Page 244 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

They’re everywhere. We wouldn’t have stood a chance. The wave takes out most of them, dragging them into the water and pulling down the buildings closest to the river’s edge. My heart breaks a little at the destruction of a city that meant so much to me, but buildings can be rebuilt. There’s no point in having a pristine city if there’s no one left to live in it.

The numbers of forsaken—the overall loss of life the queen has inflicted upon her own people is mind-boggling. Tears sting my eyes as I watch the city being destroyed by the wall of waterand bodies being dragged into the angry, churning river before being pulled out to sea.

The kelpie jerks her head back, pulling at my awareness.This is where we part, beloved.Her creepy voice echoes in my mind, projecting an image of a bridge, and I realise what she wants me to do. Looking up, I see the bridge just ahead of us. It’s somehow miraculously survived the initial wave, the swollen river just barely passing beneath it.

Pulling my knees up onto the creature’s back, I cling onto her mane as I desperately try to maintain my balance before pushing up onto my feet. In this crouched position, I can just barely hold on, but as soon as I stand, I’ll have to rely on my balance alone, so I have to time this perfectly. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I focus on the rapidly approaching bridge and slowly push to standing, extending my arms for balance. The kelpie beneath me swims smoothly, but the water is choppy and the wind blows fiercely. Just as we reach the shadow of the bridge, I push from the creature’s back with all my might, my fae strength helping me to leap up onto the bridge. I stumble as I land, falling to my knees, but I ignore the sting of the pain, too busy watching as the first wave hits the palace.

The water slams into it like a wall, running up the front of it and over the top to the sea on the other side. The sound is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before, the ground rumbling with the force of the liquid. The east wing of the palace is instantly demolished, the huge chunks of white stone being washed away with the wave.

A piercing neigh pulls me from my desolation. Pushing up from where I fell, I run to the other side of the bridge and see the kelpie’s glowing amber eyes squinting up at me, reminding me I still have a job to do. I jerk my head in a nod, and she just snorts and dives into the water, only to jump out farther down and dragan unsuspecting forsaken, who happens to be too close to the river, into the water.

Looking at the destruction around me, I feel overwhelmed, and I have no idea where to start. My body feels exhausted and shaky, but I know I’ve still got a long way to go yet. Reaching for my bonds, I take strength from the stability of my mates and their passionate love.Find the others,I tell myself.Get to them, find the queen.

I pull the dagger from the small holster at my waist. I can’t wait until I meet with the others and can get my staff. I hadn’t planned to be separated from Vaeril or to ride into the city on the back of a kelpie, so I feel woefully unprepared. I just have to hope the army is quick and that most of the forsaken were taken out by the wave.

Scanning around me, I hurry across the bridge and into the city. It’s eerily quiet, other than the sound of the river. In fact, it’s too quiet. Following the tug in my chest, I sprint past the damaged buildings, not seeing a soul until I slam into a hard chest. I’m instantly enveloped in Vaeril’s scent and a sense of calm settles over me. He nuzzles his face into my hair as I press myself against him and listen to his pounding heart.

“I was terrified,” he whispers into my hair before pulling back and capturing my face between his hands. “When I saw my mate, my strong, powerful mate, riding on the back of a kelpie…” He trails off, a mix of lust and fear crossing his features as he relives the moment. Grinning, I lean up and pull him in for a kiss, showing him exactly what he means to me.

“You found me,” I whisper against his lips.

“Always.” He’s smiling now, the smile I love so much that he reserves just for me.

I hate to break the mood, but with a sigh, I pull back and glance around. Seeing no one, I frown. We just stormed an enemy city, and they knew we were coming. Sure, wewashed many of them away, but they should have mounted a counterattack by now, yet it’s too quiet. “Did you see any forsaken?”

“No.” He frowns as he realises the same thing I have. “Perhaps the wave took care of them all?” I can tell he thinks it’s strange too, his eyes scanning the nearby buildings as he holds me close, searching for any threat.

