Illusion: Book Four of the Grimoire Saga (36 page)

Fenner crossed his arms and squinted upward. “Is that you, Blood Braeden?”

Braeden nodded. “What is it?”

Fenner leaned against the trunk. “The last civilian is in the tunnels. She almost took the head off one of your men. Mrs. Ralley always was a fighter.”

“Is the soldier all right?”

“Seems to be. He’s with a healer.”

Braeden picked at the tree bark under his foot to distract himself, keeping in mind the Stelian soldier on the other side of the tree. He held tight to his Stelian form despite the urge to shift as he spoke to a Hillsidian guard. The bark peeled back, flaking as he tore away the tree’s skin. “Any sign of the Vagabond or Blood Gavin?”

“I’m afraid not. But every lichgate into the city is covered, with Hillsidians in the trees and Stelians standing guard, hiding as best they can. With all due respect, though, a child could spot your men without much effort. Maybe Ayavel won’t realize you arrived in time.”

“We can hope.”

“A second wave of Hillsidians are inside the castle. I mean no offense, but I don’t think the Stelian army should be inside the walls. The civilians were distraught enough as-is.”

“I agree. It’s hard to understand how an army can go from killing you to protecting you in seconds.”

Fenner ran a hand through his hair. “Can I confess something?”

Braeden stared off into the woods but gestured for him to go ahead.

“I’m still not used to seeing you as a Stelian.”

“I know.”

“It’s not a—um—a bad thing, or…” Fenner trailed off.

Braeden hid a grin and continued picking at the tree bark. Maybe he could have fun with this.

A piece of bark jammed between his finger and fingernail. He flinched. A bead of black blood spread beneath the nail, but the pain subsided. His body had already healed.

He leaned back against the tree. He couldn’t make people uncomfortable. He was Stelian, and people like Fenner had been raised to attack Stelians on sight. This wouldn’t be easy to overcome. He would have to be patient and respectful to connect with those raised to hate his people. Minds didn’t change overnight, and he couldn’t resent others for it.

A crack echoed through the forest. Braeden sat upright and scanned the forest floor. Through the leaves, three people huddled in the middle of the path to the Hillsidian lichgate—two men and a blonde.

Braeden jumped from the branch and landed on both feet, careful to avoid Fenner. The visitors came into view, but his eyes went immediately to the blond woman holding a little red ball of fur that purred on her shoulder.

Her eyes went wide with surprise, but she laughed. He smiled.

Gavin and Richard stood on either side of her. Gavin’s back arched. He frowned, likely a reaction to Braeden’s Stelian form, but Richard grinned.

“Intimidating, I must admit,” Richard said.

“Thank you,” Braeden said with a grin.

“I don’t suppose you’d change back for old time’s sake,” Gavin muttered under his breath.

Kara smacked the king’s arm. He rubbed the impact site.

“Fine, fine,” Gavin said with a frown.

“Is your army on its way?” Braeden asked, hoping to change the topic.

Gavin nodded. “The Hillsidians and her isen”—his eyes darted to Kara—“are on their way.”

“That should be an interesting convoy,” Braeden mused.

“The isen I recruited seem to be getting along with the Hillsidian army,” Kara said with a shrug.

Gavin rubbed his jaw. “Even so, they will likely be another eleven hours, if not more. They can’t help us against Evelyn’s army.”

Braeden groaned, but he expected as much. “Where are Bloods Frine and Aurora?”

“They and Garrett are headed to Ayavel. They figure it will be more difficult to overtake, since Ayavelians are legendary for their defensive tactics. Not to mention they’ve likely changed the password for the central lichgate we all used to enter and exit.”

“That never was how it actually worked,” Braeden said.

“What?” Richard asked.

Braeden crossed his arms. “Soldiers filled the trees around the lichgate and unlocked it if someone used the correct password. If they didn’t want you to enter—correct password or no—I imagine they simply wouldn’t unlock the lichgate.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Gavin snapped.

