The Resistant Queen, page 31
“Celeste, a little help,” Zoe screamed.
As if sensing her need, a rush of air cleared the remaining mist, exposing confused and slow dregsin. Zoe darted in, burying her blades in their bodies, but they continued to move. Black blood oozed from their wounds, steaming as it hit the frozen ground. An acidic stench permeated the air, choking the witches closest to it.
“Maggie, you must go,” Belle ordered as no less than fifteen more dregsin entered the compound.
Before Maggie could reply, pain erupted through her back and she stumbled forward. Chunks of ice fell from her armor as Belle flew past her, a large sword held in her hands. It whipped around her body as she deflected the claws of an eagle-headed dregsin.
“Go now,” Belle demanded as she fought.
Without a fight, Maggie let go of the ice slowing her down and sprinted towards the assembly hall. She glanced at the roof and planned her first jump but was tackled from the side. She bounced across the melting snow, coming to a stop near one of the bonfires. A towering moose dregsin stared down at her, its antlers at least ten feet across. Its eyes were black and blank. Heavily muscled arms flexed as it punched her. The pain was debilitating and nausea threatened to overtake her as she rolled over, trying desperately to put more distance between her and the next punch. Heat from the fire washed over her as Aurora attacked the dregsin. Her hair burned red as flames swept past her.
“Hold it there,” another voice called.
Maggie glanced to her right where one of the storm witches was standing. She channeled the fire around the beast.
“Protect the queen,” a different voice shouted.
Before Maggie realized what was happening, the dregsin was on the ground with at least a half a dozen witches surrounding it.
“Heat the air,” Belle cried, a hitch to her voice.
Pain flared across Maggie’s chest when she tried to stand but quickly fell flat on her back. A pair of hands reached down and grabbed her, followed by two more. Celeste, Aurora, and Belle stood at her side, helping her regain her footing.
“What happened?” Maggie asked, fuzzy confusion floating around her mind.
“They have taken the inner city,” Belle said. “There are too many of them.”
“How many?” Maggie asked, her vision blurry.
“By now, at least one hundred. There is no way we can defend ourselves against so many. Our only hope is for Loravain and Sara to succeed. If not, we will all die.”
“What if we release Alyssa?” Maggie asked. “Would that help at all?”
“At this point, it would do us no good. She would be happy to see us destroyed.
“Is there no way for us to escape?” Zoe asked.
“Maybe,” Belle said. “But I do not dare risk it with so many dregsin. And it might not help us escape the winter wall.”
“No matter,” Maggie said. “There is no time to discuss it. We must face the more pressing matter.”
As the confusion faded from Maggie’s mind, she glanced around the compound. They were surrounded. Only the heat of the fire was saving them. She glanced around, hoping to catch sight of Thanatos. She had not seen him since they had last spoken. If he was gone, she hoped he would survive. There was nothing he could do here anyway.
“I need to get to my yurt,” Maggie said, the sudden sparks of an idea forming in her mind.
“It is not possible,” Celeste said. “Especially in your condition. What do you hope to find there?”
“Answers,” Maggie said as she turned around. “Belle?”
“I am here, my queen.”
“Get me to my yurt. That is an order.”
“I agree with Celeste. Getting you there will not be possible. The way is blocked.”
Maggie tried to push away from Celeste and Aurora but the pain was too great and she nearly collapsed. “Where is Corina?”
“I assume she is still in the healer’s tent,” Belle answered. “Why?”
“I need her to heal me. If no one is going to get me to my yurt, I will have to get there on my own.”
“Getting to the healer’s tent will be just as difficult as getting to your yurt,” the disembodied voice of Myron said. “But maybe I can get you there.”
Maggie doubted that Myron would be able to but she had to question Duncan. He seemed to know a lot about what the storm witches could do so maybe he knew something else that would help.
“I have to get there. Can you help me become invisible?”
