Fantasyland 01 Wildest Dreams (70 page)

And, sometimes, anger.

But now he looked conflicted.

Then he opened his eyes and looked back at
me.

“It is early,” he said gently, “for you, too
early for such talk. For Lunwyn, however, it is not and therefore
it must be said. But I have concerns, concerns I discussed with
Lazarus and Ravenscroft, concerns they share.”

I felt my brows draw together as I felt a
thrill up my spine. “What concerns?”

As was his way when he was with me, he
continued speaking gently. “You are vulnerable, Finnie, as is your
child.”

I knew this. Boy, did I know it. Therefore I
nodded.

Then I reminded him, “I have Frey’s men.
They will stand behind me.”

And I knew they would for Ruben told me they
would, in fact, he vowed it.

“Indeed,” he agreed. “And this is an
alternative for you to consider.”

I blinked.

An alternative?

“I have another choice?” I asked, sounding
confused.

“I think, and Ravenscroft and Lazarus agree,
that once this is done, the traitors are punished and Lunwyn is
again at peace, you should wed me.”

I blinked at the same time I drew in a sharp
breath but Apollo didn’t stop speaking.

“I will vow to keep you and your child safe.
I will vow to stand beside you and assist as you raise him king.
And he will have a brother and sister who I’ve no doubt will dote
on him.”

I said nothing, just stared.

Apollo got closer, dipped his chin and held
my eyes but he didn’t touch me.

Then he whispered, “We share something, you
and I, something no one but us understands. I do not offer you
avowals of love and I think you understand I never will. I
understand I will not receive the same from you. But our union
would provide stability for our country, a mother for my children,
a father for your child and company for us both. If your heart was
to mend in such a way that you grow to find me pleasing, then
perhaps we will create our own family. If not, I will understand
and I will take my attentions elsewhere.” Eyes wide in shock, I
opened my mouth to speak but he shook his head and lifted a hand.
“This is not for now. This is for you to consider. This is for much
later. This is simply an option, Finnie, nothing more. There will
be no animosity should you refuse and you leave this tent knowing,
no matter what you chose, I stand behind you and always will.”

I pressed my lips together again, this time
for a different reason then I let them go and forced out a
heartfelt, “Thank you.”

Apollo nodded, moved slightly away and I
knew by the look on his face his mind was on other things and he
was done with me.

But I wasn’t done with him.

“Apollo,” I called, his eyes focused on me
and then, haltingly, I asked, “Does it… I mean, I get the sense
from you, um…” I stopped, his brows rose and I finished on a
whisper, “It doesn’t get better does it?”

His gaze grew soft and his lids slightly
lowering but I still saw the flash of pain in his eyes, the same
pain I felt in my soul.

Then he whispered his reply, “No, sweet
Finnie, it does not.”

I nodded. I knew that. I saw it in his eyes,
felt it in my soul. I knew it.

It just sucked to have it confirmed.

Then I watched him suddenly tense, his torso
twisting so he could look to the flaps of the tent and he ordered,
“Remain here,” as he turned and walked to them.

I heard a restless commotion that seemed to
come from all around before he made it to the flaps and then they
were thrown open and Lavinia rushed in followed by Valentine.

Their eyes went to Apollo first (he was a
big guy and standing in their way so they would do) then they both
looked at me.

“We’re bound,” Valentine hissed, sounding
pissed and worried at the same time but looking only pissed.

My body got tight.

“What?” Apollo clipped.

“We are bound,” Lavinia repeated, her eyes
moving to Apollo. “The witch is close, she’s bound us. Something is
–”

She didn’t finish as shouts were heard,
running feet, galloping horses and Apollo turned to me.

“You and the witches, remain here. I will
call Frey’s men to your guard,” he ordered then stalked quickly to
a table, grabbed his sword in its scabbard and stalked even more
quickly out of the tent.

Without word or movement, we all stared at
the tent flaps after he left. The sound of shouting, running feet
and galloping horses increased significantly within moments of his
departure and this gave me a very bad feeling.

“We’re under attack,” I whispered.

