Chapter 33

33

T he first wave of the Iron Realm’s army was slaughtered with the same mercy Kazimir had shown the Crystal Realm – none. He’d even left the bodies where they were, and carrion birds circled the entire day, picking apart the dead until nothing but rotting meat and bones remained in between plates of armor. It made me sick.

I sat atop the earthen wall the Iron Fae had managed to build, staring out over the Day Realm, plotting the best way to escape this madness. Behind me, Fae celebrated our victory and danced around large fires, not caring that they’d barely slept in days and dawn was moments away. I supposed this wall provided a semblance of security, though I doubted any of the soldiers put any thought into that.

My waterskin offered nothing to me when I lifted it to my lips, and I tossed it away, watching it skitter across the top of the packed dirt and disappear over the edge. Sighing at my own stupidity, I floated to the ground to fetch it.

The earth swayed beneath my feet as I hit the ground, giving me pause. Brushing my hair away from my face, I glanced around, finding nothing in the near-darkness. Shaking my head, I stepped toward my errantly discarded waterskin, stooping to lift it from amid the bent grass. The ground shuddered again as I grasped it in my hand.

I snapped my head up as the first whispers of sun entered the sky.

The waterskin plopped back into the grass as I beheld the beasts approaching me.

Giant olyphants outfitted for war approached, their metal-covered tusks dusting over the ground as they lumbered forward. At their feet, legions of Day Fae armed with long spears marched in perfect unison. And amongst them, leashed kutya strained against their masters, barking and growling and foaming at the mouth as they scented the blood awaiting them.

Oh, fuck.

Snapping my wings out, I leaped into the sky and raced toward the war tent. Viktor and Vadim hardly left it, preferring to sleep on cots there, and I had to tell them – to warn them. Not because I wanted the Night Realm to conquer északi, but because I wanted my friends to live .

As I soared over the camp, I screamed at the Fae still reveling to sober up and find their weapons. They ignored me, too caught up in their own egos to fathom that we could possibly be under attack. We’d had the Iron Realm’s forces cornered in the mountains for nearly two days. They hadn’t left because sounds of life still rang out from behind the rock.

Barreling into the war tent, I found my friends dozing. “Wake the fuck up! The Day Fae are here.”

Vadim blinked awake, his evergreen eyes still addled with sleep. “What?”

“The Day Realm’s army marches on us,” I hissed, kicking Viktor a little too roughly with my dirty boot.

“What?” he groaned, turning to his other side.

“For such a smart male you sure are fucking stupid sometimes,” I told him. “Get up because we’re going to have a fight on our hands. They have olyphants.”

The mention of the massive animals woke him up, and he bolted upright, snatching his sword at the same time.

Vadim was already strapping daggers all over his body. “I didn’t realize they’d trained some for war.”

“Why couldn’t they have told us that when we were allies?” Viktor released something between a moan and a groan as he strapped his weapon to his waist.

“Where is Kazimir?” I snapped.

“Here,” a voice sounded behind me, and a light breeze entered the tent alongside the king of the Night Realm.

At least his eyes were clear and emerald green.

“The Day Realm’s army approaches from the south,” I warned, and Kazimir raked a hand over his face, eyes coming up darker.

Fuck.

“We can fly over the olyphants and take them down that way,” Viktor grumbled, looking as exhausted as my soul felt. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and even the dirt and sweat coating his skin couldn’t hide the pallor.

Gritting my teeth, I bit back a retort about harming the magnificent creatures because it would fall on deaf ears. Since losing his father, Viktor had become even more invested in this war, and Vadim wouldn’t stand against both Viktor and Kazimir. Regardless of everyone else, Kaztar was a lost cause.

After tying up his long hair, Vadim unscrewed the top of a waterskin and poured some into his cupped palm. Splashing it across his face, he shook himself off like a dog. “All right, let’s fucking go. We don’t have time to waste. Kazimir, can you alert Desmond? We might need his help if we start getting trampled.”

“We need to keep some of our forces by the mountain, too,” Viktor reminded us. “If the Iron Realm hears signs of battle beyond, they may join the fray and we’ll be fucked on both sides.”

“My father can command that unit. I’ll lead the charge toward the Day Realm,” Vadim said grimly.

“Don’t forget the Dragons,” Kazimir snapped, the air shifting around him as he allowed the binding magic to rise within him. Bile rose in my throat, and I ripped my gaze away before any of my friends witnessed my disgust for our king.

“Goddess damn it, it’s too early for all this shit,” Viktor swore, punching the tent canvas out of the way as he stalked from the tent.

Every one of our nerves were frayed from days of fighting with not enough sleep. My magic was dangerously low, and with another attack on the horizon, I knew I would be tapped out sooner rather than later. Vadim’s thoughts must have mirrored mine because we exchanged a hard look and left Kazimir behind as we raced off to manage our respective parts of the army.

