Page 13 of Fates of Monsters

“I’ll guard her and show her the way.” Zurine steps forward, linking our arms.

Emerson nods at her. “It’s good to see you, my friend.”

“I never believed for a second you were gone, my king,” Zurine firmly answers, her head held high. “This world needs you both, and death wouldn’t stop you.”

Emerson is called away before he can reply, and he looks at me one more time. “Call me if you need anything.”

“I miss you too,” I send back to his mind, and I know he is smiling without being able to see him. Posy catches up to us before we get too far, and both of them ask a lot of questions about the other world, the sword, and everything that happened. I fill them in as much as I possibly can before we stop outside the dark wooden doors. Zurine looks at the doors. She didn’t even blink at being told she is a descendant of the goddess, like me. “We’re both right out here if you need us. Please try to ask her what happened to Felix,” she says quietly. “No one knows where he is since the test, and his brother is worried. His whole family is. Nerelyth might know.”

A bad feeling settles in my chest. Felix would be here if he could. Zurine’s purple and blue eyes watch me, and we both don’t need to say it. Felix would be here, and he wouldn’t leave her. Posy touches my arm. “She’s so broken and I’ve been where she is. Someone needs to get through to her, and hopefully, that’s you.”

I hope so too. I open the doors, a creak echoing as I step into a very dark room. A few fae lights hover around the bed, where I can see red hair spread across black pillows. Nerelyth lifts her head and looks up at me as I close the doors. She is so pale, her hair is a mess, and there are lines down her cheeks from tears. I croak out her name as one look seems to stab me in the chest. “Nerry.”

She doesn’t answer me and she lies back down, staring emptily at the wall. I go to pick up her hand, but she sharply pulls it away. “Talk to me, please. I’ve been so worried about you.”

Her green eyes stare through me. Hauntingly clear. “Is he dead?”

I don’t need to ask who she means, but I wince. I wish I could tell her yes. “No,” I answer. I don’t want to lie to her. “But he will be. I promise you. I’m not going to stop till he pays for what he did to you.” She watches the wall still. “Are you okay? At least physically? I know you haven’t let a healer touch you, and maybe you should. We just want you to be okay. You’re safe now.”

A hollow laugh escapes her before she sobs. It’s gut wrenching. I don’t know how long I sit with her, clueless what to say. I just hope she finds comfort in having me here. Zurine’s request comes back to me. “Nerry, do you know where Felix is?”

“Dead.”

That one word rings out between us. So cold, so empty. My heart cuts open. “By the goddess, no.” I can’t help the sob that escapes me as hot tears fall down my face. Felix was a good, good male. He was my guard, who protected me when I was broken. He was such a good friend. “What happened? Please tell me so I can tell his family.”

“He killed him. He killed him because he loved me. Is that what you want to hear?” She lifts her head, anger making her eyes glow. The glass of water on the side table smashes. “And then he destroyed me, over and over, and I will never be rid of what he did to me. I’m glad Felix is dead, so he didn’t have to see what happened to the person he was in love with. Is that what you want to know? I fell in love and he was killed because of me!” she cries. “I don’t want to live. I don’t want to be here. Why did you save me? Can’t you see there is nothing left?”

I quickly step to the bed and pull her into a tight hug. She cries with me until her voice is broken. I lie down with her, letting her cry it out until she falls asleep. I brush her hair from her cheek and tuck her into the bed. “I’m so sorry, Nerry, but there isyouleft. You are worth saving, and I will not give up, even if you have.”

ChapterNine

The war meeting seems to never end, and most of it, I don’t understand. They have spoken about areas of the mountains and cities to defend, places to send the young, elderly, and those who cannot fight. They have been preparing for war for years, not against the Rift King, but against the fae. If anyone has a chance of winning, it’s us. It has to be us. I haven’t had the heart to tell Emerson about Felix, or his brother either. We need to be alone for that. I still find Nathiel looking at me now and then, and I swear he knows or senses I’m about to destroy him with the news his brother is gone. But I will tell him before we leave here; I just want us to be away from the rest of the inner court.

I rub my eyes, feeling more than a little tired as Emerson talks about the formations of the armies. The plan is to have the armies engage with Louie’s army, and for Emerson and me to face Louie. I can’t let him use his power, use that crown, to destroy everything. He won’t be alone. There will be other Rift Kings and Queens. We are outnumbered and I don’t know how to help us. I look at the raised map, the many ornaments that mark the thick mountains that wrap around the bulk of the city mountains. Most of the inner city is deep within the middle, and it will be kept that way. The outer mountains are full of storage. Nothing useful, but they’re good for attack, apparently filled with many tunnels for the Wyerns to fly in and out of. Louie will not know which mountain to hit, and his power is great but only if he knows exactly where to hit. We will have a short amount of time.

I stand up and walk to the window, looking over the mountains where the cities lie. It won’t be enough, even with the witches’ help. It will not be enough. The old god must be in this world now, and he has the rulers with enough power to total this world. All our preparation will not be enough.

“Calliophe,” Emerson calls my name. I turn. “We are discussing the part of our war plan that includes you and the sword.”

“Only my sword can take out the rulers and likely the old god. Which means I need to be in a lot of places at once in this battle, which is near impossible. If Lou—the Rift King keeps them all together, then I will try my best against them all. I’ve barely tapped into the power of the sword,” I admit. “But it takes from me. To use the power, to kill them all, we cannot waste any time.”

“I will fly you everywhere,” Emerson states, his eyes briefly meeting mine with nothing but concern. “I won’t let the sword take you, either.”

Posy leans forward off the wall, where she was leaning near Zurine. “My power isn’t great, but I can direct winds to make you fly quicker across the battlefield with her. I will practice with my gift.”

“I will help you practice pushing me through the air,” Solandis steps forward. Posy nods at her before looking right at me. We have things to discuss about her mother, and I know she is giving me space for now with everything going on. How do I tell her that her mother is a villain? A true monster who deserves to be locked away for what she did to the dragon goddess all those years ago.

Nathiel rubs his chin. “We’re still greatly outnumbered with the sirens, the dead monsters, and the Rift soldiers. Our spies have counted the army numbers, and it is going rising. They’re at least five hundred thousand stronger, and we’re sitting on about a hundred and fifty thousand. With the witches, maybe looking at two hundred and fifty. We’re still outnumbered, my king.” He clears his throat. “Emerson, we are going to need all the luck of the gods to win this.”

We all go silent. It’s not much we can say. He is right. I glance at Posy. There is one more thing we could do to level the playing field, but it would mean making a deal with gods. When Emerson begins talking in detail about training and magic attacks, I walk over to Posy. I keep my voice quiet. I can explain it all to Emerson after I’ve done it, or he’d never let me. Worse, he’d want to come with me, and that would get us all killed. “I have a crazy idea, and I need your advice on it.”

“We need a little crazy right about now, or we will all be dead,” she mutters. “I’ve just gotten my body back, and I’d like it kept in one piece.”

I keep my voice quiet. “I’ll come for you, and we need to talk about it first and make a plan.”

Emerson comes to my side. “That’s the best we can do for now until Lorenzo’s back, and we will make a further plan with the witches. Continue with the army and the evacuation of the children and those who cannot fight.”

I call out. “Nathiel, can you stay for a moment?” I look at Zurine, who is quiet. “You too, please.”

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