by Sara Fields
“Don’t you dare touch her,” I exclaimed furiously. Ariana cried out behind me. I could hear her trying to break free of the guards, but from the sounds of it, she wasn’t having any luck.
“You made a mistake coming back, Luna, but I do appreciate you bringing me such a pretty omega to make up for the waste of one that you turned out to be,” my father snarled, and I roared with anger.
“Kill them and run, Luna. Don’t worry about me. Do whatever it takes to break Esme free. The fates demand it,” Ariana cried out. She screeched behind the three of us and I watched as she was dragged down the hall by three large alphas. She didn’t stop fighting for a single moment as she disappeared around the corner at the end of the hallway and even when I couldn’t see her anymore, I could hear her vicious snarls of fury at being taken against her will echoing in her wake.
Vikar reached behind his back and I edged closer to him, using my body to cover his movements while he pulled a small dagger free of its sheath at his belt. He tucked it into his sleeve, and I maneuvered between the two alphas that remained with me. My bond with Vikar pulsed hard. I glanced up at him, feeling that it would be time to act. Soon.
I readied myself for what was to come next.
Along with my father, there were now four guards in the room with us, two at the door behind us and then two more directly in front of us. He moved to sit next to Esme, and I stiffened with fear. I watched warily as he pulled her into his lap. She was quiet and smiled up at him with such pure naivety that it sickened me. I swallowed my sneer and waited.
“Your friends are from the Brotherhood, aren’t they, Luna?” he asked.
“Are you afraid of us?” Vikar responded carefully, his tone shaking with barely contained restraint. My father wound an arm around Esme’s neck, and I stilled, watching the way his fingers curled around her possessively and it scared me down to the very depths of my core.
“I’m not afraid of you,” he answered.
“You should be,” Ivar replied, his voice carrying just as much fury as I struggled to keep quiet.
My father pursed his lips, trying to weigh the warning in the brother’s word against his own.
“From my intel, it is likely that the city will fall to the Brotherhood tonight, but like you, the Cult of the Blood Moon can move just as quickly. We’ve already begun to move our resources, including a number of omegas that we had lying in wait for their time of sale to another location. You see, Ravenrath isn’t our only place of strength. We have several others throughout the world,” he said brazenly.
“Do you now?” Vikar replied dryly.
My father just smirked in return. I couldn’t take my eyes off the way he was clutching at my daughter’s collarbone. His fingers were inching up toward her throat and every protective instinct within me wanted to rip her away from him and tear him apart for threatening her like that.
“Don’t you dare hurt her,” I exclaimed, unable to keep myself quiet.
“The Cult plans to make a lot of money from the sale of this sweet little thing; however, if the news of her mother’s traitorous behavior ever reaches the ears of the ones bidding, she would be deemed just as worthless,” my father continued. “You should know most of all, that anyone under our leadership is replaceable, Luna. It would be very easy for the Cult to find another little girl to take Esme’s place, so let me tell you how this is going to go. The three of you will surrender immediately,” he replied. “If you do, the little girl will live to see another day. If not, she won’t survive the night.”
He snaked his arms to either side of her head. With a single hard motion, he could snap her neck and he stared me down in a blatant challenge. He knew exactly what he was doing. My entire body quaked with emotion. I’d already lost Dyna tonight and I didn’t know if we would be able to find Ariana again. That was more than enough loss for a single day, and I didn’t know if I could go on if I lost my daughter too.
“Take your hands off her,” I snarled, not even caring that I was an omega challenging another alpha anymore. I saw nothing but red fury and at once, the pair bond throbbed hard as Vikar took charge.
“Take a step back, omega,” Vikar demanded and I heard the distinctive alpha undertone in his voice. My shoulders bowed in compliance despite my anger and I obeyed even though everything inside me was screaming for me to run to my daughter’s aid.
Then the entire room exploded into a flurry of activity all at once.
Ivar lurched to the side and tackled the man closest to Esme, providing a momentary distraction for everyone in the room. My father tightened his grip around my daughter’s neck while at the same moment, Vikar whipped his hand forward and released his dagger with practiced precision that could only be learned on the battlefield.
There was hardly enough time to blink before the handle of Vikar’s blade was sticking out right between my father’s eyes. The knife had pierced his skull with enough force to sink all the way to the hilt, burying it so deeply that I couldn’t see even the glint of the metal blade. My father stared forward blankly for a long moment before he wavered and swayed back and forth. He blinked once and a single drop of blood dripped down his forehead and off the tip of his nose. The fury in his eyes deadened and I watched as he slowly started leaning to the side. His grip on my daughter softened. His arms loosened, and he finally fell over completely, slipping off the bed and falling to the floor in a loud heap.
Vikar had killed my father with a single throw of the knife. It was a quick death, which was far more than he deserved.