Braeden shrugged. “It hasn’t been relevant until now.”

“Focus,” Kara said. Flick chirped in apparent agreement.

Gavin grumbled. “This is all a mistake. Evelyn wouldn’t do this to the alliance, not after hosting us for so long.”

“You mean you don’t think she’d do this to you,” Braeden corrected.

Gavin frowned and narrowed his eyes, the full intensity of his glare focused on Braeden. Rekindled friendship or no, Gavin could be a stubborn pain in the ass.

Braeden returned the stare. “It was a trap, Gavin. She lost her way, and she had no means of making us leave her kingdom. Carden and Deidre spun exactly the right lies to make her listen. She obeyed them.”

“Liar,” Gavin said under his breath.

“You’ll see for yourself.”

“I got an update from one of the vagabonds in her army,” Kara interjected.

“I’m glad some of her vagabonds survived,” Richard said.

She grimaced. “Only one did. He wrote a few words, but he mentioned they were moving at double time. After she saw Zimmermann’s red blood, she apparently forced every solider to prick his finger. Two vagabonds were killed. This one managed to smear his finger with a friend’s blood in time.”

Kara’s grip tightened around her arms. Her skin blanched around her fingertips, and a vein appeared in her forehead. Apparently, she could barely contain herself. Braeden set a hand on her back. Her body trembled beneath his touch.

“How long until she arrives?” Richard asked.

Braeden frowned. “At double time, my best guess is a little under six or seven hours. No one can keep such a pace for long. They’ll have to take breaks. Everything is in place and waiting for them.”

“I need to make sure everyone is all right,” Gavin said. He pushed past Braeden and marched toward the lichgate, back straight and chin high as he entered his kingdom. Hillsidian guards bowed as he passed, while several Stelians eyed the king and smirked.

Braeden grinned. Maybe he had more in common with his men than he originally thought.

A hand brushed Braeden’s elbow. He twisted back in time to catch Kara smile at him. A green glow pulsed beneath her skin and disappeared just as quickly.

He set his hands on her shoulders. “How are you holding up?”

Her smile faded. “I almost lost it when I read that Ayavelian vagabond’s entry.”

“You almost lost it just now, too.”

She nodded. Her grip on his arm tightened.

“I think you should sit this one out,” he said.

She paused, eyes on his and body completely still.

He rushed ahead, his voice a whisper. “What if you lose control? What if you kill Evelyn? All of Ayavel will die with her. We can’t risk it.”

He held his breath, prepared for a debate, but she nodded.

“I agree,” she said.

Flick nuzzled her cheek. She tapped his head with her finger.

She sighed. “I have to be so gentle. The lightest gesture can turn into something uncontrollable. I’m afraid to touch people. Did you see Gavin flinch when I smacked him? I was afraid I broke his arm.”

“I think you did, actually,” Braeden said with a laugh.

Richard frowned. “What’s going on?”

Braeden cleared his throat, but Kara answered.

“I’d rather we talk about it later.”

Richard crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Please, Richard,” she said.

His frown faltered, and he sighed. “But you’re all right? You both are?”

She nodded. “I simply need to rest.”

Braeden scratched his cheek. His stomach rumbled. A pang of hunger gnawed at his gut, but he shook his head to refocus. “Maybe you should go to the tunnels. The rest of the city is there.”

She frowned and leaned in, her voice barely a whisper. “What if I hurt them?”

Ah. Right.

“Why don’t you stay in my old room?”

Richard frowned again, but pressed his lips into a thin line as if to swallow his words.

“What, Richard?” Kara asked.

He lowered his voice. “All this talk of hurting others and being gentle has me worried, Kara.”

“I—I can’t—” She closed her eyes and took three deep breaths. Her hands rested on her hips, and she lowered her head as she breathed.

