Chapter 19

M y steps falter as a wave of darkness rolls over me, threatening to drag me down. Vaeril grabs me just in time and steadies me, stopping my fall. Pulling me against his chest, he lets me rest, and I use the opportunity to catch my breath. We've been running since we left the army, and while I'm not as fast as a full-blooded elf, I'm faster than the average human. We've covered a huge distance in a matter of hours, and we are out of the forest and on the flatlands now, but it's starting to take its toll on my half-human body.

Nausea rolls through me as another wave of the dark magic hits me. My back protests, and my scar twinges, reminding me I'm not back to normal yet. Taking deep breaths, I try to breathe through it until the sickness and pain passes. Thankfully, it seems to pass relatively quickly, and I pull away from Vaeril, pushing back the stray strands of hair that have escaped my braids. "Did you feel that?"

He nods, his brow pulled into a severe frown. The closer we get to Galandell, the worse it gets. Whatever the queen is planning, she's gathering a huge amount of power, and it fills me with dread.

Knowing we don't have any time to waste, I start moving again. Although we're on the ‘flatlands,' we're currently at the edge, jogging up a hill to reach the plains. Once there, we make our way to the river. We're almost at the top, and I'm looking forward to being on flat ground that's not covered in tree roots we constantly have to navigate.

Vaeril reaches the peak first, freezing in place. Frowning, I hurry to his side, fearing something has happened to him. "Vaeril…?" I trail off when I see what's struck him dumb.

The plains run as far as the eye can see, the great river splitting the land looking like a silver, shimmering snake. To the right, towards Arhaven, the grass is lush and green. However, to the left, everything is black, like the life has been drained from it. Veins of darkness crawl across the land, much like the scar on my back. Everything the darkness has touched is dead, much like the flowers the queen had caressed in the gardens of Galandell when she was warning me. I knew back then her powers were deadly, but this is something different altogether. Is this the price of her magic?

"We have to stop her," I whisper, horrified by what I'm seeing, the destruction one being could cause.

"And we will." Threading his fingers through mine, he squeezes.

Together, we jog towards the river. The great river is huge and branches off into several smaller channels, and this is the one that feeds Galandell. As we reach the riverbank, I watch as the water lazily passes by, the flow controlled by the damn just down the waterway. If I close my eyes, I can hear the roar of the water being let through.

My hands begin to shake with the monumental realisation of what I'm about to do.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I get the sense I'm being watched. Glancing up the river, I see a set of glowing amber eyes and black pointed ears. I give Vaeril a pointed look. I hope he has the sense to stay back as I walk down the sandy riverbank, never taking my eyes off the furious yellow orbs.

"I'm here to fulfil a deal." My voice seems to echo out across the water, and several more sets of eyes appear, making me gulp. I had no idea there were so many of them in this part of the river. The first kelpie, the one that is closest to me, starts to rise from the water. I get the impression this one is female as she glides towards me, only her upper body visible.

When Vaeril and I escaped, he was poisoned and needed a weed to survive, a weed that was found at the bottom of the kelpies' lake. The kelpies there agreed to help me, although I'm still not sure why. In return, I promised I would try to break a spell on a dam that was separating them from their family—the dam that protects Galandell. When I break the spell, it will break the dam, allowing the water to crash through the city. It will destroy much of Galandell, and hopefully, take out many of the forsaken. The palace is built over the river and on the edge of a cliff, so who knows what the force of all that water will do. I'm about to be behind a lot of destruction, am I really any better than the queen?

Taking a deep breath, I meet the kelpie and bow my head in respect, never taking my eyes from her. There's a pause, then she bows her large head in return. Rising farther from the water, she moves closer, and I have to hold my ground, fighting the fear she evokes in me. She's towering above me now, her dark, rippling form huge compared to mine. When she lowers her head, I realise what she wants. I press my hand against her cold muzzle and gasp at the images that flash in my mind.

The girl who was promised has arrived. Finally. The goddess guaranteed she would one day come back to this land, and when she did, she would come in an unlikely form—in the shape of a girl.

