The night fell like a curtain over the day.
Aria watched the mountainous fortress from the tree lines. Its thick walls made out of hard rock forged by volcanic heat. Armies had tried to breach it, but few managed to even scratch the walls.
There was one way in and one way out.
All afternoon, people trickled through the castle's large and guarded gates. From merchants offering foods and silks to monks bringing scrolls, they all left with fear on their faces. Now in the night, only the guards covered in metal-spiked armor remained.
Past the slits of the enforced gate, there was a carriage decorated in the royal blue and gold of the Alchadian kingdom — much like hers had been. There was no doubt now, Lily was in that god forsake place, and she had to get her out... before it was too late.
Nessa slid a dagger into Aria's dark green boots before tightening the laces, holding it in place. At this point, Aria feared she would stab herself with one of the many hidden blades. There was a small one between her breasts, in each of her boots, and one strapped to her back. She adorned plain fighting leathers from the outside, but underneath, she was armed to the bone.
Commander Elora approached. "Ready?"
"Yes." Aria firmly nodded. Her eyes wandered to Elvin. He stood chatting... well brooding in front of Aaron and Estel. "He thinks this is a bad plan?"
"No." Elora paused. "If he thought so, he would not allow it. He is worried for your safety."
"Are you not?" Aria winked at the commander, only not to focus on how her heart tried to burst out of her chest.
"I trained you well. You won't disappoint me." Aria looked down at the floor. Elora's rough hand slipped behind her neck, pulling her gaze up. "In battle, there is no hesitation. We are warriors and do as we must to protect that which we care for. Be fierce, and we will be here if you need us."
The grass crunched as steps came closer.
"A moment," Elvin's baritone tone rang from behind Aria.
Elora let go of Aria before bowing to the elf prince. Nessa followed suit before they walked towards Aaron and Estel at the tree's edge.
"I keep trying to find arguments why It would be easier for Aaron to infiltrate the fortress."
"It's heavily guarded, and I can go right through the gates. Besides, there could be trouble for your people if the Fae are caught invading a castle in the warring lands."
A displeased grunt rumbled down his chest as two firm hands grasped her waist, pulling her in close. Elvin's silver eyes dulled with resignation. "You must use our bond and call to me if something goes wrong."
"I will." Aria trailed her fingertips up his broad chest; the soft Fae silk bend under her brief touch. She caressed his tensed jaw before placing a soft kiss at the base of his cheek. "It's the simplest plan. Once everyone is sleeping, I will get my sister and make my way to the gates. After Nessa scrambles their mind, we will sneak out. You have nothing to worry about."
"It is my duty to protect my female." Elvin's long finger brushed the bottom of her lip. "You may one day be the fiercest warrior, and still, the sun would not rise for me if I knew you weren't safe."
Aria's entire soul tingled at his words. Their lips brushed. The fear of failure spread through her veins. One simple mistake, and she would never feel him again. Her nails dug into his shirt. She tiptoed to reach him.
Elvin pulled back before her lips claimed his lips. "I won't kiss you goodbye. I await your safe return."
Aria's heart twisted at his silent plea. 'Come back to me.'
The air grew stale as Aria released him. She turned and walked down the lone hill. Elvin's shadow blended into the darkness of the swamp's edge. Soon their bodies were indistinguishable from the fog of the night.
"HALT!"
Arrows stretched on bowstrings, pointed dead at Aria's chest. Ten archers, Aria noted. It was more than she expected. Two heavily iron armored guards stood waiting. One with a slash across his right. The other had half his nose chopped off. "Who dares come here?" they asked.
"I am Aria von Khraisver, eldest princess of the Azurian Kingdom. I am to wed to Lord Lathik."
The armored guards' jaws tensed like springs. They looked at each other before setting their gaze on Aria. Their dull eyes narrowed. "Open up the gates," the one with a slashed eye screamed.
The small chatter of the guards died out into silent whispers. They all stood straight, high in alert.
'What are they so scared of?'
A guard walked to a wheel with a rope wrapped tightly around its core. He spun it, the rope further twisted around it, causing metal to clank as the gates rose.
The ground squished under her boots as she took her first step past the muddy entrance.
"Follow me." The guards one eye wandered behind Aria. It bulged as he looked around the darkness. He noticed her questioning gaze and turned. Callus, scarred hands nudged her to the inner castle's front door.
