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After finalizing theevacuation of the nearby town, ensuring the local villagers filed into the stronghold in an orderly fashion, I flew up to the battlements, the midmorning sun barely a blot in the sky of gray. Fear and dread set my flame on edge as I landed on the stone wall and squinted through the haze at the Periculian forest that bordered my estate. The wilds. That’s what other nobility had called Abyssus, Delfi’s southernmost stronghold. It was why other nobility rarely visited, why even Malvolia’s own army had been reluctant to come here that fateful night twenty-four years ago. I had always thought their fears exaggerated, but now I finally understood.
Every soldier in my aerial army was on top of the battlements. They were so quiet, tension lines straining their bloodshot eyes, I could’ve heard a feather drop. Though as fire mages we were used to smoke, it was so thick even on top of the battlements, we had to cover our mouths with cloths just to breathe. I spotted three more infernos in the distance, billowing smoke and ash. What in elements’ name were they doing?
I walked across the battlements, greeting my grim-faced soldiers and inspecting the weaponry, even as I kept one eye on the foggy forest. The trees here weren’t as thick and tall as the ones that bordered the Windhaven side, but I had believed the dense forest to be magnificent. Not now when compared to the army of trolls that had easily knocked down centuries-old pines, using entire trees, long roots and all, to build their fires. They were just sitting around the fire, their dull eyes slowly blinking up at the sky. I counted over two dozen of them, but that was just one campfire.
And why had my ancestors ever thought Abyssus’s stone walls and the moat surrounding it were strong enough to withstand a troll invasion? A few of the creatures were nearly the height of the tallest turret, with fists as big as boulders. They were so much bigger than any living creature I’d ever seen. Even Radnor, the mighty dragon, looked like a small dog compared to the giants. The occasional giants we’d seen at the edge of our forest had never been that big.
Every flier in my aerial army was at the ready, ballistae loaded with tallow dipped spears as wide as my chest. Those they couldn’t strike by flaming spears, they would get with cannon fire, and then vats of sizzling oil. And those who passed through all their defenses, I was prepared to fight them myself. My army was, too. I would not let the giants win. How I wished my brothers were here, and not just for their support. I feared what would happen to them, what would happen to Shirina and the girls, when they were not within the protection of the battlement walls. What a fool I’d been to leave them. I’d let my rage cloud my judgment, turn away not just my brothers but my fated mate. And for what? For a tragedy that had happened before she’d been born. She was just as much a victim in all this as my family.
I checked each ballista before finding Romulus, the captain of my aerial guard, an older Fae who’d served my father and grandfather before him, one of the few older Ravini mages to have survived the war that had claimed my parents’ lives. I was never sure of his age. My best guess was between two and three hundred, which was late middle age for a Fae. He couldn’t have been older than four hundred, for I would’ve remembered him mentioning the goddess Maiadra, the last known white witch before the birth of Shirina’s sister. His hair and wings had been a stunning silver ever since I could remember, though it was rumored the coloring came from his Sidhe Fae roots.
The wind shifted direction, and fortunately most of the smoke drifted away.
“Any movement?” I asked as I pocketed my cloth.
“No, My Lord.” Romulus shoved his cloth into the pocket of his fighting leathers, grimacing. “They’re still unmoving.”
“How many?” I asked.
“At least five dozen,” he answered, his eyes hardening.
Holy elements. This wasn’t an ordinary gathering of giants. This was an army. I swallowed back my fear and self-doubt, knowing I put my people at risk by not alerting Malvolia. But what would happen to Shirina if our queen sent her army? I dragged my hands through my hair, expelling a shaky breath. “Have you ever seen that many before?”
His silvery-blue eyes darkened to a deep shade of cobalt. “Not in all my three hundred years.”
Ahh. Three centuries. “Why do you think they’re here?”
“If I were to guess, I’d say it has something to do with the white witch that was spotted in Cyrene.”
I grimaced at the mention of Shirina’s sister. “We’re a long way from Cyrene.”
“I know.” He rubbed his beard, the silvery strands iridescent in the pale sunlight. “It’s my best guess. The giants haven’t gathered in such numbers since they fought alongside Maiadra in the demon wars many centuries ago.”
I repressed a shudder. Something had awakened these giants, and I feared Romulus was right. They’d come because of the white witch, which meant they could fight alongside her if the prophecy was true and she went to war against Malvolia. I scanned the hazy skies. “Any sign of my brothers?”
“No, My Lord.”
“Keep a look out. I want the aerial army ready to assist them if the giants try to shoot them down.” Why had I left them?
He arched a brow. “Should we send them now?”
“No. Their presence will alert the giants. My brothers should be able to smell the danger and fly out of range.” At least I prayed they would.
“And you’re sure you don’t want to send word to Thebes?”
“No. The queen can’t spare any mages,” I lied. “Her forces are already stretched thin pursuing the white witch.”
I caught the gleam of doubt in his eyes when he bowed curtly. “Yes, My Lord.”
He knew I was lying. If I sent word to our country’s capital, Malvolia would send her army to help us. But I worried what they’d do if they found Shirina more than I feared the giants, which meant I had become what I’d most loathed—a traitor. I put my mate’s safety above all others, even my loyalty to the queen. And yet, I felt no guilt, only peace that I’d finally accepted what I’d so adamantly fought against. I prayed Shirina would find a way to forgive me.