Our anger and hunger is infinite, unending, but for her, we will follow.

She stands at the edge of our home, our prison. The dam may be a physical wall stopping us from going to sea, but no wall has ever stopped us before. No, this is a magical dam. Like a bubble, it completely surrounds us on all sides, separating us from our family upstream.

The elf queen wanted to keep us out, but she unwittingly trapped us here. She created an enemy of us that day.

With a gasp, I'm released from the kelpie's dark mind, and I stumble back a few steps, my legs weak from the pure hatred that oozes from the creature. Vaeril is instantly at my side, ignoring my warning about approaching the river, but thankfully, the kelpie merely narrows her eyes and doesn't attack.

"The dam's magic is like a bubble, trapping them from both sides," I explain between breaths, frowning as I wonder if it changes my plan at all. Before I have the chance to overthink, the kelpie begins to sink into the water and turns so her back is exposed. Turning her head to look at me, she gestures, and I realise what she wants. She wants me to ride her. Gulping and praying I'm not making a horrible mistake, I start to walk towards the kelpie.

Vaeril grabs my hand, stopping me in my tracks. "Clarissa, no!" His tone is panicked as he looks between me and the creature who is now glaring at my mate. "This is how they kill their victims."

"They won't kill me," I say with sudden surety, my mark glowing on my wrist. "They've been waiting for me to free them." I cup his cheek like he does with me before leaning in and pressing a kiss to his lips. "Trust me."

Staring into my eyes, he nods. He steps back, walks up to the kelpie, and to my surprise, bows at the waist. "Take care of her, please."

The kelpie stills for a second, and I get the impression she's as surprised as I am by the high elf's show of respect. When Vaeril straightens, the kelpie dips her head in a quick nod.

Without wasting any more time, I climb onto the kelpie's back, ignoring the water soaking into my battle leggings. I grip her shimmering mane and hold on tightly, yelping as the creature surges forward. Looking to the side, I see Vaeril running at full speed on the riverbank, his figure a blur. I can't believe how fast we're moving, and for a few minutes, I let myself forget about what we're about to face and what I'm going to do, just enjoying the sensation of flying through the water.

The dam appears ahead of us. The structure itself is simple, and above the water, it just looks like a white stone bridge. However, I can feel the magic from here, like a tingling against my skin. The kelpie stiffens as we get closer, and I get the impression the magic is causing her pain. Wincing, I place my hand against her neck, leaning closer to her ear to speak.

"I'm sorry, I need to touch the wall to break the magic."

She simply surges ahead, making no acknowledgement she heard me. As we reach the wall, the creature turns us side-on, and I take a deep breath. This is going to hurt. "I might pass out when the magic breaks. Please don't let me drown." I say it with a smile in my tone, not believing she would let that happen, but I still felt the need to voice my concern. The kelpie makes a grunting noise, and I get the impression she's laughing at me.

Blowing out a breath, I raise both hands and place them against the wall. The effect is instant, the magic in the wall sucking at my strength as my gift tries to break it. This spell is huge. I knew it was going to be large, but I hadn't taken it being a bubble and just how much more magic that would need to break into account. With dawning comprehension, I realise I'm not strong enough to handle that much magic. The pain quickly moves from my hands to the rest of my body, and my back arches, setting me into spasms. I need my mates. Why was I so foolish to think I could do this alone?

You are never alone, my beloved , the Mother whispers into my mind, lending me her strength and soothing my pain. Now that my pain has eased, an idea comes to me. The magic is like a bubble. I may not be strong enough to break the whole spell, but if I can unwrite enough of it, can I pop it? Stretching my awareness, I search for any weak spots, and after a few moments, I am rewarded. I focus all of my will and strength on that one spot, praying it's enough.

A loud crack is the first indication that it's working. I want to shout out my victory, but we're not done yet, so I keep going. All of a sudden, my concentration is broken when the kelpie jerks me away from the wall, racing with all her speed up the river as I cling on with all my might. I'm a combination of emotions—excitement, fear, and trepidation. I'm destroying a city, the home of so many elves, yet the forsaken will obliterate us if I don't do something about it.

