Chapter 66 Chapter Sixty-Six - Zarseti
“You know, I haven’t had this much fun since Qin’s war of unification,” chimes Morrtemis with a dreamy expression on her cocoa face. “There used to be an art to war. There was intelligence and even respect for your enemies. Humans don’t fight with honour anymore and it takes the fun out of it,” she sighs in disappointment.
“This isn’t meant to be fun, Morrtemis,” Oshmin chastises her.
“Well it better be something, because all this waiting is going to put me into a coma,” Merlos complains in her usual apathetic tone.
“It won’t be long now,” I calmly tell them, my eyes fixed on the tree line before us. I can sense the eyti hiding among the shadows, their malice seeping through the trees like a dense fog pushing against my serenity as they await the return of their master.
Everyone has gathered, waiting for the battle to start. Tension is high and the weight of trepidation hangs so heavily in the air it could rival gravity itself. Not even my daughters can counter each poor soul’s unease in this moment. How can they when so much is on the line?
A warm wind rustles through the forest trees, breaking the silence and stillness of the dawn, and as a single leaf slowly tumbles to the ground, I watch it land among the grass only to begin quivering as the very earth beneath our feet trembles. A blast of light from deep within the forest pierces the sky like a blade. The ground shakes as a shockwave ripples out from the forest and across the field as those behind us shield their eyes from the debris. As the dust settles we feel the energy being emitted from the depths of the forest. We feel his power, his malice, beating once again with life as strong and vengeful as ever.
“It’s time,” I utter, disappearing and reappearing at the edges of Invictus land.
Isolde looks over, nodding in respect along with the other makkares spaced out for miles, each accompanied by a sanguidae, forming a circle around the entire pack far beyond where I can see them. I can see the magical link tying each sanguidae to their respective makkari, not only allowing the makkari to manipulate their senses but somewhat temper their craze. Not by much, but enough to be of use.
“He’s freed, isn’t he?” Isolde confirms, to which I nod in reply.
“But it’s not time to raise the barrier yet. As soon as Jartre arrives, cast your spell and not a minute sooner,” I urge her.
“How long do we need to keep this barrier up? We can’t draw on the magic of these opals indefinitely,” she says, holding out the opal in her hand. “And while we can for a time hold back the eyti, we can’t hold back Azadou.”
“You won’t need to. When the right moment comes, drop the barrier. Until then the barrier stays in place,” I stress.
“How will I know when that moment is?” she asks with a furrowed brow.
“Trust me, you of all people will know it when it happens,” I say confidently.
She takes a deep breath and nods, placing trust in my words. As the High Priestess she was blessed with the gift of sight, a token Fretez bestowed upon those who were entrusted with governing over all makkari, so Isolde understands some things can’t be said. While her abilities pale in comparison to mine or Fretez’s, it’s enough to make her sympathetic to my plight, for which I am grateful.
Isolde looks to Valeria at her side and squeezes her hand firmly. “You should get out of here.”
“Are you still trying to pull that shit? I told you, if you’re staying, I’m staying. I didn’t pack this arsenal for nothing,” she retorts, gesturing to the weapons strapped to her body. I admire the young human’s tenacity and innovativeness; talents she has graciously shared with my daughters. Opal weapons are something my daughters perfected thousands of years ago, but opal-tipped bullets? Now that’s a new one.
“Just giving you a chance to opt-out,” Isolde says with a loving smile.
“Not going to happen,” Valeria responds, placing a tender kiss on her cheek.
“Come on pups and snakelets, everyone into the bunker! One at a time.”
I look into the distance to see that sweet mutolupus, Jennifer, guiding all the children to safety per their pack’s protocol. I sense her nerves, but her genuine love and care for these children gives her the strength to push past them. I always did like that one.
“Come on everyone! You heard my mamma. March two, three, four,” her adorable son orders, marching on the spot as he eagerly helps his mother get the other children to safety. I smile at his confidence and determination for such a young boy. He will make a wonderful Delta one day, but that’s a long way from now.
“Arthwin? What’s wrong?” I look over to see Aulen looking at her brother with concerned eyes as he stares off towards the bunker.
“I…I don’t…” he looks to Isolde with conflict etched onto his face. “High Priestess, I know this doesn’t make sense, but I feel like I need to be with those children and make sure they’re okay.”
“What?” his sister says incredulously. “You can’t stand being around children.”
“I know that but…I feel like I need to be with them to ensure their safety,” he says with desperation.
“Arthwin, we need you. Without you that’s one less sanguidae kept under control,” Isolde warns, glancing towards the snarling sanguidae in question, his eyes burning like illuminated blood.
“Oh, let him do it,” I say, waving a dismissive hand. “He should trust his gut.”
Arthwin looks at me with relief, “Thank you, Goddess,” he says with a nod of his head. He frees his sanguidae from their link before he races off towards the bunker. I’m surprised by how receptive he seems to be to his bond already. Which bodes extremely well for him.
The now freed sanguidae looks ready to tear everyone to shreds, causing those around him to go on the defensive.
“Don’t fret. I think you’ll all find a solution is about to present itself,” I say with a confident smile. And present itself it will in three…two…one…
A stream of water rises from the grass, taking the form of a beautiful young woman, a ring of cobalt glowing around her emerald irises as she locks eyes with the same sanguidae Arthwin just freed.
“Eisa, what are you doing over here?” Isolde asks in surprise. “You should be with your warriors.”
I smile at the visible spark of these two souls igniting, lighting them up with an ethereal glow as their souls each recognise their other half and reach out to one another like magnets. I do wish the others could see the beauty of this moment the way I do. I never tire of it.
The sanguidae moves at impeccable speed until he is towering over the young – by my standards – advisor. Glowing, blood-red eyes stare down at her, but she doesn’t hesitate or flinch. She reaches up, placing her hand to his cheek, their bond sparking just a little more like static the second they make contact. I can’t help but smile as the glowing of his eyes dims and you can see the craze settling enough for the man to push back the beast.
“I’ve searched everywhere for a century to find you,” she says, tears of joy filling her eyes.
He reaches up, cupping her face in his hands, setting off multiple sparks of their bond as he presses his forehead against hers. “I never dared to hope I’d be blessed with an animai…yet here you are,” he says reverently.
Eisa’s jaw drops as she hears his very appealing Italian accent. She gulps and graces him with a smile, not at all deterred by the razor-sharp teeth in his mouth – nor should she be – as she offers him her hand. “My name is Eisa,” she says flirtatiously.
Talk about flirting with danger.
He takes her hand, raising it to his deadly lips. “I am Mattias.”
I smile over at Isolde, “I told you a solution would present itself,” I say cheerfully.
“But I thought they have to be in the middle of their craze to be immune to the eyti,” she states with uncertainty.
I nod, “And he still is, but while he’s close to Eisa, he’ll have a little more control. They just need to stay close.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not letting this one out of my sight,” Eisa says confidently, taking a firm grip of his hand as they both morph into water and disappear.
I chuckle in delighted amusement. Even in the worst of times, joy can still be found.
“Is there anything you don’t plan ahead for?” Valeria shrieks in disbelief.
I think that over. “Hmm. Food. I never plan my meals ahead,” I nod affirmatively.
She mutters to herself in Spanish, making me chuckle at her very colourful vocabulary that earns her an elbow from her animai. I do love mortals. They’re such fascinating creatures.
Not a second later I feel Jartre’s arrival out towards the field, so I turn to Isolde. “Raise the barrier now,” I order. “I have one more stop to make,” I say as I disappear.