Page 6 of Battle of Evyndral

Who they did not run into were more of the dark fae. Thran assumed those they already encountered had been sent after Rhoan and Cassi. Since they were unsuccessful, they retreated to either inform Melisandra or hide from her fury. He figured either was a death sentence.

As the guardians neared Evyndral, the air became foggy. The closer they got, the thicker the smoke. Thran prayed it was dragons blasting fire down on the Und?nthú. The majestic forest which lay outside the city was being reduced to burned out cinders. The green was gone and in its wake were torched husks. The sound of metal meeting metal was faint, but the closer they came, the louder it was.

“Ready your weapons,” Thran called, and each guardian removed their swords from their sheaths. As they broke through the thick smoke, arrows flew their direction. If it weren’t forQueen Zarina’s protection, every one of them would have been killed. “Stand your ground, guardians.”

“Where are you going?” Dornak asked.

“To the castle.”

“Goddess be with you,” his friend called as Thran raced away.

Chapter 4

Elledan

Elle’s feet wereaching by the time they stopped. She trailed behind the wagons and horses but not far enough Grevolus couldn’t see her. The one time she stopped to rest, he threatened to kill her if she didn’t keep up. As much as she hated her home, Elle would give almost anything to be back in their small cottage where she could mix a potion to soak her feet in.

There were hundreds of dark fae gathered just outside the forest that led to Evyndral. Novus hadn’t returned, so she didn’t know if the raven had been successful in warning Yari and Thran. The wagons driven by the others were uncovered, and crates of arrows were being offloaded. Tovin climbed down from his carriage and shoved her aside. When he drew back the thick covering, he removed a bow and thrust it at her.

Grevolus approached, his dark eyes bearing down on her. “I know you’re practiced with a bow, and you will do your part in our efforts to take down the dragons.” The “or else” was implied.

Elle clasped the curved bow to her chest. It had been ten sun cycles since she’d held a weapon, but the wood was familiar. She backed up several feet so that she wasn’t in the way of Tovin removing his own crates. Asherah joined them. Instead of being given a bow, Grevolus motioned her forward to where several quivers were piled inside their wagon. If Elle had been allowed outside more often, she might have figured out what they were up to.

Asherah grabbed one of the ratty bags and tossed it to Elle. It was so poorly made she refused to call it a quiver. “Fill that with arrows. And don’t get any ideas in that stupid head of yours about using them on us. The arrows are spelled against Und?nthú, so even if you were to hit one of us, it wouldn’t kill us.”

Elle wondered if they would harm her considering she was only half dark. She didn’t want to find out. As she gathered arrows and placed them in the leather bag, she took in their basic design. There was nothing special about the tips that she could see. Then again, spell work wasn’t visible, as she well knew. Stepping away from their wagon, Elle held the bow with practiced ease and tugged the string. It was tighter than she was accustomed to but not insurmountable. Still, she pretended to struggle with the tension as Grevolus looked on.

While some filled their arrow bags, others withdrew swords from the multitude of wooden crates. The rebellion had to have been in the works for quite some time given the number of weapons. Bows had to be carved from trees. Swords had to be forged. The Und?nthú weren’t a wealthy race seeing as how Queen Melisandra kept most of the gold for herself, but maybe this was the reason for that. She held onto the riches to provide enough weaponry to go up against the royal family. The treaty had been in place for hundreds of sun cycles. So why now? And did the dark queen think she would be allowed to take their throne if the Und?nthú managed to overpower the dragons? Would the goddess not consider this battle an act of treason?

“Gather around,” one of the dark males called out, and everyone did as commanded. Elle remained at the back of the group, still within earshot. “Those of you with swords will fight the D?nthúlú. Those with bows will aim at the vermin. If they shift and take to the sky, you must bring them down before they get too far away. We cannot allow them to use their fire. Not allof us will live to see another moon, but it is our duty to Queen Melisandra, and she will richly reward those of us still alive at the end of the battle once we take over the castle and bring down Titus. Sword bearers will move out first. Let’s go.”

Both Grevolus and Tovin carried swords, while Asherah approached Elle, a dagger in hand. “Let’s go, girl.”

