Árne beams, his tail wagging. Children always have a way of softening my heart, especially ones as sweet as he is, no matter how hardened I try to appear.
“I used to wield a sword,” I say, standing and turning back to the group. “It was like an extension of my arm. But you—” I pause, meeting the eyes of the vólkins standing before me. “You have claws and immense strength. Use them.”
“My muscles burn already!” Essin whines, dropping her shoulders dramatically.
I raise an eyebrow at her. “That’s because you’ve never trained. I know the males will do everything in their power to keep us safe, but no one can predict what the future holds.”
They may not be warriors like the males, but they have strength—and I’ll ensure they know how to use it when the time comes.
“Do all human females know how to fight?” Lyssia asks. She’s one of the females I met during my tour of the land a few days ago.
“No,” I answer. “In the human world, women aren’t allowed to.”
The murmurs stop, and all eyes turn to me.
“What if they want to?” Lyssia’s question is genuine, but it cuts deep.
I sigh. “In human villages, women are not allowed to grow, to become who they want to be. From the day we are born, we are told to serve men.” My teeth grind, and my jaw tightens as the words leave my mouth. The truth tastes bitter, but it must be said.
The females growl as they process my words.
“This is why I want us all to be strong. To know how to take care of ourselves, to save our own lives when the moment demands it. The day we start conquering lands, the real horror begins. And from that point on, no one can predict how long it will take to change the world.”
I let my gaze settle on each of them in turn. “I want us to be as prepared as we can be to face every challenge with strength. When we rescue the women from the villages, everyone here must be ready to guide them and teach them how to protect themselves.”
The growls deepen among the females before me. Soon we march to war, and they all must be ready to help.
“Cover the children’s ears,” I command.
The nýmphí rush to obey, shielding every youngling’s ears.
I clench my fists so hard that I feel the strain in every muscle, but my voice carries across the clearing, cold and strong. “From the very first woman on this earth, men have been greedy. Every woman has been misunderstood, silenced, stripped of her power.” My chin lifts high. “But no more.”
The words burn like fire in my throat. “We willdestroyevery soul that stands against us.”
Sharp pain shoots through my palms, but I barely register it, consumed by the storm raging within. “And when the whole world dares to rise against us,” I declare, my voice a roar, my rage blazing, “we will destroy themall.”
A searing jolt of pain shoots through my hands, and my breath catches, my heart pounding in my chest. Blood drips from my clenched fists, splattering onto the ground. Slowly, I open my hands, and my eyes widen.
Jagged thorns have sprouted from my palms and pierced through my skin.
The clearing falls silent. Even the wind stops. “This blood in my hands,” I say as I turn back to them, “is the blood of a family slaughtered by greed and cruelty. I have no brothers. No sisters. My mother is dead, and so is my father.”
Raising my fists, I stare at the streaks dripping from my palms. “They are not the first, and they will not be the last, to die in this cruel, merciless world.”
I will scorch the earth if needed. I will shield these souls with my own body.
“I am the last blue rose in a garden choked by weeds. A garden overrun with parasites—creatures who only know how to take, to consume, and yet are never satisfied. They poison the soil, spread their rot, and expect us to bow to their will.”
My hands shake. More thorns tear my skin. “For too long, they have underestimated us. They believe we are weak, that we exist to serve them, that we are nothing without their approval. But they are wrong.They have always been wrong.”
The ground beneath my boots trembles. My blood drips, staining the earth red as I raise my voice. “This is where it ends. Their reign. Their greed. Their endless hunger for power.”
Every father and every son. Every single one of them.
“We will destroy every soul that stands in our way! Every sword lifted against us will be broken. Every lie they spread will be silenced. And when their armies come, and their leaders sneer, we will destroy themall.”
The thorns grow bigger and more savage. “This is the blood of rebellion. This is the legacy of those who came before me. My mother. My father. Every woman who dared to dream of a better world.”
