Page 208 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
‘I will do it,’ Edur said.
Rowan grunted in reluctant approval while Elowen let out a low whistle.
‘With me then,’ Rio said.
She did not need eyes to feel the shift of earth beneath approaching footsteps as they followed her over the broken section of the wall. Their small band of Fae veered left, the stone barrier running alongside them as they hurried across the uneven ground.
Ahead, somewhere within the murky wetlands Elowen had described, a group of witches and warlocks lay hidden among the swamp’s shadows.
The plan was simple, if it was carried out well.
They would need to walk for several hours before reaching the swamp, so the group travelled in silence, ever watchful. Every rustle of grass, every shift of wind through the wasteland was listened to with care.
When Rio was finally told the swamp lay close ahead, she lifted a hand and gestured for the child to come nearer.
‘Do not be afraid,’ she said gently. ‘All you must do is confuse them. You will not see us, for we will be invisible. But no harm will come to you.’
The boy hesitated.
‘Ya cannot promise me that.’
Rio blinked in mild surprise at the honesty of his words, but she inclined her head in acknowledgement.
‘Perhaps you are right,’ she said quietly. ‘This is war, and in war… we die. You may change your mind if you wish.’ She felt the air shift faintly as he shook his head. ‘Very well then.’
Rio straightened and turned towards her people. She allowed the magic to bloom through her fingers, the familiar warmth spreading across her skin—a sensation she had always loved.
Unlike witches, who had to study and labour to wield magic, the Fae were born with it. It flowed through them as naturally as breath.
She lifted her right hand and pressed it against her chest.
‘We are Fae. We are ancient. We are legion.’
A smile touched her lips as her people echoed the words.
And together, they turned and marched into the waiting swamp.
…
Rowan had already spotted the cluster of witches hidden within the swamp and was quietly circling around them.
Before they had cloaked themselves in invisibility, he had caught Elowen’s arm to keep her beside him, but Elowen had never been particularly fond of rules. She had promptly stomped on his foot and slipped away, following Rio in the opposite direction.
Rowan muttered something under his breath and turned his attention back to the child.
The small wolverian boy moved through the swamp with careful, capable steps, though from a distance he looked convincingly lost and frightened. For a fleeting moment Rowan considered abandoning the plan entirely and rushing forward to snatch the child away from danger. But before he could act, the witches turned.
They had heard the movement.
The plan was simple: Edur would distract them long enough for the Fae to circle around unseen, forming a barrier from which the witches could not escape. Then they would strike using their magic while hidden from sight.
The Black Lotus were natural predators.
With the protection of their magic shields, Rowan had little doubt they could tear through the witches with ease.
The Fae could not truly become invisible, of course. Instead, they wove delicate veils of magic that settled over them like drifting dust, shielding them from mortal sight. To anyone nearby they simply ceased to exist. Only if someone came very close might they notice the faint disturbance in the air. A ripple, a shimmer, the slightest mirage betraying that something unseen moved there.
Edur stopped abruptly, his foot caught fast in the mud.
