Page 16 of Of War and Realms

Ender jerks his hand forward, stabbing something into the wall I’ve created. His brows furrow and as he tries to penetrate it a few more times, I gasp at what he’s holding.

Obsidian.

My breathing turns erratic at the sight of the stone. How did he get this? I freeze long enough for Casmir and Emrys to hear Ender snarl in frustration. They yell, running out of the vault toward the crazed male. The hollow of my chest sinks as the librarian smirks at me before swinging his blade, slicing Emrys’s arm.

“No!” All thought leaves me, and I absently block my bonds from moving forward. Deep-rooted heat and hatred simmer just under my skin, pushing me to Ender without a single care that he still holds the obsidian blade.

The one way he could actually kill me.

He sees me too late, twisting his hand to shove the stone through my ribs just as I grip his head and twist until his eyes meet the wall behind him. A nauseating crack scatters through the deafening noise of my racing heart. I waste no more time on the male as he drops heavily to the ground, instead turning my attention toward Em.

I step over the blade, reaching for my bond’s hand. “Are you okay? How badly did he hurt you?” I twist his arm until I see the cut and watch as it stitches itself up. Thank the fucking gods obsidian does not harm fae the way it does us.

“Me? I’m fine, Nell…what about you? What the fuck was that?” My eyes snap to his, the dark honey color instantly calming me.

“I—I don’t know,” I stammer, taking in a deep breath. “He said my mother tried to kill his king, but it didn’t work, so he was going to kill me to make his king happy. I’m guessing he meant Andras.”

“If he was planning to kill you, why did he only bring one knife? He must have known that wouldn’t work…” Casmir trails off, biting his cheek while he inspects Ender’s body. I say nothing and move to the side to let Niair and Teryn through.

“What is—Ender? Oh gods, what happened to him?” The older male crouches, checking to see if Ender is dead.

Cas begins to explain what happened, but I hear no words as my eyes catch what’s inside the vault. I stumble forward, feeling horrified by what these fae have kept secret for decades.

Rows upon rows of obsidian.

There are large boulders that look as if they’ve been chipped into. Knives and arrows tipped with the black stone. So many weapons. So much stone. More than enough to eradicate the gods.

“Oh my gods.” My throat tightens unbearably, my vision blurring at the edges. Xamira hisses next to me, growling as she bites deeply into my leg to pull me back—I don’t move.

I do not realize I’m trembling until something grabs my arm. I instinctively swing out, shoving the heel of my palm into the chest behind me and watch as the prince falls into his captain. My bonds look confused, Em opening his mouth to speak, but I shake my head to stop him.

My gaze slides to their parents, who stand just inside the vault with no questions in their eyes. They know what obsidian does to gods. They’ve been hiding it. They brought me down here knowing I would certainly react poorly.

“Why do you have this?” I demand, swinging my arm across the large room. I don’t give them a chance to answer before I’m screaming. “Why the fuck do you have this?” Teryn looks away, unable to face me. Niair’s brows furrow, as if he’s contemplating how to answer my question.

“Love,” Emrys tries to placate me, but I ignore him.

“Answer me, Niair.” I drop my voice, a deadly calm taking over me. If they are planning to use these against the gods, I will kill them right here. “Why. Do. You. Have. It?”

He swallows loudly, seeming uncomfortable with the amount of rage I’m directing his way. “Nell, it was not our intention to upset you. You must understand, we are just trying to help.”

“Trying to help? Are you fucking kidding me? Who would this help except Andras? What were you going to do with all of it?”

“Nell—”

“Shut the fuck up, Casmir.” I don’t look his way, but I know my words stung.

“These are from the first war. They’ve been kept here for centuries—protected—and they could be useful in this war. Not only could it kill Andras, but what if the demons are like you? What if they can be taken down with this stone, as well?” He has a small point. Small. But I’m focused on one word.

“Protected? You call that protection?” I look pointedly at Ender’s body, still folded over itself from when I snapped his neck. “Because to me it looks like you had Andras’s biggest fan guarding the one fucking thing that could easily kill every god in this war!” I scream at the two fae as they watch me with apologies written over their features. “What do you think Ender fucking did when none of you were looking?”

As angry as I am, I believe them. I do not think they had intended any of this, but that does not negate what has happened.

Without waiting for an answer, I storm from the vault, followed closely by my sorid. “Come.” Em and Cas reluctantly leave their parents, knowing what I said was not a request. They both attempt talking to me the entire way back to the castle, though my head is too fuzzy to process any words they say.

As we’re walking out of the tunnel that connects the mountain and the castle, I spot Leia as she turns a corner. “Leia.” She stops in front of me, waiting for me to speak instead of offering any of her usual, playful remarks. “Niair and Teryn need assistance on Level One. Find Ansa and Jorin—direct them to the library.” She nods once, turning back toward the direction she just came from.

I walk us to the front of the castle, quickly descending the stairs and make for the gate. Once we’re out in the open, I pause and close my eyes.

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