“Do you think?” Valentine muttered
drolly.

I glared at her; she held my glare and
raised her brows.

I tore my eyes away.

Damn, shit, damn, shit, damn, shit,
shit,
shit.

I looked around Apollo’s tent and saw his
war chests, the quiver chockfull of arrows and the bow leaning
against the wall of the tent and I dashed to them.

“Finnie, what are you doing?” Lavinia
asked.

“Arming myself,” I answered, dropping to my
knees and throwing open a chest to rummage inside.

“The Drakkar’s men will –” Lavinia
started.

But I cut her off, finding what I needed and
pulling it out, I gained my feet while talking. “Frey’s men will
put their lives on the line to keep ours safe. That doesn’t mean we
can’t help.”

“Seoafin, I don’t think –” Valentine started
but I turned to them and interrupted her too while strapping on the
loaded knife belt.

“Come quickly to these chests and find a
daggers of a size and heft you’re comfortable with. Don’t bother
with a belt, just take the dagger,” I finished saying this to two
wide-eyed witches as the noises outside grew louder, the
increasingly alarmed vibe penetrated the tent and I reached for the
quiver to strap it on, commanding, “Now, ladies.”

Lavinia shook her head to shake herself out
of her stupor and dashed to the trunk. Valentine stared at me
clearly rethinking her show of remorse and not spiriting herself
home before her magic was bound again, this time during what was
sounding more and more like a battle zone.

“Valentine,” I said warningly as I finished
with the strap on the quiver and reached for the bow.

“
Merde,
” she muttered and stomped forward.

They got their daggers and we all stood by
the tent flaps waiting, waiting and then freaking waiting some more
for one of Frey’s men to come.

But the noise escalated outside the tent,
grunts and clashes of steel, whizzing arrows, male cries of
surprise or pain, galloping hooves.

None of it good.

All of it seriously, fucking scary.

Then we all jumped as a sword tore into the
side of the tent and slashed through. I turned to the sword,
lifting an arm to yank an arrow from my quiver, setting it to the
bow and pulling back the string but the sword disappeared and we
heard the ring of steel against steel.

A mishit.

I released the tension on the bow but none
of the tension left my body and I turned to face the tent flaps
with the arrow at the ready and it was then I realized my breathing
was not steady.

Not even close.

“My princess,” Lavinia whispered, “The
Drakkar’s men, they are loyal to their Drakkar and to you. If they
could have come to us –”

“
They will come,” I hissed, staring at the
tent flaps, refusing to believe what I would have to believe if
they didn’t and that was that they couldn’t and the only thing that
would hold them back was something I would
not
think about.

No, I refused to believe that even as the
vibe pounding against the sides of the tent became more desperate,
the noises of war coming so fast, one on top of the other, it was
impossible to distinguish them and two arrows tore through the tent
walls on the opposite side to us, imbedding themselves in carpet
and snow but, if we had been close, they would have imbedded
themselves in one of us.

Shit!

“We’re sitting ducks, Seoafin,” Valentine
snapped and my eyes shot to her.

Crap. She was right.

So I made my decision.

“Right, so, we fight our way to escape if we
have to,” I announced, Valentine nodded instantly, I looked to
Lavinia, she did too though hers was not instant and then I
ordered, “I’ve had training, not a lot but some so you stick with
me, hands on me at all times so I know I’ve got you. You see a
threat, you tell me, point it out and I’ll do what I can. You’ve
got a shot to stick someone who seems to wish us ill, go for it. We
are not on the offense, ladies. I carry the future king of this
land and we must all do what we can to keep him safe so our goal is
simply to get clear and get away. Got me?” More nods, I nodded
back, looked to the tent flaps and whispered, “Okay, girls, let’s
go.”

Then we went and the minute we exited the
tent we saw chaos, blood, wounded men, dead men, dead horses,
arrows in the ground and body pieces. The clashes of steel rung
loud enough to deafen, the whispers of arrows whizzing one on top
of the other. It was hideous, extreme but I felt Valentine and
Lavinia’s hands on me, I thought of the little being in my belly, I
blocked it all out and I moved swiftly. Leading my witches, we
skirted sparring men, ducked around tents when horses galloped
through, picked our way over obstacles but steadily and as quickly
as we could we kept moving.

