Page 64 of Fae Unleashed
Howls erupted in the forest that I’d stolen from Faust. There were cackles, too. Shapes rose from the treetops. They spread bat-like wings wide and dove towards my castle. I cursed Faust’s forest and braced myself for what was to come next.
An arrow whistled through the dark and struck the closest bat-beast. Stunned, I watched the creature plummet and stay down. Beside me, the real Rhoan winked and notched another arrow.
“What are you doing here?” I hissed.
“Saving our home.”
Rhoan
Memories of Cerridwen’smother rushed back to me. The last time I’d seen her, she’d given me the same order.
Run. Save everyone else.
I hadn’t been able to return in time to keep her from falling. The woman’s death weighed on me. I could almost see her blue eyes, devoid of light as she lay prone on the ground. It was an image my mind had conjured, but it still haunted me.
I wasn’t going to leave Cerri to the same fate. My princess deserved better. So, I’d run to dohalfof what she’d asked. Once the residents had been gathered, I’d opened a portal and given them two options.
Those who wanted to run to safety could do so. No shame would befall upon them. Their lives were important to us. However, those who wanted to fight could stay and make themselves useful. That meant that all the redcaps stayed. Their hats had dried up in their time here, and they were eager to wet them in the blood of war again.
Several dryads also stayed, much to my surprise. They grabbed bows with me and marched up to the roof to stand alongside Cerri. Their green hair fluttered in the wind with their dresses. When they pulled their bowstrings in unison, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pride.
To my right, Foxglove’s soldiers lined up to heft their crossbows. They trembled ever so slightly, telling me that this might be their first fight. I would do everything in my power to make sure they survived it. And when I sent them back to Foxglove, they would be stronger and more sure of themselves.
One thing became strikingly clear: Delphine was nowhere to be found.
The ground rumbled. To our left, a tower threatened to fall. Ahead, the bat-like creatures descended in swarms. I motioned for the archers to raise their weapons. On the ground, the redcaps howled with war cries.
I wish it had never needed to come to this. All I wanted was a bit of peace. I wanted to carry my princess back to her room, lay her on the bed, and show her exactly what she meant to me with my tongue.
My beast stirred. Wings pressed against the inside of my skin. I could let them out and go down to the ground to join the redcaps, but I doubted those on the roof would know what to do without me.
Cerri stood with her eyes closed. Her palms pointed down towards the ground. I realized that the rumble hadn’t been Beryl’s power that time because the earth opened up and massive roots shot towards the sky like tentacles out of the sea. The roots grabbed clusters of bat creatures and slapped them towards the rocky ground.
This fight felt too easy. Was it that we had more firepower on our side? Was this what it felt like to have a home-field advantage? That seemed wrong. The original Seelie court had fallen faster than this.
It meant that Beryl was up to something else. I looked to Cerri to see if the curse made any more changes to her. If Beryl wanted to push the limits of her curse, there was no better way than to take everything that she’d allowed Cerri to achieve in the past weeks.
A bat creature slammed into a dryad. She fell to the ground screaming. The others turned to help her, but their distraction allowed more bats to swoop in and grab them. The bats lifted the dryads from the rooftop and dropped them over the open ground.
My wings snapped out. I launched myself forward and dove towards the plummeting girls. I caught two, but the third fell. She reached towards me with fear widening her eyes. My stomach dropped. I dove, but I had no way to catch her with my hands already full.
“Cheap tricks, Beryl.” Cerri’s whisper floated on the air as a root shot up from the ground and turned into a pillowy blossom that caught the falling dryad.
I let the other two fall into the same blossom before rising up to the roof once more. I took my place beside Cerri and noticed her knees were shaking. To keep her from falling, I stepped up behind her and let her lean into my body. The aura of her arcana radiated over me and filled me with hope.
It washed over everyone. While Cerri’s knees gave out and dropped her into my arms, everyone else around us stood taller. They lifted their chins and set their sights on the threat ahead. A new vigor spread over the domain and brought light back to the world once more.
So, that’s what she’d been up to.
26
CERRI
Ialmost wished I’d taken Beryl’s offer. Tears burned my eyes. Exhaustion turned my body to lead. The garden of arcana wilted inside me because I’d spent it all, buried it in the domain so that it could fight back against Beryl’s advances.
As my vision faded, I saw Rhoan above me. He smiled down at me and dragged a featherlight knuckle along my cheek. For a heartbeat, I could imagine that we were home alone, tucked in bed, just the two of us. I smiled and nuzzled into him, but the sounds of war were too loud.
Dryads screamed, the sound like snapping branches in a storm. My heart twisted. As badly as I wanted to cover my ears, I forced myself to listen. This was my fault. I didn’t know how it could be, but I blamed myself, nonetheless.