Ah, her stepmother had been given the duty of ensuring Elle didn’t run off. Elle threaded the strap of her arrow bag over her chest. It was cheaply made, the strap having no adjustment buckle. It had clearly been assembled for someone taller, and as she walked, it bounced against her back instead of hugging her tightly. Not being given proper gear would hinder her ability to remove an arrow in a timely manner. That was a shame, truly. Elle snorted quietly, but Asherah still heard her.

“Something funny, girl?”

“Just the shoddy workmanship of the arrow bags.” After living with the evil female for ten sun cycles, Elle learned early on to skirt the truth. She had abilities that had shown themselves over the many moons since she came to Winterhaven. Elle honed them during the night behind her closed door, often foregoing sleep to better her skills. If Grevolus found out what she was capable of, he would use Elle. She had bided her time, waiting for the perfect moment to escape, but it never presented itself. Her sleeping chamber window was sealed shut, and if she moved through the cottage while the others were in their beds, one of them would hear.

Maybe she could get lost during the battle. To do that, she would have to evade Asherah. Elle glanced at the dagger in her stepmother’s hand. Elle hadn’t practiced with one nearly as often as she wielded her bow, but she knew how to use one. Knew how to grip it in defense as well as using it to attack. The way Asherah held it loosely made it evident her skills weren’t on par with Elle’s. If she were to get away from the female,she could remove the glamour masking her true hair color. Her clothes might give her away as being with the Und?nthú, but if the others were fighting for their lives, hopefully, they wouldn’t notice she was dressed differently.

A mighty roar echoed through the land, and Elle shivered.Please, Goddess D?nthú, protect the dragons, my siblings, and the D?nthúlú fighting for the royal family.Elle never prayed to the goddess on her own behalf. She always made entreaties for others.

The forest thinned, and soon those wielding swords were embroiled in a fight. Asherah grabbed Elle’s arm, dragging her along a path Elle hadn’t noticed. “This way,” her stepmother commanded. She wasn’t the only archer skirting the fight. They continued along a trail leading up a hill with the other dark fae carrying bows. When they reached the summit, Elle gaped. Evyndral castle, although made of stone, gleamed in the pink hue of the sun. Several dragons circled high overhead. They couldn’t breathe fire upon the D?nthúlú without incinerating the light fae at the same time. For a lesser archer, it would be impossible to hit a dragon from that distance. For her, it would be as easy as breathing.

The archers spread out, nocking arrows against strings. Elle held her breath as arrows flew toward the great beasts, and released it when none hit their mark.

“What are you waiting for?” Asherah waved the dagger in Elle’s face. How easy it would be to take it from her, but there were too many witnesses. No, she would bide her time, and when the opportunity arose, Elle would take the weapon. Would she use it? To save the royals or her siblings? Absolutely.

Elle removed an arrow from her bag, fumbling while nocking it. When it was in place, Elle struggled with drawing the string back, displacing the arrow. She leaned over to pick it up,and when she stood upright, Asherah brandished the dagger in Elle’s face.

“Quit stalling. I know you’re adept with this weapon. It’s the reason Grevolus insisted he bring you into my home where I had to look at the evidence of his betrayal day in and out.” Asherah’s face was mottled red, and spit flew from her mouth with each word. Elle wiped her face on her shoulder, glaring back at the female. It wasn’t Elle’s fault Grevolus was a monster who took an innocent woman while pretending to be her mate. Had that been his plan all along? To produce an offspring with light fae abilities?

Elle readied an arrow while those around her loosed their own, never hitting their mark. Shouting from below caught her attention, and when she saw a familiar face among the ranks, her heart skipped a beat. Thran hadn’t changed a bit in looks, but his words made it clear he oversaw the guardians. Pride bloomed in her chest. Instead of aiming at the dragons in the sky, Elle turned toward the battlefield below. The Und?nthú outnumbered the light fae three to one. There were a few dragons in their bipedal forms fighting amongst the others, and it was those Elle focused on. Her arrow wouldn’t kill a dark fae, but it might distract them long enough for her brother to make the killing blow.

Elle took a breath, drew back the string, and released the arrow and air at the same time. It hit its mark, knocking the dark fae off his feet. The guardian next to him took aim with his sword, and blood sprayed from the downed fae’s neck.

“What are you doing?” Asherah screeched.

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