Page 246 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

“Clarissa,” the girl calls, her voice chilling as she tilts her head to one side and watches me with those dead eyes. All of a sudden, as if by some unspoken command, the forsaken who are fighting us step back, dropping their weapons, their bodies going completely still. Confused, my mates retreat, moving closer to me, their eyes landing on the girl as they assess her as the new threat.

The girl ignores them, her gaze locked on me, and I get the impression the queen is viewing me through her. “Come with me if you want me and my friends to survive, and come alone, or I’ll order for your friends to be killed.” The light, almost playful way it’s said doesn’t fit with the dreadful words that come from her mouth, and I want to scream.

“Don’t do it, she’ll kill us either way,” Eldrin snarls, gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly, I can see the whites of hisknuckles. He’s pacing in front of me, and I know he’s close to losing control.

A pulse of magic to my left makes me glance over at my mage. Grayson doesn’t look good, his face is ashen, his pupils are wide, and his magic seems to pulse around him. I’m pretty sure he’s close to going into euisa, and me leaving may be the final thing that causes him to lose the battle, pushing him over that line. Magicians in euisaare lethal. Feeling my gaze, he turns his attention to me. “If you go with her, we can’t protect you.”

I know this is a trap, I’m not naïve. This has all been devised by the queen to get me alone and away from my mates. However, I have the Mother behind me, and I have four mates who will fight until their last breath to get to me. She hasn’t factored in their loyalty because she doesn’t understand it, she’s never had that sort of devotion. She’s destroyed too many lives and ruined this land for too long. Something also tells me the king will be with her. Prince Rhydian’s new dark powers are too similar for it to be a coincidence. It’s all linked, and I intend to find out how. This ends today.

Stepping forward, I place my hands on Grayson’s and Eldrin’s arms, the two closest to me, glancing at each of them. “I have to end this. I have to try and save them,” I beseech, praying they understand. One way or another, the queen will find a way to force me to see her, and I would rather go on my terms. Fighting tears, I push them back and smile, meeting each of my mates’ eyes, memorising their faces in case this is the last time I’ll see them. “You’ll find me, you always do.” After repeating the words Vaeril said to me earlier today, I turn and step away from them and towards the girl. Eldrin growls and goes to move towards me, but I hold my hand up and shake my head. I don’t say anything else out loud, but via our bond, pouring my feelings for them through the connection. How they have brightened my whole life, that my existence didn’t have meaning before I metthem, and how they have helped me grow into who I am today. That I love them with every fiber of my being, and somehow, we will find a way to be together again.

I keep walking backwards as I bestow my love and gratitude to them, needing to keep them safe. I know they’ll try to rescue me, but I need to keep them safe from the queen if I can. When I reach the little girl’s side, the forsaken filling the square move, forming a wall, separating them from me. I have to turn away, not able to view the pained expression on Eldrin’s face any longer.

“Okay, I’m ready,” I tell the girl, my voice breaking.

She doesn’t say anything, just simply starts walking towards the forest. Taking a deep breath, I follow her. I just reach the treeline when a blast of magic rolls over me, and Grayson’s pained bellow tells me he’s lost the battle and fallen into euisa. That’s when I lose my own battle and the tears finally began rolling down my cheeks.

The tears have dried on my face, and my somber mask is back in place by the time we are deep in the forest. I allowed myself a few moments of weakness, but now I need to be strong.

The queen needn’t have sent the girl, since the darkness calling to me is enough to lead me to her without an escort. She sent her to be cruel, choosing someone she knew would cause the most pain.

We walk in silence, but I extend my awareness, connecting to the forest, and I’m shocked by what I find. It’s angry, no, not just angry, it’sfurious. The dark magic has been feeding off it for too long, killing both it and the denizens that make their homes there. The forest is excitedI’m here, wanting to lend me its strength to help rid it of the intruders who are destroying it. I feel a surge of energy and look down to see a trail of wildflowers and plants in my wake. Eyes wide, I glance up to see if the girl has noticed, but she’s still staring straight ahead.

Not now,I think, trying to portray how grateful I am in my urgency.Later, when I will need you the most,I plead, prayingit understands me. If the queen doesn’t know I have the forest on my side, then I’ll have an advantage. I can sense how much it wants its revenge, but I may still be able to save these forsaken. I still remember at the fight back in the mountains where I was almost able to push the queen from the body of one of the forsaken, and for a moment, he seemed to come back to himself. We always believed the forsaken were dead, but now I’m wondering if I can save them. Guilt plagues me. We’ve killed so many of them to get to this point, but I had to protect myself if I am to save anyone.

