeping Rowe, the earth seemed to cringe beneath my feet as I took a few running steps forward. The wind gusted at the same time, lifting us both into the air with practiced ease. It was rare for me to carry such a heavy load, but I had done it before.
Overhead, the thick clouds began to part and the nearly full moon broke through, sending down its silvery light, the forest below glistening and shimmering with raindrops. I watched the Earth quickly passing as we headed east, away from Aurora and back toward Cynnia’s hiding spot. The earth whispered hazy secrets of a dark future that hovered on the horizon. War was so close now, and no matter what plans we made or what allies we found, there was no avoiding it.
Two
Rowe stirred in my arms. I frowned as I twisted to look over my shoulder at him. His muscles shifted beneath my hands as whatever sedative or spell they had put him under finally wore off. I had been hoping to get a little farther before he woke up.
Pulling in my wings, I glided down to the ground, circling as I searched for a good spot near a swath of trees. The wind had been steady and strong, keeping me ahead of the naturi from whom I had taken Rowe. With any luck, I would be able to get him settled and back in the air before they could get a good fix on our location. I also didn’t want to meet up with the creature that had succeeded in defeating Rowe just yet. His wounds were still healing. Blood was splattered over his shirt and pants, while a binding on his forearm was soaked with his blood. We were relatively fast healers, but I had a feeling he had been trapped in a particularly nasty battle where he was significantly outnumbered. I almost felt guilty about what I was about to do. Almost.
I hit the ground at a run, crushing Rowe as tightly against me as I could while expanding my wings to slow myself. When I came to a stop, I pulled my black wings in against my back, wrapping them close to my shoulders, as if to fight back the chill that hung in the night air. Spring was still newly born, and the nights prone to frosts as temperatures dipped low. I was anxious to get back to Cynnia, where temperatures were somewhat more hospitable, and so was the company.
I placed Rowe on the ground, knelt beside his prone form and dug into the leather pouch at my side. My stomach twisted and churned into a knot, while my breath lodged in my throat. I couldn’t believe I was about to do this. I closed my eyes for a second, sucked in a deep breath through my nose and released it through clenched teeth as I reminded myself that I had done worse. Quietly withdrawing the iron collar, I wrapped it around Rowe’s neck and affixed the lock. The hope was that the iron would at least dampen his powers, if not completely shut them down.
As soon as the lock gave a soft click, Rowe jerked beneath me. I jumped back, one hand landing on the hilt of the short sword at my waist, as if I were facing a trapped, feral animal—and in many ways I was. His hands automatically dropped to his waist, searching for weapons that were usually close but now were missing. His head swung as he sat up. He looked dazed as he tried to adjust to his new surroundings before his eyes finally settled on me. I forced myself to lift my hand from the sword hilt and straightened my stance, trying to appear relaxed when my heart was actually pounding away in my chest like a thing gone mad. I wasn’t going to be the one to make the first threat, even though I had already attempted to take away his powers.
“Nyx?” His voice was rough and ragged.
“Yes, it’s just me.”
“What happened to the others? Claudia and her bitch pack?”
I fought back a smile at his accurate description of the earth clan members that had been holding him. “Dispatched.”
He arched one eyebrow at me skeptically. “You killed them?”
“Knocked them out. Slowed them down. We should have a couple more minutes for you to rest before we need to be moving again. Your wounds are still healing.” My gaze dropped down to the arm he was cradling against his stomach.
“You should have killed them,” he growled, his eyes darting away from me.
“I am the protector of our people. I won’t kill them if I can avoid it.”
“Aurora took that job away when she ordered your execution.”
“That job was given to me by my father in exchange for my life. Aurora cannot take that away from me so long as I am alive.”
Rowe heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head, causing some of his long dark hair to fall in front of his eye patch. There were so many questions I was itching to ask him about his appearance, about his time on Earth when the rest of our people had been held captive, and about his encounters with the Fire Starter, but they all had to wait. When we first met on my initial arrival back on Earth, I hadn’t cared about these things. My only concern was for Cynnia’s safe return to Aurora and me. But now, as we stood on the cusp of war, I wanted to know these things because I feared I would never have another chance to ask.
“Why did you take me from Claudia?” he asked.
“You are of more use to me alive than dead at Aurora’s feet,” I told him.
“You don’t know that was her intention!”
“She grows more paranoid with each passing day. She thought you would cause no trouble in exile, but I think she has now come to the conclusion that you are too strong to be left alive. Even if Cynnia fails to take the throne, there is always the chance that you might succeed. She can no longer take that chance. Aurora wants you dead for the same reason that she wanted Cynnia and me dead.”
“How could you possibly know that? When was the last time you spoke with your sister-queen?”
“I’ve not seen her since Machu Picchu,” I admitted. “But for a time we had spies within her camp.”
“Who?”
I hesitated. They had been close companions and followers of Rowe, and aided me in my search for Cynnia. When the two factions formed on that Peruvian mountain months ago, they had gone with Aurora, but always with the intention of reporting back to Cynnia with information.
“Who are the spies?” he repeated. “How do you know you can trust them?”
“Storm and Hale.” They were brothers, born more than two centuries apart but nearly inseparable. Where one went, the other followed. They had been devoted soldiers to Rowe during the long years he was trapped on Earth.
Clearing my throat, I pushed out the rest of the words. “Before Hale was killed, he discovered that Aurora was killing off as many of the wind clan as she could get her hands on. She was beginning to notice that most of the wind clan was flocking to Cynnia’s camp. It also didn’t help that Greenwood, leader of the earth clan, is now taking a close position next to Aurora. It’s no secret that he’s attempting to acquire your old position as consort, thus elevating the rest of the earth clan.”
“And Storm?”
“With Cynnia, grieving the loss of his brother and plotting his revenge.”
Bending one knee before him, Rowe used his good arm to run his hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face. It was damp hair and slicked back, and now I could see more scars that stretched across the side of his forehead and even into his scalp. Most of them see
med to be on the right side of his body, yet during the fights I had witnessed Rowe in, I never detected any weakness. He was both strong and very dangerous, something I needed to remember at all times despite the sympathy I could feel building inside me for this wounded warrior.
“The only reason you saved me is that you want my assistance in overthrowing Aurora,” he said in a low voice that made me want to put my hand back on the hilt of my sword.
“That is my hope.”
“No.”
“Rowe, the only way to save our people is through Cynnia’s plan of coexistence. Aurora is leading us to war and the decimation of what remains of our people.”
A sneer curled his thin lips as he clenched his teeth. “I will not help a bunch of traitors to the crown.”
“Aurora has betrayed her people. She is leading us to our extinction. The humans outnumber us by frightening numbers. It is my belief that even the nightwalkers outnumber us, and there has even been talk of the return of the bori. We are unable to fight this war that Aurora is leading us toward.”
“Aurora’s duty is first to the Earth, and the humans have nearly destroyed her. This is our last chance to save our Mother. I believe in her vision of returning power to the Earth,” Rowe argued, pushing up with his good arm so he was sitting on the downed tree behind him.
“Aurora has no great vision for the future and protection of the Earth. Do you think after years of living with my sister in captivity I do not know her mind? In her thoughts, there is only the destruction of the human race. There is no thought about how to rejuvenate the Earth.”
“I will not side with Cynnia. Aurora is queen,” Rowe said, pushing to his feet.
“I’m not giving you a choice. You are going with me and you are going to listen to what Cynnia has to say. Then I will allow you to make your final decision,” I decreed.
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