“Ofcourse,YourMajesty.”Naluxgave me that beautiful smileIhad always adored whenIfelt a tug down our bond.Itwas very small, but it felt like… jealousy.Ilooked over toTori’spointedly neutral face.
Despiteeverything that was going on,Igave a small chuckle. “Nowis not the time.Wemust make for the mist district.Wewill accompany you.”
Asmall shape darted out from the crowd and wrapped around my legs.Ifaltered asEmiliaburied her face into my filthy coat. “KingA-a-abraxas, have you seen my pa?”Thepoor girl was sobbing so hard.Ibarely understood her.
Ilooked up atTori, who was looking at the girl with tears in her eyes.Weboth looked over the wall near the outside of the city and saw smoke rising from the hills that would have been the farmsteads owned byBronn.Emilia’sfive siblings gathered around me, the smallest clinging toTori.LordNaluxshook his head. “Theycame running in from the countryside when the fighting started… alone.”AnyhumorIhad found vanished.
Tori’svoice shook. “ItoldCommanderTaliusto bring all the outlying citizens in days ago.”Naluxshook his head again.
“Manydid, but many did not wish to leave their homes, their livelihoods out undefended.”Tearsrolled downTori’sface, the guilt eating away at her.
“Savethose tears for later, my love.Fornow, let us save who we can.”Shehardened her face and hoisted one of the small children on her hip.Theywrapped their arms around her, burying their faces in her shoulders.Sheturned toNalux.
“Wemove now.”
“Wehave many injured,” he said.
Shedidn’t hesitate to push her way into the manor and started shouting orders.Sheset the children to the side and started pulling down tapestries and tearing apart furniture to build transportation.
Shewas beautiful and efficient, making groups and assigning leaders.IfLordEltishad any objections toToritearing his house apart, he was smart enough not to voice them.Imoved to join her when the tiny arms around my waist squeezed tighter.
Iknelt down to look the girl in the eye. “Emilia, asItold the princess, there will be a time later for tears.Allthe tears you need.Butfor now,Ineed you to be brave.Yoursiblings need you to be brave.”
Herbreath caught in her throat. “Ican’t—”
“Youcan,Emilia.Yourking is here to protect you.”Hershoulders heaved a few more times as her small voice murmured, “Shereally is a princess, isn’t she?”Shelooked atTori, who waved frantically before ripping a bookshelf apart with her bare hands. “She’snot whatIthought a princess would be like.”
“No, she certainly isn’t.”
Onlya few minutes later,we were on the move.Ourpace was glacial at best, with so many injured being dragged and the strides of so many tiny legs.Torihad one small child in each arm and a slightly larger one clinging to her back.Wepassed through the city, knocking on doors and pulling as many citizens along with us as we could until our entourage numbered over one hundred.
Thesound of distant fighting echoed through the streets, the clash of swords on armor rang off the stone walls.Nothingwas close, at least thatIcould sense.Icould smell the fear dripping off the humans and fae alike, and the beast inside me reveled in it.
Ishook my head, trying to clear the smell and taste of blood from my mouth.Ineeded to protect them.Myfather had failed, butIwould not.Icould not, with my mate by my side.
Thestreets were choked with dust, and it clung to her face.Cleartracks of sweat washed away the grime from her temples.Shecaught me staring and her eyes softened until the child on her back started to slip and she had to hoist him back up.
Thestreet we traversed widened, and the buildings fell away as we neared the largest bridge to the mist district.TheVitmosRiverseparated the southern city from the castle.Someof the older children dashed forward at the sight.Theyran up the road and across the bridge until they were swept up in the crowd that waited just beyond the last open gate.
Thesight of safety reinvigorated the crowd, and feet started shuffling faster.ToriandIwere nearly knocked down, but thecrowd continued to push, and the mass of bodies grew unruly as the mob took over.
Toriclutched her riders closer and started to run, trying to stay ahead of the wave of bodies.Ifollowed by her side until a glint of gold caught the corner of my eye.Iheard the release of a bow and drew my sword just in time to slash the black arrow in half before it pierced through my mate’s skull.Shestumbled, and shouts surrounded us.Golden-armored soldiers materialized from the shadows as if conjured by some dark spell.Thesudden clang of steel rang out, a harsh counterpoint to the panicked cries around us.
“Run!”Toriscreamed at the children, launching them down the road as she scrambled to pull her sword from its sheath.Thesurrounding mob descended into chaos as my citizens fled for the castle.Iheard screams as the people on the edges fell under the swords of the nearest soldiers.
Torireleased her sword into its two halves and charged towards the nearest assailant, striking him first on the back of his knee and then his neck.
Iturned to do the same when the sky darkened as a volley of arrows rained down on us from the soldiers hidden on the nearby roofs.Ithrew up a curtain of fire over the entire street and watched as the arrows disintegrated into ash.Therewere too many for the powerIhad in my fae form, andIcouldn’t destroy them all.Horriblesquelches and screams surrounded me as a few hit their marks, bursting through chests and limbs.Torigrabbed a nearby man and ducked with him under an awning just in time.
Ifought my way over to her, my sword drenched in blood.Centuriesof rage flowed through me asIcut down one man after another, and nothing stood in my way until she was at my side again.
Shedid the same, her blades singing as they metthose of her adversaries.Tori'smovements were precise, each strike parrying with grace before countering with lethal efficiency.Soon, we were back-to-back.
Downthe street to the south, more soldiers approached, their armor clanked menacingly as they advanced with swords and spears at the ready.
ToriandIlocked eyes, and no words were needed.Sheplaced her hand over my heart, but then her face grew tight. “Abraxas, wait…”
Therewas no time to hesitate.Ipulled the mana of the earth through her, but it was not the power flowIexpected.Thepower stuttered, and the transformation was sluggish, the energy scarce.Itpulled the last of my remaining magic to shift.Scalesreplaced skin, and my bones reformed and expanded into the massive frame of a dragon.Myroar echoed off the buildings, a sound of both triumph and desperation.