After a long moment of silence, the guards moved in to attack Ivar and Vikar, but it soon became clear that they were not trained in the art of battle as the brothers were. Even though they were outmatched two to one, it wasn’t really a fight at all. In close combat, Vikar and Ivar tore through the guards. Ivar spun quickly and unclipped a weapon from his belt that he whipped around one of the men’s throat. In either hand, he held a wooden handle and between them was a thick metal wire. He gripped it hard and tightened it as man tried to get a hold of it, but it proved fruitless. In the span of a minute, Ivar killed him before pinning the other man in a chokehold. In a flash of movement, he’d snapped the other’s neck and both men were dead.
Vikar swiftly unsheathed another dagger from his belt and threw it at a man across the room. Just as he had done my father, he sent the man down with a blade right between his eyes. The last guard looked at the carnage and backed away, rushing out the door and leaving us before he died too.
Ivar didn’t let him.
Just as he was about to turn the corner, Ivar threw his own knife, using his entire body to propel the blade through the air as quickly as possible. Without pause, his knife sank in deep at the base of the man’s skull, severing his spinal cord and ending his life in an instant.
I rushed toward my daughter and scooped her into my arms. A soft wail escaped my lips and she hugged me close.
“Momma,” she breathed.
“You remember me,” I cried.
“How could I ever forget you, Momma?” she smiled.
Her innocence was as sweet as the relief coursing through my body. I’d been fighting to get back to her for so long that I treasured that moment of her body pressing against mine for as long as I dared, even though I knew that we were still all in incredible danger.
I knew we couldn’t stay here. The sound of the fighting would have been heard by others and every moment that we kept her in this room would put us all in greater peril. We had to get out of here quickly. At the same time, I knew there were likely a great many more women stored away here who hadn’t yet been moved, long-forgotten omegas kept cloistered by the Cult so they could profit off the sale of their bodies. They’d want to ensure that their lucrative ventures were moved to wherever they had taken the others and I had no doubt that there would be many more guards coming to fetch them before the night was through.
I took Esme’s hand in mine and stood up. Vikar and Ivar scanned the room and stro
de purposely out the door. The two alphas opened every door in that hallway. Some rooms were occupied and as swiftly as we could, we guided the omegas out of their rooms and into the growing group that followed us. Most of the girls appeared to be in their early twenties, the age that an omega truly came to her sexual prime. Some doors were locked, requiring several hard kicks to force them open. By the time every door in that hall was opened, there were about twenty women that had joined us.
The castle reverberated from the battle outside even here in its depths. There was no time to explain who we were or why we were there, but the omegas came with us all the same. They knew the dangers and still they chose to follow. I was proud of them.
Without delay, we snuck out of the castle the same way in which we came. We spent as much time as we could dared trying to find where they had taken Ariana, but there wasn’t a single sign of her and when the castle rumbled hard, we knew we had to get out of there fast. We couldn’t spend any more time trying to rescue her when there were so many more lives depending on us.
Once we escaped the castle walls, it was clear the city had deteriorated in the little time we had been inside. The buildings surrounding us were all burning and a number of them appeared to have been clawed apart. It didn’t take long to deduce it was the dragon at fault. It roared with fury and the ground we walked on seemed to tremble with its anger. The palace shuddered behind us, the groaning sound of a crumpling building hard to ignore. I looked up to see that the giant creature had swooped down and used its body to slam into the upper towers, causing the entire structure to lean dangerously toward the side until it finally began to collapse. Several large rocks broke free and slammed down all around us, the cracking sound of rock hitting rock deafening. I burst forward and screamed for everyone to run for their lives.
Vikar took Esme and threw her on his back. We tore off into the night while the echoes of war closed in all around us. Ivar ran next to us, trying to keep the group of omega women all together, but the stone falling down from so high above was merciless. I don’t know how many we lost. I didn’t even try to look back and count for fear of being crushed myself. I stayed as close to Vikar and my daughter as I could, knowing that we all had to escape together.
I prayed to Oslin, asking him to grant us favor and for the fates to allow us to escape with Esme. I would do anything if the gods would just allow us all to reach safety.
Explosions rattled the southern borders of the city. More liquid fire burst up into the sky, burning bright green in the dark of the night. We raced through the streets alongside those still unfortunate enough to be trapped within the city walls, making quick work back to the place where we had snuck inside. The hole had widened. Other groups had used the escape route and I hoped that a great many more would find it and get out. I didn’t even take a moment to look back at who had made it out with us until I reached the tree line of the forest beyond the walls.
Only then did I realize that the majority of the omegas had made it out with us. Vikar and Esme stood safely at my side and Ivar joined us as well. He reached to his belt and unhinged a small gun I hadn’t noticed before. He aimed it up into the air and pulled the trigger.
A soft purple light burst up, just bright enough to be seen in the dead of night. The musical trilling chirp of an albatross resounded in response and several minutes later, Thornclaw and his sons swooped down and landed nearby.
“Thornclaw, I need you to get Luna, Esme, and Vikar out of danger. There’s too many of us for you to take us all. I’ll guide the rest of the women through the forest safely to Valgertha,” Ivar said gruffly and some of the women whimpered nervously.
