Broken, but Not Defeated

Chapter 67 (Wesley)

     The gates of the city are crowded with people. We ride through the streets and people stare at us as we pass.

I don't blame them. It's fairy tales coming true. In front ride the famous Doryukans, warriors from our mothers' stories. Next are the Fae, and not just any Fae, but the King with his warrior sister and his champion brother. Behind them ride Caldina and the members of the Wraiths, assassins in their own rights.

"Are you humans always this curious?" Katrina asks. I just stare at her. "What? I'm just simply curious."

"Um, have you looked around you? It's like you guys have jumped out of a fairytale."

"We are not a fairytale," Sienna huffs.

"No, but my mom and I bet all these other people's mothers would tell us stories about you. I mean as a boy I used to pretend I was a Fae fighting off demons, or a Doryukan defending their land from neighboring tribes, or even a wizard conjuring up magic to defeat my enemies. I mean you people are a dream come true," I say.

Katrina looks over her shoulder at me and smirks.

"Look! It's Lord Wesley's ghost! He's come back to fight with the forest people!" a young boy whisper-shouts from the crowd. My face instantly heats up.

"You were saying?" Sienna asks, smirking. I whip my eyes away and rest them on Awiergan's mane. As the whispering grows louder, I feel like an animal trapped in a cage.

"At least we're alive," Katrina points out. I look up to find her riding by my side. Her dark brown hair glinting in the sunlight.

"At least he knows how to be civil!" Sienna snaps back, teeth bared.

Katrina goes to answer back, but I hold up my hand to silence her.

"We're allies, we need to stop arguing every single second. If we argue with every spare minute our forces will be divided. And if our forces are divided we will not only appear weak, but will actually be weak."

"Speak for yourself," Katrina says, nudging her horse forward.

Sienna moves faster, so she positions her horse in front of our horses. "Katrina, you and I both know that Wesley's right. On our own, each of our armies are incredibly strong, put them together and we would be an unstoppable force. Imagine it."

Katrina just glares at her.

"Sienna, what's going on?" Caldina inquires, navigating her black horse through the crowds.

Everyone is staring at us.

"Nothing, Princess Caldina," Sienna answers, nodding her head as she moves her horse back so she's standing next to me.

"Really? It doesn't look like 'nothing' to me," Caldina snaps.

"Figure out your troops, witch! The king is waiting for us," West shouts from ahead.

I sure am glad Cole and Anya aren't here to see this.

Caldina looks at the sky and bares her teeth. A falcon dives, swooping for Caldina's bare neck, and at the last second changing into a snow leopard that lands next to Azrial. The crowd gasps and takes a step back.

"Careful, Commander, who you command," Caldina snarls at him. The snow leopard lets out a deep growl.

"What is the devilry? I wouldn't ask your family," Caldina says. She nudges Azrial past the commander, Sienna, and the snow leopard, who I guess is Fidelia.

I nudge Awiergan forward, and we skirt around the others. Caldina now rides in the front with the others flanking us.

The castle gates pull open as we ride through. I spot men who I used to call brothers. Now they look at me as shock and fear fills their eyes.

"Wesley!" a girl screams from my left. I hop off my horse and lift her in the air.

"Princess Ava!"

"Wesley, you're alive. Is Aunt Evana here?" the little girl of eight asks.