Page 95 of The Dark Rises
Warm and seductive, Rivan’s kiss is the sun on my face and love in my heart. He places his hands on my hips and moves me closer to Madoc.
Sweetly powerful, Madoc’s kiss reflects the depth of his feelings without uttering a word. “Obsessed,” he reminds me.
Here the crispair from Theron’s Winter Court meets the tall, burnished grasses of the Autumn Court. Away from the more populous areas of the kingdom with a completely neutral terrain, this is the place we’ve chosen to meet our foes.
I stare down the long line of soldiers lined up on our side. Madoc’s display of his allies and their strengths is everything he thought it would be. Magic sparks from fingers, beasts anddemons shuffle restlessly on their feet, dragons roar from the rear, and swords swing through the air. Warriors, all of them, highly experienced in battle. Our numbers may be fewer, but that only means it will take us longer to defeat them.
Dawn breaks, and the sky lightens. Golden rays streak across the sky, fingers reaching for the farthest point, bringing with it the sight of our enemy. Standing on the other side of the long field are sixteen thousand plus soldiers of the Federation. Fierce, determined faces lined up, ready to fight for their freedom. Above them, the Phoenix and other Fire Fae hold themselves in formation. In the front, members of the council stand, faces stoic, giving us no clues as to their decision. In a moment, Madoc and I will meet General Lai and Aeris in the middle to get their answer.
How many of my friends and family will die today if their answer is war? How many of our faithful soldiers? Callyx winks at me from the front line, but when he turns around to face the enemy, he stares at them with death in those same eyes. How many will we kill?
Madoc raises a finger, and Bianca Perrone, from Arden’s coven, and a witch known for her affinity to open portals to anywhere at a moment’s notice, throws her arm up high. On her left, a portal opens, spreading wider and taller than any I’ve ever seen to let in the most terrifying and brutal creatures from the Wilds, including Aamon and Lux. The ground shakes as they stampede to the front of the line, eager to play their part and fight for their king.
Fallon’s elite grin at the sight next to them.
Raising his arm, Madoc’s magic swirls around him, spreading from the ground to sky, encompassing our entire army until it’s hidden from their view. He wants our enemies to glimpse the power he wields over the light. After a minute, he releases the magic so they can see we’re still here.
I stride up to Madoc and take his hand. In seconds, we’re stepping from the smallest of shadows into the center of the field. Here, we wait.
The light grows brighter as the dawn streaks across the sky.
Our enemy stands there unmoving. My heart races as we wait. The seconds tick down. Less than thirty left.
Aeris and the general fly toward us at the last possible moment, leaving none to spare.
Madoc quietly exhales at the sight of them.
There’s a bitter twist to their mouths that says everything without speaking a word.
Landing, Lai stands stiffly, his face set in stone, and gives us the answer we seek. “We accept the offer of Avalon.”
Madoc acknowledges his statement. “It’s for the best.”
Aeris’ tight face smooths after the general’s response, making me think she wasn’t quite sure what answer he would give us.
“With this many soldiers, it will take us a few weeks to tattoo everyone,” Aeris says with a defiant lift of her chin. “We’ll need Rivan’s help.” Not once does her gaze drift in his direction.
“He’s already offered to help,” I assure her. “In addition, he believes we should offer a reassimilation option if anyone wants to return. We agreed. The land deal can be extended for a year, if you also agree.”
General Lai nods, then peers at the army behind us. “We did not make this decision lightly. If we had faced you, this would have been our last battle. Better to be exiled than to see our people dead.”
Madoc gives him a hard look. “Start this new path by eliminating the wordexiled. Freedom will be hard. Governing even more so. In the end, I believe this will benefit all of you. A kingdom of your own is a hard stake in the ground, but it is the definition of true autonomy. Good luck to you all. Who knows, maybe we’ll be allies in another thousand years?”
Neither of them says a word in return, but that’s to be expected when the pill is bittersweet. They fly back to their army. Portals open across the field, and their army marches into them, disappearing from our sight.
Cheers and roars erupt behind us in a big swell, starting from one end and rolling across to the other. Madoc and I return to our front lines.
He walks over to the creatures from the Wilds and shakes their hands, thanking them for coming to his aid. With a bow, they shuffle into the portal and disappear.
Madoc proceeds to do the same to the leaders of all his allies until all that’s left are the dark Fae. A resounding cheer goes up for Madoc, but he stops them.
“There are many ways to defeat your foe. Sometimes we have to sacrifice for the things we want the most. Today, we won the battle, but not the war,” Madoc tells them. “Make no mistake, our sacrifice was as great as theirs. Losing fierce warriors and their families is a great loss to our kingdom. One I’ll mourn for a long time. I wish them all the best in their new home. And for those who chose to stay and take the land, the past will be the past. We move forward as one. Thank you all for standing with me today.”
He holds up a hand. “Oh, and the land deal will also be available to you.”
Cheers erupt, and Rivan’s eyes widen and he looks over at me with a panicked expression on his face. That’s a lot of land for us to find and dispense. I shrug. I’ll take a happy problem over a bad one any day.
Callyx suddenly appears beside me. “It’s Solandis. She’s having the baby.”
