Page 2 of Eclipse of Fate
“What did I tell you?!” Her voice is coated with vehemence and rises with each word.
“I did what I saw fit,” I grunt with the effort it takes to speak. The pressure on my chest not allowing air deep enough to fill my lungs. She releases me, and my body slumps as I suck in a sharp inhale, filling my throat and chest with the dusty air from the long-forgotten ruined dwelling. “I don’t have to run every action Itake by you—or Eleonora, for that matter.” I stand, straightening my tunic under my leather armor, and pin her with a menacing glare.
“I’ll have you not forget that this is apartnership. I don’t have to follow the rules you set. I do the dirty work, and you sit back, a silent aid that is to be kept unknown until the time is right, remember?” I wouldn't have done what I didn't feel was necessary. This is a futile conversation, but I have no choice but to entertain it for now.
“What did you mean to accomplish by attacking Loema? Because from where I’m standing, I see nothing but your failure. You failed to accomplish anything. Did you even ascertain any information that could be used against them?” I hadn’t. She is right. I did fail, but that's not all. Scowling at her dark-cloaked face, she takes my silence as an answer in itself. “I didn’t think so… I will inform Eleonora of this whole situation.”
“I am fighting Dax in a traditional duel in five days time.” My voice sounds distant and not of my own as I spit out the words. “That is what has come out of thiswhole thing. So, I may have failed in this one mission, but I have time to redeem myself. I will beat Dax. A war is not gauged by merely one battle. I lost this one, but I will not lose the next.”
“I will make sure you beat, Dax.” She speaks with her voice low. “I will give you the tools necessary to ensure you come out victorious. We’ve been working on a magic that will overcome all else. And once you do beat him…” She steps closer, narrowing her eyes at me. “I will have you bring me thatwhorehe calls his mate. Do you understand?”
“Understood.” She stands in front of me with a pregnant pause hanging in the air before she steps back. With a flick of her wristand her gleaming red nails, magic ripples as a puff of green-black smoke takes her away. Turning from the sulfuric stench, I slam my fist into the wood wall of the cabin. The wood splinters, causing a slicing pain to erupt across my hand. I can't stand this in-between bullshit anymore.
Soon.
I won't answer to anyone.
It’s only a matter of time before I won’t have to deal with this any longer because Dax, the thorn in my side that he is, will be dead, and with him out of the way, the power will be mine to take. The power that he's taken for granted all these years.
Looking out the small window, I see the boy from earlier running with a wooden sword, chasing around a little girl. The sound of their laughter reaches my ears, and rosy cheeks bracket the wide smiles on their faces. A grin spreads across my face as I think about my own version of their game. A more sinister one that is to come sooner than later. The only difference? I will be the only one smiling.
“I'm coming for you, Raelle,” I growl into the air, no one around to hear the threat.
Chapter two
The day following theattack on the Loema castle has been relentless—waves of heartache and misery, but the night? It was even longer. Just the physical carnage that was spread throughout the stone walls and beyond is absolutely devastating. That doesn't even hold in comparison to the emotional damage that occurred. All of the Fae who were gathered here at our request… I shake my head, trying to dispel the painful thought. I can’t think of it right now. The guilt that has my stomach churning. This will eventually overwhelm me, I know, but right now I have to be strong for the family I’ve chosen as my own. I have to be a pillar for the kingdom. It's my responsibility if I am to be their queen.
I’m trying with everything I have in me to be emotionally stable for Dax—I’ve never seen such devastation in him, but he is completely heartbroken from the death of his sister. He andTrent, along with so many others who loved Ella, are all crushed over her loss. Seeing their spirits so low and so much anguish spread throughout the castle is gut-wrenching. Living through the wreckage of what just happened, being forced to watch as my mate and his brother, whom I've grown so close to, have their sister ripped from their lives? Not only does it break my heart for them, but it makes the trauma resurface from the loss of my own parents and brother. Since my memories were lost, I feel like I’m still grieving them as though they’ve just died. The reminder of it weighs heavily on my mind most days, but in the wake of everything that’s happened? The throbbing ache in my heart has grown sharper. It makes my need to look for answers that much more clear— if not for closure, for my own peace of mind.