The coldness hit her as soon as she stepped into the bulky stoned building. The rock was dark, lifeless even. The soft glow of the torches did little to light and warm up the heavily guarded hallways.
Every man was covered head to toe in heavy iron metal. Whatever little skin Aria could see was coated in scars and burns. It seemed everyone in this fortress was marked, broken in some way.
Her guide froze in front of large brown doors and knocked once.
"Enter," a snake-like voice hissed through the weathered wood.
The cold of the halls trembled through all of her bones. Aria clung her hand to her chest. The feel of the dagger clappest between her breasts soothed the uneasiness in her heart. 'All you have to do is wait out the night with your sister and then sneak out. Easy.'
The doors creaked open. Rock sanded into smooth floor glistened under the red lights of flames. Across the old beaten room stood a chair forged from rusted metal. A jawless skull hung from one of its pillars.
Lord Lathik sat on the metal throne, gleaming with joy.
A twisted smile spread over Lord Lathik's bulky tanned face. He was large, almost matched Aaron's stature. His eyes were a soulless black, and his hair a dirty brown. He straightened his crimson red clothes. "My bride! You have finally arrived. A bit late, though...."
"My carriage was attached on my journey." Aria looked across the room. Its shape resembled an audience chamber. Inner balconies hung from a top floor, perfect for an audience to view a spectacle. At the left of the throne, a doorless hole curved into a hallway.
"My sister, where is she?" Aria looked around the chamber. "I saw a royal carriage at the entrance?"
Lathik frowned at her question. He waved his hand as if swatting it away. "Where have you been spending all your time? It's been long since you were sent to serve my bed?"
Vomit caught in her throat as his sleazy eyes slobbered over every curve of her body. Disgusting. His tongue slid across his lower lip like a snake tasting the air for its future meal.
Heated air left Aria's nostril. Be calm until you have Lily. "I fell into elf territory."
"And you managed to slip out? So many of my men have been shot down for trailing too close to their lands. You must be a wealth of information?"
"No, my lord. I was kept prisoner in a cell." Aria's jaw clamped tight.
Lathik's chest grumbled as he leaned back, nose held high. "Those barbarians threw such a lovely thing as you in a dungeon?" His eyes widened, and his tongue tasted the air once more. "Why don't you come here so I can confirm?"
Aria's eyes narrowed. "Confirm what? My lord."
"Well, that they didn't turn you into their whore?" His wicked smile stretched from ear to ear. "You surely lie so well for them?"
"I beg your pardon?"
Slow footsteps echoed off the stone walls, accompanied by the roll of wooden wheels against the rough floor.
"You do lie so expertly, dear sister."
A brisk and suffocating air blew in through the doorless entrance. Draped in blue and gold royal robes was none other than her brother, Leonor. His blond hair was neatly combed back, and his deep blue eyes shot holes into Aria. The floor continued to creak as wood rolled on it. From behind Leonor—
"LILY!" Aria screamed.
"ARIA!" Lily's head shot up, bright blues eyes opened wide. Her sun-colored hair flew everywhere. She reached for the holden wheels and pushed with all her might.
The wood skied against the floor, permeating an ear-piercing wave, as a hooded figure held her wheelchair in place.
Aria raced forward. God, how she wanted to grab Lily into her arms. Her rosy cheeks were now so thin yet puffed from tears. She wanted me to tell her it was all okay. That she was here now and she would never leave her again.
"Seize her!" Lord Lathik barked.
Metal-covered hands yanked Aria's shoulder. The armored guard bound her hand behind her.
"What is the meaning of this? I demand to be released," Aria growled.
Loanor's chin tilted up as he took long strides to Aria. "Drop the charades, sister. We know you have been rolling amounts the filth. Your love Danieal was kind enough to tell us all the details of your failed rescue." He tilted his head towards the hooded figure that held Lily's wheelchair in place. "What a loyal dog he has become."
"Danieal?" Aria's heart weighed heavily in her chest. Her skin pricked with fear. What did you tell them, Danieal? What did you do?
"You are so predictable, sister. I knew the elves would take note of the marriage announcement, and once you heard the news, you would rush blindly to spare our sweet Lily the fate."
Leanor fingers wrapped tightly, one by one around Aria's jaw. "What did those degenerate elves do to you? The mutt tells me you spewed light from your hands and were able to call one of them?"
