AllFreeNovel
Share Us
33
The 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 tolive.
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.