Banging and roaring sounds behind us. We did it.

The kelpie stops and turns us in the water in time to see the dam fall. Dust and water billow into the air as the river drops and we start to get dragged towards the gaping hole I just created. Horror makes my blood run cold.

"No, take me to the shore!" I shout, desperate to be heard above the noise of the water and falling stone. The kelpie rises from the water, throwing her head back with a piercing shriek. Other kelpies rise from the water around us, the air shimmering with something that feels like…hope. Turning her head, the kelpie pushes a thought into my mind.

I won't let you drown, beloved. Hold on tight. There is dark humour in her thoughts, but I trust her not to go back on her word. Leaning forward, I wrap my arms around her neck just in time as she rears back, her front legs coming out of the water as she neighs her triumph.

Leading the charge, she dashes towards the gap in the dam, and I can't hold back my scream as we leap over the vertical edge—except we aren't falling. They are literally running down the water. A flash catches my eye, and I see Vaeril racing along the cliff's edge, trying to keep up. He's fast, but not as fast as us.

We've almost caught up with the initial wave now. It's huge, I just have to pray that the meeting place I arranged for our army is high enough so they are safe from the destruction of the flood. Riding through the valley, we round the corner, and I spot the ridge with the army waiting on it. Beyond that, in the bottom of the valley, are the city and the palace. Our army sees the wave first, then they spot me atop the kelpie and start cheering, waving their swords and shields as I speed past them.

The kelpie I'm on pulls back from the others, and I realise that's because she carries me. The others race forward, surging with the waves, jumping and crashing through the spray. As we continue through the valley, we enter the city, and I begin to see the forsaken.

They're everywhere. We wouldn't have stood a chance. The wave takes out most of them, dragging them into the water and pulling down the buildings closest to the river's edge. My heart breaks a little at the destruction of a city that meant so much to me, but buildings can be rebuilt. There's no point in having a pristine city if there's no one left to live in it.

The numbers of forsaken—the overall loss of life the queen has inflicted upon her own people is mind-boggling. Tears sting my eyes as I watch the city being destroyed by the wall of water and bodies being dragged into the angry, churning river before being pulled out to sea.

The kelpie jerks her head back, pulling at my awareness. This is where we part, beloved. Her creepy voice echoes in my mind, projecting an image of a bridge, and I realise what she wants me to do. Looking up, I see the bridge just ahead of us. It's somehow miraculously survived the initial wave, the swollen river just barely passing beneath it.

Pulling my knees up onto the creature's back, I cling onto her mane as I desperately try to maintain my balance before pushing up onto my feet. In this crouched position, I can just barely hold on, but as soon as I stand, I'll have to rely on my balance alone, so I have to time this perfectly. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I focus on the rapidly approaching bridge and slowly push to standing, extending my arms for balance. The kelpie beneath me swims smoothly, but the water is choppy and the wind blows fiercely. Just as we reach the shadow of the bridge, I push from the creature's back with all my might, my fae strength helping me to leap up onto the bridge. I stumble as I land, falling to my knees, but I ignore the sting of the pain, too busy watching as the first wave hits the palace.

The water slams into it like a wall, running up the front of it and over the top to the sea on the other side. The sound is unlike anything I've ever heard before, the ground rumbling with the force of the liquid. The east wing of the palace is instantly demolished, the huge chunks of white stone being washed away with the wave.

A piercing neigh pulls me from my desolation. Pushing up from where I fell, I run to the other side of the bridge and see the kelpie's glowing amber eyes squinting up at me, reminding me I still have a job to do. I jerk my head in a nod, and she just snorts and dives into the water, only to jump out farther down and drag an unsuspecting forsaken, who happens to be too close to the river, into the water.

Looking at the destruction around me, I feel overwhelmed, and I have no idea where to start. My body feels exhausted and shaky, but I know I've still got a long way to go yet. Reaching for my bonds, I take strength from the stability of my mates and their passionate love. Find the others , I tell myself. Get to them, find the queen.

