The Ashen Raven's Treason

Chapter 13

For as many soulless soldiers I see, there aren't nearly enough of Rivian's forces. Black covers the land, not just in their moving armor but their oily blood. Yet, they're controlling the battle. Pushing closer and closer to the city with each passing second. It won't take long before they break through and Wyetta Terravale has what she wants. We'll risk the lives of innocents to protect the palace.

That sight won't be pretty. My family remains in their home, waiting to determine fate. Closer and closer, each looming second passing with a slow tick, the soulless army presses on. They'll raid every home, kill every life not willing to comply to their new queen. I don't wish to think they'll ask my family the same questions, whether they'll take Wyetta as their new leader.

I'm getting too far ahead of myself. We have dragons and explosives. Wyetta has numbers. We should have a chance. A crawling slither of doubt, swirling like autumn leaves against a crisp breeze, churns around my body. I come back to myself, to Cloak's grip tight around my bicep. He has stopped his mad attempt to kill Wyetta to stare at the city, our distance away from helping innocent people. I wonder if he fears for Castiel, for Theoden.

Through a cluster of smoke and fighting men and women, Gustus and Theo come into view. I bite down a sob of relief at the sight of them approach, their eyes wide. Brows furrowed. Frowns deep with worry. They realize the ache of loss as much as we do. At the realization of their approach, Cloak resumes his tug. "Come, Marie," he orders. "We're going back to the city."

Gustus's face catches my attention more than Cloak's does. They're both covered in black blood, but I still recognize Gustus compared to his brother's mask of killing calm he slips into. This is the first time I've laid eyes upon it, and I don't wish to see it unless absolutely necessary.

Something else, other than the lives he has taken, tugs at Gustus. He has his husband with him, his siblings and his mother are still alive as much as I know, but the battle continues to sway in both directions. We're standing in the middle of it. My mind drowns out the array of blades, the blunt strikes, bodies slamming into the dirt.

"We're running out of options," Gustus pants. He keeps his hand clasped in Theo's. Stuck together with the evidence of lives they took. "We need a stronger force than this. It'll have to be one or the other."

I take a moment to realize he's speaking only to me. Cloak breaks away, only for a moment, to take on an oncoming soulless soldier that has noticed us upon the heap of turned over earth. I'm not surprised; we stand out like a beacon amongst the chaos. Theo does what his husband is too busy to do and steps down, aiding his brother-in-law. More are approaching. In fact, there appears to be more black armor than that of Rivian's softer, silver and blue glistening.

Red blood streams from Gustus's brow. The feathered pauldron on his right shoulder arches skyward on a normal day but has faced the slice of enemy sword. Feathers bend and push farther into the battlefield's surface. Contrasting his blond hair, Gustus's dark eyebrows crease together above the bridge of his nose.

He licks his dry, cracked lips. Normally, he applies a shimmer of gloss that he claims Theo loves. Beauty stands behind forces when waiting for death's row.

"We can't lose our lives because of her," he shouts over Cloak's echoing grunt. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch him fall to the ground.

"Gustus, this doesn't ride completely on your shoulders. Everyone is taking a blow, and—"

He thrusts a hand out behind me. "Look around you, Marie. Look."

I give a nervous laugh, half looking at Cloak kick off the soulless soldier a second before Theo drives his sword into the back of the dead man's black armor. He falls like a ton of bricks onto the prince after Theo pries the blade out of his back. "You can't give up yet, we have more forces coming. This is not everything Rivian has; it can't be."