I know the more pressing issue, though, is the need to figure out how to stop Cano. More specifically, how to stop the duel Dax promised. We can’t rely on Dax to take care of our Cano problem on his own. I would never be able to live with myself if something were to happen to him. Dax and I still have yet to announce my true identity to the masses, and though I know it is, it doesn’t seem important.
In the silence of the night, when Dax finally slept, I tried to think of ways around him having to fight Cano. It could be possible that by claiming my rightful place as the ruling heir, the rightful queen…I could make this all go away. Or, at the very least, it could give us the upper hand in the matter. What if, by doing this, I could stop this duel between Dax and Cano? I wonder… I am the queen, couldn’t I force them not to do this? I chew at my lip as I consider it.
Rain pelts the window—the dreary day is a reflection of the sadness that consumes us all. The wood creaks under my feet as Ipace for probably the twentieth time in front of the roaring fire in the library. Between bringing Dax tea, food, whiskey—whatever else I think he’s needed, even though he’s asked for none of it. I’ve damn near walked a groove into the floor here. Sitting still just makes my mind wander farther. I can't allow that to happen. I need todomore. I want to ease any and all of the pain he is feeling, though I know it’s futile. Nothing will truly ease the heartache of losing a family member. Time will only help round the sharp edges, but the ache will always be there.
“Stop fussing over me, Raelle. I’m—I will be fine.” Dax’s voice comes out deep but cracks. I set a new, warm cup of tea on the table at his side. He sighs as he looks at the tea, then up to me. I know he’s doing his best to gather strength to take the next steps needed to prepare for what’s to come. The kind of resolve that can only be built on pain and loss. Unfortunately, I know it well.
“I’m fussing because I care,” I whisper. Standing behind him, I lay my hand on his shoulder.
“Are you ready to return to Ravendene?” He asks, and I close my eyes, resigning. I know he’s deflecting. “I received word that the city has been reclaimed.” He goes on. I had heard that as well. Trent was speaking about it the last time I went to the kitchen for food. Trent has a bottomless pit for a stomach these days.
“I’m ready,” I tell him, opening my eyes when he places his hand over mine, then letting it fall before he rises. My hand slides away from his body and drops to my side. He’s not moved from the chair for hours. He sits silently, staring into the flames of the fire, his eyes glazed in thought.
I struggle to curl my lips into a warm smile, but the pain weighs my muscles down, and I know he feels the same struggle when thesmile he returns doesn't touch his eyes. His dimple is nowhere to be found as he looks around the shadowed library.
The earth elementals have worked hard all day and night, rebuilding what they could of the rooms that had fallen in the battle. The castle looks nearly untouched, but those who survived the fight will bear the scars of it with them for a long time to come—physical and emotional. So many Fae—lost so much.
I watch with awe as the dark-haired man wields his magic to restore the castle from the inside out. He whirls his arms out in front of him in a series of movements. Stone materializes from nothing, and the air cracks and pops as it fills the gaps in the crumbling rock walls. When he finishes, he bows to Dax and then to me before leaving us alone again.
I have yet to speak with Kait since bringing Ella to the infirmary so the vampire healer there could confirm what we all knew to be true. She was dead in this world. Her soul crossed beyond this plain and was now beyond the veil with the gods and those who had fallen before us. Though she had not yet ascended into her power, or what was to be of it… The magic of her blood still transferred to Dax soon after her death. The pain of that transfer was almost unbearable to watch him go through. Not physically painful, but the sort that rips and tears at your soul. He and Trent sat at the cliff edge, the moon overhead, watching as it happened. The grief was so thick between them that I could hardly get air into my lungs. Dax would not let go of my hand for a second, and I held onto him just as tight.
Knowing what it is like to go through something like this alone… I’m glad he has us to support him, Trent too. Kait shifted to her wolf form shortly after depositing Melani in the castle and has yet to return from the forest. We are all worried about her, but Trenthas assured us that this is her way of processing her grief. This is the way that she needs to do it.
Our group is in shambles, and I can only hope that we can pull ourselves together to beat this evil that is trying to overcome Aldramani.
Beat Cano.
Dax folds his arms around my waist, pulling me flush to him, and I wrap my arms around his neck as we look deep into each other’s eyes. A permanent frown carves a deep line between his brows as he searches mine. Reaching up on my tiptoes, I kiss the skin there to smooth it. As I back away, he gives me a tight-lipped smile before laying a gentle kiss on my lips.