I pull the dagger from the small holster at my waist. I can't wait until I meet with the others and can get my staff. I hadn't planned to be separated from Vaeril or to ride into the city on the back of a kelpie, so I feel woefully unprepared. I just have to hope the army is quick and that most of the forsaken were taken out by the wave.

Scanning around me, I hurry across the bridge and into the city. It's eerily quiet, other than the sound of the river. In fact, it's too quiet. Following the tug in my chest, I sprint past the damaged buildings, not seeing a soul until I slam into a hard chest. I'm instantly enveloped in Vaeril's scent and a sense of calm settles over me. He nuzzles his face into my hair as I press myself against him and listen to his pounding heart.

"I was terrified," he whispers into my hair before pulling back and capturing my face between his hands. "When I saw my mate, my strong, powerful mate, riding on the back of a kelpie…" He trails off, a mix of lust and fear crossing his features as he relives the moment. Grinning, I lean up and pull him in for a kiss, showing him exactly what he means to me.

"You found me," I whisper against his lips.

"Always." He's smiling now, the smile I love so much that he reserves just for me.

I hate to break the mood, but with a sigh, I pull back and glance around. Seeing no one, I frown. We just stormed an enemy city, and they knew we were coming. Sure, we washed many of them away, but they should have mounted a counterattack by now, yet it's too quiet. "Did you see any forsaken?"

"No." He frowns as he realises the same thing I have. "Perhaps the wave took care of them all?" I can tell he thinks it's strange too, his eyes scanning the nearby buildings as he holds me close, searching for any threat.

I can't suppress my shudder any longer as I look up and meet his gaze. "Something doesn't feel right."

Frowning, he nods, rubbing my arms comfortingly. "Let's meet with the rest of the army, they will be coming in at the other side of the city." He steps back and offers me his hand. Threading our fingers together, he gestures towards the far side of the city, and we begin running.

Vaeril and I run through the city in the direction we know the army will be marching towards. We only come across one forsaken, which Vaeril quickly dispatches, lighting a small fire to burn the corpse. The longer we go without seeing any others, the more I get the feeling we're missing something. As we get closer, I smell smoke and can see several pillars of it rising into the sky.

Eldrin finds us first, with Tor close behind him. They both envelop me in their arms, those missing pieces of me returned, and the tightness in my chest eases as my bonds hum with happiness. Eldrin stiffens at having the tribesman touch him, but he's not willing to let go of me, so he just grunts and puts up with it. I know I won't feel completely whole until I see Grayson, but it's more difficult for him, and I can feel his need to be with me through our bond.

Tor releases me, running his hand over my hair, his eyes shining with affection. "We saw you." A grin spreads across his face, pride shining like a beacon through our connection. "You were magnificent."

Eldrin grumbles, his arms still tightly around me, his hand capturing my chin and gently guiding my face so I'm looking up at him. "Kelpies are dangerous creatures." His lips are set in a frown, but I feel the remnants of his fear like an echo. "I nearly lost my mind when I saw you." His voice breaks, betraying his feelings.

Melting in his arms, I stretch up on tiptoe and press my lips to his. "I'm fine, I'm here," I whisper, running my hand over his chest until his heart rate begins to slow. Now that I'm sure he's calm, I give him a final kiss and step back, looking between him and Tor. Vaeril and I need to know what happened with the army while I was with the kelpies and making our way through the city, and since they were in the thick of it, they are the best people to ask. "Can you update me on what happened?"

"There have been a few skirmishes with the forsaken, but it looks like your wave took out most of them," Tor informs us casually, his arms crossed over his chest, but the whole time we've been here, he's been scanning the area for any threats.

Eldrin grunts a low laugh. "You were right, you saved us."

I should be happy, but his words only make me frown. "And the queen? The king?"

Picking up on my discomfort, Eldrin's expression changes, becoming more alert. "We've not found them yet." His eyes start searching the area like he suddenly expects them to jump from one of the buildings. "We're combing the city for them now."

