Page 243 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

Together, we jog towards the river. The great river is huge and branches off into several smaller channels, and this is the one that feeds Galandell. As we reach the riverbank, I watch as the water lazily passes by, the flow controlled by the damn just down the waterway. If I close my eyes, I can hear the roar of the water being let through.

My hands begin to shake with the monumental realisation of what I’m about to do.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I get the sense I’m being watched. Glancing up the river, I see a set of glowing amber eyes and black pointed ears. I give Vaeril a pointed look. I hope he has the sense to stay back as I walk down the sandy riverbank, never taking my eyes off the furious yellow orbs.

“I’m here to fulfil a deal.” My voice seems to echo out across the water, and several more sets of eyes appear, making me gulp. I had no idea there were so many of them in this part of the river. The first kelpie, the one that is closest to me, starts to rise from the water. I get the impression this one is female as she glides towards me, only her upper body visible.

When Vaeril and I escaped, he was poisoned and needed a weed to survive, a weed that was found at the bottom of the kelpies’ lake. The kelpies there agreed to help me, although I’m still not sure why. In return, I promised I would try to break a spell on a dam that was separating them from their family—the dam that protects Galandell. When I break the spell, it will break the dam, allowing the water to crash through the city. It will destroy much of Galandell, and hopefully, take out many of the forsaken. The palace is built over the river and on the edge of a cliff, so who knows what the force of all that water will do. I’m about to be behind a lot of destruction, am I really any better than the queen?

Taking a deep breath, I meet the kelpie and bow my head in respect, never taking my eyes from her. There’s a pause, then she bows her large head in return. Rising farther from the water, she moves closer, and I have to hold my ground, fighting the fear she evokes in me. She’s towering above me now, her dark, rippling form huge compared to mine. When she lowers her head, I realise what she wants. I press my hand against her cold muzzle and gasp at the images that flash in my mind.

The girl who was promised has arrived. Finally. The goddess guaranteed she would one day come back to this land,and when she did, she would come in an unlikely form—in the shape of a girl.

Our anger and hunger is infinite, unending, but for her, we will follow.

She stands at the edge of our home, our prison. The dam may be a physical wall stopping us from going to sea, but no wall has ever stopped us before. No, this is a magical dam. Like a bubble, it completely surrounds us on all sides, separating us from our family upstream.

The elf queen wanted to keep us out, but she unwittingly trapped us here. She created an enemy of us that day.

With a gasp, I’m released from the kelpie’s dark mind, and I stumble back a few steps, my legs weak from the pure hatred that oozes from the creature. Vaeril is instantly at my side, ignoring my warning about approaching the river, but thankfully, the kelpie merely narrows her eyes and doesn’t attack.

“The dam’s magic is like a bubble, trapping them from both sides,” I explain between breaths, frowning as I wonder if it changes my plan at all. Before I have the chance to overthink, the kelpie begins to sink into the water and turns so her back is exposed. Turning her head to look at me, she gestures, and I realise what she wants. She wants me to ride her. Gulping and praying I’m not making a horrible mistake, I start to walk towards the kelpie.

Vaeril grabs my hand, stopping me in my tracks. “Clarissa, no!” His tone is panicked as he looks between me and the creature who is now glaring at my mate. “This is how they kill their victims.”

“They won’t kill me,” I say with sudden surety, my mark glowing on my wrist. “They’ve been waiting for me to free them.” I cup his cheek like he does with me before leaning in and pressing a kiss to his lips. “Trust me.”

Staring into my eyes, he nods. He steps back, walks up to the kelpie, and to my surprise, bows at the waist. “Take care of her, please.”

The kelpie stills for a second, and I get the impression she’s as surprised as I am by the high elf’s show of respect. When Vaeril straightens, the kelpie dips her head in a quick nod.

