“You aren’t mad?” I demanded.
“Why would I be mad?” he retorted as he moved near enough that no one else could overhear us. “My greatest objection to your induction arose from the fear that you would make the Wild Hunt look weak. I am not worried about that anymore, little doe,” he assured me before he walked by to bark more orders at the fey behind me.
It took almost an hour for the scouts to secure the area where I’d forced open a portal into the Summer Quadrant. During that time, I busied myself with healing fey who needed it and eavesdropping on Ciaran as he was updated by the scouts and coordinated their efforts.
Once he was confident that the Spring fey would be safe on the other side, he ordered us to begin taking them through the portal. I made a beeline to the nymph and her two pups to make them one of the first. The babies clung to their mother who was a lithe little creature that I could have easily picked up if she let me. Instead, I supported her so she could get to her feet, and then we awkwardly shuffled to the portal. She sighed as soon as we felt the warm air around the portal washing over us, and thenwe stepped through the purple haze into heat and sunshine.
“Thank the gods,” the nymph breathed. She wanted to collapse on the ground right there, but I helped her limp out of the way of the fey still coming through.
I lost count of the number of times I returned through the portal to help more refugees. But every time I stepped into the Summer Quadrant, I felt magic blooming more and more powerfully through my veins.
It did not take long before all the Spring fey had been transferred safely. By then, the first to come through were feeling well enough to stand and move around. I could tell that it was a little warm for them, and the Autumn fey were all sweating profusely, but the heat was much better for the refugees than being too cold. And although I could tell it irritated both Autumn and Spring fey, I covered our scents and the crispness of fall wafting from the portal with a potent aroma of Summer.
I was just starting to feel optimistic about the move when that beautiful Autumn warrior stepped out of a tree near Ciaran and hissed for his attention.
“There are three griffin warriors and a Spring fey scout approaching,” I overheard her tell him.
Ciaran grimaced, briefly exposing his canines before he glanced around the small clearing at the refugees.
“They do not know we are here. I have been hiding our scent since we arrived,” I interjected reassuringly.
“That was good thinking. Can you hide these refugees until the threat is gone?” Ciaran asked me.
“Of course,” I said slowly, “but should we not destroy the griffins before they can find other refugees?”
Ciaran tilted his head as if he were surprised by me. “That was my intention. I did not think you would—”
“Iwantto. I want Riordan to be afraid. I want him to know I am coming for him, and there is nothing he can use to protect himself from my wrath. There is no ward that will keep me out, and no army that will stop me.”
Ciaran was taken aback, but then he nodded as a grin began spreading across his face.
“Alright, little doe. Then let us send him a message.”
Chapter ten
A MESSAGE FOR A KING
Ornella
It was not difficult to lure the griffins and fey scout away from the refugees with the use of Darragh’s wind magic, which Ciaran used to carry his Autumn scent to them.
We chose our ambush site with great care to ensure it had coverage from the air but also a convenient clearing for our targets to land. As they flew into sight, I saw that two of the griffins were Imítheos, their robes and makeup giving them away instantly. The third griffin was Ktínos, likely a scout sent to guide them, and the fey was some kind of insectoid with antennae and moth wings. The little creature would barely reach my knees, but I knew better than to underestimate other fey based on their size.
The griffins were all in their two-legged forms since the Imítheos could not use magic in their animal bodies. They would be able to pull the air right out of our lungs, and some of the really powerful ones like Riordan could affect the oxygen in our blood. I would have seconds to take them down before they could retaliate, and yet I still had to wait for them to come within range of my power. The proximity was risky since the closer the mages got, the higher the chances they might sense us there.
I managed to time it just right, and as soon as they got closeenough, I struck at them with all my strength before they felt the attack coming. I could have sworn my magic felt even stronger than it had before, but that might have only been because I was so used to using it in Autumn.
I ignored Ciaran as he tensed readily next to me and focused on quickly syphoning the water from their bodies and collecting it in their lungs. Within seconds, they were all plummeting from the sky and clenching at their throats and chests in confused panic.
Ciaran rose the second we heard them hit the ground just beyond the rocky ridge behind which we had hidden, but I grabbed his arm to hold him back.
“They could still steal your air. It is better to wait until the Imítheos have fully lost consciousness.”
He grumbled a quip about me taking all the fun away, but I was not willing to risk him. Not when there were so many fey relying on him to get them to safety.
I closed my eyes, ignoring him as he started to pace the ground in front of me with impatience. It took a great deal of my concentration to battle the Imítheos who were trying to use their air magic to oxygenate their own blood without the use of their lungs. But neither of them were strong enough, and soon they both lay still next to the fey and the Ktínos who had succumbed more quickly.
Once the magic users were subdued, I rose to follow Ciaran who had practically leapt over the rock that I was leaning against as soon as they slumped onto the ground. He muttered in disgust as he reached them, and I knew he hated to kill someone he perceived to be helpless, but he still slashed his sword across the throats of the Imítheos.