I just can't shake the feeling something is wrong, that we're missing something. Why isn't the queen here to watch our demise? This has been too easy. "Something isn't right about all this," I mutter, my skin tingling as I speak, and the atmosphere becomes tense as my mates react to my statement, instinctively moving closer to protect me. Blowing out a shaky breath, I rub at the ache in my chest, needing to be with my mage. "Is Grayson okay?" I ask no one in particular, but Tor nods and gestures for me to follow him.

"I'll take you to him."

When I reach him, he extends his arm and tucks me against his side as we walk through the city. We make it to a town square, and I see the army has set up a base. The square seems to have escaped any major destruction, seeming only to have cosmetic damage, thanks to being surrounded by buildings on all sides. With a sick sense of pleasure, I notice the statue of the queen in the center of the fountain has been destroyed by the wave.

A large fire burns in one corner of the square, and as I watch, several tribesmen drag a still twitching beheaded forsaken towards it, throwing the body into the flames. Standing on the other side of the fire and watching the burning bodies are the war leaders. As soon as my eyes land on Grayson, my heart lightens, and as if he senses it, his head rises and instantly turns to where we're entering the square. He's the first to see us, his face lighting up as he makes his way over to me, his movements alerting the others to our arrival.

He touches my cheek with the back of his hand, his eyes telling me how he wants to do so much more, but my mage is more reserved than my other mates. Through the bond, though, it's a different story. His heart sores at seeing me safe, and he mourns what I had to do for our cause. He is in awe of my strength and bravery, and was terrified for my safety, wishing he wasn't so tied to his role as a high mage. I'm blown away by the overwhelming wave of sensations, and he seems to sense this, pulling back with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I was just overwhelmed when I saw you. I'm so glad you're okay." He scans my face before taking a step back and examining me for any wounds. "I've never been closer to walking away from my duty before." My eyes widen in shock, not quite believing what I'm hearing. Grayson would never walk away from the guild, but before I can say anything, the others reach us.

"Clarissa!" Revna calls out, a grim smile on her face as she comes to greet me. I understand the look—she's pleased my plan worked, even though it was grizzly and caused much death. She knows this place meant a lot to me and that destroying it was sure to cause me much emotional pain. The other leaders follow, greeting me with nods of varying warmth. I notice many of them are viewing me more kindly now that I've proven myself.

I'm pleased to see Jacob is with them and looking uninjured. In fact, he greets me with a smile and a one-armed hug. "That was pretty impressive, riding in on the back of one of those creatures." His grin stretches into a grimace as he tries to suppress a shudder. "I don't know how you did it, they give me the creeps."

Revna steps up to me and draws me towards the other leaders. My mates stiffen behind me, uncomfortable at being separated, and I agree with them, my body still on high alert.

"You were right," she praises, and I realise she's trying to prove a point to the chiefs who doubted the both of us. Usually, I would smile and try to grit my teeth through the posturing, she is family after all, but I don't have time for this.

Shrugging her arm from my shoulders, I look around the quiet, empty square. I can hear our warriors deeper in the city searching the streets and the sound of the river, but other than that, silence. Not even birds sing overhead. "It's too quiet, this was too easy." My tone is agitated, and my body is alive and buzzing, but the chiefs are watching me with sympathetic smiles. "Something isn't right."

"That's just the adrenaline talking, child," Chief Erik speaks up from the back of the group, and several of them nod in agreement, but I notice a few worried glances. The whole journey here, they were discussing how difficult this battle was going to be, and it was over before it even began, yet they are patting themselves on the back.

"I agree with the beloved," Speaker Hawthorn interjects, rubbing his arms as he glances around, looking towards the edge of the city where the forest starts. "The trees are restless, something is wrong." His announcement makes the others nervous, and they share looks, but it just confirms what I was feeling all along. Following the speaker's gaze, I look into the forest, extending my awareness and feeling…something dark. Confused, I turn to my mates, but Speaker Beck steps forward.

