Page 108 of Queen’s Gambit
Reynard is fighting. The army has been pushed against the castle walls. The cavalry are trapped between the Tangrians and the sea. And the dragons… we can’t help. Tangra has barrels that explode in dragon fire, and the fumes are killing us.
‘Fuck!’ I cursed when the bies sank into the mud up to its knees.
How much time do I have? I asked the dragon.
Not much. I tried to help, but my fire only made it worse. He told me to save you. Move back so I can land. There was resignation in his thoughts, alongside the fear I would blame him for leaving Rey alone in the battle.
‘My lady, the path is here, but we have to travel single file.’ The girl slid from the bies’ back and pointed to a darker patch of grass.
I shook my head. With a ravening army behind me, we would arrive too late to save anyone, if we arrived at all. Instead, I crouched on the grass that shifted under my weight and dipped my hand into the water.
Emerald magic slid from my fingers, finding its way to the moss and roots tangled just beneath the surface. I coaxed them to life. To build the bridge we could cross.
‘You are disturbing my realm,’ a voice whispered from the reeds.
‘But I’m saving your land. Tell Vodnik I’m here to fulfil my promise, then tell the others to spare my friends,’ I said, swallowing hard as Aether drain made me nauseous.
‘I serve Jurata, not Vodnik, and you have no pact with the lady of the sea,’ she answered. Only now did I notice her eyes weren’t as green as a pond. They glowed like amber.
My bridge grew as the roots transformed into living wood, hardening as they formed arches over the water. Cold sweat pooled between my shoulders, and I swayed as I stood, dark patches swirling in my vision.
‘Tell your mistress that Vila’s daughter will come to beg her forgiveness, but right now you will let me pass,’ I said, and the sea nymph smirked.
‘And if I don’t?’
‘Then the Fireborn will turn your sandy marshes into glass. I humble myself before you, but do not test my limits. Not when those I love are dying.’ I called Cin’s fire and let it wrap around my arms, and, as if on cue, Cinared’s roar shattered the sky, as fire transformed the heavens into an inferno.
‘I wasn’t… fine. Have it your way. If you survive, come when the sea demands it.’ She disappeared into the water, and I mounted the bies.
‘Why does every damned god and their lackey want to talk to me today?’ I grumbled to silence my fear.
The creatures snarled behind me, fangs and claws bared, roused by the stench of blood and the aura of death from the battlefield. I had little power to control them once they descended into a frenzy. And I couldn’t help but wonder if the cure I brought wouldn’t be worse than the disease.
‘Kill only those wearing orange or marked with the sickle.’ I drew the symbol in the air, holding the flames in place. ‘Spare any other person or animal. Do you understand?’
A vjesci moved forward. The herald of death was more intelligent than most. He touched the flaming symbol and screeched the words in a language I didn’t recognise. Each creature then carved the symbol into its own flesh to remember it.
My mouth opened, but before I could react, they rushed forth. My bridge bowed beneath their weight and, panicked, I grasped the groaning roots and poured all my power into them. Translucent hands burst from the water one after another, supporting the edge of my bridge, as Jurata’s daughters offered their help. The construct groaned but held as the creatures of Piran’s Swamp charged into battle.
Only my shaggy bies stayed, waiting for my command. I patted his fur and gripped the antlers.
‘My lady, I don’t know how to fight, but I’ll fight for you,’ the girl said.
I looked down, only to be confronted by a look of adoration. ‘You are needed elsewhere. Go to Amala; tell her to rally everyone willing and able to carry a sword. We’ll need all the help we can get.’
I didn’t need children to fight my wars, even wars we were so close to losing.
I urged the bies onto the bridge and called out to my dragon.
Tell Rey to hold on. I’m coming.
