The Lion Soul by Amy Sumida
Chapter Forty-Three
As I stood there, marveling at the show of force, Farungals started to shout and flood the courtyard. Footsteps pounded outside my door, and I heard the Queen's screech even though I was certain she was on one of the lower halls. I smiled serenely as I thought of my dreams. That voice had said I wasn't alone, and I had thought she was a construct of my mind. Now, I looked out on the proof that the Goddess was with me.
“Thank you,” I whispered. And then I added a quick, “Guide me, Goddess. Show me the way home.”
I knew my home was somewhere out there, likely staring right back at me. I just had to figure out how to get to him.
It didn't take long for the fighting to begin, but it went on for hours. Surprisingly, the Farungal didn't keep their advantage and stay inside the castle walls, but instead went forth and met the opposing army head-on. This could have been prompted by the fact that a third of the attacking forces was airborne and had proceeded to drop burning balls onto the Farungals manning the walls. The Farungals had their own burning objects to launch, and theirs were soaked in death oil, but with the armies trained in shielding against them, the death balls didn't do much damage and were eventually abandoned for the previously mentioned frontal attack.
I stood at the window the whole time, watching my kin sweep forth to strike down Farungal soldiers with graceful movements that looked as if they should be accompanied by music. Compared to the bash and slash of the other humans, the Nazakians seemed otherworldly. I was so proud to be one of them, but beyond that, I was humbled that they were there. Humbled and baffled. I couldn't come up with a single explanation for their presence. I should be dead to them, but even if I wasn't, how could they have known to come for me, much less to Alantri?
As drawn to my clan as I was, I couldn't stop searching the ranks of Lions for one with the gleam of a soul stone at his throat. I found him near the front every time, his roar echoing up to me like a sonnet of love as his claws rent Farungal flesh. The Lion Lord was merciless and nearly mad with rage, but so very beautiful. I set my palm on the glass, wishing that I could make Kaelen feel what I did—the love and gratitude that were too great for my body to contain.
The fae and humans fought in waves so that no single army got depleted or exhausted. It kept them strong and made for an unrelenting attack. The Farungals tried to mimic this, sending out a few units at a time, but they simply didn't have the numbers to match what they were up against. Finally, when Farungal corpses littered the battlefield, the Queen pulled her soldiers back and slammed down the portcullis. The Avians kept up their attack as the larger Unsidhe began to gather boulders and logs to ram the portcullis. Meanwhile, the Farungal tried to regroup as their Queen ranted.
Just as boulders began to hit the gate, a few Farungals came into my room and unchained me, then marched me down to the throne room. The Queen sat atop her throne with General Shelvak and a few of the soldiers she had transformed standing to either side of her. She hadn't sent them into the sky to meet the Avians. In fact, she hadn't sent them out at all, and I was wondering if she had a plan for them or simply didn't want to risk them after going through all the effort of changing them. The latter would be foolish. If her newly transformed men could shift into dragons as Tristan had said, they would be fearsome opponents.
“How long until reinforcements arrive?” Queen Desenja was asking her general when I stepped up.
“Not long, Your Majesty,” Shelvak said. “I sent out messengers as soon as the armies were spotted. Going by air, they should have arrived at the other strongholds hours ago. It will just be a matter of marching the troops over to us now. Don't worry, soon the battle will turn in our favor. We just need to hold them off until then.”
Messengers. So that was why there were men from the transformed group missing. They could also be the reason for the Queen's reluctance in sending out her transformed soldiers. If she had reinforcements coming, she might be able to win the battle without risking her men and revealing her new spell to the Fae.
“Yes, and I have just the thing to make them pull back,” Queen Desenja declared as she fastened her stare on me. “Gag him. We can't have him warning them.” She narrowed her eyes at my foot as if she could see the manacle beneath my boot. “And shackle his hands too. Our cousin is cunning.”
I didn't bother with protests or demand to know what she was planning. That would be a waste of breath. I just held the Queen's stare as I was gagged and bound, trying to work it out for myself.
Queen Desenja grinned as she stepped off her dais and up to me. “You're going to buy me some time, Cousin.” She stroked my cheek. “And then you can stand beside me and watch as my armies destroy your friends. I've heard that your warlord is out there too. I hope he survives long enough for me to capture him. He'd make the perfect leverage to gain your compliance.”
I clenched my jaw to keep from reacting. Kaelen would indeed make the perfect leverage against me. I'd do whatever she demanded to keep him safe. Even impregnate her.
My stomach turned, and I had to breathe deeply to keep from vomiting.
Queen Desenja strode out of the hall, and General Shelvak grabbed my upper arm to haul me after her. We went out of the castle keep and across the courtyard as Avians shrieked above us. A fiery ball landed nearby, but the Queen didn't pause or even flinch. Then the birds noticed two things; that the Queen and her men were vastly different from the other Farungals, and I was with them. The bombings abruptly stopped as the birds went streaking back to the armies.
When she saw their retreat, the Queen smirked at me over her shoulder—or over her wing, rather—but I kept my expression blank. Her personal guards—what was left of them after the General had sent so many out as messengers—flanked us with several other Farungals building up their ranks. We climbed the stairs to the walk atop the castle walls and stopped directly above the gate.
The armies of fae and humans went still as the Farungal Queen was spotted, doubtless confirming the reports of the Avians. The warlords, valorians, and generals gathered near the front of the ranks to stare up at us. Every eye was on the Queen, most of them rounded in shock. All but two, that is. Kaelen's stare flicked over Desenja but quickly found me and once he saw me, he didn't look away. I poured my heart out through my eyes and watched his gaze soften. Despite the fact that he was in lion form, I could read the relief in his regal face.