Myron did not answer. The dregsin surrounding them were taking tentative steps forward, testing the heat. The fire witches forced the fires to burn hotter and the storm witches continued to circulate the air around them. Even from where she was, Maggie could see sweat dripping down their faces. They would soon succumb to their exhaustion.
“Myron?” Maggie called, wondering if the magician had abandoned them.
“I am here but I am not sure I can do what you are asking. All I can do is provide you with this potion. It is a potion of strength. It will help you get there on your own.”
Belle grabbed Maggie’s shoulders. “What is so important that you are willing to risk your life?”
“I’m already risking my life just by being here but I hope to find a way out of this,” Maggie said as she took the potion from Myron. Unstopping the vial, she finished the bottle in one swallow. “Celeste, do what you can to keep the dregsin away from my yurt.”
“I will do what I can.”
The potion burned her stomach as it started to work. The fiery sensation cooled as it traveled through her body, but it warmed her limbs. Blinking the remaining blurriness from her eyes, Maggie surveyed the area. She would never be able to outrun this many dregsin. The second she was out of the safety of the heat, she would be dead, even with the bracelet on. One hit from the dregsin had managed to break through its defenses. The only option she could see was up. If she could get to the top of the assembly hall, she might be able to jump to her yurt. It would be tricky though. She was positive she could make the distance but the top of her yurt was slanted and slick with ice. But it was her only chance. She hoped Duncan would still be there.
“Can you at least give me a distraction?” Maggie asked.
Belle glared at her but nodded. “I do not approve of you risking your life like this but I appreciate what you are trying to do to ensure that Priama will endure. No matter what happens here today, know that you have made your mother proud.”
“Thank you,” Maggie said. “Let me know when to go.”
“Oh, you will know,” Belle said as she drank a potion of her own. Large, bark-like scales appeared all over her skin then hardened like stone. “Archers, fire at will.”
The dregsin roared in anger when the attack came. As soon as their attention had been drawn, Maggie jumped, pushing herself harder than ever before. She flew back into the freezing cold air of the winter wall, which pulled the breath from her lungs. The roof of the assembly hall sped closer but she did not like the angle of her flight. She was afraid she was going to overshoot it, which would send her crashing back down into the horde of blood-thirsty dregsin. At the last possible second, Maggie flipped over and grabbed the lip of the roof, bringing herself to a halt. Treacherous ice clung to the wooden planks of the slope. Her feet failed to find traction as she tried to pull herself to the top of the roof and she fell, sliding down the opposite side of the hall towards the yurt.
Regardless of the distraction Belle was providing, some of the dregsin were still watching her. If Maggie did not make this next jump, she would fall into their waiting claws. As soon as she reached the end of the roof, she pushed off the edge with both feet, catapulting herself over the waiting dregsin. The air warmed slightly as she neared her yurt. Celeste had kept her word. The warmth had pushed the dregsin back at least twenty paces from her door. Even if she fell short, she might make it inside before an early death came for her. The safest way in, however, would be through Duncan’s hatch. It would be a tight fit but she thought she could make it.
The distance between her and the yurt quickly decreased and she turned in the air so she would land feet first. When she touched down, she dropped to her side, hoping to roll out of the fall but the thin timbers comprising the rood did not hold her weight. With a deafening crack, she fell through, landing hard on the wood floor next to her table. If it had not been for the potion Myron had given her and the bracelet around her wrist, she would have broken her ribs. Again. That was not something she wanted to suffer through.
“That was graceful,” the raven said from atop Maggie’s cupboard. “Is there a reason you did not want to use the door?”
Maggie pushed the broken pieces of roof from her body and climbed to her feet. She bent over backwards, sighing when her back popped. The hazy gray sky met her gaze. That was a big hole, she thought.
“I need your help,” Maggie said as she brushed dirt and straw from her coat. “I need to know if there is any way the storm witches can help us escape.”
Duncan shook his black head. “It’s a little late for that now, don’t you think?”
“Why? There must be a way.”