Vikar deftly tossed Esme onto Thornclaw’s back and she squeaked with excitement. Next, he grabbed me and put me up with her. There wasn’t even a moment for me to say anything at all before the albatross beat his wings in an effort to get off the ground. Almost immediately, the three of us were airborne and I glanced back to see Vikar clasping hands with his brother. I called out for him as he finally climbed onto one of the other bird’s back, but he couldn’t hear me over the sounds of battle that seemed to grow louder as time went on.
Once I was reassured that he would follow, I turned back to the city.
All I saw was destruction. The central castle had been ruined. Only a few walls still stood, but those didn’t last long as the gray dragon landed its enormous body on one of them and it crumbled beneath its claws. Its long neck wove back and forth, and a forked tongue slithered out from between its long pointed teeth. It roared so loudly that I could no longer hear the beat of my own heart. The dragon’s head slunk backwards, and it poured a stream of fire from its jaws, devastating what was left of the city before it spread its gigantic wings and flew off into the distance, leaving a stream of wreckage in its wake.
A very quiet rumble resounded beneath us. I swallowed, never taking my eyes from the city. In seconds, the ground swallowed the walls. For a long moment, everything went dark and a brilliant flash of vivid green light nearly blinded me.
Wicked hot flames tore up into the night sky and even though we were already a fair distance away, I could feel every last ember of heat. A giant plume of liquid fire exploded, engulfing the city. The light was so bright that I had to squint my eyes and the sound of more distant rumblings made me gasp out loud in alarm.
Several more explosions obliterated each section of Ravenrath, destroying everything in a matter of minutes. A city that had stood for hundreds of years was eradicated right before my eyes. A city that I had once considered my home. Gone.
I curled my arms around my daughter. In that moment, every aching second of agony and suffering I endured was worth it. The pair bond pulsed and at once, I allowed myself to be thoroughly surrounded by it.
I had my family now.
That was all that mattered.
The albatrosses carried us on the wind for hours. I held on tight, using my body to shield my daughter from the cold of the air whipping all around us. As the time ticked by, I watched the sun rise in the distance and the further we drew away Ravenrath, the safer I felt. Dark smoke still floated from the ruined city and I guessed it would for some time to come. Liquid fire took a fair amount of time to fully burn out. I’d never seen it used in quantities like that before and it spoke to the power of the Brotherhood far more than anything else.
They had annihilated Ravenrath with it. The Cult would be hindered for a period of time, but not forever.
I knew enough about them to realize that this would not destroy them. Their reach went far beyond than just the city of Ravenrath, and it would take a great deal more to fully defeat them. I had little doubt that the Brotherhood knew that too.
That wasn’t for me to worry about though. For now, I focused on the road ahead. When Valgertha finally came into our sights, the mighty albatross that carried us spoke to me.
“It brings me great honor to carry you to your new home,” he murmured.
“Thank you, Thornclaw. I cannot find the words to show you how much I appreciate allowing us to travel with you. You’ve brought my family together and I will never forget that,” I answered.
“It is my pleasure, Luna. Take care of that little girl. One day, she just might change the world,” he added, and I took a second to squeeze her tight against me.
Perhaps he knew something, or the gods had other things in mind for my family, but I decided not to dwell on it. Now, I just wanted peace with Vikar and Esme. Thornclaw swooped low and glided down to land in front of the gates. There weren’t many people awake and moving at this hour. The guards were nodding off to either side of the entryway, jumping visibly when they took in the sight of the giant bird with us on its back landing in front of them.
“What the fuck?” one of them muttered as he tried to wipe the sleepiness from his eyes. I ignored him as Vikar landed beside me on the back of Stormwing. He dismounted and murmured something softly to the albatross before he took off into the air.
“I’ll t
ake my leave so that I can join my sons,” Thornclaw said quietly. “Ivar and the others will be waiting for our return.”
I nodded just as Vikar came up behind me. He bowed his head and the albatross took flight, leaving us behind on the ground as he soared away to join the rest of his clan.
“Come now, it’s time I took you and your daughter home,” Vikar commanded and I nodded in silence. He took Esme in his arms and gathered my hand in his. Without delay, he guided me through the city gates and the three of us returned to his home.
Chapter Twelve
Luna
The days that followed flew by as if they were feathers floating away on the wind. The news of the fall of Ravenrath spread like wildfire, but there were also rumors of a bigger army assembling to the north of Kingsworth that had people nervous and afraid. There were even rumors of mythical creatures that were gathering in the south and even deeper magical powers at play. Misinformation and whispers passed unhindered throughout the city and far beyond its walls. It felt as though we were on the precipice of something far bigger, something that might change the world as we knew it, but even though it felt as the danger was imminent, I enjoyed having my family together with me for the first time in my life.
I treasured every moment with my daughter, but that’s not all that surprised me. Vikar took to her like she was his own. He was gentle with her and firm when necessary, but never more than she needed. He told her stories when he thought I wasn’t looking, and he snuck her sweet treats when he thought he could get away with it. He never really did though. Whenever I caught him in the act, I would scold him half-heartedly and he would narrow his eyes in a playful warning every time. I was goading him, and he knew it.