Danieal's half-burned face was barely visible through the hood as he looked down in shame.
'This was my fault. I let him go.' Aria looked around frantically. "I didn't... I can't."
Lord Lathick crossed his legs. "Come on, you mustn't keep secret from your future husband. Be a dear and call your elves here."
The heavily armored guards. The tense looks. It clicked. 'It's a trap.' A sense of doom festered in Aria's chest. "I can't do that."
Lord Lathik burst into a maniacal laugh. His dulled eyes gleed with joy. "Well, thank you for making this fun, wife." He stood from his throne. The warring lord took slow, deliberate steps down as he stomped with joy towards Lily.
Aria's skin turned numb. She tried to yank her arms from her captor, but his grip held like a boulder.
Leanor tensed. "What are you doing? Stay far from Lily."
Lord Lathik eyes narrowed. He grunted at the guards.
Iron boots hit the floor as they marched and pointed their blades at Leanor. They advanced, one step at a time. The deadly metal point forced Leanor to flat against the wall.
"You are a guest in my fortress. Do not step out of bound." Lathik's disgusting hands dirtied Lily's chin. "Besides, you couldn't care much for her if you were willing to trade her if the elf whore did not come." He leaned down and rang his tongue against her cheek. "She is quite cute. Maybe I will keep her as my mistress."
Lily trembled in fear. Tears streamed down from her eyes as she tried to get away. "Don't touch me!" But his hand prevented the wheel from turning.
"Don't touch me," she begged, her hands clawing to try to get him away.
Aria seethed. 'That bastard! How dare he?!
Aria's hand twisted, uncaring at how her wrist protested in pain. Her power ripped through her veins and out her fingertips. Light shone from her hand, burning the soldier's hand. She reached into her breast and ran, blade held out.
Lord Lathik pulled a blade from his robe and pressed it to Lily's neck. "Tisk. Tisk. Love. Do as I say, or your sister will suffer the consequences of your choice."
Aria stood frozen, dagger shaking in her hand.
She looked around for anything that she could do. "Danieal?" She pleaded. He was right there— next to her. He stepped further into the darkness, his head low, allowing the hood to cover his gaze. "Coward," Aria growled. She was still so far away from Lily. In the time it would take her to run to her, Lathik could slide the blade against Lily's slender neck. Aria bit her tongue. "You will let her go?"
"Of course, love." Lathik licked his lips. "And after we gut your elf friends, we will celebrate in my bed."
Aria choked down the anguish contorting in her chest.
Aria's body protested as she walked to the large open window. Her hands trembled as she pushed past the iron frame. The cold outdoor air slapped her hand. Her power rose, shaking like she was.
A ray of light broke from Aria's palm up into the starless sky.
Aria, is something wrong?
Elvin. They have Lily. It's a tr--
Chains wrapped around Aria's wrist, binding her hands behind her back. The chains yanked, scratching her wrist. Aria fell backward to the floor.
The one-eye soldier tugged at the chains, dragging Aria against the harsh stone. He kneeled down and clasp the chain to a metal ring bolted on the floor.
"Now now, wife. Let's keep those hands off yours in check. Every spark of light that comes from your hands, will be one cut on your dear sister's face."
"Fuck off, Lathik, this was not in our deal. Do what will with Aria, but do not lay a hand on Lily." Leonor growled, still caged by the swords pointed at him.
Lord Lathik rolled his eyes. He looked bored of Leanor. "Do you not want to destroy the elves?"
Leanor fell silent.
"You will never manage if you are not willing to soil your hands. Now shut it while I do your dirty work. We have a weapon to train. Right, wife?"
Aria's redwood hair cascaded as her blood ran poisoned with anger. "Do not call me that," she chewed out.
"What was that wife?" Lathik mocked.
"I said don't fucking call me that!" Aria ran at him. Her restrains snapped tight as she struggled against them.
The moment the chains snapped, a thunderous blast broke through the air. The door wood flew across the room, disintegrated into a thousand pieces.
The dust cleared, and Elvin stood there, spear stretch in hand. He growled, teeth flaring in warning when his gaze settled on Aria. Behind him stood Elora, Nessa, and Estel, swords drawn.
Lathik smirked. Pleasure seeped through every pore. "Our honored guests have arrived." His eyes looked to the inner balcony. "Now!"
