I kept busy until the last of the dead had been removed from the hall, cleaned and shrouded for burial. Adam had suggested that Keir bring in the Shadow Warriors, the Dark Fae’s version of the Elite Guard for a few days, since we were spread thin already. It was a welcome show of support on their part. The Crimson Guard also arrived and had taken up position around us in the hall. More and more of the Elite Guard returned; each one gave a report, which Zahruk relayed to me. No one had found a trace of Ryder, and with each one who came back empty-handed, I began to feel sick to my stomach.
Once we’d finished, Zahruk and Ristan walked with me to the chambers I shared with Ryder. Each step closer felt as if it would destroy me.
“We’ll find him and bring him back to you, Flower,” Ristan assured me when I stopped walking, my arms wrapping around my stomach. Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to allow them to drop.
“Synthia,” Zahruk hesitated as he looked around at those who might overhear, then grabbed my arm and pulled me close. Together, we made our way down the corridor to the chambers. He opened the door for me and waited until I was inside. “You can do this.” He smiled grimly as if to reassure me.
“I can’t,” I sniffed as the tears I’d been fighting fell, and my knees gave out as a violent shudder tore through me. I hit the floor before either Zahruk or Ristan expected it and wrapped my arms around my stomach again and cried. “I can’t do this without him. I can’t breathe without him,” I sobbed. I couldn’t; my body shook violently, and I wanted to crawl into a ball and stay there, on the floor, in the fetal position.
“Fuck,” Zahruk snapped as he reached down and picked me up, then handed me off to Ristan, who moved to the bed, holding me against him. “She can’t face them like this,” he growled, his fingers threading through his hair as he pushed it out of his face.
“She just needs a moment or two. She can do this,” Ristan muttered in an attempt at encouragement.
I cried until I couldn’t cry anymore, and once the tears abated, I pulled away from Ristan and looked at him. He and Zahruk both looked exhausted and uncertain, which only made the pain hit home harder. I straightened my spine, wiped away the tears, and spoke with more authority than I felt.
“What’s the plan, gentlemen?”
“We need the Horde, we know that. They won’t follow you, and they are already aware that Ryder is missing. News spreads like fire in Faery.” Zahruk’s tone was weary, yet still rang with authority.
“Can’t we ask them to help us,” I asked.
“It’s not that easy. The Horde follows the one who holds the beast, and you don’t hold it, Synthia. None of us do. The only other way is to lead them through power and fear of repercussion from not helping. “
“So, we make them fear us,” I growled. “We kill any who question our command; if the leaders of the Castes do, we will kill them too.” I looked at both of them fiercely. “Call them to us; if they refuse to follow me, I’ll have to change their minds.”
“And how will you do that?” Zahruk piercing eyes watched me for any sign of weakness.
“By speaking their language,” I answered with a hard stare. “He is their King; they will fight with me to get him back.”
“If we back her, it might work,” Ristan offered. “They no longer consider her an outsider,” he explained when we both just stared at him. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s the Horde—they fucking love power. If the Elite Guard backs her, they will think twice about questioning her when she orders them to follow her.”
“It might work,” Zahruk agreed as he rubbed his chin, and a calculating gleam entered his eyes. “But even with the numbers that the Horde has, we will still need more people to back us. I don’t imagine the Guild hasn’t realized that we won’t sit by passively and not come for him. It took effort to get him, and I don’t think they intend to just hand him back to us.”
“They will fight us, and they will die.”
Ristan and Zahruk watched me as I swallowed the words. I’d kill for him. I’d wreck worlds for him. He was the air that filled my lungs. Ryder was my world, and if they thought they could walk in here and take that from me, they were insane.
