Page 3 of Oaths & Vengeance
I recalled that he had fought in battles against us during the first few years I’d begun opening portals. The last time I could remember seeing him was over a decade ago, when I was in my early twenties. He’d been a ruthless killer even back then, but couldn’t break that many men simultaneously before. Like most fae, he would continue growing stronger for a few more years until he reached fifty and peaked.
I had family and friends out there who would die if this elf targeted them. No one on our side had magic that could counteract Darrow’s without getting too close, but of course, he was surrounded by elite soldiers so that he could do his dirty work without interference.
A risky idea occurred to me. There was something I could do if I were brave enough, and right now, I needed to push past my usually passive role. Too many people would die if I didn’t.
When a high fae’s magic first appeared as an adolescent, they could only perform lesser spells that were a prelude to something bigger that would develop over the coming year. I started with wind and light power, which later combined to form portal channeling. Although I rarely had cause to use those, I did practice them since they worked well as a defense when I needed them, especially wind.
Darrow was lifting another handful of our soldiers into the air. If I didn’t hit him immediately, they’d die in the next few moments. I let go of Astra’s reins and raised my hands, focusing on the half-light/half-dark elf, and pulled the air around me. In a streamlined burst, I sent it straight at him.
Just as he began to twist his hands to kill the soldiers, it struck him full in the chest. He went flying backward off his horse. The Therressian soldiers he’d targeted next dropped to the ground at the same time—shaken but alive. Darrow landed on his butt ten feet behind his mount and skidded to a stop in a plume of dust.
I grinned, pleased that years of weekly practice with my wind power had finally paid off. That was far more satisfying than directing it at leaves and other inanimate objects. I had used it in self-defense a time or two, but never at such a distance.
“Well done, my lady,” my guard said, giving me a respectful nod. “That certainly distracted him and gave our people a chance.”
“Thank you.”
We watched with rapt attention as Darrow slowly rose to his feet and dusted off his uniform. I still couldn’t make out his features, but his rigid body language told me he was not pleased with what I’d done. He ran his gaze around his surroundings until it eventually fell on me. I waved and blew him a kiss.
Darrow lifted one arm toward me, and a moment later, I rose off my horse to hover a few feet above my mount. Shock filled me. I’d never dreamed he could extend his magic so far, but I couldn’t do anything to stop him. My heart raced as he slowly brought me forward like he had strings pulling me.
My guard’s voice sounded panicked as I floated away from Astra and him. “Lady Aella? Are you alright? What can I do?”
“I…uh,” I began.
My braid lifted and wrapped around my head, gagging my mouth. The floral taste of my cleanser coated my tongue. My locks stretched taut, pulling at my scalp enough to cause discomfort but not quite pain. With all my limbs immobilized, I couldn’t free myself. Did he seriously muzzle me with my own hair? Lord Gannon’s son was playing with me in the middle of a battle like I was a toy, but I couldn’t let him get away with it without a response.
I forced myself to calm down and think. Darrow hadn’t gripped my body so tightly that I couldn’t breathe or make minute movements. Slowly spreading my fingers, I gathered the surrounding air once more. After I gained enough, I hit him with a burst of wind again. It didn’t slam into him as hard as the first time, but it did send him stumbling back. The hold on me evaporated. I dropped to the ground, knees buckling, and my breath nearly knocked from me. At least nothing was broken.
“It’s okay,” I said, hands trembling as I straightened. “He had me for a moment there.”
“Perhaps you shouldn’t draw his attention again,” my guard advised.
I cleared my throat, hoping no one else saw what happened. “Yeah. I think that was more than enough distraction.”
I got back onto my horse and looked for my nemesis. Darrow also sat on his mount again and stared in my direction. It was hard to tell his expression, but I couldn’t miss the kiss he blew toward me, especially since I felt the lightest touch on my cheek. Our displays of power had definitely been an amusing game to him. I worried he’d try something else as he continued to stare at me, but just then, my uncle’s forces broke through his ranks. My diversion had worked.
Darrow had to shift his focus to defending himself and forgetting about me. He sent the first few Therressian soldiers flying away, but after that, he drew his sword and slashed at his opponents. I watched with rapt attention at how brutally efficient he was, even without magic. It would have been awe-inspiring if he hadn’t been wounding and killing our forces.
A half-hour passed, with numerous soldiers on both sides dead and dozens more wounded. Veronna’s regiment finally called for a retreat. Theyrushed toward the mountain pass half a mile behind them, using the horses who’d lost their riders to carry their dead and wounded. We’d have to deliver any remaining bodies they hadn’t quickly grabbed to our mutual border later—a strict law enforced by Zadrya’s king.
Lord Morgunn finally reappeared on the right side of the battlefield. I always lost track of him during the fighting, but now he glared at our enemies' backs, likely considering whether to follow. Then, he took in the state of his troops. If he saw things the way I did, he had to realize this was one of the deadliest battles we’d faced in years. He needed to take care of his injured soldiers so they could live to fight another day. Attempting to continue the fight in the mountain pass would be lunacy, especially with Darrow present.
My uncle shouted an order I couldn’t make out from my position. When I noticed everyone sheathing their weapons, I breathed a sigh of relief. He’d chosen not to pursue the enemy. I prayed to the nameless ones that I didn’t have to see the half-dark elf across a battlefield ever again—once had been enough.
A short while later, Lord Morgunn rode his horse up to mine. “What were you thinking, Aella? Darrow could have killed you and left us without a strong portal opener. He’s well aware you are an asset to us.”
Of course, I didn’t matter personally, but losing the use of my abilities would be tragic.
“He didn’t kill me, and I kept him distracted long enough for you to break his ranks,” I said, meeting his gaze. It was a rare moment of defiance since I tried not to draw my uncle’s wrath too often. He always made me regret it.
“That’s the only reason I won’t punish you this time.” He pulled his horse alongside Astra. “But if you do it again, you’ll find your magic bound for the next month.”
I was thirty-two years old, but under fae law, he could still treat me like a child. Highborn females had few rights. It didn’t matter to Lord Morgunn that if I hadn’t interfered, he and all his troops would likely be dead right now.
He refused to acknowledge that I had been the one to take on the most powerful elf on the battlefield and lived to tell the tale. Of course, I couldn’t imagine why Darrow didn’t kill me unless perhaps I was too far away, or maybe he’d intended to draw out my death but became distracted when the fighting drew too close to him. It was impossible to say. I was only glad that my rare show of overt courage helped and didn’t end in my death.
“Of course, my lord.” I lowered my gaze, playing the game I’d been forced to learn from an early age. “It won’t happen again.”
