Page 33 of Vengeance and Fire

“Shut up! Let him die. I owe him nothing. Do you hear me, father? I OWE YOU NOTHING! She ruined everything when she came back. This was mine. All mine! Look at what I had to do to take it back. I’ll leave you now, Father. As you wish.” I can hear her retreat, my head is like a lead weight on my shoulders, holding it up is almost impossible. I strain against the chains binding me to the pole. My breathing slows as I listen to the chaos. I listen to the screams, and I pray that I’ve done enough. Cordelia will come—

The sound of roars and growls rends the air. The battlefield quiets for only a second. I manage to lift my head high enough to see Adrian charging through the clearing, his swords raised as he takes on two Fae, killing them instantly.Iron swords, yes, brilliant idea,I think to myself as massive Dire Wolves viciously attack whoever isn’t a Druid. Wave after wave of the cavalry is let loose on Maurelle’s army. I can hear her screams of outrage, but I ignore her. I save my last breath for her, and she doesn’t disappoint. Cordelia flies out of the portal on a golden Dragon. A massive golden Dragon! As soon as she’s clear of the portal it collapses. She jumps from the back of the Dragon and falls rapidly until she extends large black wings. I smile with pride when I see the sword I commissioned is in her hands. She looks like an avenging Valkyrie. I sigh. My smile fades, my eyes grow heavy, my breathing erratic and I know death is not far behind.

It has all come to pass, and I can find peace as I take my last breath.

* * *

TWYLA

I know the moment I feel my magic falter. How he managed to lend me his strength I have no idea, and the secret will go with him. Even with my mates around me feeding me their own power, there is no way I can hold a shield for this long. I should have known better. My father, beaten and broken, still protected his people through me until his last breaths.

Sweet relief flooded me moments ago when I saw Adrian, and then Torin on the back of a Dragon aiming for Thaddeus’s horde, who’ve been causing utter calamity around us. Lorian gasps in shock, and nothing surprises him, but when we see Dire Wolves barreling down our enemies, I allow myself to finally feel hope.

Then, I see her.

Nothing prepares me for the moment Cordelia flies through the portal on the back of a huge golden Dragon. How gracefully deadly she looked when she leapt from its back, falling, then gliding through the air with impressive black wings; I can’t contain my emotions. My daughter is here, and I am so proud of the woman she has become. Finally, she has claimed who she is and owns it like the queen she was meant to be. I sag against Pax, who catches me as my legs turn to jelly.

My magic is depleted. My father has breathed his last breath. I feel as if my soul is ripped in two. I feel hollow. My rage for what has happened here is building in my chest to fill the void. A keening sound followed by a sob is loud in my ears. Arms wrap around me tightly; words are softly spoken. I didn’t realize the cries of pain were from me.

Had I let him down? Should I have attempted to get to him? Maurelle be damned. I should have fought harder, pushed back harder. But if I had, then more Druids would have perished. My father always told me that our people mattered above all else. My decision to protect my people over my father will plague me for the rest of my life.

One person will pay for their betrayal of him and me. Vivyn. If I couldn’t save my father, then I will fulfill my promise to kill her and her mates. I push out of Pax’s arms, gripping the parapet wall and stand. Looking out over the battlefield I search for her, but she is nowhere to be found. I will find her, and when I do . . . retribution will be had!

“I need to get to my father,” I tell my mates, cutting off my own thoughts as I make a move to get past them.

“You are in no state to go down there,Fy Nghariad.”Gray steps out in front of me, blocking my way.

“Let me go, Gray. He’s out there alone. He’s been alone this entire time. He’s a King. We can’t leave him there. Not any longer.” I feel my emotions bubbling up to the surface, and I attempt to move the biggest mate I have out of my way. My magic doesn’t answer me when I call for it, and I know they are right. That doesn’t mean I want to listen.

“If you go down there now, you will die,” Lorian bites out behind me. “You want Cordelia to lose you too? You have nothing left, my love. We have nothing left to share. Do you think we want to sit the rest of this fight out when we are so close to the end?” He pauses and takes a shaky breath; I turn to look at my mates then. There are shadows under Lorian’s eyes. Pax looks paler than normal. Gray is barely standing. They’ve given me everything.

“It’s clear that Maurelle would relish the idea of ending you. Anything to get to her.” He points to the sky where Cordelia is raining down fire on Mages who are failing to knock her out of the sky. She flies as if she’d been doing it her whole life, and I can only imagine how hard she’s worked in a matter of days to get to this level. “You are weak. Maurelle would kill you for sport, then where would Celestia be? It would fall into Vivyn’s hands by blood right,” Pax says.

“You’d give her exactly what she’s wanted since you left thirty years ago. This is hard for all of us, but you need to sit this out. Let Cordelia do what she is meant to do.” Gray wraps his arms around me and pulls me into a comforting embrace against his chest. I’m unstable on my feet and he has to scoop me up in his arms.

“She shouldn’t have to do this alone.” I sob, feeling useless. My daughter is out there risking her life for my Realm. Not for Arcadia but Celestia. I should be out there fighting alongside her. She should be needing me, not me needing her.

“You don’t see what we see then, love. She has her mates, and Dragons and Shifters at her back. She is not alone. She’s a hybrid, Twyla. She is the best of both worlds. She is a fucking force.” Lorian runs his hand over my cheek, wiping away my tears as they endlessly fall down my face.

“You did that. She might not have known who or what she is, but you raised a strong, and independent woman. Now let her take care of you and your people. I have a feeling she will be doing it from now on.” Pax stands next to Gray. My mates surround me as we look out over at the scene before us.

“Cordelia!! It’s time to die! You have been a thorn in my side for too long!” Maurelle’s shrill cries send a chill down my spine. I watch and see almost in slow motion as Maurelle begins to light up, like a grenade about to detonate.

Suddenly white light surrounds us, blinding, cutting off the world and everything in it. I don’t know what happened as everything goes dark.

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

CORDELIA

Roars. Growls. Screams. A chaotic symphony playing out before me in dark haunting melodies. I feel alert, searching eagerly for a fight. My blood hums with anticipation. My Dragon wants out, but I decided to keep her in today. Hey, all that training didn’t need to go to waste, so Fae wings it is.

I fly through the air, trying not to look at the archaic torture device they have Maddox chained to. His body is limp, hanging there lifeless. He’s gone. I know it, but like everything else in my life right now, I table my emotions, and focus on what I can do.

Mages use the full force of their power and wind whips around me, catching my wings, causing me to sway in the air. I grit my teeth against the force. Sheathing my sword, I let my fire take over. I push my wings, climbing higher above the magically created turbulence. I take a moment to look for my mates and survey the field below.

Adrian is covered in blood. His sword work is impeccable as he takes on Fae sentries who are still attempting to get into the palace. His focus is singular. He’s like a machine as he swings both of his swords in tandem, one to block and the other to deliver a killing blow. Then he turns and does it all over again.

Black Dragons give chase to Gale’s Dragon, whose aerial maneuvering is unmatched. He picks up speed, twisting and turning, dipping low like a torpedo around the surrounding trees, and it’s then that the other inexperienced Dragons meet their demise. They don’t notice the Wolves lying in wait for them. Falyn leaps into the air, grabbing one of the Dragon’s wings, ripping him out of the sky. The beasts both roll, trees splintering and cracking as Falyn takes advantage of the momentum, plunging his sharp teeth into the neck of the Dragon, and tearing its throat out. It’s brutal, and the most vicious thing I’ve witnessed today, but it’s effective as Gale and Falyn work together to thin out the number of enemies flying through the air.

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