I can’t suppress my shudder any longer as I look up and meet his gaze. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

Frowning, he nods, rubbing my arms comfortingly. “Let’s meet with the rest of the army, they will be coming in at the other side of the city.” He steps back and offers me his hand. Threading our fingers together, he gestures towards the far side of the city, and we begin running.

Vaeril and I run through the city in the direction we know the army will be marching towards. We only come across one forsaken, which Vaeril quickly dispatches, lighting a small fire to burn the corpse. The longer we go without seeing any others, the more I get the feeling we’re missing something. As we get closer, I smell smoke and can see several pillars of it rising into the sky.

Eldrin finds us first, with Tor close behind him. They both envelop me in their arms, those missing pieces of me returned, and the tightness in my chest eases as my bonds hum with happiness. Eldrin stiffens at having the tribesman touch him, but he’s not willing to let go of me, so he just grunts and puts up with it. I know I won’t feel completely whole until I see Grayson, but it’s more difficult for him, and I can feel his need to be with me through our bond.

Tor releases me, running his hand over my hair, his eyes shining with affection. “We saw you.” A grin spreads across his face, pride shining like a beacon through our connection. “You were magnificent.”

Eldrin grumbles, his arms still tightly around me, his hand capturing my chin and gently guiding my face so I’m looking up at him. “Kelpies are dangerous creatures.” His lips are set in a frown, but I feel the remnants of his fear like an echo. “I nearly lost my mind when I saw you.” His voice breaks, betraying his feelings.

Melting in his arms, I stretch up on tiptoe and press my lips to his. “I’m fine, I’m here,” I whisper, running my hand over his chest until his heart rate begins to slow. Now that I’m sure he’s calm, I give him a final kiss and step back, looking between him and Tor. Vaeril and I need to know what happened with the army while I was with the kelpies and making our way through the city, and since they were in the thick of it, they are the best people to ask. “Can you update me on what happened?”

“There have been a few skirmishes with the forsaken, but it looks like your wave took out most of them,” Tor informs us casually, his arms crossed over his chest, but the whole time we’ve been here, he’s been scanning the area for any threats.

Eldrin grunts a low laugh. “You were right, you saved us.”

I should be happy, but his words only make me frown. “And the queen? The king?”

Picking up on my discomfort, Eldrin’s expression changes, becoming more alert. “We’ve not found them yet.” His eyes start searching the area like he suddenly expects them to jump from one of the buildings. “We’re combing the city for them now.”

I just can’t shake the feeling something is wrong, that we’re missing something. Why isn’t the queen here to watch our demise? This has been too easy. “Something isn’t right about all this,” I mutter, my skin tingling as I speak, and the atmosphere becomes tense as my mates react to my statement, instinctively moving closer to protect me. Blowing out a shaky breath, I rub at the ache in my chest, needing to be with my mage. “Is Graysonokay?” I ask no one in particular, but Tor nods and gestures for me to follow him.

“I’ll take you to him.”

When I reach him, he extends his arm and tucks me against his side as we walk through the city. We make it to a town square, and I see the army has set up a base. The square seems to have escaped any major destruction, seeming only to have cosmetic damage, thanks to being surrounded by buildings on all sides. With a sick sense of pleasure, I notice the statue of the queen in the center of the fountain has been destroyed by the wave.

A large fire burns in one corner of the square, and as I watch, several tribesmen drag a still twitching beheaded forsaken towards it, throwing the body into the flames. Standing on the other side of the fire and watching the burning bodies are the war leaders. As soon as my eyes land on Grayson, my heart lightens, and as if he senses it, his head rises and instantly turns to where we’re entering the square. He’s the first to see us, his face lighting up as he makes his way over to me, his movements alerting the others to our arrival.

He touches my cheek with the back of his hand, his eyes telling me how he wants to do so much more, but my mage is more reserved than my other mates. Through the bond, though, it’s a different story. His heart sores at seeing me safe, and he mourns what I had to do for our cause. He is in awe of my strength and bravery, and was terrified for my safety, wishing he wasn’t so tied to his role as a high mage. I’m blown away by the overwhelming wave of sensations, and he seems to sense this, pulling back with an apologetic smile.

---