Braeden set a hand on Richard’s shoulder and led him away. “Go easy on her. She needs to stay calm. There are bits of her isen nature she’s still learning to control, and you can’t push her.”

Richard’s mouth dropped open. His forehead relaxed, and he nodded. “Was that the green explosion we saw blowing up part of the castle? That was her?”

“She blew out two walls of a ballroom.”

Richard whistled. “Goodness. I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

“Can you take her to my room? I should stay here in case our time estimates are wrong.”

“Of course. I’ll take care of her and be back soon. Are you hungry?”

“Yes, thanks.”

“I’ll bring some food, then,” Richard said.

Kara set her hand on Braeden’s back. He wrapped her in a hug, careful not to hold her too tight.

She kissed his cheek. “Don’t die.”

He held her chin and kissed her. “You don’t worry about me. Stay calm. I’ll come find you when this is all over.”

She smiled and nodded. “Be safe.”

Richard gestured for the main gate into Hillside, and Kara followed. She shot a smile over her shoulder but flinched as she crossed the lichgate into the kingdom. The colors of her hair and clothes faded once she was through, diluted by the haze of the portal.

Braeden let out a slow breath. He wanted this to end, and soon, it would. Just when he thought Ourea could finally stop fighting, Evelyn betrayed the alliance that trusted her. But the fighting would end today. The only question in his mind was whether or not the Ayavelian people would survive what Braeden hoped would be the war’s final battle.

Chapter 27

War Crimes

Eight hours had passed since Braeden first returned to Hillside to call off his Stelian army from burning Hillside to the ground. Now, the gray soldiers waited in the dark Hillsidian underbrush. Without moonlight, the shadows of the forest stretched over everything. Braeden closed his eyes, listening to the woods’ hum. Wind rustled through the canopy above him, setting the leaves off in a round of applause that drowned out the shuffling of Stelian soldiers in the grass below. They didn’t seem to understand the concept of quiet or stealth. A Stelian soldier at the base of Braeden’s tree cleared his throat, the grunt like thunder in the quiet forest. Braeden gritted his teeth.

He knelt on a low branch, one arm resting against the trunk while the other rested on the limb for added balance. Gavin sat on the branch next to him in a similar position, an occasional creak the only giveaway to anyone sitting in the tree at all.

A bird’s call echoed through the forest, its pitch flawless. Gavin twisted around, catching Braeden’s eye, and they both took a deep breath.

Approaching soldiers.

The scout’s warning echoed a second time, so perfectly matching the tune of a bird that it would have fooled Braeden if he didn’t know the local wildlife so well. No birds sang like that here.

He pointed at the Stelian at the base of his tree, signaling an army was approaching. The Stelian nodded and signaled to another soldier nearby, and the chain of warning continued. Only afterward did he consider he could have used a Blood mandate instead. He huffed.

They’re almost here. Be ready,
he warned them.

Braeden peered through a gap in the trees. Nothing yet. His ears twitched as the march of mismatched feet on the dirt path reached him. Silhouettes appeared at the far end of the path, no torches to light the way. No one in Evelyn’s army spoke. Fabric brushed against fabric as they neared. Leather creaked as sword sheaths adjusted against the soldiers’ bodies.

Evelyn rode a white horse while her soldiers walked. She pulled on the reins, and the creature stopped. It chewed on the bit and pawed at the ground, dragging its hoof over the soil and leaving lines in its wake. Its tail swished.

The horse could sense Braeden and the hidden army, even if Evelyn couldn’t.

Evelyn eyed the forest, back straight as she monitored the quiet tree tops. She likely knew much of Hillside from her time as Gavin’s lover. Braeden glanced to the man he once called a brother. Gavin’s hand wrapped around the base of the tree, knuckles white from his grip. Braeden clutched his sword hilt, hoping against hope that Gavin wouldn’t do anything stupid. Evelyn might not love him anymore, but Gavin couldn’t seem to let go of the woman he adored.