Chapter 28 The Rogue King
"Ronan?" Mara transformed back to human form. "What happened to you?"
"I evolved." Ronan spread his arms wide. The black markings on his skin pulsed with dark energy. "After my father exiled me, I found the Shadow's Blood that I dropped. I drank every last drop. It should have killed me. Instead, it made me stronger."
"You drank the entire vial?" Shade sounded shocked. "That much Shadow's Blood would kill any normal wolf!"
"I am not normal anymore. I am something new. Something better." Ronan looked at his rogue army. "These wolves were exiles like me. Outcasts. Forgotten. I gave them purpose. Power. A reason to fight. And now we are going to take what should have been mine."
"The throne," Mara said. "You still want to be king."
"Not just king. Emperor. I will conquer every pack in this kingdom. Then the kingdoms beyond. I will rule everything." Ronan's red eyes fixed on Zevran. "Starting with killing my uncle. The one who should have died years ago."
Zevran was in his wolf form, bleeding from multiple wounds. The other wolves with him were in similar condition. They were outnumbered and outmatched.
"Let them go," Mara said. "Your fight is with me, not them."
"My fight is with everyone who stood against me!" Ronan snarled. "But yes, you especially. The little slave girl who ruined everything. If you had just died quietly, none of this would have happened."
"If you had not murdered Selene, none of this would have happened!"
"Selene was weak! She would have made Zevran weak! I did everyone a favor by removing her!"
"You are insane."
"I am practical." Ronan gestured to his rogue army. "Kill them. Kill them all except the Moon Wolf. I want her alive."
The rogues charged forward.
Mara transformed and ran to meet them. She used her shadow power to move faster. Her jaws closed on the first rogue's throat. He went down.
Beside her, Shade fought with deadly precision. Shadow against flesh. The rogues could not touch him but he could hurt them.
Zevran fought his way toward Mara. "You should not be here! Your training is not finished!"
"Neither is yours!" Mara bit another rogue. "We fight together or not at all!"
"Stubborn woman!" But Zevran was smiling.
They stood back to back, fighting the rogue army. Riven and Luna joined them. Together, they formed a defensive circle.
But there were too many rogues. For every one they killed, two more took its place.
"We need to retreat!" Luna called. "Fall back to the forest!"
"No!" Ronan's voice boomed. "No one retreats! Kill them now!"
The rogues pressed harder. Mara felt teeth sink into her leg. She yelped and kicked the rogue away.
More wounds appeared. She was bleeding from a dozen places.
Beside her, Zevran was barely standing. Riven had collapsed. Luna was limping.
They were going to die here.
Then a howl echoed across the clearing. Long and powerful and full of rage.
The rogues stopped attacking. They looked around nervously.
"What was that?" one rogue whispered.
The howl came again. Closer this time.
Then wolves burst from the forest. Hundreds of them. All the packs that had pledged loyalty to Mara at the trial.
Kira led them. "The Moon Wolf is under our protection! Anyone who harms her will face us!"
"Thank the goddess," Mara gasped.
The battle exploded into chaos. Mara's allies crashed into the rogue army. Now the rogues were outnumbered.
Ronan snarled in frustration. "Cowards! Fight them!"
But his rogues were breaking. Running. They had not expected reinforcements.
Within minutes, the battle was over. The rogues fled into the forest. Only Ronan remained, surrounded by Mara's allies.
"Surrender," Zevran said, limping forward. "It is over, Ronan."
"It will never be over!" Ronan raised his hands. Black energy gathered between his palms. "If I cannot have the kingdom, no one will!"
He slammed his hands into the ground.
The earth split open. Black smoke poured out. And from the smoke came creatures. Shadow beasts. Dozens of them.
"What did you do?" Mara demanded.
"I made a deal with Morgana. Just like you did." Ronan smiled. "She gave me power in exchange for one favor. To summon her army when she needed it. Well, she needs it now."
The shadow beasts attacked. They were not like Shadow Wolves. They were mindless. Violent. Pure destruction.
Wolves screamed as the beasts tore into them. No normal attack could hurt the shadow creatures.
"Only you can stop them!" Shade called to Mara. "Use your light!"
Mara tried. She gathered her white light and threw it at the nearest shadow beast.
The creature shrieked and dissolved.
"It worked!" Kira said. "Keep going!"
But there were too many shadow beasts. Mara could destroy one or two at a time, but dozens kept coming.
"We cannot hold them!" Marcus shouted. He was fighting three shadow beasts at once, his sword passing uselessly through their bodies.
Mara felt panic rising. She was not strong enough. Not trained enough. Theron had been right.
No. Stop thinking like that.
She closed her eyes. Remembered what Theron had said. Do not control the power. Let it flow through you.
Mara stopped trying to force the light out in small bursts. Instead, she opened herself completely. Let the power pour through her like a river.
White light exploded from her body in all directions.
Every shadow beast in the clearing shrieked and dissolved at once.
The light faded. Mara collapsed to her knees, gasping.
"Impossible," Ronan whispered. "You destroyed them all in one attack."
"Yes," Mara said weakly. "And I can do it again if I have to."
It was a lie. She was completely drained. She could barely stand.
But Ronan did not know that.
"This is not over!" Ronan started backing away. "Morgana will come for you! She always collects her debts! And when she does, you will wish I had killed you!"
He transformed into his wolf form and ran. His red eyes glowed in the darkness as he disappeared into the forest.
"Should we chase him?" Luna asked.
"No," Mara said. "Let him go. We have bigger problems now."
She looked around at the wounded wolves. At least twenty were dead. Dozens more were injured.
And the sun was setting.
"Selene," Mara said suddenly. "We were supposed to bring her Ronan before nightfall."
"We failed," Kira said, holding her daughter close. "What will she do to Lyssa?"
As if answering the question, Lyssa's eyes turned black.
"No!" Kira screamed.
The ghost of Selene appeared beside the possessed girl. "You did not keep your promise, Moon Wolf. Now the girl pays the price."
"Wait! Please!" Mara limped toward them. "Ronan escaped! We tried to catch him but he got away!"
"Excuses. I gave you a simple task. You failed." Selene made Lyssa start walking toward the cliff again. They were miles from the original cliff, but there were cliffs everywhere in these mountains.
"Stop! I will find him! I swear! Just give me more time!"
"Time is something I no longer have. I am already dead. What do I care about time?" Selene's black eyes were cold. "This girl will jump. And her blood will be on your hands."
Zevran stepped forward. "Take me instead."