The Names We Shed

Chapter 13- Don't accept her

Chapter Playlist- Please Notice- Christian Leave, Falling Faster- Dylan Espeseth, Enchanted- Taylor Swift (Taylor's version)

It kills the guards and servants first. Queen Jane stands in front of the other royals, sword drawn and The demon approaches her, only hesitating at the screaming in my head. It's Kalan and he's begging me to wake up.

"Please- Wake up!"

Something in me shatters and when I look back at the demon, all I see is myself.

I wake up.

I push the knife to Jane's throat and King Quincey screams, but me and my demon are joined. We are the beginning and the end. And with half of a thought all of them are frozen. I turn my attention back to Jane, and I realize I can hear the communication happening between King Quincey and Queen Jane.

"It's okay Jane, it'll be okay."

"I love you. You know that right?"

"She's not going to kill you. Don't worry Asher's armies are on their way."

"No army can stop her."

"We'll see about that." He scoffs.

I slip back out of their conversation and push the blade into Jane's neck enough that it'll leave a scar.

"This a reminder, Jane, of what I'll do to you someday for this. It is also a reminder to Quincey that he couldn't protect his mate."

Quincey growls, straining against my power. I laugh at him "Keep that up and Jane will get to see life without a mate- however fleeting it might be."

"Where are my apprentices?"

None of them respond.

I look out the window, still a couple of miles off, the armies of Asher, are flying in. With the different royals here, it won't be long before anyone else arrives.

"Where. Are. My. Apprentices?" I ask, grabbing Quincey by the throat. He grunts in pain as his back hits the wall, but doesn't answer me.

I dig my dagger into his stomach. "Where is Kalan?! Where are they?!"

"Fuck." I say, walking away from Qunicey and the other rulers.

I prod the bond, searching for Kalan. When I find him crouched in a room of darkness, searching for a way out. I guide him out carefully using the bond. When he reaches the hallway, he thanks me.

"Find Valerie and Makasha as quickly as you can then I'll guide you to me- we have company." I say, showing him the approaching legions.

'Can you handle them till we get there?' Kalan asks.

I pull a sword off of the wall and summon my armor. 'Darling, it'd take a hell of a lot more to kill me.'

I shatter the window and launch out of it. I separate from the bond and launch toward the Asher army. A few blasts of my power and most of the Seraphim are down and the fae scattered. I turn to fly out and fight the Seraphim from Collandra when Kalan calls for me in the bond.

'Yes?'

'I found them.'

I fly back into the room with the royals and guide them up through the castle. When they reach me I notice Valerie who has a cut on her face and all of them look exhausted but that's it.

"What do we do now?" Valerie asks.

"Do you all think you can handle a fight right now?"

They all look at each other, before slowly nodding their heads. "Yes we can fight."

They hadn't thought to disarm us and the three of them pull their masks on.

"Let's go to war."

Somehow, we manage to find a rhythm together. I lead, Valerie and Makasha on either side of me, we take down whoever stands in front of us. Kalan stands behind me, guarding our backs, taking out anyone who tries to get around us and holding his shields in place.

Somehow we hold that, fighting off those legions, for over three hours, before I feel Makasha's power for the shields draining. Kalan's shields are still solid but they are what keep the Seraphim coming right at us and we can't lose that. Even Valerie is rapidly tiring. I don't blame them, they need a lot more training before they should have to do this again. I try to reach out to Helen again, this time she answers.

'What should I do?'

"Either get them out of there or hold the lines until I can get someone out there to back you up."

I think about that, yes, backing us would help but not for very long.

'I'm bringing them home. Helen, do you know any way to get out of here that might help.'

'Fly straight up- then you'll be in the Renwae Air Current. It'll take you all the way to the border of Tundra before you have to worry about getting out of it.'

In one fluid motion, I tell Kalan to fly up and drop his shields and I grab Valerie and Makasha and fly for it. When we reach the airstream, I'm able to mostly stop flying which is helpful.

"What the hell?" Valerie exclaims.

"Helen and I made a decision- I was just executing it."

"You could give us a warning or something next time!"

"Next time we won't retreat. Next time we'll stay and we'll fight."

They go quiet, content to let the air current drag us home.

I close my eyes and drift off to sleep. After about an hour, I wake back up to the sounds of them talking.

"I never got the chance to travel outside of Collandra so all of this has been pretty cool." Kalan is saying.

"Really? That's so sad.. Makasha and I have been everywhere except Naytch, obviously."

"Why doesn't anyone go to Naytch?"

Valerie glances around, as though someone might be listening to the conversation. "Well I heard that they are ruled by a wizard who refuses to let anyone out and if you try he'll chain you up in his dungeon."

I laugh outright at that and they all turn to look at me, not realizing I was awake.

"They are ruled by a fae king. On the older side, but incredibly powerful. Their population is split between the mer and the fae and their cities offer canals and some of the best cloth in the world. One of the best parts about them, is that runes and all of the other lost fae magic and arts, they still use them. Their king is incredibly good at runes. And they don't leave because their rulers have prohibited it for years.. They thought it would be overturned for a while, but their king got his heart broken and refused to let them leave. A lot of them don't want to."

"You've been?" Makasha asks, looking at me skeptical.

"Once."

They all look at me like they want me to elaborate but I don't.

"How'd you get in?" Makasha presses.

"The river and the mer in it prevent you from swimming across so you have to fly, which is where the Daka's are. I had to fly fast and high, but I made it."

"Seriously?! No- No way.."

I nod. "Yep. I flew so high, there was almost no oxygen for me to breathe. That's how hard it is."

Kalan reaches behind me and fixes my braid.

He's so close to me..

I notice Valerie staring between the two of us, as though just realizing something.

"Did you two fuck or something?" She asks.