Kaztar was asleep in his tent, and quickly roused once I relayed instructions.

Our horses were tethered not far from our tent, and I saddled them while he shouted at the males under our command to ready themselves. By the time we were ready to depart, the ground beneath our feet shook with the force of the beasts approaching. Risking a few precious seconds to determine their location, I shot into the sky, black wings making me an easy target against the bright blue.

The olyphants had reached the earthen wall and were making quick work of breaking it down. Already, one had smashed through it, opening a path for spear-wielding warriors to stream through.

Snapping my wings shut, I landed harshly on the muddy ground, bracing my fist against it to regain my balance. “We need to move as a unit, and now.”

“How many?” Kaztar asked.

“They just broke through the wall. We weren’t prepared for an attack, and you know it.” I was tired of hiding my feelings about this situation. No one listened to me, and we were fucked because of it.

I should go join the Day Fae and be done with it.

He clenched his jaw around the truth and nodded. Kaztar’s horse reared as he dug his heels in, urging his mount forward. Stomping my boot in the stirrup, I threw myself over my stallion’s back, landing rougher than my mount deserved. He wasn’t the source of my anger and it wasn’t fair for me to take any out on him. Still, I snapped the reins and shouted at Fae to part for us as we raced off to join the rest of the cavalry.

The infantry had organized faster than anticipated, and thousands took to the skies in the distance, looking like a murder of crows as they soared high and fast. Our horses ate up the ground beneath them, until we flew as one in a race to defend against the Day Fae.

It wasn’t until we got closer that I noticed the olyphants weren’t only outfitted with metal armor.

From hidden pockets in that armor, arrows flew through the air, piercing the wings of the oncoming Night Fae. The screams started fast and increased as they plummeted from the skies, some using their magic to bounce off a shield against the ground, while others, likely as exhausted as we were, smacked against it with a sickening crunch.

As the ones behind them landed and drew their swords, the Day Fae released the kutya, snarling and foaming at the mouth as they raced across the plains. They were fast, legs moving in a blur of gold, and some cut toward the charging horses. The first leaped and caught a throat in its jaws, ripping and bringing the horse down to the ground. When the rider pitched forward, the kutya snarled and pounced on him too. A few skittish horses reared as more approached, bucking their riders and nearly trampling them as the kutya nipped and ripped at their flanks and heels.

I barely managed to avoid the rider falling in front of me. Digging my heels into my horse’s sides and crouching low on his neck, I urged him to jump over the piling bodies. His haunches bunched and then we were airborne. On our descent, a kutya leaped for us, fur around his maw stained with blood. Liliana’s face flashed through my mind, and on instinct, I blasted the beast away with my silvery magic. The whimper that caught in its chest hurt me, but I pushed the feelings away as my survival instincts kicked in.

A trumpet from the closest olyphant assaulted my ears and stole my attention, and a second wild, furry beast took its opportunity to strike, aiming for my horse’s flank. With a harsh yank on the reins, I turned him, trying to save his life. But I managed to put myself in harm's way instead, and the sharp teeth dug into my thigh.

“Fuck!” I swore, smacking the flat of my axe over its head and forcing it to open its jaws. With a yelp, it released me and fell to the ground.

Hot, ruby liquid poured from the wound, quickly coating my leg. The world spun, and I clamped my hands over my thigh, willing the burst vessels to knit and close before I passed out from blood loss. Wearily, I dug inside and found my magic well stuttering, the silvery moonlight barely wisps of gray.

I’d have to heal what I could and leave the rest for later.

Gripping the saddle blanket, I stripped a piece of cloth from it and tied it over the tattered meat of my thigh with a pointless hope that it would stave off infection. Once it was properly secured, I rejoined my unit in racing toward the lowered spears and sharp tusks of the olyphants.

“You good?” Kaztar shouted over the pounding of hooves and screams of dying soldiers.

“Good enough,” I gritted out. My thigh throbbed through the lie.

He nodded, standing in his saddle and crying out orders to split and avoid the spears and tusks by approaching from the side. Half our unit banked left, Kaztar leading them, and the other half followed me as we angled away in the other direction. The Day Fae paused, looking between the two groups, and the moment was all we needed to find an opening in their defenses.

“Charge!” I screamed, bracing myself for the losses that would ensue.

The two groups came together like a cacophonous crescendo, where screams of the dying Fae and animals clashed with the snarls and trumpets of the triumphant. The trampled, burnt grass absorbed what blood it could, until too much had been spilled and it slicked the ground instead.

The sun rose higher in the sky, giving the Day Fae everything they needed to use their magic, while the Night Fae suffered with the meager drops that remained of ours.

And still, we kept fighting.