CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE: STORMING THE GATES
-Ashina –
The clouds hung heavy in the sky as the fireworks abruptly fizzled out, the darkness descending like a shroud over the kingdom. The rain poured down, relentless in its assault on the earth, heedless of the floods it might unleash. I felt the familiar tug in my chest as rain called out to its lover, the wind. It was a night ripe with portent, the air thick with the scent of impending danger.
With a hand fixed on Dean’s arm, I raced toward the bear shifters, urgently thudding through my veins. "Dean," I commanded, "order the shifters to breach the gates on every side of the castle. It’s time to storm Malcolm’s kingdom."
I located a demon captain and barked orders for his men to follow the bears and ferret out all enemy demons, leaving no trace of betrayal. I was resolved to cast out those loyal to Malcolm, sending them back to the hell from whence they came.
As I led the bear shifters through the breached gates, a strange sensation interrupted my focus. "Ashina! Can you hear me?" The voice clamored through my mind, and I could scarcely believe it. "Andor? Yes, I can hear you. How?" I replied, bewildered by the timing of this intrusion.
Andor’s voice bristled with impatience. "How do you think? We mated, you Nincompoop!"
Frowning at his nerve, I pressed on. "Alright, what’s up? Have you learned anything about my mother?"
"That's just it, Ashina. Your mother launched an assault on Malcolm's stronghold with her warriors. She's suffered losses over the years and warned you not to come. What's worse, I'm trapped in this wretched bubble near the ceiling, unable to break free and protect her. She's right, though. You can't come. You’re the future queen, and Malcolm would stop at nothing to take you."
The weight of his words settled heavily on my heart, the realization washing over me like a dark tide. I felt the panic rising within me as I gazed at Andor, desperate for a solution. "Well then, Andor. What should I do? Let my mother die? That is NOT an option for me."
Andor's eyes burned with determination as he met my gaze. "I'm going to try to mind link Greyson and his mate. It is important that they storm the castle and save your mother. After that, I hope she will set me free. It wasn't my intention to become her personal pinata, but to fight."
His words resonated with anger and frustration, and I could feel his helplessness despite his powerful presence as a king. "Andor?” I whispered.
“Yes,” he replied.
“If we die, I am sorry! I really am. I want you to know, I love you. If we make it out of this, I promise to try to be kinder, and will reward you my love, for never giving up on me.”
Andor's expression softened, a glimmer of resolve in his eyes. “First, Ashina, you and I will not die. Second, what kind of reward?”
I chuckled inwardly, amused at his focus on the reward amidst the chaos. “Andor, promise me you will live. I guarantee you will love the reward.”
As I cut off the link to Andor, I tried to push aside the fear and doubt, rushing towards the castle. I was not going to let my mother fight alone. Cutting off the link to Andor, I rushed towards the castle, my determination fueling my every step. I was not going to let my mother fight alone. Do I ever listen to anyone? Not really. But in that moment, my love for Andor and my determination to save my mother spurred me forward with renewed purpose.
Looking back, I saw Dean and the bear clan battling many foes. Dean caught my gaze and seemed confused. It was time for him to fight and stop being my protector, at that point I turned and ran to the castle. The time had come for my mother to stop sending me away. Now that I was old enough and trained enough, I could fight by her side. As a first step, I sent a message to Margaret, asking her to break the spells in the castle so that I could use my magic to save my mother.
As I ran up the massive staircase leading to the castle, I couldn't smell my mate, as we all sprayed a potion to obscure our scents. In the process of approaching my mate, I felt his presence more strongly, indicating that I was closer to saving my mother.
My ears were filled with the sounds of steel-toed boots sloshing through mud. With roars and growls, shifters transformed into their beasts, approaching the double doors at the castle's entrance. It was impossible for the fire dragons to shoot fire in torrential rains. In contrast, the warriors of the winter clan could blow out ice, freezing the enemy and causing other enemy warriors to fall like dominoes.
The allied demons once looked like men, now resembled fiery beasts of warts and boils, ten foot tall, emanating death as they pounded deep footprints in the mud. If these demons were not on our side, I fear we could have lost this war that we currently fight, immediately.
Before entering the doors leading to my mate and mother, it caught my attention that Margaret had been using spells and wands to fight the enemy witches. Although we had the extra Allies at our side, Malcolm actually had us outnumbered, and I prayed to the moon goddess for victory. It is imperative that I forget about this fact and just storm the doors, determined to win the war regardless of the odds.
My feet pounded on the hard-to-open doors as I ran towards the throne room. Andor was positioned near the ceiling as he mentioned, witches floating around him trying to pop his balloon. It was easy for me to feel my mother's royal aura and for her to feel mine as well.
“Mother I am here to fight! No, I don’t listen to anyone! I'm here to fight, gone are the
Despite having her back to me and not being able to see her face, I could feel my mother grimace. With a sword in one hand, she cut off a warrior's head and flicked her wrist in the air releasing Andor, who fell hard to the tiled floor with a loud yelp and a loud thud. Andor shifted into his beautiful black wolf, tearing off the heads of many enemy shifters. With his crazy magic, even in wolf form, he accidentally blew up some witches and some of my mother’s rare oriental vases.
I was distracted by Andor’s crazy magic, that I did not notice someone shooting me with a dart from a tranquilizer gun. I was instantly falling into darkness.