“Call for the Horde. Anyone who doesn’t heed the call to arms will need to be dealt with severely and immediately,” I ordered as I righted the bloody wedding dress and smoothed the skirt that I’d refused to change out of. I looked at my chipped nails and then back up to Zahruk as he smiled. “I’m prepared to do what is needed to get him back, and more. This can’t go unanswered. We have to answer in kind, and if they fight us, they will die. They need to see us standing together, united. They need to know we won’t let this kind of thing go without paying them back tenfold. That is the way of the Horde, is it not? You will council me and stand with me as we send out the call to arms.” I was proud of myself for not losing it. I wanted to, I needed to. I wanted to walk into the Guild and bring him home, but I knew that the only way for the Guild to take him, was to enlist help from someone strong enough to do it.
A knock at the door drew all eyes to it, and Ristan was the first to move towards it. Adam slipped through, green eyes locked with mine, and he flinched at the sight of the puffiness around my eyes from crying. I moved to him and held his hand as I looked into his eyes, smiling the best I could as I tried to reassure him that I was okay, yet words didn’t come. I wasn’t okay.
“What do you need from me, Synthia?” Adam asked quietly.
“I need to know that this castle is protected while Ryder and I are gone. If you can have some of the Shadow Warriors remain here a little longer than a few days, I can leave knowing it will be protected when I am gone. I can’t leave our people exposed, not when so many of the wounded were Horde. Right now, if the Dragons attacked, they’d take the castle. We can’t allow that to happen.”
Adam looked at us with confusion. “Dragons? I think I’m missing something, but whatever you need it’s yours. I’ll guard the castle with my life.” His eyes searched mine for any sign that I wasn’t okay. He knew me, knew I wasn’t okay by a long shot, but he wouldn’t point it out, not here.
“Thank you,” I murmured softly. “Adam, if I don’t come back from this,” I started, and then stopped as he shook his head.
“No, I won’t lose you too,” he snapped. “Don’t even think it.”
“I need to know that if I go out there and I don’t come home, that my children are protected and loved. You are my oldest friend, and I know you’d protect them from anyone who wished them harm, so give me this, Adam. I have no plans of not coming back, but they took Ryder, which means whoever is helping them is very strong. God bolts alone wouldn’t stop Ryder from fighting, which tells me they have something else fighting with them against us.”
“What the hell could they possibly have that could neutralize Ryder?” he asked as his green eyes searched my face.
“An Original Witch, or possibly twelve of them,” I announced as I glanced at Zahruk and Ristan uncomfortably. “We have one beneath the Spokane Guild. Alden confirmed who Sleeping Beauty is, which means the Guild has access to the rest of the coven.”
“Shit,” he replied as his mouth opened and closed. “I thought they were just myths that the Elders used to scare us into behaving.”
“I wish they had been,” I replied as I moved away from him with Ristan and Zahruk flanking my sides behind me.
Chapter Twenty
We moved through the corridors soundlessly, everyone watching our every move. The Horde was already looking for any sign of weakness within our ranks. Any sign of blood, and they’d try to figure out a way to crown a new King before I could get Ryder back here and back on his throne. I’d be damned if I showed them any sign of weakness. The King wasn’t dead; he was just misplaced for the moment. Besides, no one held his beast, and that was normally what decided the new King h
ere.
Yes, I wanted to fall down and curl into a ball, but I wouldn’t. I would keep my head held high, erect my defenses, and straighten my tilted crown. They may have thrown the first punch, but I’d make sure I got the last hit in and I would watch them fall.
“We will get him back,” Ristan murmured gently as he stopped me in the throne room as Zahruk ushered people out of it. I waited for them to clear the room as Ristan watched me carefully. “Remember, you can show no fear in there. Inside that council room we need the Guild Enforcer. You will be Ryder’s proxy, his surrogate, and if they smell a single whiff of fear in that room, this thing doesn’t work.”
“I have no fear of what I have to do, Demon.” I turned and gave him a determined glare. “If I have to destroy the Guild to get him back, I won’t think twice about it. I will be sure to send a clear, decisive message to them. I will make it so clear that they never even think to try something like this again. If they fight us, or refuse to give him back, they will die.” I looked between Ristan and Zahruk and strengthened my resolve. “No one can be allowed to think Faery is weak, or we will have more than just the Mages at our gates. If I have to become the monster they claim us to be, so be it, I will become it. I will do anything it takes to end up with Ryder back here, at my side.”
