Page 6 of A Fate of Blood and Magic
From a couple of rooms away, I heard Victoria’s and Juanita’s giggles. Their quiet sounds nestled against my chest, and I pulled on that joy so that it warmed some of the tension building inside me.
The fire crackled. Our hearths never burned too hot, but the gentle warmth bled into my bones, welcomed against the exhaustion coiled through my limbs.
“You’re not coming with me,” I told George when I sensed Brenton reenter the room.
“Stop being an arrogant ass,” Brenton muttered.
I turned to face them, my shoulders squared, masking my hesitation behind the kind of hardness they’d respect, even if they hated it.
George crossed his thick arms, voice cool. “What’s the point in naming me your commander if you won’t let me lead beside you?”
“I need you here.”
“To do what?” His tone sharpened. “Somnio and Reignom are rebuilt. Everyone displaced has shelter. There is nothing for me to do here.”
“I need you to train?—”
“Everly or Brenton can train our warriors.” George stepped forward, his gaze hard and unyielding. “Or we go with you, as we always have as yourcompeer. Ximena can handle training in our absence.”
Mo compeer.That was what they were. A bond forged in battle, that made them not only friends but family of my choosing.
“Ximena is coming with me,” I said, glancing her way.
The female warrior dipped her head in silent agreement.
George’s jaw flexed. “Let me guess, you’re takingHayden and Finley too.”
“We fought alongside Hayden and Ximena in the human realm. You know they’re capable warriors.” I paused. “Finley’s magic—if the humans try to stop us, she’ll be a weapon they don’t see coming.”
Finley was brutal. Among other attributes, her magic’s most significant purpose was death. So I’d utilize her to kill those who’d harmed my own. While I’d try not to kill any innocent civilians, their deaths couldn’t matter to me.
Not when I had a kingdom mourning the death of loved ones and the disappearance of even more.
Brenton huffed. Finley stilled, fists clenched at her side.
“You’re a fool if you only see her as a weapon,” Brenton said. “She’s intelligent and tactical. She reads a battlefield faster than most commanders. If you’re putting her on our team, don’t insult her by only using her for her magic.”
Finley’s expression softened before she locked it down through clenched teeth.
“There is noour team,Brent,” I said. “I expect you to listen to me and stay in Niev.”
“Is that an order?” George squared his shoulders, his eyes piercing through mine.
“If it is, it’s a stupid one,” Brenton grumbled.
Shaking her head, Teddy huffed out a dry laugh.
“Consider it an order,” I said.
George bowed low before Everly and Brenton followed suit. This—them bowing to me, me barking orders at them—made me want to balk. But they’d be safer here.
“You should ask Alastor to go with you,” Teddy said, her voice quiet. “His lirio can hide you from human eyes.”
I kissed her temple, grateful for the reminder.
I trusted Alastor but knew what he was capable of. While I’d been taught mages were evil and cruel, Alastor wasn’t. Notexactly. But he wasn’t kind in the way humans understood it. Like me, he’d done things most would never forgive, but not for power. For justice and vengeance.
He had every reason to hate me and my kind, but instead, he’d chosen to help us by destroying all the fae root his sister had planted outside of Niev’s borders. He’d ensured the safety of my people, and even now, he maintained a hold on the lirio, a different breed of fae who resembled trees. Where they were once our enemies, we’d become allies. Alastor did this without ever asking for anything in return, all so we could have peace in our realm.
