I slidemy phone into a hidden pocket and stand to grab a glass of water.
Damn it, I can’t drink without raising my hood,I curse silently. I glance around the tent and decide to step outside and find a restroom. Portable, of course. Once there, I rip off the hood and take a couple of deep breaths. I drink down the entire glass of water and use the restroom. Putting the hood back on, I step outside and run into Alain.
“Please excuse me, Alain,” I murmur. Walking around him, I stroll back to Lucifer’s tent. When I get to the entrance, I’m so tempted to glance back, but I don’t.
Sitting down at the same seat, I stare at the enemy camp below us and whisper a few prayers to the goddess.
16
DAIRE
The phone rings, and I pick it up. “We’re in place,” I tell Lucifer. I need to tell him of Alain’s treachery, but I haven’t been able to get him alone. According to Arden, Alain’s decided to stay in Lucifer’s camp and remain glued to his side.Arden, I snarl. I want to call and tell Lucifer to watch over her, but I can’t with Alain nearby. Anger rises up, but I force my thoughts away from her to concentrate on the conversation. “What time do you want us to move forward?”
“We’ll be ready in an hour,” he replies. “Watch for the burst. Don’t be late.” He pauses. “Be careful.” The line goes dead.
We’ve paused our troops behind the mountain line to hide them until it’s time. Theron, Valerian, Fallon, Astor, Vargas, and I stand around the map in the center of the hastily pitched tent serving as our field headquarters. “All right. In about forty minutes, we need to charge forward. It will take us ten minutes to get over the mountain and engage the enemy. Unfortunately, they’ll see us coming, but if we can get in position early, we might be able to turn their attention toward us and away from my father’s troops, giving him a slight advantage.”
“We might have an advantage for us too,” Valerian interjects. “Theron and I have been working together to mimic Callyx. After I push my shadows into the valley, Theron can glamour them to seem like the forest. It’s not foolproof and we can’t hold it long, but ten minutes will give us time to get over the mountain and into the valley before they see us.”
Astounded, I glance at Theron, and he nods in agreement. “Do it. Any amount of time will help.” If we can get within attacking distance without them seeing us, it could change the outcome of this battle. Remembering Arden’s text, I look over to Vargas. “Alain’s up to something. I guarantee Callyx is going to find something nasty when he leads those troops. He’ll need your help.”
Respect and relief shine in Vargas’ eyes. Clapping me on the shoulder, he grunts, “Thanks.” He gathers his weapons and walks to the opening. “You should know Arden’s been in a few battles. She’s good. Quick on her feet. Calm and collected.” He pauses. “I’d deny this in a heartbeat, but between her and Callyx, I’d pick her every time. She’s not reckless, never feels the heat of the battle.” He walks out, leaving me to ponder his words.
I realize the cadre isn’t aware she’s here, so I fill them in. I scrutinize their faces and realize we’re all worried about her. But Valerian, Theron, and surprisingly, Fallon believe she has a right to decide for herself, and since she made the decision to be here, we should support her. But I can’t. The idea of her in battle makes me want to rage at something.
“Let it go, Daire,” Theron advises me. “We need you to focus. In thirty minutes, we push forward. We know the signals and our orders. It’s time.” He also claps me on the shoulder. “See you on the field.”
Fallon falls in line behind Theron. “My warriors are ready and at your command.”
Valerian, Astor, and I walk outside and join our troops. If Valerian and Theron can hide us from the enemy on the ground, we’ll wait to take to the skies. Getting over the mountain range unseen is more important.
* * *
Thirty minutes later,we stand on the precipice of battle. One by one, our enemies turn to face us, but find nothing. Beasts sniff the air. Flying creatures with leathery wings drift toward us in the sky. Demons in soldier formation move restlessly. They can sense we’re here, but they can’t see us, yet. The shadows start thinning, and I signal to Valerian and Theron to lift the veil.
