Page 104 of Through Battle and Blades (The Wolf Queen 2)

But the Reavers weren’t going to just take this lying down. They weren’t like real men, deterred by injuries or pain. They seemed to have no such sense of self preservation, fighting on with mindless ferocity that we couldn’t understand, we could only manage. The shield walls crammed the Reaver force into a tighter and tighter space. All those vicious claws and hungry jaws, they weren’t so effective when they barely had any space to move. But our spear wielders had no such limitations. We’d formed a tight formation in position, ready to strike, our arms moving in short strokes, stabbing out at the enemies until the wheat ran red with blood.

“That’s it, lads!” the king said belatedly, the pallor of fear finally having faded from his countenance. “Cut the bastards down.”

Axe looked down at his father, then snorted, focussing on the battle beyond.

Nordred couldn’t strike the Reavers, not when we were pressed in so tight, but he had created a wall of fire at the edges of the field, one to stop any further Reavers from getting to us if Callum had held back a reserve force. We’d need to see to that before the battle was ended, the flames eating through the dry wheat with a kind of ferocity that matched our enemies’, but we had to focus on the sure victory in front of us.

Thank you, dread queen. I sent up a short little prayer, eyes flicking to the ravens circling above, to those which’d already alighted to feed on the dead lying in the field. Thank you for giving us this day.

A small reward, she replied, for such a small sacrifice, her voice sounding like the grating of a blade against a sharpening stone. And that’s when the golden light inside me faltered.

She appeared on the battlefield, no old crone, but a tall, slender woman, clad in a cloak of black feathers. She grinned at me from beyond the Reavers, beyond our formation.

But the prince gives me so much more. My consciousness shifted, flicking from one raven to the next, catching the moment when beaks plunged into eye sockets, gobbling down eyes like exotic treats. And for that, I gift him much greater rewards.

The light inside me, inside us, flickered, sputtered like a candle in the wind, as my view of the battle faded and was replaced by a wider one.

Up, up, above the earth, I could see how small the force of Reavers we’d met were, something that had escaped me in formation. We were tearing them apart and she was glad for that sacrifice, but one much greater was coming. Wolves ran through forests, so very many wolves and when they burst out onto a road, panting as they stood there, I recognised where they were. Some way away from Snowmere, but not that far.

You give me your pretty hair, the Morrigan said. But Prince Callum will give me the entirety of Snowmere.

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And that’s when I saw with frightening clarity what this was. Yet another feint, that was certain, but also… I looked around at the combined forces of the king’s army and Nordred’s, saw them fighting valiantly and for what? If he’d managed to take the field, this would’ve been an effective recruitment drive for Callum. He’d have converted each one of the king’s soldiers and Nordred’s into Reavers, swelling his number and then redirecting their viciousness towards Snowmere.

And if he didn’t?

Well, he had lured us away from the capital and all of the people within, our rash and inexperienced decisions leaving the city vulnerable to attack.

Because of the intelligence I’d provided them.

Her laughter rocketed through my head, filling it, cramming everything else out until Nordred’s eyes whipped around, finding mine.

“Darcy?”

“The main force is on its way to Snowmere.”

I saw the wolves settle on the road then, obviously catching their breath, waiting for their commander to join them. They shifted from wolf form into human, and I could see the difference now. They weren’t like these Reavers. I saw tall, strong, battle hardened bodies and that’s when I realised what we faced now.

I’d seen Callum rounding up men and boys, subjecting them to the brutality of his Reavers, but not what had happened to them. I stared now at the bloodbath before me now with fresh eyes.

“These aren’t the Reavers he brought back to Strelae,” I said. “These are our people he…”

It was then that I understood somewhat the statement that the queen was supposed to be the mother of her people. She was supposed to fucking care when they were slaughtered like dogs, even if they were too maddened to be reasoned with. I wasn’t sure what else we could do in this situation. Callum would’ve sent them lumbering into Ironhaven, used them to murder every single one of the men, women and children in there if we hadn’t arrived, but… The golden light swelled inside me, glowing brighter and brighter and I was glad when it obliterated the kill box in front of me, instead showing me her.

The blind white figure glowed within the cave, but the slight divots I’d always seen as her eyes filled now. With blood. It dripped free, landing with a splatter below in the vessels and her feet, sliding down her body, accentuating the curves in grim detail. Then this was juxtaposed against the battlefield, fresh blood spurting from the Mother’s eyes at every stab of spear or sword.

Aren’t goddesses supposed to love their people? I snapped at the Morrigan, finding her standing beyond amongst the bodies of the fallen. Aren’t they supposed to protect them?

She’s the soft part, the one that holds them close to her bosom, rocks them against her milky scented tits, the Morrigan replied. I’m the teeth of a bitch as she devours pups that are too weak to live, the heavy weight of the sow that rolls over and smothers one of the many of her snuffling piglets. I’m the harsh hand of a parent, forced to discipline a recalcitrant child. I could just about hear the whistle of a switch through the air.

An instinctive part of me wanted to flinch back, away from this, but I couldn’t. I hadn’t been given the opportunity under my father’s iron rule, and I wouldn’t be doing so now.

You talk to me, send me visions of your actions, make some stupid Granian girl your focus as you destroy Strelae. If there’s a lesson to be learned, let me be the one to learn it, I shot back.

Oh girl, you always were a foolhardy one, leaping in and inserting yourself in places warriors grown wouldn’t. You’ll regret this.

Nonetheless, I asserted. I swallowed then, my eyes darting around to look at Nordred, at Selene, at my mates and my windpipe closed down as I considered what I was about to do. If there’s a price to be paid, let it be mine.

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