“Surprise!” Queen Desenja declared brightly. “Thanks to my God and my new cousin here,”—she waved at me—“my spell to transform my people back into their true forms has been successful. The Great Dragon has ordered me to end this war once the Farungal are restored and because of this, I will give you one chance to retreat. Leave now, and there will be peace between us. As you can see, the Lion Valorian is alive and well. He will remain so if you return to Stalana now. I swear that when I'm done with him, I will release him. If you refuse, I will slice his throat and drain him of all his precious blood right here, right now. I only need a few drops for every Farungal, so there should be enough to transform the rest of my people. I'm willing to take the risk. Are you willing to risk his life?” She produced a dagger and trailed it idly over my throat. “I'll give you a few minutes to talk it over.”
I froze. I would have shaken my head to warn Kaelen, but I wasn't sure if Desenja was honestly offering peace. With reinforcements on the way, she only had to stall, but if she agreed to peace before they arrived, she could end the battle without further bloodshed. The only reason the armies had come for me was that I was necessary to end the war. But if they could end the war without fighting, I would become irrelevant and not worth the possible loss of so many soldiers. I knew what I would do if I were in charge. I just wasn't sure if Desenja would keep her word. In fact, I highly doubted it.
From the looks of the argument occurring below, the army leaders weren't sure of her either. My heart raced as I watched Kaelen shake his leonine head and bare his teeth. Several of them wanted to leave. They wanted to take the offer. None of those, however, appeared to be valorians. Tristan, especially, was shaking his head vehemently as he gestured wildly at me. Then I saw someone break from the Nazakian group and stride over to the commanders. I gasped past my gag. From that proximity, I could make out the man's features clearly, and it was a face I would have recognized anywhere. The face of my father.
My father stepped into the group of leaders and slashed his hand downward. They stopped arguing and stared at him as he spoke. My father spoke even less than I did, but when he did open his mouth, he was worth listening to. The leaders listened now. I almost sobbed to see it and when Kaelen sat back and lifted his head in satisfaction, a soft sound did escape me at last. They weren't leaving. Not without me. I knew it in my bones. And I knew what it would cost them.
Too damn much.
Desenja had relaxed her hand while she waited, lowering the dagger to her side, but she still stood pressed up against me. I analyzed her stance out of the corner of my eye and then glanced down the wall. Being above the gate as we were, there was only flat ground below us, none of the jagged rocks that littered the area around the rest of the castle wall. The height was daunting and even without the rocks, a fall from it would likely break many of my bones. But I was immortal now and would probably survive. Just as long as I didn't break my neck.
The Goddess's words came back to me then, replaying in my mind like a forgotten song, You will not stumble, but you will fall, my Shi-Rie. When you fall, remember my words—remember all that you are and that you are not alone.
All that I am. I may be shackled in iron and cut off from my magic, but that was not all I was. First and foremost, I was a Nazakian, and I had training that had been seeped into my very muscles. My body knew what to do before my mind did. It was time to fall, but I had trained on the proper way to do so, and I wouldn't be falling alone.
With one smooth, rapid movement, I swung my hands up and around the Queen's neck, wrapping the chain that hung between my shackles around her slender throat. Then I pushed backward, off the wall and over the parapet. Desenja's eyes went wide as she was yanked with me, but only for a second. Her body hit the low wall around the walk, slamming against it as I fell beyond, and my weight on the chain, as well as my trajectory, snapped her throat. Her wings spread wide, a sort of knee-jerk response, and then she went limp, her body tumbling over the side with me.
Everyone was shouting. Above me, I saw General Shelvak snarl and reach for us, but he was too late. The Queen's wings slowed our fall slightly, but since she was dead, they didn't catch the air. I knew that if I kept dropping like this, I'd hit the ground with my back and likely break my spine. So I spun in midair, putting the Queen's corpse beneath me.
It all happened in seconds, but I somehow had the time to glance up and catch the blur of a man running toward me across the battlefield. Suddenly, I jerked to a stop. Hovering in midair, I looked up again and gaped at Kaelen's extended hand. Ever so gently, my lion lowered the Queen's corpse and me the last few feet to the ground. As I descended, I unwrapped the chain from the Desenja's throat and before she touched the ground, I leapt free of her, all while keeping my attention solely on the naked warlord running my way. I ran to meet him halfway.
We didn't slide into a romantic embrace or exchange sweet words—that would have been impossible anyway since I was still gagged. Instead, Kaelen grabbed my hand and dragged me back toward the safety of the front line. Behind me, the Farungals shrieked in fury as the General shouted for death oil to be readied. I jerked my hand away from Kaelen so I could tear at the ties of my gag.
As soon as the gag was off, I shouted, “Retreat! They've got reinforcements coming! Retreat!”
Kaelen shifted into his lion form and roared, sending his soldiers running for the road. The other leaders gaped at us a second before conveying similar orders and soon, our armies were fleeing the battlefield. Not the most glorious of conclusions, but with me safe, there was no reason for anyone else to die. Running from this battle wasn't dishonorable; it was wise.
Death oil bombs began to fall behind us, but we'd acted too quickly, and they fell short. The sky went dark with the flight of enormous birds and the ground was choked with a stampede of several types of animals, many of whom carried humans on their backs. Some of those being carried were wounded but others were dead. Unlike the Farungal, we didn't leave our fallen behind. I would have shifted to help if I hadn't been chained in iron. Instead, I ran beside my mate and silently thanked the Goddess for guiding me home.