I give a warrior’s roar and hear it echo across the valley, from vampire to Fae to Elven to dragon. Even the minokawa screams, heralding our readiness for battle, as we leap into the air and I drive her straight into the middle of the enemy soldiers. Dragons follow me in V formation. The enemy scatters, throwing themselves right and left to get out of my way, unintentionally creating an almost perfect line straight down the middle, exactly as I planned.
Dividing them allows us to attack them from multiple directions. We flood the middle and the sides, while attacking them from several fronts on the ground. In the sky, we provide cover wherever necessary, but mainly in the middle to support Astor and the troop he’s commanding for me and because holding the middle is critical.
In the distance, I see a burst of light, and Lucifer’s army pours from the hillside into the valley. The enemy turns to fight this new front by forming a hard wall on the front line, stopping the rest of Lucifer’s army from entering the valley. Now it’s even more critical that we spread this line up the middle and give them a chance to enter the field.
Signaling to Valerian, I lead several of his clusters up the middle, using fire, ice, and shadows, plus the viciousness of the minokawa to help clear our path. As I reach the hill, I salute my father and turn back. The surprise on his face brings me an immense feeling of satisfaction, but I don’t dwell on it. To my father’s left, I spot Arden, and to his right, Alain’s furious face. Suddenly, I’m glad she’s there. At the very least, she can warn my father of his traitor.
The minokawa screams when a lance buries itself in her neck. I glance to the ridge and spot Alain’s second-in-command grinning with pride. I ignore him for now, but the bastard’s dead. I glide her toward the back of the battle and hop off. Using my bare hands, I grip the lance, pull it from her neck, then heal her wound. She takes off with a screech of anger, flying low, flattening any demon stupid enough to get in front of her. When she reaches the front line, she arrows toward Alain’s second-in-command and plucks him off the ridge. All I hear are his screams when she devours him.
Using vampiric speed, I catch up to Astor and the rest of my troops. Drawing my sword, I enter the thick of the battle. Astor’s on my right, using his mastery of shadows to strangle and blind demons right and left. For the few that get through, he uses potions or magic to disable them, leaving many of them screaming for mercy.
With my speed, I cut through a line of demons in two seconds, only to find another right behind the first. This is battle, unending and relentless, where you kill ten only to find a hundred in their place. Around Astor and me, the area fills up with demons in various stages of dismemberment and death, their screams of pain barely heard over the deafening roar of battle and the dragons above.
I crane my neck to look up and spot Valerian fighting with a wyvern, the creature significantly smaller but fast. Valerian gets tired of swatting it away and finally encases it in ice and lets gravity drag it down, where it shatters on the battlefield. He moves on to the next enemy waiting to challenge him. Several dragons nearby pause to watch him with astonishment, and I chuckle. They’re either newbies who’ve never fought with him, or they’ve simply forgotten he’s King of Dragons for a reason. A few clusters watch him with pride, happy to be fighting by their king’s side again. I glance to the left, at the one who thinks he can still beat him. Apparently, the asshole believes he has a chance. I laugh loudly.
Demons in front of me start backing away. Word is getting out now—the Prince of the Underworld is in this battle. Either they’ll back away from Lucifer’s son, or they’ll challenge me. I set my stance and prepare for the challengers, but before the first one gets to me, a loud boom sounds to my left. I turn and watch in horror as the mountain comes tumbling down, exactly where Fallon and his men are standing.
Looking up, I signal to Valerian, and he drops down to pick me up. We head straight for the cloud of dust rising from the field. From the air, all we see are bits of trees, rock, and dirt everywhere, but not a single Elven warrior. The demons surge forward, but Valerian lets loose a ton of fire, burning the entire first line instantly, which buys us time. Thinking fast, I consider asking Valerian to go back and get Astor, but I’m not sure what he can do. Normally, Fallon is the one with the magic to deal with nature. There’s only one other possibility. I look to the hill and pick up my phone, while Valerian continues to hold off the demon horde in front of us.
17
ARDEN