Without wasting any more time, I climb onto the kelpie’s back, ignoring the water soaking into my battle leggings. I grip her shimmering mane and hold on tightly, yelping as the creature surges forward. Looking to the side, I see Vaeril running at full speed on the riverbank, his figure a blur. I can’t believe how fast we’re moving, and for a few minutes, I let myself forget about what we’re about to face and what I’m going to do, just enjoying the sensation of flying through the water.

The dam appears ahead of us. The structure itself is simple, and above the water, it just looks like a white stone bridge. However, I can feel the magic from here, like a tingling against my skin. The kelpie stiffens as we get closer, and I get the impression the magic is causing her pain. Wincing, I place my hand against her neck, leaning closer to her ear to speak.

“I’m sorry, I need to touch the wall to break the magic.”

She simply surges ahead, making no acknowledgement she heard me. As we reach the wall, the creature turns us side-on, and I take a deep breath. This is going to hurt. “I might pass out when the magic breaks. Please don’t let me drown.” I say it with a smile in my tone, not believing she would let that happen, but I still felt the need to voice my concern. The kelpie makes a grunting noise, and I get the impression she’s laughing at me.

Blowing out a breath, I raise both hands and place them against the wall. The effect is instant, the magic in the wall sucking at my strength as my gift tries to break it. This spell is huge. I knew it was going to be large, but I hadn’t taken it being a bubble and just how much more magic that would need tobreak into account. With dawning comprehension, I realise I’m not strong enough to handle that much magic. The pain quickly moves from my hands to the rest of my body, and my back arches, setting me into spasms. I need my mates. Why was I so foolish to think I could do this alone?

You are never alone, my beloved,the Mother whispers into my mind, lending me her strength and soothing my pain. Now that my pain has eased, an idea comes to me. The magic is like a bubble. I may not be strong enough to break the whole spell, but if I can unwrite enough of it, can I pop it? Stretching my awareness, I search for any weak spots, and after a few moments, I am rewarded. I focus all of my will and strength on that one spot, praying it’s enough.

A loud crack is the first indication that it’s working. I want to shout out my victory, but we’re not done yet, so I keep going. All of a sudden, my concentration is broken when the kelpie jerks me away from the wall, racing with all her speed up the river as I cling on with all my might. I’m a combination of emotions—excitement, fear, and trepidation. I’m destroying a city, the home of so many elves, yet the forsaken will obliterate us if I don’t do something about it.

Banging and roaring sounds behind us. We did it.

The kelpie stops and turns us in the water in time to see the dam fall. Dust and water billow into the air as the river drops and we start to get dragged towards the gaping hole I just created. Horror makes my blood run cold.

“No, take me to the shore!” I shout, desperate to be heard above the noise of the water and falling stone. The kelpie rises from the water, throwing her head back with a piercing shriek. Other kelpies rise from the water around us, the air shimmering with something that feels like…hope. Turning her head, the kelpie pushes a thought into my mind.

I won’t let you drown, beloved. Hold on tight.There is dark humour in her thoughts, but I trust her not to go back on her word. Leaning forward, I wrap my arms around her neck just in time as she rears back, her front legs coming out of the water as she neighs her triumph.

Leading the charge, she dashes towards the gap in the dam, and I can’t hold back my scream as we leap over the vertical edge—except we aren’t falling. They are literally running down the water. A flash catches my eye, and I see Vaeril racing along the cliff’s edge, trying to keep up. He’s fast, but not as fast as us.

We’ve almost caught up with the initial wave now. It’s huge, I just have to pray that the meeting place I arranged for our army is high enough so they are safe from the destruction of the flood. Riding through the valley, we round the corner, and I spot the ridge with the army waiting on it. Beyond that, in the bottom of the valley, are the city and the palace. Our army sees the wave first, then they spot me atop the kelpie and start cheering, waving their swords and shields as I speed past them.

The kelpie I’m on pulls back from the others, and I realise that’s because she carries me. The others race forward, surging with the waves, jumping and crashing through the spray. As we continue through the valley, we enter the city, and I begin to see the forsaken.

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