16. Zhang Junjie

Chapter 16

Zhang Junjie

A storm was rolling in.

Junjie stepped into a small clearing and stared at the black sky. There were no moon and stars tonight. Thick, dark clouds poured across the heavens like a billowing cape, blotting out all light. A fierce wind rose and fell, causing the canopy to sway and the limbs to creak. The noise was wonderful for masking their movements, but it also hid the approach of the fae.

“Rei, can you tell if this storm is naturally occurring?” Xiao Dan inquired, lifting his voice to be heard over the rustling of the leaves.

Junjie’s stomach twisted as his mind filled in the rest. Or is the storm the result of fae magic?

Rei looked up and frowned. “I’m inclined to say yes, with a little bit of no.”

Yichen bumped him with his shoulder, his lips twisted into a smirk. “You’re going to need to do better than that, darling.”

He paid for that snarky comment. The wind shifted direction, and the vampire got a face full of his long hair. Yichen growled as he shoved it away while Rei snickered at his mate. Both of them wore their hair long, but Rei had been smart enough to weave his into a long braid before they set out. Yichen had made do with only part of his hair pulled into a high ponytail.

Junjie smoothed his expression, taking this as a sign to ask Mei Lian to trim his hair. He’d been considering growing his hair long like Yichen, but this was a friendly reminder of what a nuisance it could be.

“I believe the storm itself is naturally occurring,” Rei continued, pausing to stick his tongue out at Yichen, then looking at Xiao Dan again. “However, there’s a bit of magic in the air. I can’t tell if Trin is intentionally intensifying the storm or if there’s more magic than normal because of the eradication of the humans.”

That was a lovely reminder that the fae were growing stronger with every city devoured by the forest and every human home that was abandoned as they moved west to safety.

“Let’s push on. We still haven’t reached the spot Marcus indicated on the map,” Xiao Dan ordered.

Junjie marched with Xiao Dan, Huli, Yichen, and Rei through the woods to investigate a potential spot for another fae ritual as a team of Variks examined a separate location. The rest of the Zhang clan remained at the manor, prepared for yet another attack by Jiang Chong.

As much as he dreaded a massive battle with the fae, Junjie was equally tired of this stalemate they’d reached. They had been unsuccessful in locating Trin’s or Jiang Chong’s hiding spots. The fae knew where to find the Zhang clan, but they appeared unwilling to attempt a direct assault, thanks to Kai’s presence.

That left the fae with one option—send in Jiang Chong to create chaos and fear within the clan while the fae bolstered their position.

The one good thing out of all this was that Leo had promised to remain at the manor and protect Erik while he was away. That felt safer for both of them, and Junjie could focus on the task in front of him.

Out of their group, only Huli seemed to be enjoying himself. The fox would run ahead of them, sniffing the air and searching for any sign that the fae were in the area. After several minutes, he would return, running straight to Xiao Dan, circling him as if checking to make sure he’d come to no harm. His tails flicked and fluttered about him and Shixiong. The things acted as if they had minds of their own, and yet all they probably thought about was Xiao Dan.

“Do you smell any fae in the area?” Xiao Dan asked on Huli’s most recent return.

Huli sniffed the air twice and sneezed. “Hints here and there, but nothing fresh. Of course, if they’re downwind of us, I have no hope of detecting them until it’s too late.”

Xiao Dan ran his hand along the top of Huli’s head. “It’s the coming storm. No one is blaming you for that.”

Huli darted a short distance away from Xiao Dan to run up a fallen log that had one end wedged in the dirt and the other balanced several meters in the air on a flat rock. The fox stood at the top, his head held high and chest puffed up. Behind him, his nine fluffy tails danced in the wind like a cape.

“What do you think, Gege? Am I impressive now? Like one of the superheroes,” Huli called out.

Xiao Dan walked to the fox. “Huli is always impressive.” His hand moved on Huli’s head to get a spot right behind his ear and Huli’s mouth fell open, showing off rows of sharp, pointed teeth. He would have looked vicious if his long pink tongue hadn’t lolled out the side of his mouth.

Just when Junjie thought he would have to nudge his shixiong and the fox spirit into continuing their journey, Huli’s head snapped up, his ears erect and turning on his head. Junjie couldn’t tell if he smelled something on the wind or heard something above the rattling of the branches, but he was alert while the rest of their team stood silent, hands sliding for their weapons.