“There is one.”
“What is it? Tell me,” Maggie shouted.
“Easy. Kill all the dregsin.”
Maggie stomped her foot. “Oh, you wicked bird. Why won’t you help us?”
“If there was something I could do, I would. If you wanted to leave, you should have done so before the winter wall arrived.”
Before Maggie could press him further, Duncan flew through the hole she had created. She was ready to jump after him when something big crashed into the door. It was still too warm for it to be a dregsin but she backed up anyway.
“Maggie?”
It was Thanatos. Maggie rushed forward and threw open the door, letting him in.
“What were you thinking?” he snarled. “You should have stayed where it was safe. You nearly killed yourself.”
“I had to do something,” she replied. “I thought Duncan might know something else.”
“Never trust a raven,” the wolf said. “Where is he?”
“He flew away.”
“Just like him. Did he say anything?”
“I asked if the storm witches would be able to help us escape. He said no.”
Thanatos paced around the room. “Well, I might be able to help. It is a long shot but it might buy a little more time. Hopefully that is all Loravain will need to succeed.”
“Do you think he will?” Maggie asked. “I’m not sure how much longer we can hold out.”
“Loravain knows the stakes. He will not fail.”
Maggie mustered the bravest smile she could. “Tell me what to do.”
“Did you notice that the dregsin would not attack while Alyssa was in control? Why do you think that is?”
Maggie shrugged her shoulders. “The Dark One told them not to?”
The wolf stared at her. “Think again. Do you remember what happened with Tatiana?”
“She turned on us.”
“But why?” Thanatos asked.
“Why does she do anything? She hates me.”
“Alyssa touched her on the shoulder before leaving yesterday.”
It finally hit her. Alyssa had done the same thing before the battle with her mother. She used mind magic to persuade people to follow her directions against their will.
“Alyssa was controlling the dregsin?” Maggie cried.
“It makes sense, doesn’t it? The dregsin have two minds fighting for control already. The demon and the animal. After a long struggle, both would be exhausted. If a third, more powerful mind asserts itself, it might be easy to gain control over them.”
“Are you saying that we need to let Alyssa go? Belle thinks that would be a bad idea.”
“Is there another witch out there with mind magic? If so, you might be able to get the dregsin to turn on one another.”
Maggie’s eyes grew wide. She had never considered a tactic like that before. “I need to get back out there.”
“You can’t go the way you came,” Thanatos said. “The dregsin followed you onto the roof. The only reason they are not already here is because of what you asked Celeste to do.”
“How do you know what I asked her to do? You haven’t been around.”
The wolf winked at her. “I am never far. In fact, I have been close enough this whole time to listen to your conversations. I thought that if I was out of sight, it might make the witches feel more comfortable.”
“How am I going to get back out there then?”
“The same way I got in here. Run.”
Maggie moved to the door and cracked it open. From where she was, she could see Belle and the other witches. The dregsin were still closing in. The fire witches must be getting tired or they were running out of wood to burn. Or both.
“Here goes nothing,” Maggie said as she vaulted down the stairs.
As soon as she was out of the heat, the dregsin attacked. The only things she could rely on now were her speed and agility. Her ice magic would only slow her down and was nearly ineffectual against the dregsin. Four wolf-headed monstrosities converged on her, trying to pin her down. She ducked under one arm, nearly fainting at the stench wafting off its body. The smell pushed her on even faster as she spun in circles to avoid being grabbed by a horse-headed beast. Three more moved in to block her path but she pushed off the frozen ground and flew over them.
“Belle!” she shouted.
When Belle looked up, she motioned to the archers in her guard. Before Maggie touched down, arrows soared past her. Though they did not stop the dregsin, they slowed them down enough for her to reach the warmth of the fire.
“What were you thinking?” Belle yelled.
“There is no time for lectures,” Maggie said. “I need to find a witch who can use mind magic.”
“Why?”
