Page 97 of Chaos Tempted

I growl and then feel the healing energies I mirror from Oakes surge through my body. I open my palm, and Lalo hops down into it trustingly. I don’t know if I will be able to wield the healing energy for anyone other than my mates, but I have to try.

Lalo’s eyes widen when she feels the magic mending her wing and healing her aching, bruised body. “How?” she asks.

“A gift from my bond with Oakes.” I shrug, not mentioning specifically that it’s mirror magic that I possess. “But do not tell anyone else I can do this.”

“I won’t.” Lalo tests her mended wing and grins. “Thank you!”

Ever the strategist, Jaden shifts the topic back to the issue at hand. “Lalo, how many soldiers?”

“Twelve, that I could see. Turgon is with them.” Lalo wrings her tiny hands. “Should I ask the forest creatures to attack?”

“No.” Eldrin shakes his head. “I don’t want any of you to get hurt. I’m going to see if I can talk us out of the situation.”

“But if they attack us, send your friends in,” Jaden says to Lalo, “ProtectWyn.”

I don’t like that I’m their primary concern when so much is at stake. I sense Eldrin hopes our situation won’t lead to endangering Elfhame’s creatures. But I’m glad Jaden asked for their help if we can’t get away from Turgon’s soldiers.

Then I’m overwhelmed with our combined fear that no one will be safe if we don’t stop the war immediately.

“I will protect all of you, especially Wynstelle,” Lalo vows with a fierceness that belies her size. She halts just before she is about to take flight and turns to ask, “Your bonds returned?”

“Yes.” I smile. “Thank you for your help.”

Lalo nods and retreats to watch Turgon’s arrival from a distance.

A few moments later, Commander Turgon and his soldiers emerge from the forest and into the faerie circle. He looks around in disgust at the little ones’ sacred spot.

I grit my teeth. I don’t want Turgon’s hatred to desecrate the faerie ring. Then my eyes catch sight of a dozen soldiers attempting to surround us, all creeping in from the forest toflush us back into the open space of the faerie ring. We crouch down further to avoid detection.

One soldier comes forward into the circle, dragging a disheveled and limp Merlara with him. He dumps her inert body onto the ground.

From where I crouch at the circle’s edge, I can’t tell if my former keeper is dead or unconscious.

I lurch forward to help her, but Jaden holds me back by pulling me to his chest. I turn to look at him and realize it isn’t a smart move to get snatched up by a soldier. We need to see if Eldrin’s influencer magic can make Turgon call off the war that’s already begun.

“She’s breathing,” Jaden whispers in my ear.

“Prince Eldrin, don’t do anything rash,” Turgon threatens, loud enough for us to hear clearly. “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to the human’s keeper.” Turgon narrows his eyes in the direction of where we hide amongst the foliage. “I should have guessed you would sniff each other out. Especially with that mortal’sstench.”

Jaden tightens his grip on my arm. Anger bubbles up inside all of my mates. Turgon understands how to antagonize them.

Since it’s obvious Turgon knows precisely where we are hidden, Eldrin stands and crosses his muscular arms across his chest. “It seems your report concerning the fates of my mate and my advisors were untrue.”

Turgon shrugs. “For now.”

“So you intend to kill them?” Eldrin asks with an almost casual voice.

I sense Eldrin is trying to remain calm so that he can call upon his power, but fear and anger are brewing underneath.

“DoI?No, no, no.” Turgon chuckles dismissively. He moves closer and whispers, “I don’t need to do a thing other than send them back through the portal. Now that the mortal king has beenfully incited into a wrathful rage, I don’t think they will survive another encounter with him. And we can blame their deaths upon the humans.”

“That was why you kept me locked away, so you could claim that I died,” Eldrin muses, more to himself than to Turgon.

“Yes. But having you lead a battle into the mortal realm will be a better ending for you.”

“You don’t expect me to survive a battle?” Eldrin flinches at the insult.

“While Jaden is quite proficient with a weapon, he has been soft at training you.” Turgon appears to become bigger, more threatening.

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