“Get down!” Rei shouted.

The words were still leaving Rei’s lips when Huli dove straight into Xiao Dan, knocking him to the ground. Junjie fell to the dirt and rolled to a large tree. The wind eased, and he could hear the approach of dozens of feet as they ran through the forest toward them. Bow strings twanged and arrows thunked into thick tree trunks. He peered out from behind the wide maple to see at least twenty elves racing in their direction with bows and swords drawn. Only one of them was on horseback.

“Trin.” Rei’s voice became a vicious snarl as he launched himself from his hiding spot. The wind nearly carried Yichen’s curse away, but the vampire didn’t hesitate to follow his mate into the fight.

“Huli, the horse!” Xiao Dan pointed at the magnificent beast, sending Huli in for the attack.

The fox raced forward, getting ahead of Rei to lunge at the horse. The beast was still larger than the fox, but Huli could maneuver faster, avoiding the creature’s hoofs as it kicked and bucked. Other elves tried to attack Huli as the fox worked to unseat Trin, but they didn’t have a chance. Both Xiao Dan and Junjie joined the fight, protecting the fox and cutting through their adversaries.

Trin roared in frustration as he gripped the horse’s reins with his left hand while trying to swipe at Huli with the black onyx sword in his right. Trin’s sword swung too close and clipped the tip of one of the fox’s tails. A pained yelp ripped from Huli, and Xiao Dan cried out.

“No!”

In the blink of an eye, brilliant sunlight cut through the forest. The forest of maples, oak, and pine changed to green bamboo. Junjie cringed for a heartbeat, his body instinctively fearing the sunlight, only to realize that none of it was real. Xiao Dan had called on his powers to wrap them in a massive illusion.

And just like he always did when he panicked, Xiao Dan had taken them back thousands of years to the time of their human existence.

Junjie glanced down to find that he was in a deep-green robe with leaves stitched into it with a fine blue thread. His throat tightened. He’d always loved this garment, but it hadn’t had a chance at surviving the long years.

Close to him, Xiao Dan and Yichen were dressed in old-fashioned robes while Rei and Huli had vanished. The elves had paused for a breath, seeming stunned by the shift in their surroundings.

“You think you can stop us with this weak glamour?” A dark and twisted chuckle escaped Trin’s throat, and he pointed his sword at Xiao Dan. “No one is better at glamour than the fae.”

As he spoke, tiny holes dotted the air as if embers had fallen on Xiao Dan’s illusion, burning holes. With each passing second, the openings were growing larger and larger. The sparkling sunlight was fading, and the bamboo stalks were disappearing. Even Junjie’s emerald-green robe was fading from existence.

Shoving aside the lingering feelings of loss, Junjie jumped into the fight, slashing one elf across the throat while he was still distracted. A troll-like creature blocked his blade with his staff at the last moment and darted away with a high-pitched squeal.

“I don’t need my glamour to be better than the fae’s. I just need mine to distract you.”

As the wind carried away Xiao Dan’s words, Trin’s horse’s panicked shrieks pierced the night. The horse bucked, kicking out its hind legs and then its front. As the last of Xiao Dan’s illusion dissipated, Huli appeared and chomped on one of the horse’s legs.

One more wild kick and Huli flew off, but so did Trin.

The elf hit the ground and rolled away from the steed. Huli flipped and landed on his feet with the skill of a gymnast. He scampered to Xiao Dan’s side, bloody teeth bared. The horse shot off through the forest, leaving the fight well behind.

“Mine!” Rei snarled. He launched himself at his half brother, a short sword clenched in each fist.

Metal pounding against metal echoed through the forest. Junjie turned his attention away from the two royals fighting to focus on the rest of the forces Trin brought with him. Rei could handle his half brother. But he could do that more easily if he wasn’t worried about some asshole coming along and stabbing him in the back.

The troll creature that had escaped him minutes ago now shot an arrow at him. Junjie dodged it, slipping behind a tree. As he came out on the other side, he slid a dagger from his waist and threw it at the troll. The blade spun, reflecting the flash of lightning before burning deep in the troll’s forehead. He didn’t make a sound as he collapsed on the ground, his bow falling from limp fingers.

