Page 153 of Fate and Flame
“I’m fine,” she said again.
Gaea stretched her arms above her head, twisted back and forth, then held her hand out, and we all reached in. Again, we were standing in the middle of Autus’ war camp. It smelled of stewed meats and the sharp bite of oil as their weapons were cared for by several smiths in a nearby makeshift hut. I decided we would move side to side instead of walking all the way to the back of the crowd. It was more dangerous, but we were careful, avoiding the beasts the best we could. The humans played their parts; though as the night wore on, more of them began to move into the tents to sleep. Tents guarded by sentries posted inside and outside of them. Tents we couldn’t open. We had to stand outside and wait for someone else to do it.
We moved seamlessly into one that had the doors tied back. It was packed full of humans. So many, there wasn’t floor space for them to all lay. Most stood. A single guard at the front watched outside of the open door as we crept along the side of the tent until we were at the very back. And then we began. One by one, a wave of mental clarity fell over the occupants. Wren directed a few, informing them of the plan. One of the females fell to her knees and cried.
That was the first time I thought we might be discovered. But the others blocked her from view and were cautious. Humans were brave and smart. But if they weren’t, they would die, and I think everyone was beginning to realize that. I’d seen several of the larger males walking mindlessly into the tent, past the guard, and slink to the back of the room whispering a bit too frantically. Any wrong move and they would be discovered. We would be safe, but they wouldn’t be.
The faint light pouring in from the final rays of the day was abruptly shadowed by a beastly guard with horns of a demon. Shoving a human to the side, he scanned the packed crowd. Searching. Our group froze, holding our breath. Eventually, he mumbled to the other guard and stepped out. We edged forward. I placed my hand on a human’s head and felt his fever. I cured his dehydration, along with the damage to his mind from Autus. There were so many of them becoming sick becuase Alewyn had not been kind to them. And they were stuck here now. The Hunt was gone forever, and with it, the ability to leave the world. Another guard stormed into the tent, and we had to give up our mission and spirit out before we were discovered.
Still within the confinements of the war camp, we decided to concentrate on the outside humans for a while, but eventually, as they went in for shelter, we had to move back into the tents. Which again meant we had to stand outside and wait until the door was opened so we could slip in. We successfully finished two tents and waited outside a third, slightly closer to the centaurs.
The door opened, a guard stepped out, and I pulled the team inside. Shock alone caused me to falter.
“Hello, my love,” Autus said and lurched forward, grabbing Nadra by her hair. He yanked her away from our grasp, and she dropped the rope.
I pulled the sword from my back, and two guards swung wildly through the air, unable to see us as the king had. I felt a hand grab me, and I knew it was Gaea, so I lurched forward, ripping myself free. As she screamed for me, I dropped the rope, and the circle of guards in the room ran for me, creating a wall between me and Nadra as the king pulled her backward.
“No!” I yelled.
Her panic down the bond took me to my knees. She swatted at him, but he grabbed her arm to stop her. And then he froze. He’d seen it. The raised skin. The adda. But he’d felt her power the moment he grabbed her. I watched the wheels begin to turn in his mind as the guards closed in and raised their swords, and I turned just in time to see Gaea leap toward me. I tried to escape her, to stay with Nadra, but I wasn’t quick enough. The moment she made contact, I heard the sword coming down on me, missing by just a hair as we spirited away.
“Take me back!” I screamed from my knees in the middle of another gods forsaken tent. “Take me back.”
I jumped to my feet, bursting out and running toward her. I heard someone chasing me, but I didn’t care. I felt Nadra’s fear and pain. The king was hurting her. “I’m coming,” I huffed, running as fast as I could through deep sand. Until I felt a jerk of my arm, a fist slam into my head, and the world falling away.
Greeve.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Ara
“Someone start talking,” Fen said as Greeve cleaved away to catch Temir.
“It happened so fast,” Wren said. “He was waiting. We walked into the tent and he reached forward. I’m not sure if he was actually aiming for Nadra or Gaea, but the moment he grabbed a hold of her hair, he snatched her away.”
“I tried to spirit away, I tried. But he grabbed her too quickly and then she let go and Temir let go.” Gaea shook her head wildly, trying to make sense of what had happened.
“Gods-damnit,” I yelled, yanking a knife out and throwing it as hard as I could into the side of the table covered in maps, spilling ink all over the top layer.
Greeve cleaved back in, a limp Temir in his arms. He laid him gently onto the floor and didn’t say a word as he took two massive steps through the room and crushed Gaea into his chest.
Rhogan paced, taking up so much room in the tent I wanted to kick him out just for moving.
“What are we going to do?” Kai asked, stepping forward.“Full plan, right now.”
“We have to go get her,” I answered.
“We?”
“Yes, Fenlas. We. You and me. We. She’s our family. We can’t let him have her.”
“It’s too dangerous.”
I roared. Actually fucking roared. I’d been storing weeks of pent-up aggression, erratic emotions, and barrels of rage. I forgot who I was, lost in the idea of what the world thought I should be. I’d had enough. “Everything is dangerous. Don’t you get it? Look around you! Find one gods-damned thing that hasn’t been dangerous. It doesn’t matter. Look at him.” I pointed to Temir lying shriveled on the ground. “Look him in the face and tell him his mate isn’t worth what yours is. I’m going to get her. Either you assholes come with me, or I’m going alone. And you know I can’t use my power to wipe all those fuckers out. You know what will happen if I do.”
Gaea pulled away from Greeve and took my hand.“You don’t have to destroy the world, Ara. Don’t sacrifice your entire soul. I’m going.”
“Stop,” Fen said, every bit the faerie king that he was. Commanding and eerily calm. “We’ll go. Together. But not without a plan.”
