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We were halfway down the stairs when I heard Oren’s howl answer one of Kai’s. It was also while we were on the stairs that I saw six humanoid guards rushing up the steps to meet us, while a couple of wolves jumped down from above. Wherever the lieutenant was, he couldn’t arrive soon enough.
I grabbed my magic again and threw it out in what I hoped was a shield. I was surprised when it answered quickly, seeming to recover quickly from the way it’d been flagging earlier. That was strange, but it wasn’t like I had the time to question it.
My shield happened to be more of a semi-solid barrier, causing anyone who tried to move through it to slow down, as if they were fighting their way through the world’s clingiest gelatin. Not exactly the most intimidating thing, but it slowed them down enough for Kai to take advantage, his teeth and claws sinking in.
I didn’t think he was purposefully going for lethal moves, but I did know he was injuring them enough that our attackers couldn’t change into their animal forms. I couldn’t imagine how much that hurt, and I didn’t want to. All I wanted was to get out.
We fought our way through that group, then made our way to the base of the stairs. The exit wasn’t much farther, but that was no guarantee we’d actually make it.
That point was only reinforced when what felt like a whole troop of guards began to pour in from several different halls, all in different partially shifted forms. Whatever was going on with my magic, I was going to need to figure it out, and soon.
Stand down! Kai ordered in a last-ditch effort to get us out of a fight that was about the furthest thing from a guaranteed victory. As the crown prince, I order you to let us pass!
The closest line of guards just snarled while the second line burst into their own wolf forms. The guards behind them just continued advancing, fur crawling over their visible skin, and their bodies beginning to expand out of their uniforms.
Well, it was worth a shot, Kai thought ruefully.
Though Kai and I were skilled, I wasn’t at full power, and we were in cramped quarters, not to mention I was still weighed down by all my ballroom finery. This was no wide-open battlefield where we could run away to reposition or get space from our enemies. We were on their home turf, and they had all of the advantages.
Gritting my teeth, I did my best to summon up every single drop of magic I had, and I was pleasantly surprised when it surged back up to its normal level, like it hadn’t just been quivering and resisting within.
I didn’t have much time to think about it because three soldiers were rushing Kai where he stood in front of me.
“Back!” I cried, casting another shield spell. This one worked far better than the previous one, pushing the first wave attackers back several feet.
But as much as shields were quite nice, there was a caveat to them. I wasn’t quite practiced or knowledgeable enough to make one that’d move with us, while also being strong enough to ward off a herd of angry shifter guards, so we were quite literally pinned in place.
I was only buying us time at most, and the longer we stayed in one place, the more likely it was that we’d eventually be overwhelmed. We were between a rock and a hard place.
But as the first wave of attackers tried to recover from hitting my hard, magical wall, the second group surged forward, biting, and swiping at the shield, delivering blow after blow that my spell had to repel. The force of their attacks echoed in my soul, like a bullet ricocheting about my magic.
I could feel sweat beginning to trickle down my face, arms shaking, while Kai caught his breath on the stairs below me just within the shield. While our opponents couldn’t get in, at least not yet, Kai could leap in and out when he was ready. He just had to be careful because it would be far too easy to get caught up in so many enemies and dragged away from my protective barrier.
It was just beginning to flicker.
“They’re attacking his majesty! Traitors! Guards, guards! There’s been a coup!”
Somehow, I managed to hear a voice that sounded impossibly far away, and when I glanced up from the battle, I saw Aodin standing across the entire grand entryway on another grand dais over a staircase. He was pointing at us, and I swore I saw a shimmery wave wash over our entire fight.
Was he… casting an illusion?
I knew fae magic was based on spoken words and trickery, but I’d never seen it happen in real time. Yet I was certain that was what I was witnessing as nobles, as well as other soldiers and guards, ran forward.
Of course, those lingering at the gala had no idea about Kai and my sudden flight from the capital, or how I’d quite literally bespelled the king and queen. The fact that Aodin thought to use that lag in communication was ingenious, and I felt a surge of appreciation for him. Who knew? Maybe he could keep up with Seraphina.
I didn’t know what illusion he’d cast on us, yet I wasn’t about to let it go to waste. I took a deep breath and pushed my shield out, increasing the space between us and our attackers. It certainly helped that they were whirling to face the onslaught of new opponents, jaws snapping and no doubt shouting in shifter-speak. Just because I couldn’t hear it didn’t mean they weren’t screaming their heads off.
But with more space came more time for me to breathe, and that allowed me to begin summoning a different spell. One that built on itself in repeating folds until it exploded outward in a rush.
The clash of the gala guards and nobles with the guards that were attacking us bought me just the time I needed. Teeth gnashing and howls rending the air, they collided, some intent on protecting their long-lost prince, some intent on protecting their king. Although it was just a microcosm of what would happen if there was, indeed, rebellion between Kai and his father, it was an interesting view on what was likely to happen to the capital, and even our entire country, should such a thing come to pass.
Looking back at the cacophony below me, I saw more of the guards beginning to scatter, nothing so direct as tucking tail and fleeing the scene, but more like hesitating and slowly backing off, confusion written across their lupine faces.
I honestly couldn’t blame them. Not a single one ever thought they’d be pulled into infighting between royals. That was always the caveat of whenever people in power had a spat, wasn’t it? It was the commoners and underlings that ended up fighting. It wasn’t like King Nathaniel was facing off against his son.
Ayla, let’s push forward. Get out of the bottleneck of the stairs.
I nodded, unable to answer Kai, but hoping he could feel my agreement through our bond. I wished I could warn him to brace himself, but tipping him off verbally would also tip off our enemies.
