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.
This was war and when you were at war, it was a case of anything goes.
Raife clasped Axil on the back in gratitude and Axil nodded. It was one of the darkest things I’d ever seen. To make someone end their own life … but they’d chosen their side and we had to see it through now. Until the end.
After taking care of the necromerians, Drae flew us higher and into Thorngate where the temperature plunged. Thick chunks of snow fell from the sky as I pulled my furs tighter around me.
In no time at all we were landing before a giant white castle, blanketed in snow.
This was the famed Winter Court.
Madelynn leapt off of Arwen and bolted inside, seemingly in search of her husband. I followed Raife who led Axil and I past front steps filled with soldiers, and inside.
The moment we crossed the threshold, I was blasted with the warmth of a fire, and was grateful for it. Madelynn was there hugging a handsome-looking very tall fae with ink-black hair. They pulled away when they saw us and Lucien Thorne took one look at Axil and me, and grinned. “You came.”
I wasn’t sure if I were imagining it but the pupils in Lucien’s eyes looked clouded like snow. Whatever storm was happening outside, he was somehow controlling it in here.
Axil stepped forward and embraced his friend. “Of course I came: you sent the box. I had no choice.”
Lucien chuckled and by now Arwen, Drae and Kailani had joined us.
“The necromerians have joined the fight?” Raife said beside us.
Lucien looked stressed, reaching up to rub at his temples. “Right after you flew away, we got the first wave of them. Didn’t understand what I was seeing for a second.”
The dragon king let out a low whistle. “I wonder how Zaphira got the necros to agree to fight against us.”
“Who cares: how do we defeat them?” Arwen asked and went to stand next to her husband.
Everyone turned to look at Axil, myself included.
“Can you control them all?” Lucien asked.
Axil shook his head. “An entire army? I’m not sure my mind can do that alone.”
“I understand,” Lucien said but he appeared distraught.
“Alone?” I asked, noticing that Axil had used specific wording.
He stared warily at me, almost as if he didn’t want me to pick up on that. “I could, for a short period of time, share the king’s power with another dominant wolf.”
Another dominant wolf. Me.
“Let’s do it,” I said immediately.
He shook his head. “What if you get hurt or …” He peered at my stomach. I had wanted to pull Raife aside and ask if it was really true, if I was really pregnant but I didn’t have a chance. Maybe it was all just a ruse.
“I’m strong, you said so yourself, and any child we make will be the same,” I told him.
He sighed and then inclined his head. “Are you sure you can handle this?”
“Completely sure.”
Raife rubbed his hands together in excitement. “If you can share the burden of holding back the necros, it could save thousands of lives. Just long enough for us to break through and kill the queen.” He looked at Axil hopefully.
Axil glanced at me again as if he needed more confirmation that I truly desired to do this. I reached out and squeezed his hand, an idea forming in my mind. “I’ll bet we could get some horse saddles modified to fit on our wolven backs.” We were smaller than horses but not by much.