The Touch of Salvation

06: Greatest Ailment

ADALIND

"He knows," Daario says.

"He doesn't know," I say, my face in my hands as the gravity of the situation hits me. No one had ever asked me how strong I was, no one ever thought I could be strong. I wanted it that way. I needed it that way. "He knows nothing. He just knows that I believe I am strong, that is all."

"He is curious, now. He won't stop. What do we do if he finds out your greatest ailment? If he finds out truly what you can do?"

I don't know what to say. He hates me. Maybe he'd betray me. Maybe he'd get rid of me. Maybe he'd wish me nothing but distress.

Fuck.

"Enough of this," Lucian interrupts. "They are here."

My people and I leave my office and make our way outside to where the lycanthropes portaled into.  They're standing beside one another, having more people with them than usual. I understand the care they take with coming on to foreign territory. I realize as I near them that not only is one primus here, but two as well as two segunda. I stop in my tracks. Lux, Lucian, and Daario immediately crowd in front of me, while the rest of my brigade remains behind me, their swords drawn.

"Xerxes," I swallow.

"Adalind," he greets.

"You have not been invited to my lands."

"We are allowed to bring any we deem fit in our brigade to these lands," Grace says.

"Should we not take a primus as a threat," I ask. "Four of the strongest of your people are here and I should not take caution?"

"Four?"

"I am many things, but stupid is not one of them," I say, my eyes falling onto Demise. "Do not play coy. I know what Grace can do, I know what you can do, and I know what Xerxes has done. I also hear the rumors of Goliath."

It makes me uneasy that I have two rulers here in my lands. Nevertheless, I know time is of the essence and I cannot argue with them. I know I am strong enough to ensure the safety of my people. I straighten myself.

"We must move," I say. "But if you ever pull something like this again, I will send you back to your lands without hesitancy."

"We have to go," Lucian reminds me. I nod, backing away from the wolves and stepping down the stairs that led to the gardens outside my home. "The gardens are about a hundred and fifty miles south of here."

"What did the seutis mean by the garden is where Adalind gave herself up?"

Grace's voice doesn't surprise me as we near the gate. We must leave my grounds and make our way to the dragon pit. We couldn't take the time to travel by foot. We needed to fly, and considering lycanthropes couldn't fly by themselves, we had to take another method.

No one answers Grace for a while and I know it's because they want me to share what I am willing to. "It doesn't matter," I say. I am unwilling to tell them the truth. They aren't my friends.

And also they brought Rosalie and I really can't fucking stand Rosalie.

"Where are we going," Xerxes asks.

"We can't travel by foot," Daario says. "It's too far to make it there on time."

"Perhaps for you," Xerxes says.

I pause and turn toward the wolves. "What do you mean?"

"If we shift we can make it there in an hour and a half."

My face must show my surprise because the primus grins at me. "We can make it there in roughly the same time if we fly," I say.

"And we wouldn't have to worry about saddling," Lucian says.

"Saddling what?"

A high-pitched whine rips through the air. My heart lurches; I really wanted to see her today...I turn back to look at the well-traveled footpath that led toward the dragon pit.

"It's true," I hear Grace whisper. "Dragons. You have dragons."

"But if we can travel without them, it's for the best," I say. "Let's go by feet. Apologies. I severely underestimated your speed. We will fly there low enough so that you can follow us."

"But," I hear a soft whine that's a whisper. "I wanted to fly a dragon. Fucking Xerxes."

I can't help but chuckle as Xerxes rolls his eyes. "I didn't think she'd be crazy enough to put wolves on dragons."

I am not insulted. They seem to bicker as a family and it warms my heart. "Perhaps one day, prima Grace. Get behind me and release your wings," I say to my people. I know they are hesitant to do so considering their wings are the most vulnerable part of themselves. They all come behind me and one by one I hear the delicate woosh of rippling in the air. Grace's eyes widen. Above me I watch their figures climb into the sky, and they wait a moment for me. I'm hesitant to show my wings in front of so many wolves. "Go," I say. "I will catch up."

My gaze falls onto the lycanthropes who wordlessly begin taking off their clothes. "Woah! What are you doing?" My hands go to cover my eyes. Grace's laugh hits my ears.

"If we don't undress we will rip our clothes."

"Well, fuck, maybe a little warning next time?'" I hear the sickly sound of bones cracking, breaking, and then reforming and in seconds I hear nothing at all.

"What?" Xerxes teases. "Never seen a naked lycanthrope?"

He doesn't know how right he is. When I remove my hands, I see some of the largest wolves in my life. I take a step back, protecting my back.

"This way," Lucian shouts from the skies before leading the procession forward. The wolves slowly step away from me and follow shortly behind the flying fae of my House. I take a shuttering breath before releasing my wings.

It's a relief. It feels like the greatest stretch of my life, my translucent webbing waving into place. The longer we travel the more I think that I was severely underestimating the lycanthrope because they're faster than us. Well, not faster than Lucian, but no one was faster than Lucian. When we all land in front of the golden gate, our breaths are labored. Looking at the wolves who are shifting back and putting their clothes back on that they carried in their mouths, they are unphased. They are perfectly fine.

"What," I hear Xerxes start. "Can't keep up?"

Daario rolls his eyes. "Who let the dogs out, again?"

The men laugh at one another. I, however, can't help but feel uneasy. "I thought you couldn't be in sun, Primus Xerxes."

"Faerie dust," is all he says.

We all wince, knowing that they probably didn't come across the dust in a humane way.

Before I can respond, something grabs me by the throat and yanks me up and over the gate. The last thing I hear is Goliath's scream for my name.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

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