Page 68 of Kings and Monsters

"Long live the queen," he declared, tying the grisly trophy to the pommel of his saddle

The silence shattered, and the earth trembled under them. Seelie fae swarmed from the gates of the Court, smoke billowing out behind them. The armies exploded into chaos, and the Seelie knights charged.

Bleddyn didn't seem to notice. He watched Aeronwen's body disintegrate to ash before he summoned a wind to scatter her. There was a roar from the beast that was Balthasar.

"The magic should've broken with Aeronwen's death! I don't understand—" Rosa said to Bleddyn.

"We will find the answer once this is done," he answered, drawingWidow's Fury."If we stay here, we will get crushed." There was a whistle from the Court, and Rosa spotted Merlin emerging with Arthur, Nimue, and Daesyn.

"Bleddyn, we need to stop this!" Rosa shouted. "If we don't, everyone will die." Her cries were smothered by the roar of the battle as centuries of hatred and frustration boiled over, and the armies clashed again and again.

Inside, Rosa was being torn apart. As queen of the Seelie she could feel the collective pain and anguish as they were cut down. As a Seren Du she felt all of her allegiance to the Unseelie.

"Stop, please…" she whimpered, magic pouring through her.

There had to be a way to stop it. Her power surrounded her in a quiet bubble, the roar of the blood-splattered world murmuring to a silent hush. She dropped to her knees and buried her hands in the earth.

Enough! She commanded with magic and will. The ground ripped open, a wall of earth, rock and dirt rose up between the armies, separating Seelie and Unseelie lines. Gwyn's horn called out to the Hunt who stopped their attack at once. Rosa was vaguely aware of Merlin's blood-streaked face hovering in front of her.

"You need to let it go, Rhosyn! Don't get lost in it. Come back, little one," he said, taking her face with his hands. The world called out to her, but Merlin's eyes pulled her from the rush of power drowning her. "Breathe, Rhosyn. Breathe." Smoke-tinged air sucked down into her lungs, and she coughed.

"Burn everything, did you?" she asked.

"I may have gotten carried away," Merlin admitted, and they both gave an exhausted laugh. Rosa sheathedGaeaf Storom,and the buzzing in her head cleared until only one thought occupied her.

"Where is Balthasar?"

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Merlin tried to keep Rosa calm as he sent her off to talk peace with Bleddyn and their armies, promising he would find Balthasar for her.

Please let him be back in his old body, he prayed and climbed over earthen walls that Rosa had erected between the armies. He hadn't seen Rosa lose control in such a way since they had trained at Gwaed Lyn. He couldn't deny its effectiveness; the blood hungry warriors could do nothing but beat against rock walls and wear themselves out.

"Remind me never to piss off Rosa, or I might end up in another tomb," Arthur said beside him.

"She wanted to kill the queen. She didn't want a battle and for others to die," Merlin replied, his eyes flicking to Nimue to make sure she was still close. She gave him a small smile of reassurance before turning back to searching the mess around them.

"Merlin Wylt," a voice called up to him. Gwyn ap Nudd was smeared with Seelie blood, the queen's grisly head still dripping from his saddle.

"Lord Gwyn, what can I do for you?" he asked, doing his best to be polite.

"My Hunt has found the beast and is holding him in the southern quarter. I will find my Queen Rosa and meet you there." The command in his voice irked Merlin no end, but he still smiled through gritted teeth.

"My Queen Rosa?" Nimue whispered once the Lord of the Hunt had ridden on.

"He has a crush," Merlin muttered.

"What happened when I was in that pit?" Nimue's blue eyes turned cool. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"

"Actually, my love, Rosa created that madness all on her own." Merlin climbed down the wall and held his hands up for her. "We have to get Rosa and Balthasar back to Gwaed Lyn and away from Gwyn before he can get any more attached than what he already is."

There was no effort required to find where Balthasar was being kept under control. The Hunt had created a protective circle about him and whatever magic Gwyn had on animals was keeping him calm.

"Why didn't he change back when the queen died?" Nimue wondered, drawing closer to Merlin. "I don't understand. It was her magic that changed him."

"Neither do I, and I am too exhausted to think," Merlin said. He watched the beast that was Balthasar lie bleeding on the grass. He was alive, in a fashion, and that meant Rosa was safe from Gwyn. It still felt like a hollow victory. There was stirring amongst the riders of the Hunt that signaled the arrival of Gwyn, Rosa sitting behind him in the saddle.

"Thank you for finding him," Rosa said. Arthur stepped forward and helped her down from the horse before Gwyn could. "At least he is calmer."

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