“For the love of the gods, Orion… Just spit it out!” A council member I recognized cried out. Caius was an older gentleman who advised my father on trade dealings with other kingdoms. I’d been allowed into a few meetings with them. Caius was exceedingly cautious, as he had fled from a surrounding kingdom that wasn’t as welcoming toward women in power. I should have been more offended than I was, but my father always made it clear to him, and any others that dared to suggest I was unfit to rule because I was a woman, that he would banish anyone who would try to change Helia’s laws.
Orion stood up at the challenging tone in Caius’ voice as he said, “I believe The Horde is back.”
5
EVA
The room was silent, completely devoid of anything and everything. I dared a glance at my father as he looked toward Orion. His face was grim, lips sliding into a taut line.
The Horde? He must be mistaken. The last of The Horde had been destroyed at the end of The Great War over 100 years ago.
Orion continued. “As I’m sure you all know, I was in Angoria to investigate claims that a strange blight had overrun the lands.” Whispers from council members echoed off the walls of the chamber. No doubt securing the reaction that Orion had been looking for from the beginning. “The land itself is failing to flourish. Crops are dying, or simply cannot yield, livestock have been found slaughtered, and water sources are coming up dry.”
If this was true… Fuck. It would be life-altering in the worst way possible.
The Horde was a group of Fae, ruled by Lachlan Roarke. He’d taken it upon himself to be crowned the High Lord of Darkness. His own stupid nickname. What a pathetic loser. He wanted a clear distinction of titling between himself and the kings on Aethion since he’d tried many times to overthrow our kingdoms and force his way into power. Time and time again, he failed–until he organized The Horde.
Aethion had been in a sense of peace since well before I was born. As a country made up of multiple kingdoms that were independently ruled, it was fairly small considering the power it held. Today, it was rare if kings and queens quarreled with one another; so long as they stayed out of each other’s business and did nothing to disrupt the balance that had been established. But before the peace treaty had been set in place? Chaos reigned throughout the land, causing war after war to pop up.
I remember father telling me stories of the turmoil they faced in the early years and how difficult it had been to convince all the rulers to worktogetherinstead of against one another. It had taken nearly fifty years to put a stop to all the madness. I suppose stupidity had to die out to a certain degree. Surely peace would be more effective than war? But kingdoms were typically run by men and common sense was in short supply where they were concerned in my experience.
The sparks of The Great War began when kingdoms in Aethion were being targeted and attacked. Mortal lands were the first to fall since they were unable to properly defend themselves as our Fae kingdoms could. Their people fell quickly. Those that remained had been scattered across the land, seeking refuge wherever they could find it. Those that were gone either perished during the blight or were evacuated on ships crossing to the east.
The attacks on Fae kingdoms came next, growing to where food supplies were becoming increasingly short as weeks passed. Unrest exploded throughout the lands as people starved. There wasn’t anything we could do to prevent it from happening. No matter how many times we attempted to solve problems, no agreements could be reached.
Eventually, armies began crossing territory lines and attacking caravans. They rendered any prior treaties useless, as people no longer cared that peace had disappeared. The young and the old were dying of starvation and malnutrition. They were turning on each other to take care of their own.
Lachlan gave them false hope, coming across as some sort of divine deity. He claimed he could see what would stop the blight from occurring. If they took up arms against the rulers of Aethion, all would be saved.
What the people didn’t know washewas the cause of it all. He’d conspired with dark practitioners that were angry at the rulers for banning their craft. It took little convincing on his part for them to join him on his quest.
Some saw his plan for what it was; a hopeless man grasping at straws in order to gain a foothold on the continent and power. Those that didn’t? Well, they became The Horde. Those among their ranks stopped at nothing to help catapult their leader to power, and they’d gotten damn close too. The war lasted for too long, people turning on each other because they were scared.
As I took in the crestfallen faces of those around me, I realized it was true. The signs were there. Orion could be right about The Horde’s return, but it all seemed so sudden. Surely he was jumping to conclusions. Was this just to provoke a reaction from the council or an attempt to get ahead of the destruction?
My father sat as still as death while council members exploded around the room.Hot-headed men, I swore to myself. I would have rolled my eyes if the situation hadn’t been more serious.
I glanced at Damien, whose eyes were glued to me. His brows furrowed, asking the question he wouldn’t dare utter out loud:Are you alright?
No, I was far from alright. I hated Lachlan and The Horde with every fiber of my being. On multiple occasions, he had attempted to persuade my mother and father to allow him access to our lands. He wanted a foothold on the continent, but my parents refused time and time again. Lachlan’s last attempt at “negotiation”, as he called it, ended with my mother losing her life.
My eyes left his to look at Orion and the information that he was relaying to the council members.
“This was just how it happened before,” replied Tiberius, a council member who was notoriously negative. He jumped at the slightest inkling of discomfort. Gods only knew how he secured his placement on the council.
“Orion holds no proof this has anything to do with The Horde,” Caius interjected, waving a hand in Orion’s direction. “Besides, Lachlan is dead.Youkilled him yourself. No one else would have the power to control The Horde as he did.”
While I didn’t want to admit that Caius might be right, he brought up an interesting point. For all that he was evil and terrible, Lachlan had been powerful. It was sheer luck for our kingdom that he could never gain a foothold in Helia.
The other members seemed to murmur their agreement, content to let the matter die when Orion said quietly, “It’s true that Lachlan is dead, but his sons aren’t.”
Silence. Absolute, earth-shattering silence.
Pure shock weaved its way through my body.It couldn’t be. There was no way. As I looked toward my father, though, he didn’t seem surprised by the information. His face was a mask of deadly calm, his eyes hard on Orion. He simply rose from his chair, clasped his hands behind his back, and said, “Everyone out.”
The room went cold as soon as the words left his mouth. I could feel his power, sensed the magic rising, but I didn’t dare move a muscle.
“OUT!” my father roared. Council members scrambled out of their chairs, making their way for the doors. Only Orion, Damien, Erina, and I remained in the room, rooted in our seats.