“Useless elf!” Trin blocked another of Rei’s slashes and countered quickly. “You’ve gone soft living with the humans. Mating with a human.”

“Vampire!” Rei’s shout rose above the metallic ring of swords and the cries of the dying. “I love a vampire. I fuck a vampire. And my family is now comprised of a big clan of vampires and a goddamn dragon!”

“Sexy, babe.” Yichen cackled.

Junjie would have rolled his eyes at the pair, but two elves and what could have been a pixie were trying to circle him. He was running through his daggers as he tried to take out the oversized dragonfly. The thing was faster at dodging him than the troll. The elves were also taking turns trying to skewer him.

“Let me lend you a hand,” Huli called out. The fox spirit thundered across the field, ran up his back, and leaped off Junjie’s shoulders. A blur of orange, black, and white flew through the air, that big mouth open and aimed right at the pixie. A high-pitched shriek cut through the night and fell silent before the fox landed.

“I will kill you and no one will question my claim to the throne,” Trin growled.

“Just take the throne to our realm with the rest of the fae and close the damn door. No one will question your claim then!” Rei roared, but the fighting went on with a clang of swords.

The sky split with a bright flash of lightning, followed by ear-shattering thunder that shook the ground. Rain fell in blinding sheets, drenching everyone and everything in an instant. Vision dropped to almost nothing. It was useless to throw his last couple of daggers at the elves in front of him. The rain had made it impossible to aim or even see. As it was, he was simply trying to remain ahead of both the swords that were trying to cut him to pieces.

Luck shone on him. One elf with liquid black eyes slipped on a wet patch and the surprise allowed Junjie to get inside of his guard. With barely more than a flick of his wrist, the tip of his blade slashed across the elf’s throat, opening a gaping wound he wouldn’t survive.

Yet, as he spun to counter a slash from his other opponent, the earth trembled under the pounding of hoofs. He blocked a blow and glanced over to see more than a dozen horses with elvan riders plunging out of the deep shadows of the forest. And in the lead was Trin’s right-hand enforcer, Aire Bira.

This was taking a terrible turn. Junjie struggled to finish the fight with his current opponent before one of the approaching elves on horseback could run him down. They were outnumbered, and the weather had turned against them. The smart option was to retreat, but he fought on, waiting for Xiao Dan to issue a new order.

“Shixiong?” Yichen shouted. His shidi had come to the same conclusion. Survival meant running, but would they still escape with their lives? The sudden downpour was turning the ground into a soggy marsh. Could they even move faster than the horses and their sword-wielding riders?

“Retreat to higher ground!” Xiao Dan shouted.

“No!” Rei screamed. “I can end this now!”

“Rei!” Yichen bellowed, and a fist gripped Junjie’s heart. If the elf refused to disengage from his fight with Trin, Yichen would remain at his side, protecting him until the bitter end. And if Yichen didn’t leave, none of them would leave. They’d lost him once…

“Fire!”

Junjie was still trying to figure out who’d shouted that single word when the dark sky filled with arrows cutting between the raindrops to pummel the newly arrived elves. He stumbled a couple of steps as the arrows found the throat and eyes of the elf he’d been fighting. The elf gasped, only to have it change into a strangled gurgle as he crumpled to the ground. His pale-white skin changed to gray and black. Those were poison-tipped arrows.

Taking the opening, Junjie twisted to search the woods behind him. He spotted a short slender elf with hair as white as moonlight standing on a thick tree branch several meters above the ground. A bow was clenched in her left fist while she pulled an arrow from her quiver on her hip. These arrows were much larger than the poison ones that had filled the air.

“Who is that?” Yichen demanded.

“Move your ass, Rei!” the female elf shouted.

“Fine!” Rei growled. He slipped away from Trin as more arrows flew at the would-be king of the elves. “We’re leaving.”

“Who is that?” Yichen asked a second time as he followed a step behind Rei. Junjie and Xiao Dan fell in with them, racing as quickly as they could through the trees and away from the fight with Trin’s army. Huli ran to join them, his brilliant fur soaked and matted, making him look more like a giant orange rat.

“That’s my half sister. Apparently, she wants Trin dead more than she wants me dead.”