Twice, I had to raise my bow, take aim and
let fly as I caught a soldier’s eye and knew he meant
harm.

Twice, my aim was true.

More blood on my hands.

I still didn’t care. The only thing I
thought was I was pretty fucking pleased I’d practiced so goddamned
much.

I kept moving, quickly, always vigilant,
glancing left and right, up and down, over my shoulder, around
tents, my witches always with me.

We got out of the tent area and into the
forest but it was happening there too.

God, there were so many of them. Men all
around, beasts, dead, wounded, it was everywhere, blood staining
the melting snow in what seemed like a river of red and pink.

But our way was clearer, we only had to look
around trees not tents and we moved more swiftly, gaining ground. I
was feeling hopeful until I felt the loss of a grip on my gown. I
heard Valentine cry out and I whirled, bow up, arrow at the ready
and I looked into a man’s eyes. That man was holding Lavinia with a
dagger at her throat while her hands were curled around his
forearm, her back arched, her head pressed hard in his shoulder to
get away from the blade, her eyes filled with terror.

I aimed my arrow at his face. “Drop the
blade.”

The battle raged on around us as Valentine
pressed close to my back with hers, protecting it.

“Drop the bow, Winter Princess, or she dies
then I take you,” he replied, pressing his blade deeper and Lavinia
whimpered.

I pulled the bow back tighter. “Drop the
blade,” I repeated.

“Your life for hers or I take both,” he
returned.

I closed one eye and lined my arrowhead to
my target.

“Drop the blade,” I whispered.

“Listen, princess, listen all around you.
Your men lose. Die now or die at the noose. Our heads hold no
affection for you as the prince had done. You will drop through the
gallows,” he whispered back. “Your choice.”

He was wrong.

I had another choice.

And I took it.

I let my fingers loose and hit a bulls-eye,
he fell back, dead instantly as my arrow shot through his eye
socket and pierced his brain, his arms dropping and Lavinia fell
forward to her hands and knees.

“Let’s go,” I commanded but suddenly
Lavinia’s head snapped up then twisted like she was listening to
something and Valentine whispered, “Oh my goddess,” at my back.

I opened my mouth to tell them to get a move
on when it happened.

I heard it.

Flapping.

Loud, leathery flapping that accompanied an
enormous shadow that was sweeping quickly over us, so vast, it
blotted out the sun.

Lavinia pushed up so she was on her knees,
her head tilting back to look at the sky, her lips parting in shock
as I felt Valentine tense behind me and the noises of battle faded
as men stopped to stare.

I looked up and that was when I saw
them.

Dragons.

Dragons.

A delicate, delicious shiver slid over every
inch of my skin as I watched the huge beasts fly through the air,
webbed wing to webbed wing, hundreds of them, big as houses, their
barbed tails snapping, their ferocious, horned heads tilted down,
their beady eyes sweeping the landscape then it started.

They spewed fire.

Streams of it shafting out of their mouths,
screams of shock silenced in nanoseconds when the flames hit their
targets one after another after another.

It was terrifying.

It was awe-inspiring.

“
Run!
” Lavinia shrieked, gaining her feet, grabbing my
hand and Valentine’s, she tugged us and we took off as the dragons
flew, raining fire, incinerating men leaving nothing but ashes and
melted steel in their wake, trees burnt instantly to a cinder, snow
melted straight to the earth, and through it, leaving a charred
crater.

We all halted as one when a man combusted
ten feet in front of us, we backed up several paces, shifted
simultaneously and ran through the random shafts of flames, dodging
this way and that, certain to get caught up in it as the fire
streamed down all around us.

Then we reached a clearing, halted at the
vision before us and instinctively huddled together, all of us
staring at a line of standing dragons, wings rolling and curling,
long necks arching and writhing, tails snapping and thrashing,
claws scoring the snow and then, as one, we turned to run but
halted dead in our tracks when the next thing happened.