The Forbidden Wolf King: Kings of Avalier, Book 4(48)

“So, what—” Axil started when a frigid chill slammed into us. Suddenly we were in the center of a snowstorm that had come out of nowhere.

I knew the winter king had a reputation of having an awesome power that he couldn’t quite control, and now I was seeing it first-hand.

By my calculations we were still in Archmere, elvin territory, where it did not snow this time of year if ever. Raife looked concerned, his brows knotting together in the center of his forehead. “The war must have gotten worse since we left only a few short hours ago,” he said.

The dragon king swooped low, below the thick snowy clouds, and a horrifying sight came into view. Thousands of soldiers, for as far as the eye could see, were attempting to infiltrate Archmere.

There was an ice wall, growing along the border as I looked and blocking the men from advancing across.

Elvin warriors ran to meet them, their arrows sailing over the ice wall and impaling the Nightfall soldiers.

“Get me lower!” Madelynn screamed next to us and Arwen swooped down towards the army of men on the Nightfall side.

Drae followed his wife and then suddenly we were in the thick of the war.

“There’s so many,” I breathed. Axil reached out and threaded his fingers into mine as we peered at the carnage first-hand. Dead bodies were strewn on either side of the border, Nightfall warriors wore metal glinting contraptions on their wrists and some flung wind and fire like a fae.

Madelynn had told us of the Nightfall queen stealing magical powers but until now, I hadn’t seen it for myself.

“No,” Axil growled and chills broke out on to my arms. I followed his line of sight and my heart leapt into my throat.

A wolf.

It was smaller than a real wolven and less muscular, and it was running on the Nightfall side.

“They steal our magic but it’s not as good or effective for them,” Raife told us.

Rage burned brightly inside of me and that’s when I got to witness the full extent of Madelynn’s awesome power.

Her battle cry came first, and then a wall of wind slammed into the Nightfall offensive, bodies were tossed into the air like leaves, thrown back hundreds of feet. Trees snapped in half and the very grass was ripped from the earth. She’d cleared the entire border for a hundred yards without harming the ice wall or a single elvin warrior.

“Take that, Zaphira!” she cried from atop Arwen and I looked over at her in awe.

These women, these queens that I now was equal to in status, were awe-inspiring.

“She’s amazing,” I breathed.

Raife smiled. “Probably more powerful than Lucien, but don’t tell him I said that.”

We flew over more fighting and carnage, making our way to Thorngate as Madelynn helped to equalize the war from above. But the closer we got to the Nightfall City castle border, the more things looked bleaker on our side. Raife paled beside me as we stared at the bodies of fallen elves and fae alike. It looked like the enemy had somehow gotten over the twenty-foot slick ice wall.

“How did they do that?” I asked, peering over the side of the dragon and then down to see things more closely.

“Some of them can fly and—” The words died in Raife’s throat as we all watched a creature on the Nightfall side leap over the barrier with ease and land in Archmere.

Chills rushed up my arms.

No. It couldn’t be. They were nearly all wiped out.

The creature ran to the nearest elf warrior at a speed I could barely track and then grasped her by the head, bringing her neck to his mouth. As he drank from her, my fists tightened at my sides.

Necros.

“Maker, help us,” Raife breathed. “The necromerians have taken Nightfall’s side.” His voice was hollow, full of shock.

“No,” Axil said and I could hear the astonishment in his voice. “They’re neutral. They haven’t fought in a war for eons.”

It was true they were reclusive outcasts among all Avalierians but as more and more of them soared over the barrier, we realized they were no longer neutral.

The necros were blood-sucking creatures that walked upright like men, and yet could leap a hundred feet into the air and break your back in half with one snap. I hated to admit that fear consumed me then.

I’d never fought a necro before, or seen one, before this moment. Only had I heard stories of their kind: I thought they couldn’t go out in sunlight but clearly that was a rumor. A female necro with long black hair looked up at Drae and then crouched. Within seconds she soared into the sky as if she were flying! She launched right at us when Drae belched a stream of fire and then she fell to the ground with a thud.

My heart raced as I took in the entire scene. Turning to Axil with wide eyes, I reached for his hand. “We have to help them.”

Innocent elvin people were being slaughtered.

Axil nodded, leaning over the edge of the basket saddle. I knew what he was about to do. I’d never seen him use the king’s power and after witnessing Ansel use it wrongly, it made me nervous. But if he could stop those bloodsuckers from killing elvin, I was all for it.

Drae swooped low to the ground and I steeled myself, unsure whether Axil would throw his hands up or shout a command, but no. He just glared at the dozens of advancing necromerians and one by one they stumbled over their feet, then became like rigid soldiers, and I knew he had control over them. They marched without animation over to the nearest weapon or sharp object and impaled themselves upon it. I winced at the sight but I also approved.