“You’re sure you can do that?” Ristan questioned, and when I gave a stiff nod, he continued. “The Horde, they are going to push you, question your ability to lead them.”
“I won’t give them a chance; should they argue, I will respond in a language they know all too well. The Guild hit us hard. We have to hit back harder. I need the Horde behind us when we do, so they cannot question my right to lead until he is returned to his throne.”
“It’s the Horde,” Zahruk interjected. “They are bipolar at best on a good day. Today they’ve heard the rumors that the King was taken by our enemies. That he wasn’t strong enough to fight off those who invaded, and whatever the people are whispering about is filling their heads with idiotic ideas. They won’t be easy to tame alone.”
“I won’t be alone.” I patted his shoulder reassuringly. “I’ll have you guys at my side. You will be my eyes and ears, and lead me in the right direction here. I wasn’t born of the Horde, but you are the leaders of the Elite Guard. They will at least think twice about fucking with us with you two next to me.”
“We need to get on with this,” Ristan nodded. “Daylight is wasting.”
“Indeed, are you ready, Goddess?” Zahruk extended his elbow to me as his piercing blue eyes held mine with a confidence I wasn’t sure I deserved yet. I hadn’t pulled it off, and my stomach was tied in knots at the mere idea of facing this war council—and the Horde.
“I’m ready,” I affirmed as I slipped my arm through his as Ristan opened the door to reveal a room full of people. I’d sat in on the council before, but at that time it had been at Ryder’s side, and only with the Elite Guard present. Now Keir, my father, and the heads of the smaller castes and clans sat around the table with their guards at their backs. I moved into the room, forcing myself to pretend that everything was okay.
Once I reached the chair reserved for Ryder, I paused, which Zahruk was ready for. He pulled out the chair and calmly placed his hand on my shoulder for support. It felt like the floor was crumbling beneath my feet as I stared at the chair reserved for the King. My King, my love, was gone.
“Thank you for coming,” I said without a trace of weakness. Adam and Adrian watched me as I pulled strength from them. “We need to finish having people sweep the castle and remove the remaining wards left behind by our enemies. We need to fix the damage to the castle and find stonemasons who can start rebuilding the walls immediately. I’d prefer Fae stonemasons who can rebuild with magic, if possible, as time is of the essence here. The bodies need to be burned, or taken home to be buried, but they cannot remain in the courtyard. Their presence is causing those who live and remain in the castle to be weak, and weakness is not something we need right now. If any do not stand with us during this time, they are to be banned from this kingdom. The Guild has Ryder, therefore we will go in and we will get him back. We will destroy any who stand in our way. Once we have him back, we will level the Guild to the ground and raze the rubble that remains. The message will be clear to anyone who tries to fuck with us: We stand united, and we won’t be played with. Is there anyone who would like to voice a concern?” I was proud that I wasn’t visibly trembling, and my voice had somehow remained cold and calculated. I was falling apart inside, but on the outside, I was in control.
“What happens if they have killed him?” Liam spoke up; my father laid his hand on Liam’s arm in a gentle reminder for caution.
“That’s not a possibility,” I replied without showing how much that thought frightened me. The Guild didn’t know what could kill the Horde King, few did, but it didn’t mean they wouldn’t try to achieve that goal. My worry was that I knew how resourceful they were, and if there was a way to do it that we didn’t know about, they would quickly try to find it. “The Guild does nothing by chance. They took him because they want something. Something only he has.”
There was a knock at the door and we all paused as Aodhan opened it. I watched as Alden and Lucian stepped in, followed by a few of Lucian’s men. My eyes scanned them as they took in the sight of me, covered in blood, in the King’s place at the war council. I hadn’t wanted Alden here for this.