I try not to think as we walk and keep my mind focused on the task ahead, but it’s impossible. My mind starts to play tricks on me, thinking of all of the awful things the queen has planned for me, playing all of my doubts and faults over and over. That without my mates, I am nothing, simply a weak half-elf with no redeeming features. The goddess chose me by mistake. I’m an ex-slave, good for nothing but manual labour. What did I think I was doing, leading an army against someone like the queen? I would be lucky if she grants me a quick, painless death.

Beloved, guard your thoughts, the Mother whispers into my mind urgently, my wrist flashing brightly.These are not your own.

Stumbling to a halt, I realise she’s right. Darkness taints my thoughts and attempts to wrap around my mind. As soon as it realises I’m aware of its presence, it shrieks, bringing me to my knees. I clutch my head to try and stop the pain as it struggles to take hold. Desperately, I reach for my bonds, needing some light, some hope to fight the blackness. They respond instantly, each of them sending me their love and strength, steadying me against the onslaught. As the pain starts to fade, I begin to focus on exactly what it is they are sending me, and I realise each of them is sending me a memory. Tor sends the memory of me becoming a tribe member, Vaeril the first time we met in theunderground forge, Grayson the first time I said I loved him, and Eldrin the night we became mates.

Smiling through the pain, I give an almighty push and force the darkness from my mind. It leaves with another shriek, my body slumping to the ground in exhaustion, my breath coming in pants. My thoughts are my own again.Mother above, what was that?I curse, pushing myself into a sitting position and rubbing my temples.

“Come,” the girl calls, giving me no time to rest or recover.

Groaning, I glance up and find her watching me with flat, expressionless eyes. I climb to my feet, and it takes me a couple of seconds to gain my balance, the world spinning around me. Once I’m feeling steady, I nod and follow behind her.

We leave the main path, travelling deeper into the forest. I can’t be sure, but we seem to change directions, almost doubling back on ourselves. Just ahead, I see light breaking through the trees, and realise we’re heading to a clearing. We’re close to our destination, the cruel magic calling to me. Even if it wasn’t for that, the grass is turning black, creating a grim trail for me to follow. The tall, strong trees are suffering, their leaves wilting and turning shades of orange and brown as if it was autumn.

A figure blocks out the light, sending a wave of darkness rippling through the ground, and I know straightaway who is striding to meet me—Rhydian. Only he carries that pulsing feeling of unholy wrongness about him. The queen seems to absorb her power, and just looking at her, you wouldn’t know, whereas with Rhydian, it’s obvious. The dark magic oozes from his pours like his human body can’t contain it.

I have a thought then as the prince stops before me, smirking as he takes in my dishevelled appearance. What if the darkness that tried to capture my thoughts is what’s behind Rhydian’s new source of magic?

His soul was already so dark by the deeds he did for his own pleasure that when the darkness touched him, it was only a matter of time,the Mother explains, deep regret filling her as we stare at the prince.He did try to resist when he realised what was happening, but in the end, the darkness won.

“About time you showed up,” he drawls, his black eyes making me shudder as they linger on my body. It’s like he can sense where his magic marked my skin, the scar throbbing. Ignoring his comment, I hold my chin high, noticing the child has stepped to the side, watching with disinterest.

“I’m supposed to bring you before the queen,” he remarks when I don’t react, stalking towards me, his smile predatory. I hold my ground, tightening my grip on my staff until my knuckles turn white, but I refuse to move. Stopping just before me, he leans in close like he’s about to share a secret. “But before I do, I want you to kneel before me.”

Snarling, I slowly slide my free hand to the dagger at my waist. “Never.”

Rhydian’s features twist as his anger takes over, making him look monstrous as black, weblike veins appear across his face. “I said, kneel.” His demand is punctuated with a blast of magic that throws me back, but thanks to my training, I twist at the last minute, using the momentum to roll and spring back onto my feet. Adopting a defensive position, I raise my staff, deciding to leave my dagger in its sheath for now, leaving my other hand free.

“You really think you can fight me and win?” he sneers, lifting a hand as black tendrils of power start to wrap around his arm. “I have magic.”

As if to prove his point, he flicks his hand and several of those tendrils fling out. Using my fae instincts, I duck and spin but cry out as something strikes my leg, restraining me to the ground. As I look down, the forest seems to shake around us, bringing asmile to my face. Kneeling, I press my hands to the magic that’s tethering me as Rhydian looks around in confusion.

“You may have magic,” I bite out, wincing as my gift unwrites his spell. Rhydian turns his attention back to me with a frown, opening his mouth, but I beat him to it. “But I have the forest.”

---