"The sea is not happy, and not just because of the additional water from the river." He frowns, turning to look towards the crumbling palace. "Something big is coming."

I'm torn, feeling pulled in two directions. Do we investigate the darkness of the forest, or follow the sea elf's prediction and head towards the sea? The army travelled through the forest and didn't notice anything. Could the darkness have been cloaked in some way? The queen has to be somewhere, there's no way she would have abandoned Galandell.

Feeling sick with indecision, I touch my goddess mark, opening my mouth to ask her advice when a shout fills the air. It's from deep in the city, close to the palace. The sound is full of terror, and it cuts off abruptly. Eyes wide, I spin to look at my mates. Another scream sounds, closer this time.

"Forsaken!"

The cry echoes through the city, and for a few seconds, we're all frozen in place, staring at each other as the messenger comes running into the square. He bends over at the waist, panting as he tries to catch his breath.

"They're climbing up the cliffs!"

"Mother above," I curse, realising what happened. In washing the forsaken away, I've simply delayed the inevitable. The only way to kill them is to behead and burn the bodies. How could we have been so stupid? I chide. We let our guard down, and now we will pay for it. I can only imagine the horror of the forsaken silently climbing up the cliff face and dragging our warriors over the edge. We may have given ourselves some time, and now we have the high ground, but I should have foreseen this.

Several curses ring out as they realise the same thing I do.

"Everyone into position!" Revna shouts, but many are already moving, hurrying through the square and down roads towards their warriors, shouting orders as they go. I notice Speaker Beck reaches for a seashell that hangs around his neck. Raising it to his lips, he tips his head back and blows with all his strength. A sound louder than I would have expected reverberates all around us. Dropping the shell, he bows his head to me in farewell before running through the city to join his people.

With a sudden bolt of horror, I realise we're missing someone. "Where's Naril?" How could I have not noticed before? Guilt and fear tears through me, my mind imagining situation after situation where he's alone and in trouble.

Turning to Eldrin, I see he's tense, his face set in a grimace, but he's not freaking out like I thought he would be. "He took a group of elves to check the other side of the city."

Swearing, I stare into the city as if I can see through the buildings and discover where my friend is. I want to go and find him, but I know we can't, we need to find the queen. My heart breaks at the thought of abandoning my friend, but I know he would understand and tell me not to waste time looking for him.

Vaeril closes the gap between us, placing his hand on my shoulder. "He'll be fine, he's a fierce warrior."

I know people are waiting on my decision, but I have to give Eldrin this choice. People are shouting and running around us, and I can hear the clash of weapons and screams of battle getting closer. Turning to my mate, I grip his arm. "Go find your brother."

He surprises me by firmly shaking his head. "No, he can defend himself. He has centuries' worth of training, while you've had less than a year. You need me." I don't feel any guilt from him through our connection, but what I do feel are the words he doesn't say. While I may need him, he needs me just as badly.

A loud booming noise begins to shake the ground, and everything seems to move in slow motion as forsaken come streaming out from the buildings around us. My mates gather around me in a protective circle, my staff passed to me by unseen hands. Jacob and his human guards run over to battle a group of them, but before long, I lose track of them because the forsaken are on us. Their dead eyes and unrelenting attacks just keep coming. I don't know if Grayson was expected elsewhere, but he stays with us, his hands glowing with magic as he blasts our foes away. My skin buzzes with the amount of magic in the air, both from him and the other mages, all my movements feeling sluggish. Tor is like a whirlwind, his axe swinging wildly as he roars his battle cry, and I'm sure a part of him is enjoying being able to fight to protect me.

At one point, I hear a cheer go up through the city. "The sea elves are coming!" That must have been what Speaker Beck had been signalling with the shell around his neck.

I don't know how long we fight for, it seems like hours, but we don't leave the square, dismembering the forsaken and throwing their corpses on the ever-growing fire. Eldrin's training pays off, my movements almost coming naturally. My staff feels like an extension of my arms as I spin and whirl, working together with my mates to take down our foes. Like this, it doesn't matter who is an elf, mage, or tribesman. In this square, our differences don't matter because we all fight for the same thing.