Maggie explained Thanatos’ theory. When she was done, Belle waved to Frea.
“You learned all that by sitting in your room?” Belle asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow as they waited for Frea.
“It doesn’t matter,” Maggie said. “But I’m afraid this is our last chance. If Loravain doesn’t do something soon, we’re done.”
Belle explained to Frea what they needed. She did not look happy about it.
“I don’t think I can do that,” Frea admitted. “My mind magic doesn’t work the same as Alyssa’s does.”
“What can you do?” Maggie asked.
“I am more of an empath. I can sense and change emotions. I can’t control someone else.”
“Is there anyone else who can?” Maggie asked, sweating in the heat of the fire.
Frea shook her head. “You sent away anyone else who might have been able to help. You wanted only fire and storm witches, not mind witches.”
Maggie hung her head. This was the end then. They were out of options. There were far too many dregsin to fight and they were running out of things to burn. The only things left were the buildings and Maggie was not quite that desperate. Yet.
“Get closer to the fire,” Belle yelled, pulling Maggie back. A bloody claw nearly took off her ear. “They are getting bolder by the minute and will continue to test the heat. If you are caught in their grasp, you will die and there will be nothing I could do to save you.”
“Come on,” Loravain,” Maggie pleaded as she stepped back, getting uncomfortably close to the flames. “Wherever you are, please do something.”
CHAPTER 25
“We need to find Gwendolyn,” Loravain said as his legs dangled from the cliff. The hail had stopped and only a light drizzle fell from the sky. “If anyone knows how to get past the elementals, it will be her.”
“How do you propose we find her?” Sarah asked. “It’s been a day, if not more. She could have been blown back to Priama by now.”
Loravain shook his head as he looked out the cave mouth as far as he dared. The cliffs only rose about another thirty feet above him and was full of handholds. Climbing it would be easy. “No, she won’t be far, but sitting here any longer does us no good. We should go up.”
“Are you crazy?” Sarah asked as she joined him. “As soon as we go out there, the elementals will attack again. It’s suicide.”
“Be that as it may, do you know what will happen if we stay here?”
Sarah glanced down below her and shook her head. “You lead, I’ll follow.”
Loravain gripped the stones to his left and pulled himself out. He effortlessly climbed up halfway before stopping to look down. When he made eye contact with Sarah, she began to climb as well.
“No problem,” he said when she joined him.
A sudden gust of wind nearly ripped them from the wall. With all the strength he could muster, the mage held to the cliff with one hand and pressed Sarah to the rocks with his other. His muscles strained in the onslaught of the gale.
“Yeah, no problem at all,” she yelled. “This might have been a bad idea.”
“You’re right but we can’t risk going back down. We have to go up the rest of the way.”
The wind became more brutal as they climbed. Every few feet, it pulled Loravain’s body into the open air. If it had not been for his strength, he would have been gone. Sarah was still beside him but was too scared to move. Her eyes were shut and her breathing was ragged.
“We’re almost there,” he shouted. “Just a little more to go.”
“I don’t think I can do it,” she replied, her arms trembling. “My hands are bleeding and I can’t hold on much longer.”
Loravain sidestepped closer to her and put an arm across her body, holding her in place. The wind buffeted him but Sarah seemed to relax a little.
“Rest for a moment, he said. “When the wind dies down, we’ll continue.”
Sarah only nodded. She pressed into Loravain’s body for support and finally opened her eyes. After a few minutes of waiting, there was a slight lull in the storm.
“Okay, let’s go.”
They moved in tandem up the wall while Loravain did his best to protect Sarah from the wind. They were close to the top when the wind picked up again, throwing their bodies back into the stone of the cliff. Sarah screamed as her body bounced off the rock wall. The wind continued howling for more than ten minutes until Loravain’s arms burned with exhaustion as well. If something did not change soon, they would have to risk climbing in the wind or falling. Risking a glance down, Loravain confirmed that a fall from this height would be fatal.