Matthias walked into the light of the balcony, a screaming pixie in his hand. His hand tightened. A crack spread through the room as the pixie went limp. Blood seeped into his hand, and he whispered cryptic words. He blew at the blood, and it turned into a red mist. The red cloudy sea flooded from the balcony and down the room, tainting the air red.
At the front, Elvin coughed violently as the mist entered his nose as he crumbled to his knees.
Then Elora and Estel fell, coughing bloody phlegm onto the black floor.
Nessa's horns and wings materialized from dark mist. Her membranous wings flapped, trying to clear the air. But the red flowed in streams of air and entered her nose. Her eyes shot wide, and she fell coughing to the floor.
"It worked," Leonor's eyes shined with disbelief.
Aria's hopes crumbled around her as her friends fell one by one to the floor. They were the fiercest warriors she knew, and they were decimated in a second.
Her friends. Her love. Her sister. She was losing them all.
"Hurry, Your Majesty!"
Leonor's eyes fogged as they glued to Elvin's choking form. "I wonder what my father would say now if he saw me cut the elf's prince head off. Justice has taken a long time to come for all your people's misdeeds, and I am glad to be the sword that brings justice for the killing of my mother and for the massacre of my people by your kind."
The sword shined red from the flames as Leanor rose it above Elvin's neck.
"Stay away from him!" Aria screamed. She couldn't lose him. She couldn't lose them. Her powers rose to her skin, wild as the rage that festered in her. Leonor had taken everything she had ever held dear. "Don't you fucking dare touch him!"
Light prickled her fingers, and the metals burned against her skin.
"AHHH!" Lily screamed as Lathik sliced the sharp edge of the knife across Lily's cheek. "Aria!" She cried between sobs as blood dripped down her face. "Aria, help!"
Aria stood frozen as every cry from Lily broke a fragment of her.
She looked into Lily's scared and desperate eyes, and something shattered within her.
"I warned your sister." Lord Lathik chuckled in Lily's ear. "Shall we go to her and remind her how to behave?" Lord Lathik forcibly took Lily's hand. She tried to dig her nails into his hands. Lathik didn't flinch as he forced her up. "Come on, up you go!"
His chuckle cracked through the room as he held Lily by her bony wrist. Her thin legs dangled over the stone floor. Her hips twisted, but her legs remained motionless.
Lathik roared with joy. "Come on, don't you want to go to your sister. All you have to do is walk."
"Let her go, you bastard!" Aria yanked against the chains the held her in place.
Leonor growled. He stormed, forgetting Elvin. "Let go of her before—"
"Gladly." Lathik's hands opened.
Lily sank to the ground. Her eyes were wide open as she wheezed against the floor. Her lungs failed her as harrowing sobs prevented air from entering her lungs.
The world fractured around Aria as Lily fell apart in front of her eyes. The light in her blue eyes dimmed before dying into darkness.
Lily laid on the floor, face stained with tears. But she didn't cry anymore. She was silent. Numb to it all.
"You did this," Aria growled. The air sizzled around her. She failed at the one thing she told herself she would never do. She let her brother's hate infect Lily's light. Aria couldn't protect Lily from her brother. Her brother, she spat at the thought. "I will make you pay."
Aria closed her eyes and let the rage consume her soul.
Light poured from her hands, wild, uncontrollable, full of destructive hate. She felt the dark hands on the seal trying to snuffle her power back down. But she couldn't be controlled anymore. Wouldn't be controlled anymore. All Aria saw was rage, pure, hateful, rage.
She looked up, and when her gaze met Leonor. Years of slow festering anger poured out of her. She combusted into light, and it filled all of her.
Bright destructive energy devoured everything around her. Everything she was.
The seal cracked one last time. Burned by the uncontrollable light.
Aria phased in and out as the light left her in a final burst, taking the shape of massive shimmering wings.
The energy blasted across the room, hurdling everyone against the stone walls.
Aria breathed heavily.
Sharp nails dug into her skin. Everything was loud... too loud. She clung her hands to her ears to drown out the nauseating sounds. Her dulled, pointed ears throbbed against her hands.
"Aria? You are a half-fae?"
This chapter took a lot out of me to write, so I hope you enjoy it (grimaces). Don't forget to like and comment!
Also if you haven't already, please check out my other social media (like Instagram where I post my artwork). I am trying to build my author brand and would love some support. Working on a website at the moment. Cheers!