"Clarissa."

The voice makes me stumble. It sounded like a child. Why would a child be here, and how would they know my name? Spinning in a circle, my breath coming in exhausted pants, I look for the source of the voice. More forsaken are filling the square, blocking the exits, but they make no move to come any closer.

That's when I spot her.

My stomach drops. "Oh, no," I whisper brokenly as I stare at the little girl who's clearly a forsaken. She's dressed in the shift the slaves wear, and even from here, I can see the angry red welt of a healing slave brand on her wrist. She can't be any older than eight, the same age I was when I was turned into a slave, and I realise this was all part of the plan. We've been separated from the army, and they knew they wouldn't be able to get me away from my mates easily, so they've found the one thing they knew would be sure to hurt me.

"Clarissa," the girl calls, her voice chilling as she tilts her head to one side and watches me with those dead eyes. All of a sudden, as if by some unspoken command, the forsaken who are fighting us step back, dropping their weapons, their bodies going completely still. Confused, my mates retreat, moving closer to me, their eyes landing on the girl as they assess her as the new threat.

The girl ignores them, her gaze locked on me, and I get the impression the queen is viewing me through her. "Come with me if you want me and my friends to survive, and come alone, or I'll order for your friends to be killed." The light, almost playful way it's said doesn't fit with the dreadful words that come from her mouth, and I want to scream.

"Don't do it, she'll kill us either way," Eldrin snarls, gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly, I can see the whites of his knuckles. He's pacing in front of me, and I know he's close to losing control.

A pulse of magic to my left makes me glance over at my mage. Grayson doesn't look good, his face is ashen, his pupils are wide, and his magic seems to pulse around him. I'm pretty sure he's close to going into euisa, and me leaving may be the final thing that causes him to lose the battle, pushing him over that line. Magicians in euisa are lethal. Feeling my gaze, he turns his attention to me. "If you go with her, we can't protect you."

I know this is a trap, I'm not na?ve. This has all been devised by the queen to get me alone and away from my mates. However, I have the Mother behind me, and I have four mates who will fight until their last breath to get to me. She hasn't factored in their loyalty because she doesn't understand it, she's never had that sort of devotion. She's destroyed too many lives and ruined this land for too long. Something also tells me the king will be with her. Prince Rhydian's new dark powers are too similar for it to be a coincidence. It's all linked, and I intend to find out how. This ends today.

Stepping forward, I place my hands on Grayson's and Eldrin's arms, the two closest to me, glancing at each of them. "I have to end this. I have to try and save them," I beseech, praying they understand. One way or another, the queen will find a way to force me to see her, and I would rather go on my terms. Fighting tears, I push them back and smile, meeting each of my mates' eyes, memorising their faces in case this is the last time I'll see them. "You'll find me, you always do." After repeating the words Vaeril said to me earlier today, I turn and step away from them and towards the girl. Eldrin growls and goes to move towards me, but I hold my hand up and shake my head. I don't say anything else out loud, but via our bond, pouring my feelings for them through the connection. How they have brightened my whole life, that my existence didn't have meaning before I met them, and how they have helped me grow into who I am today. That I love them with every fiber of my being, and somehow, we will find a way to be together again.

I keep walking backwards as I bestow my love and gratitude to them, needing to keep them safe. I know they'll try to rescue me, but I need to keep them safe from the queen if I can. When I reach the little girl's side, the forsaken filling the square move, forming a wall, separating them from me. I have to turn away, not able to view the pained expression on Eldrin's face any longer.

"Okay, I'm ready," I tell the girl, my voice breaking.

She doesn't say anything, just simply starts walking towards the forest. Taking a deep breath, I follow her. I just reach the treeline when a blast of magic rolls over me, and Grayson's pained bellow tells me he's lost the battle and fallen into euisa. That's when I lose my own battle and the tears finally began rolling down my cheeks.