Page 101 of Gilded Curses

“I like this plan,” Alda said as she kicked Aurora’s head off her sword. “Most of the servants are out of the castle at this time of night, but the ones inside it will help us; we can get the others later. I can show you where the Elite sleep, and most guards are on duty tonight and easy to find. Once they’re dead, I’ll take you to their sleeping quarters, where we can destroy the rest.”

The immortals from the Cursed Realm all grinned as they lifted their weapons.

“Lead the way,” Belda said.

And Alda practically skipped as she led them through the halls. These bastards had no idea what was coming for them, but soon, they would.

CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE

It took over three hours, but eventually, the Elite and their guards fell. The onslaught of unexpected invaders was too much for them to overcome.

They never saw it coming and never anticipated anyone entering Epoch without their knowledge. The destruction of the Augmentation Stones changed all that and allowed Orin, Sahira, and the others to sweep through the castle with ruthless speed and no mercy.

Once the servants inside the castle were involved, they unleashed their fury in a wave of cruelty and vengeance Orin admired. The servants had spent millennia being abused and mistreated, and they took all that abuse out on those who inflicted it.

After the last guard fell and they totaled the losses, Orin learned that a few brownies and immortals from Belda’s town had also fallen. He didn’t like those losses, but they hadn’t suffered the same number of casualties as those in Epoch.

By the time the battle ended, ten Elites were still alive, including Renaldo, but Orin suspected they’d soon be wishing they’d died. Alda and a tall thin man, who he’d learned was Clive, had taken control of the servants and stood at the front of the line, smiling at the Elites cowering before them.

They’d released all those imprisoned in the dungeons. The recently freed prisoners stood behind the servants looking too thin and frail but very happy.

Some of the Elites wore sleeping gowns, while others were nude. All their hands were bound behind their backs to keep them from opening portals, but Orin doubted they knew how to. They were younger than Sheree, and she wouldn’t have imparted that knowledge to them.

“Now is the time for us to have servants!” Alda declared.

A cheer ran through the crowd of servants gathered before the Elites; they grinned as they used their weapons to poke their specimens. One of the Elite women started crying, but no one showed her any sympathy.

“I think it’s time for us to go,” Sahira whispered. “They don’t need our help anymore, and I’m ready to see my family.”

She didn’t say it, but he knew she was done watching this, even if these assholes deserved everything they got. Orin draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to kiss her temple.

His ribs still ached like a son of a bitch, but two had already snapped back into place. The third gradually worked back into position by digging through his insides. It would soon reset too, and he would breathe a little easier again.

His stump throbbed so bad he could feel it in his teeth, but he wouldn’t let her know. It would eventually heal, and he would adjust to not having a hand. Until then, he wouldn’t say anything.

“Let’s go home,” he said.

The other immortals from the Cursed Realm were already starting to break up and leave Epoch. Many of them had departed, but some remained. Belda came up to clasp their hands.

“When you first arrived, I assumed you’d be nothing but trouble, and I was right,” she said to Orin. “But I was also wrong. Thank you both for getting us out of here.”

“Oh, you were right; I’m nothing but trouble,” Orin assured her.

Belda smiled as she glanced between them. “Something tells me that’s not as true as it used to be.”

Orin squeezed Sahira a little tighter. He wasn’t about to argue the truth with this woman.

“We weren’t the only ones involved,” Sahira said.

“I know, and I plan to thank them too.”

“What will you do now?” Orin asked.

“I used to have a family, but after four hundred years, I can only hope they’re still alive. Even if they’re not, I have a pack.” She waved to the lycans behind her. “At one time, we all belonged to another pack, but that time has passed. We’re one now and will find a home.”

“You’re always welcome in Dragonia,” Sahira said. “And if you don’t come to live there, we hope you’ll at least come to visit us.”

“We will,” Belda promised before squeezing their hands and releasing them to talk with Elsa and Zeth.