Page 16 of The Sacred and the Tormented

An hour passed, dragging by so slowly, it was as if time himself were mocking them. Some relaxed and leaned against the wooden railing, while others kept their eyes glued to the outskirts.

Another hour drifted by. Arianna slid down the wall and watched over and over as frost coated her hands, only to melt away again.

Rion never moved.

He was like a statue. A guardian that stood vigil over the village below.

Something shifted. She couldn’t explain exactly what. It was in the air. Like the tense moments before a thunderstorm.

Arianna hardly dared to breathe, straining to listen.

Silence.

Silence.

There.

The sound was so faint at first. Nothing more than the rustling of grass in the wind.

Arianna stood and focused on the horizon once again.

They drew closer, but a strange noise kept repeating itself, over and over. She heard the wind shift, moving rapidly. Beating.

Her heart plummeted. Warriors around her shifted uneasily on their feet.

Wings. Massive bat-like wings were moving against the dark sky, heading straight for them. Arianna glanced sidelong at Rion, but if he were worried, he showed no signs of it. No increased heartbeat. No shift in stance. Just a general assessing the threat before him.

Arianna waited, counting the seconds until their bodies came into view.

Humanoid. Somewhat at least. The color of their skin was off, as if they’d been dipped in dark paint or oil. Claws extended from their fingers and bird-like talons curled from where their toes should have been.

The Dark Fae moving along the ground were slower, though from the sound of thunderous feet, she could tell theywere itching to catch up to their airborne brethren. Likely so they wouldn’t miss a meal.

Arianna shuddered and watched their advance. They weren’t veering away, which either meant they could smell them or Niall had somehow commanded the vile creatures to do his bidding.

Heartbeats spiked and pressure built in the air, magic ready to unleash itself into the world. She clenched her own fists, feeling the beast writhe beneath her skin.

“Steady,” Rion’s deep voice commanded those around him. It settled her somehow. It settled the others too.

He was a general, she reminded herself. This was his element. He’d been fighting a war for a decade before she’d come along. He’d know the best time to strike, her only job was to wait and follow his orders.

Arianna drew her sword and others around her adjusted their grip, all ready to fight and die at their queen’s side.

She looked down the wall to see Talon, weapon in hand, frost already coating his blade. He turned to meet her gaze and gave a subtle nod. He’d fought in the recent war too.

They could do this. They’d survive the night and show Niall just how powerful they could be if they stood together.

Her magic pushed against its invisible cage, begging for freedom. It promised destruction on the Dark Fae closing in and on any who dared to threaten her mate.

Arianna took a deep breath and steadied it, coaxing the creature to wait just a little longer.

Rion’s magic stirred at their feet then, rising up from behind as small grains swept over the wooden structure. It brushed against her skin, but she didn’t flinch away. The creature within her kept the fear at bay.

Somehow Rion knew it too. His magic rose higher, circling their bodies with pebbles and grains, like a serpent ready to protect its den.

The wingbeats drew closer. Arianna swallowed against the dryness in her throat. They’d face a fight to the death today. The Dark Fae had swept through other villages without much resistance, devouring everything in their path.

Not tonight.

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