“Anything else?” I asked as confidently as I could, while Liam watched me carefully.
“But what if he is dead, Synthia. You have to consider that possibility. You can’t lead the Horde, and they will expect a King to replace him. If Ryder is dead, there will be challenges for the throne if Danu doesn’t choose another as Heir to the Horde right away. The Horde isn’t run by blood, it’s run by strength.”
“He isn’t dead, Liam,” I growled.
“So, say he isn’t, and we go in and slaughter the Guild, and send that message,” he continued as my eyes met Alden’s and I saw the color draining from his face. “Then we have yet another enemy at our doors.”
“They have already proven they are our enemy. Adam, Adrian, and I recognized their calling cards all over the place after the attack, and if we hesitate they will come again. We go in, and if they oppose us, we destroy them all. There is no other option.”
“We can’t go in there to get him back and then not give them a show of strength they will never forget, because the moment we get there, they will attempt to destroy him, and then they will try and march on the rest of Faery,” Ristan added.
“What would they want from him?” I wondered, staring at Alden. “Why come for the Horde King?”
“Because if you’re going to show strength, Synthia, you walk in and you take the biggest motherfucker the other side has,” Lucian said.
My eyes moved from Alden to Lucian, and back to Alden. “Why him, why take the strongest of the Fae?”
“Because they would want the one thing which could kill Fae, his beast,” Alden said. “They used to speak of rumors, ones that said the beast could be removed from the host. The Guild is desperate; they had to be if they came here. Something happened that set them off; we find out what that is, and we will find them.”
“They’d need a host, how would they try to find one?” I wondered. It didn’t work like that, but then again, they didn’t know that. They didn’t know dick.
“They’d try to make one,” Alden countered.
“Not an easy thing. The beast doesn’t separate like that,” I advised. “The Heir or host is chosen by Danu, not by power.”
“They don’t know that. They’re blind. Desperation makes them sloppy, and they know very little about the Horde. They assume if they find a powerful enough host, they will control the beast.” Alden’s voice was tired. These were his peers at one time, and I was sure it wasn’t sitting well wi
th him that he would have to help us find a way to defeat the people he had once considered his associates and friends.
“Who would have planned something this big?” I asked.
“Mages who exist among the Elders inside the Guild; somebody formulated a plan, and someone else helped them find the way to carry it out.”
“Not enough knowledge to pull this off without someone on the inside,” I stated, chewing my lip before I released it with a frown. “They were here, inside the castle. They had to be cloaked in glamour. Wards take time to place; they would have had to have been here. Who would they go to for help?”
“Some Changelings can use glamour, as can some Paladins. Even Druids were rumored to be able to use glamour,” Alden offered. “If I wanted to send a clear message to the Fae, I’d take the one thing they fear. I’d come for the beast and try to make him mine.”
“The beast can’t be removed; it doesn’t work like that,” I insisted.
“That may be, but they don’t know that. I didn’t know that until you told me just now. The Guild knows next to nothing about the Horde, other than that the beast rules them by brutal strength and fear. Control the beast, control the Horde. It’s a mindset.”
“But not a fact. Who is strong enough to guard the Guild against us?” I asked.
“Witches will guard the Guild, but the Elders will call Paladins in if they feel threatened,” he shrugged and frowned. “You go to Seattle, Synthia, and you will have to shed blood to get him back.”
“I’d spill enough to fill the oceans, Alden. Vast oceans and endless seas to get him back. They took him from me, and they’ve taken enough. I won’t walk away from this. You won’t ask me to, because you, more than anyone else here, knows I can’t. I’m done losing those I love to a mindless, faceless, cowardly enemy. This will end here for the Guild. I will take him by force; if they fight, they will fall. It is a choice. They took my man, and I won’t hesitate to do what is needed to get him back. Out of everything they could have done, they shouldn’t have come here. Not today, not ever.”