Page 12 of Kings and Monsters

"No. Eli dealt with one, and I got the other. The queen must have felt the trap being disabled yesterday," Merlin said. "Stay with Arthur."

"This lass doesn't need my protection," Arthur's brogue mumbled from the ground.

"But you need hers, so just wait," Merlin snapped, and he hurried through the trees behind them.

Send more, you red-haired harpy. I fucking dare you.Rosa's grip on her sword tightened. She burned for revenge, and the few warriors weren't enough to satisfy her.

"Rosa, put down your sword. It's over," Eli's voice cut through the roaring in her mind. "Calm down, little one. Your magic is spewing out everywhere. Easy." His emerald eyes locked with hers, and the buzzing calmed.

Rosa sheathedGaeaf Storomas she began to shake. Eli took her hand, and the roaring in her head died away.

"There we go. Just breathe," he soothed. Rosa gagged but managed to keep her breakfast down.

"What…the…" she stammered.

"You forgot that magic is stronger here, especially when you use the sword. It will take some getting used to again," Eli explained.

"Seeing you use it makes me wish the queen had sent a few more," Eirianwen smiled. Rosa tried to hide her surprise at the unlooked-for compliment.

"Can I get up now?" Arthur asked uncertainly.

Rosa held out a hand and helped him to his feet. "Sorry for pushing you down so hard."

"You saved my ass, so I'll happily live with a few bruises. But Rosa, what is an Outlander?"

Rosa burst out laughing before she could hold it in.

"Oh, she can tell you the tale of the great warrior, Jamie Fraser," Merlin said as he rejoined them. "All right there, Rhosyn?"

"Peachy," she said, carefully keeping a hold of Eli's hand. "Find anything?"

"No, but I have a bad feeling, like slime on my skin. I can smell old corpses coming from over the next hill."

"I'll scout it. Stay here," Eirianwen said and started to walk away.

"Wewill go together," Eli interrupted and let go of Rosa's hand. The stabilizing effect on her magic vanished, and she wobbled, only just managing to stay upright.

"Nice bit of work on those trees," Merlin commented to Rosa with a raised eyebrow. Small pieces of Seelie still marked the winter branches.

"I got the idea from my cousin," she replied, and they shared a dark grin.

"Christ, help us, there's two of them," Arthur muttered. "No wonder I woke up. How will the world handle two magical Wylts?" They were still joking when Rosa felt an insistent tug.

"Eli wants us. They must have found something," she said.

"It's creepy how he can do that," Merlin muttered.

Merlin led them up the next hill and through the stripped trees beyond it. Eli and Eirianwen stood grim-faced while they waited for them.

"What is it?" Rosa asked Eli. Something swayed in the corner of her eye, knocking together in gruesome music. Bodies. There was a whole forest of them, stripped and hanging up in the trees, some with heads or limbs removed. All had been tortured with cuts and burns still visible in their rotting flesh. All of them were Unseelie, and they were missing their hearts.

"What kind of creature would do something like this?" Arthur asked, staring up at them in grim-faced horror.

"This wasn't a creature. It was the queen's men," Eirianwen spat. "They must have been suspected of being rebels. This is a warning to those who disobey."

Rosa looked back to Eli. He was vibrating with anger and rising power. Rosa took a step towards him before strong hands gripped her, and Merlin dragged her backward. He pulled her to the ground and covered her with his body as magic exploded through the trees. Sparkling midnight rolled out of Eli as the safeguards and shields of his true power finally shattered.

The corpses in the trees swayed as a storm of wind and black ravens filled the sky, landing and covering them with their iridescent wings. When they took to the air again, the bodies had disappeared.

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