Page 14 of The Unseelie War
Above them, a flock of origami birds flew past in a perfect V formation.
One of them made a weird honking noise and shot fire out of what shehopedwas its face, but it was too far away to tell.
She hoped that was her doing.
As consciousness faded, she was dimly aware of Serrik shifting position, placing himself between her and the rest of the nightmare city. Standing guard, as he'd promised.
Her last coherent thought before sleep claimed her was a strangeone—somewhere in all the horror and confusion, amid the collapsed barriers and transformed world, she'd managed to change something fundamental. She'd reached into the mind of someone forged by centuries of pain and rage and convinced him, if only for a moment, to choose mercy over vengeance.
Maybe that was something. Maybe that was enough to build on.
Maybe there was hope after all.
CHAPTER FIVE
Valroy watched the shadowy creatures begin to gather. One by one, two by two, they answered his silent call. It was time.
No words were spoken, no spells performed. There was no need. Those creatures in the darkness who lived to perform death simply understood, like the primal things that they were. Like birds flocking to their nesting grounds, likespidersborn spinning webs, they gathered.
Ancient knowledge, buried deep within their blood. Eager to spill, taste, drink, that of others—let it run in deep red rivers until it drowned the whole world. For they would open every vein until there were no more to split. They would burn every tree until all were coal and ash. They would level every building until every monument to human hubris was nothing but dust and rubble.
The Great and Final Hunt was about to begin. The one that would end all others. The slaughter of all of lifeitself.Oh, howglorious it would be!
He smiled up at the multiple moons of too many worlds and rejoiced.
This was freedom.
This was joy.
“Valroy.”
Andthatwas the voice of a damnable and proverbial—what was the new phrase Izael kept using? Ah, yes.Wet blanket.
He shut his eyes. “Hello, Anfar.”
Bracing himself for the argument that was inevitably about to ensue, he turned to face his oldest…companion? To call him a friend would perhaps pay Anfar’s affection for him too much credit. Or perhaps pay Valroy’s ability to perform affability the same. But here they were. Centuries oldsomethingsthat had managed not to kill each other as of yet.
Valroy smiled. “Have you come to dissuade me from my war?”
The great leviathan in his human form was a miserable looking thing. It suited him. He stared at Valroy with an expression that was fixed permanently into something resembling a scowl of disapproval. “I know better than to waste my breath. And I do subsist upon air.”
That earned Anfar a snort of laughter from him. “You have been dallying too much with the youngling Duke and his wife Alexandra. Her humor is rubbing off upon you, sea dog.” He gestured a hand at him dismissively and turned back to watch his forces as they lurked in the trees like so many wolves. Mistrusting of each other, sniffing out who might be in what pecking order in the pack. “But I am glad you have grown wise enough not to bother. You have come to join me, then?”
“No.”
Ah. Yes. That served him right to get his hopes up. “So you have not come here to convince me against this course of action, but neither have you come to aid me.” Folding his great blue wings around his shoulders, he kept his disappointment carefully hidden from his voice. “So what third option have you invented? Do you wish to remain neutral in this apocalypse?”
“I also know better than to think I would be allowed such achoice.” Anfar also kept his tone carefully and perfectly unreadable. But, to be fair, that was quite normal for him. “Particularly when I know you would use Perin to ensure otherwise.”
Mm, yes. That was true. Valroywouldleverage Anfar’s selkie love against him to keep the leviathan sea monster working obediently in his favor. “So what do you propose instead, you dour, soggy beast?”
“I will be of no use to you in this fight upon land, nor have I ever been of use in any engagement on soil. But this…” Anfar turned his all-black eyes off to the distance, clearly censoring his choice of words. “…disaster the human has created has oceans that are tumultuous at best, catastrophic at worst. I would lead your forces upon that front.”
“You wish to fight my war in the seas?” Valroy huffed. “How convenient. Where there are no human souls or sentient fae worth n?—”
“Do not be such a fool, afterallthis time,” Anfar snapped. The rare show of anger from the dredged-up piece of flotsam had Valroy turning to face Anfar, stunned to silence. The moment let Anfar continue to speak uninterrupted for once. “If you believe that the sea has no creatures within it with all the intelligence and beauty of any of the creatures that walk upon two legs on dry land then you are a bigger idiot than I have ever suspected.” He grimaced, revealing his sharpened, pointed teeth. “And I will take my leave of you this moment.”
“I meant no offense.” Laughing quietly, Valroy lifted his hands in a show of harmlessness. “Be calm, Anfar. Very well. Lead the armies that gather in the darkest seas. Swallow the oceans whole, leviathan. Spare yourself my sneering presence. I know it grates on you so.”
