Fuath immediately tried to swarm, but the second my feet hit the ground, I emitted a shock wave of heat that seared their flesh and lungs. It made the rest of them think twice before they tried to approach again.
I turned to Orion who had shifted into his two-legged form already. He had a foot braced on Ares’s wing with both hands around the bolt as he pulled it from his friend. I winced in sympathy for Ares who let out a catlike yowl of pain but held steady until Orion had thrown the bloody missile aside in disgust. Then my guardian shifted and reclined on his back and elbows with his injured wing extended across the trampled ground.
“What the fuck was that?” he snarled furiously.
“A fey,” I answered, my eyes on the Fuath that circled us as they tried to decide whether they wanted to try and attack again. “Riordan thinks it is the Wild Hunt.”
“Speaking of our king,” murmured Orion, drawing my eyesto the sky as another host of griffins arrived. I could hear the thunderous cries of hatred from the Fuath around us as they heckled the new arrivals.
What are you doing on the ground?Riordan raged in my mind, and I saw a company split apart from the main army to fly quickly in our direction.
Ares was hit with a bolt. He is safe now,I explained.We will cover your landing.
I sent out another wave of heat and fire that made the Fuath back up enough for the griffins to land around us. The Imítheos warriors shifted right away and formed a defensive wall, using their magic to steal the breath from any Fuath who came too close.
Riordan came straight over to me and Orion. He put a hand on both of us as if he needed to be sure we were safe before he knelt next to Ares to heal him.
“I am alright, my King. Thanks to them,” the warrior swore with a thankful nod first to me and then Orion.
Riordan nodded, but his fists were clenched as he rose with deadly intent I easily recognized. I rose to follow as he strode through the ranks of Imítheos warriors to face the Fuath. They jeered at him but were smart enough to stay back out of the range of his air-stealing magic.
Riordan stood before them, and I could feel his power trembling through the earth and in the ground, but it had no effect on the beasts.
They still have you blocked somehow.
His response was a wordless and furious confirmation through our bond. But I was clearly still able to use my magic on them so I stepped forward to take his hand.
Let me help you,I urged him when he looked down at me in confusion.
Riordan seemed intrigued with this possibility, and he lowered the last of the shields between us in the way that he usually only did during intimacy. It was like our hearts and breaths wereone as we became fully immersed in one another. I could feel his magic, not just in him but around us in the Vale, and through my bond with him.
I reached for it the way I reached for my own power, and then I could suddenly feel the resistance all around us that he was talking about. It was like a shield had been erected just for him to specifically target his power and prevent it from being used against the Fuath. And it was tailored so specifically for him that trying to disable it felt like trying to climb a sheer wall.
But maybe my magic could burn through the spell?
Riordan saw the wisdom of this thought, and in the same way I used his power, he was able to use mine too. He fused our magics so they formed something new that was completely impervious to this strange shield.
And in the blink of an eye, the entire field fell eerily still and silent. I stared in a mixture of horror and awe at the evidence of our combined strength as the Fuath began to sway. Black blood streamed from their nostrils, and the sound of their weapons dropping from listless fingers was all that could be heard for a moment before they suddenly collapsed to the earth altogether.
A cheer rose from the warriors around us, but Riordan was looking only at me with pure admiration in his eyes.
My mind was reeling too much to celebrate.
This did not feel like something the Wild Hunt would have orchestrated. Perhaps my instinct was totally wrong, it was not like I knew the man personally, but this just did not align with what little I knew of the Autumn Prince. Rian had come to the Vale himself to bring Spring Court fey to safety during their world’s collapse. Using the sort of secretive and underhanded tactics at play here just did not seem to fit that style. He had not struck me as a man who would waste time or resources playing games when he could just take what he wanted.
And then there was the fact that Castor’s warning had saved my life. It may have saved the whole city from utter destruction if my suspicions about the green vats were proven correct. Sounless he was playing one hell of a mind game to try and win me over without any care for the stakes, then I doubted he was responsible either.
But if it was not Castor or Rian plotting against my mate, then who the fuck was it?
Chapter fourteen
THE SCAPEGOAT
Amira
Riordan issued a series of commands for the army to help clear rubble from the city and provide aid to the civilians of Erétria. There was already a contingent of Summer fey on the way to help treat the wounded. He also directed his forces to sort through the battlefield to search for a few griffins who were lost so proper rites could be performed. Then he returned to where I remained with Orion.
“With me,” he ordered before shifting. He ducked his shoulder to indicate I should ride with him, so I climbed onto his back while Orion shifted.
