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Once Cecily’s tears were dried and her faith restored in our relationship, I took a moment to look around. The guards were gone except for the two who still watched over Ely’s sleeping form.
“Where is everyone? Where are the trolls? I’d swear I heard fighting...” I trailed, still smelling the pungent odor of troll mixed with blood.
“We moved you to a safe area, somewhere more protected while the others... cleaned,” Heidi said, debating her words.
“Oh no, you had to kill them all?” I asked, not quite sure how to feel about it.
“Unfortunately. It was kill or be killed, and I couldn’t risk your life or Ely and Cecily’s for theirs,” Felix said with a degree of remorse.
“You did what you had to. I understand,” I said, trying to stand but failing miserably. My legs were wobbly at best. I gave up and stayed in a seated position while my mind processed everything that had been stuffed into it. I had no idea how much time passed, but it was far less than the three days it took the Saliens to recover.
“Well, I dare say you picked the absolute worst time to pull that stunt. I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait for you to recover. I had to get on with Ely’s sleeping spell,” Heidi said.
I reached for my pounding head. “No, it’s... it’s okay. I know you had to hurry. We should probably get him back to the castle though. Before another attack or... whatever else Ella has planned.”
I tried to stand again. This time Felix helped me to my feet. I stumbled a bit but finally stood on somewhat steady legs.
“Thanks,” I said, then he was ripped away from me before I could take another breath.
“Felix!” Cecily screamed, but the guard was gone, just like Henry. My moment of shock was shattered by my sister’s screams. “Felix!”
Heidi ran into the forest, Cecily close behind. Panic rose in my chest, but I managed to suppress it and gather my resolve.
“Stay here with him!” I shouted at the guards who watched Ely. It was clear they weren’t going anywhere. They stood on either side of him, swords drawn and prepared to cut down anything that so much as flittered near their prince.
I ran toward the sound of my sister’s voice. There was a scuffling in the distance, not too far off the trail, but far enough that getting there was difficult. I shifted so I could navigate the terrain more efficiently. Once I broke through the tangle of underbrush, I caught sight of Felix. He was fighting off a troll, doing everything in his power to keep it away from Heidi and Cecily, who must have forgotten trolls feared wolves since she was still in human form.
I lurched ahead, putting myself between my sister and the ugly beast. The troll was too distracted by Felix to notice the wolf growling at it. It was much larger than the others I’d seen, and it fought much harder. I couldn’t determine whether Felix had been bitten or scratched, but if we didn’t do something, it would surely kill him.
I jumped forward, landing squarely beside Felix, but it was the wrong thing to do. Felix didn’t realize I was there, and my sudden approach distracted him for a split-second. In that second, the troll grabbed him up and bit his shoulder. Before he could take a chunk from my friend, I latched onto his oozing leg and shook my head as hard as I could. The troll released Felix, who fell to the ground in agony.
Once Felix was free, I repositioned myself between him and the monster. It turned and ran, snapping tree limbs as it went. It was easily nine feet, maybe ten feet tall, where the others were closer to seven or eight. Its hulking shoulders were broader than the others, and it carried itself on two legs instead of four. My observation was cut short by Heidi’s frustrated yells.
“It’s still not working! Why isn’t my healing working?!” Heidi shrieked.
I shifted and knelt beside Felix, opposite Heidi and Cecily. Felix’s shoulder wound poured blood, and the surrounding skin was already blackened. While Heidi continued to attempt her spells, I observed the injury further.
“It looks... like venom dripping from the wound. Look, it’s killing the skin more each second.” Heidi ignored me and tried again. I wondered briefly if the key was stopping the spread immediately, but out in the forest without medical supplies, that meant using a sword to lop off his arm. I doubted he would agree to such things, but I was prepared to offer, anyway.
Before I did, Felix took Heidi’s hand. “Heidi, it’s done. I’m done.”
“No,” Cecily cried. “No, no, no! It’s not supposed to be like this. You’re supposed to stay with me.”
“I’m so sorry, darling. I’m so, so sorry,” he whispered, his forehead dripping sweat. He was in pain, but I doubted Heidi could do a thing about that either.
“No, I won’t let you die! No one is supposed to die! I’ll use the sleeping spell like we did with Ely, or I’ll freeze you like Henry.”
