The Princess of Terrasen

Ch. 13

Aella didn't bother meeting with the Empress. She waited in the streets of Antica until Deanna had sent a declaration of war to her. 

She's got it. Nesryn's summoned the army.  Sebastian said through the bond and Aella smiled, ensuring she had enough weapons. She waited. Deanna's message had ensured the battle would occur in Antica only. Otherwise Aella would blow the city to bits before they could so much as blink. Indeed, golden-armoured soldiers now gathered, commoners started to flee. Aella watched the entire scene with amusement, but was only half paying attention. 

An hour or so ago, she had pulled her cloak over her head and gone shouting hysterically into taverns that Aella Astern is coming to kill us all! 

The words had their purpose. The Valg demons had looked up with interest and now they were on the front lines, the normal soldiers in the back. Precisely how she wanted it. Now she could kill all the Valg in one swoop. Aella delved down into her power. Only her hottest flame would kill them, nothing less. She had barely been gathering her magic for three hours and she could literally feel the strain on her mind. 

Aecis, crouched next to her, nudges her elbow with his nose and she siphoned off some excess magic to him and Salkhi, going deeper and deeper still into her well of magic. 

In a few minutes, she heard the whisper of clothes on skin and turned to see her mate crouching next to her, eyes fixed on the Valg below.

"When do we strike?"

"Once there are enough people around to see." she muttered 

This couldn't be a full blown battle. The Khagan's army was important enough that the empire could not survive without them. She would have to walk a delicate line between breaking their spirit enough to make them stop fighting or completely crushing them. 

She had already killed Sartaq. Had killed him the second she had read the letter so that the Rukhin would surrender and not interfere with the battle.

"I thought the fun would have started by now." Kamien groused and Aella whirled around to see her standing there, citrine eyes alight with anticipation. Jaena and Waylay were standing next to her and Aella couldn't help but grin. 

Together, her and Sebastian, it was possible to do this. But the five of them were as good as an army. Aella quickly explained the plan and Kamien snorted with laughter.

"You do love to make a statement."

Aella saluted her and whistled two notes, causing Salkhi to fly over.

"Oh!" Waylay gaped at him "what the hell is that?" 

Jaena grimaced 

"Looks too much like a feathery snake for me. It's creepy." she shuddered as Salkhi indeed hissed at her. 

Aecis walked out from whichever shadow he was hiding in and walked straight for Jaena, claws clicking against the floor. Jaena looked at him and grinned 

"You, I like."

Aella stood up from where she had been crouching and smiled, wicked and vicious.

"It's time."

She hung back as the cadre moved forward to talk to Aecis who preferred to use her ice magic over her fire.

"I need to you to box the Valg in, got it?" she asked. She needed to herd them together so it would be easier to kill them all at once.

As her cadre reached the crest of the hill in front of them and stopped, a space in the middle for Aella. She put on her war crown and watched as flames flickered here and there, across her armour, in her hair, watched as ice formed at her feet and then she walked to her cadre and smiled at the Valg.