Page 89 of Season Warriors & Wolves

One of the men laughed under his breath. “They should have all just died back then.”

Caiden lowered before him, and the man choked out of air. “Oh? What else, tell me.”

The man’s skin turned purple, his hands crawling and digging on his throat and chest. Every little vein in his eyes popped, turning the white sclera red.

“What was that?” the Olympian general asked, cupping a hand to his ear. “Ah, perfect. Silent. Like all of your sort should be.” He tilted his head back, watching them all slowly choke. “Are they afraid of me, Kilian?”

“Very.”

He clicked his tongue at them, his magic retreating and the men heaved, finally breathing. “Don’t be. It gets our Crafter’s magic all dizzy, she might cut up your brains wrong.”

Both men looked behind us where Visha was standing, already waiting for them. They almost, almost begged not to be taken when Visha portalled away with them.

Tristin landed close to us. “Memphis had a note attached to her. Moregan’s warning came a bit late. I think they were expecting to find a resistance of sorts down here, not just odd families trying to get by. Many soldiers and beasts left very soon after the attack.”

Caiden wiped a hand over his mouth. “Yeah, their miscalculations cost us much, Tris. How long have these people been around us? How much do they know?”

“Mal’s command will be here shortly,” I assured. “They will go through everyone and make sure no others have slipped by.”

“Lies,” Mal said, strutting in with all his men. “I’m already here.”

Caiden’s eyes darted all over the Eldritch command spreading through the village and towards the Myrdur ruins. “Just don’t scare anyone. Most have lost everything they had, even family.”

My brother put a hand to his chest. “With this face? Muffin, you injure me.”

“Silas has been looking for Olympians for ages, this was not unexpected,” Eren said, dragging another Isjordian for Visha to take next.

The man sputtered, gasping for air and crawling away from everyone, eyes wide and mad with fear on Eren. “Don’t hurt me. I beg. I know nothing!”

“Be quiet,” Eren ordered, looking around. “Where is Snow?”

“Being a queen for once, not just the crazy lady,” Nia said, heading to Caiden to wrap his burnt arm with some gauze. “Don’t move, you idiot, I can smell the grey salt in the air. Verglasers are growing smarter. They know how to utilise their magic to the fullest. Ice and grey salt will melt your flesh to the bone, won’t let no magic heal it either.”

“Moregan might have showed them,” Eren said, blowing a heavy breath. “I’ve seen Isliners using the same technique.”

Nia looked up at me. “Why are you so quiet?”

Because half of me is torn and pretending she is not. “No one returns to their homes in Fernfoss. It is time Olympians join their kind across the mist whether they made an oath to the land or not. The rest of the people remaining will be welcomed in Adriata. Nia, ask Moriko if she would be willing to let any in Hanai.”

“We leave Fernfoss?”

“No, we will come back to Fernfoss. We will raise our war banners in this land, All of them. Silas’s war started here, it will end here.”

Some screaming ensued, a telling sign that my brother was at work. Not minutes later, he returned with more men to join our circle. “What a cute attempt, eh? Hiding between the rest with burnt marks and smoke on their faces, yet not one hair out of place,” he said, shaking his head at them. “All I could salvage, I am afraid. Your wife’s anger got the best of her. Yet again.”

“Just wanted to see if I could melt their mouth shut,” she said walking to us. “How would I know his whole brain would explode?”

“A simple guess, maybe?” my brother said, leaning against a porch rail. “I know that look.”

Everyone looked over at Snow.

She awkwardly took my side, fisting the back of my shirt to hold onto me for dear life. “What look?”

“Vengeance.”

Chapter twenty-one

White Pawn to H3