83. Ries

83

Ries

O z might be a damn decent tactician, but he's also thinking with an orc brain.

Smart but he's got a few screws loose. That or he's been snorting pixie dust.

After a solid night's sleep deep in leshy land, apparently forgiven by the menacing forest spirit, we set out to accomplish the orc's mission.

Don't get me wrong. I agree with Oz. If we try to take on all our enemies together, we'll die.

But seriously, splitting us up like this makes little sense.

Or maybe it's me. I'm in a weird funk since killing Folas. I can't quite process it yet, and everything feels distant. Like I'm numb, I guess.

But unlike Oz, I don't give a fuck what my mother might think. I hate her, but not as much as I loathed Folas.

"Hey, who would win between you and me? Water versus fire? What do you think?" Crash asks, spoiling for a fight.

"Stop talking," I tell him, wishing he'd gone with Malkar.

Oz decided we need to eliminate Rilitar first while keeping an eye on the monarch and his archdemon, because they'll be harder kill.

We're saving Daleyne and the war god for last, if possible. Though the monarch and Daleyne seemed to be everywhere together.

Why not get them apart, I tried asking.

And didn't get a satisfactory answer. Combating a monarch with his demon, at the same time, is asking for death. Adding on a murderous assassin orc and the war god is overkill.

They can only torture us so much, right?

"Do you think Oz is losing it?" I ask Crash.

"Maybe. We'd be better off fighting the monarch or Algraas. But not both together."

I nod. "The only thing going for us is the fact the monarch isn't a Pure." The demon can't ride anyone but a Pure. True humans enhance ethereal power, let them feel, and in turn, ethereals power up their humans.

A ride for a ride.

It creeps me out, the thought of someone being inside me.

Thoughts don't bother me. I don't mind sharing my mind with the others, enhancing our communication. It's like talking through water, with sea life.

It feels similar enough that being with Malkar, Kami, and the others now feels normal.

Crash, though, is a solitary creature. This must be super weird for him.

"Ever fought an archdemon before?" he asks.

"No, but I saw my uncle fight a cherub. One hell of a battle."

"Yeah?" Crash perks up.

I describe it to him as we make our way to King's Field in the monarch's district. I've wondered why it has no name. Lancer, Asrai, and Godtown are named for the lakes. But the monarch's land, where his palace, King's Field, and the great chapel are located, have no grand moniker.

Oz instructed me and Crash to scout the area—no combat, only recon—while he, Malkar, and Kami hunt for Rilitar.

His idea is that if we work at taking them all out, apart from each other, while playing to our strengths, we might have a shot at victory.

That's if we can avoid Beyrthnel until the end.

I've got the water part down. I swam Crash through Lake Lancer with ease, so happy to have my water magic that I might have taken a longer route than needed.

Crash didn't complain. Not that he could, with a small bubble of air around his mouth while we raced fellow mermen and a few baby sea creatures through the water.

I never realized how much I missed the merman part of me. Containing and manipulating water is part of my mage heritage. But I need the water to feel like me.

I'm eager to get into Lake Divine with my power intact. That lake holds special properties we all might need before this fight is through.

We're at the chapel finally, having avoided some pink pixies bent on overloading us with flowers. It amazes me how different they are than their gray cousins.

Those hellish irritants have been known to kill with pleasure.

But the pink pixies want nothing more than to pollinate and provide joy.

We settle in the grasses, camouflaged, and wait to see who comes and goes to the chapel. A glimpse of the archdemon is all we need. Then we know where the monarch, and likely Oz's mom, will be.

"Do you think Oz can kill his mom?" I ask in a low voice .

Crash shrugs. "I don't know. He didn't before." He pauses. "It's probably a good idea he not kill her."

"But to avenge his dad, he needs to."

"No, he needs to know she's dead." Crash sounds more serious than I've ever heard him. "It's hard to kill what you love. That guilt never goes away, and Oz feels it a lot more than he should already."

"No shit. Weren't you the one blaming him for leading us to that cave where we almost died?"

I can't say how, but I can feel his embarrassment. "Yeah, but I've been thinking."

"Don't hurt yourself."

"Shut up."

I grin. He's actually fun to rile. Now I understand why Malkar's always doing it.

"Oz is all about doing what's right. He's got standards. Pesky morals." Crash sighs. "He reminds me of my sister."

"Sister?"

"Yeah. I had a twin. She died with my parents years ago. Before my brother, Arlen, I mean."

The brother who recently passed. "Oh."

"My sister was like that. Had a core of steel. Right was right. Wrong was wrong." He gives a half grin, and I feel his hurt as if it's my own. Though I've never had a close tie with anyone like that.

Well, not until I met Kami and the others.

Our newly bonded family.

Despite the situation and the conversation, I feel myself wanting to smile.

I've never belonged anywhere before.

The feeling is…nice.

"I'm sorry you lost your sister." I mean that sincerely.

Crash gives me a warm smile, and the expression makes him look sweet. Younger than he seems to be. "Thanks, man." He pats me on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I never?—"

"Sire, we need to talk." Algraas appears out of nowhere near the chapel doors, and suddenly Goras Vamyar exits the chapel.

Bingo.

"Yes?"

"The dragon and the necromancer have defeated Folas and the others."

Goras stops. "All of them? Already? "

Algraas nods. He's floating a few inches above the ground, his wings a blur as he moves.

Wait. The dragon and the necromancer? What about me, Crash, and Oz? We did a lot of damage before Malkar and Kami.

Crash shares a frown with me. No shit. We did plenty of damage ourselves.

The monarch scowls. "We sent Rilitar's weak minions to do the job of true fae. Real elves? Please." He snorts. "But what could we expect from an earth elf?"

Oh, so it's bigotry among the elves now. And I thought Rilitar was a piece of work.

"True, sire. But Beyrthnel has chosen Rilitar's son as his temporary avatar. A great honor."

"Yes, yes. I'm just glad it wasn't me. I don't want to be worn down by a god, not when I can serve him instead."

"Serve him, my lord?"

"Yes." He turns in our direction. "By giving him the heads of those who ruined his Becoming ceremony." Goras smiles and lights up, his entire body covered in a golden glow, standing out against the hot summer sun above .

"Might I feast after our victory?" Algraas smiles at us. I swear he can see us through the tall grasses.

So I stand.

Crash does too and cracks his knuckles. "Not what I was planning. But I think we can take them."

Big talk, fire fae. Algraas is no joke, and that's to say nothing of Goldie over there.

Fuck that. It's us or them. I'm betting on us.

"Demons don't burn," I tell him.

That has him pausing.

Then Goras is standing in front of me, and his hand is around my throat.

"Tell me, merman. How do you wish to die? Slowly?" He squeezes my neck. And fuck, it hurts. "Or really slowly?"