“No, Heidi! Don’t you dare. You’re already weak. Ella could still be out here, maybe more trolls. If you use your magic to protect me, you won’t have the energy to walk home let alone defend yourself.”
She stared down at him with a bitter look on her face—angry at him.
“Heidi, you know I’m right. Protecting them is more important than saving me,” he stated firmly.
“Felix... please, please try,” she begged. “You can try to overcome the venom, can’t you?”
“Everyone dies, love. Eventually, everyone... everyone must...” He coughed, thick, white sputum spewing from his mouth. The infection was spreading fast, invading his pulmonary system already.
“Felix,” my sister sobbed. She gripped his hand tightly, all while I watched unable to fix it for her as I always had. It made me furious, the idea that I’d spent my entire life fixing everything, even silly things that made no difference in the long run, but this one thing that meant more to her than anything—it was broken, and I couldn’t fix it. Or can I?
I walked away for a moment, back to where I’d bitten the troll. If Carlos Ortega was right and troll blood was the cure for a troll bite... but the blood was gone. I looked around, searching everywhere, but there was not a drop to be found. I licked my lips, praying there was some drop of it I could smear onto his wound, but there was nothing. Perhaps I had not bitten the troll as hard as I thought I had? I sighed. It didn’t matter why there was no blood, only that there wasn’t and the troll was long gone. I returned to my sister’s side as Felix did all he could to make her feel better
“Don’t cry for me, love. I’ll go the way I wanted to,” he said, but his voice grew more strained with each word.
Heidi scoffed. “Even on your deathbed, all you think of is dying a hero.”
Felix shook his head slightly and pulled Heidi closer so he could speak quietly. “No, dear friend. Dying in battle is my destiny, but not for the glory. To die for my friends...” he faded, then used the last of his strength to reach for Cecily’s cheek. His hand settled there, his thumb gently caressing her tears away. “To die for you... is my honor and my glory, my beloved princess.”
“Felix...” Cecily choked.
“I love you, my darling. It’s okay. Everything will be okay.”
Cecily covered his hand with hers, leaning into his touch. The lump in my throat gave way to a sob that I tried to hide for my sister’s sake.
“I love you, Felix,” she whispered.
“I know, darling. I know.”
He managed to muster enough strength to roll his head toward me. He slipped a dagger from his waistband and shoved it toward me. “This... use this... in her heart. Make it hurt, Princess.”
His eyes fluttered closed. Just like that, he was gone.
“No, Felix! Felix!” Cecily cried, but even as she cried his name over and over, mourning his death, a new life sprang forth in me.
I, however, was not the only one moved to act. Heidi shed a few tears for her fallen friend, but once his eyes closed and he stopped breathing, the girl I knew, the one I’d come to respect and trust—she turned into a raving lunatic.
She stood with anger in her eyes I’d never seen before. They flashed, deepening to a near-black shade before igniting with a heat that threatened to burn the forest to the ground. Beneath me, I felt the earth start to move. A small shake at first, but it grew until the trees surrounding us began to sway. She descended the hill and made her way north toward Goldene Stadt, leaving us behind. I looked at my sister, unsure what to do.
“Go,” she said. “I’m fine, just stop her before she gets herself killed!”
I shifted and ran after Heidi, feeling the ground crumble beneath me. It was hot, almost too hot to bear under my paws, and with each step, the terrain changed. I heard the guards who were watching over Ely yell, then caught sight of them lifting Ely to move him to higher ground. I knew Heidi would never intentionally harm Ely or anyone on our side for that matter, but the woman cutting a path through the forest was not the Heidi I knew.
Once I caught up to her, I circled around and stopped in her path, facing her. She shoved me from her way with a flick of her wrist, tossing me like nothing more than a stuffed toy. I fell on my side, whimpered a bit, then scrambled to my feet and returned to her. Again, she tossed me with little effort, never even touching me. There was no stopping her. She’d made up her mind. She was going for Ella, suicide mission or not.
I had a crisis of conscience watching her. I knew Heidi—the sweet, rational Grimm—was no match for Cinderella. I also knew we could not possibly win a war against her alone, not yet, but getting help was impossible. It would be too late. Heidi would die before I could return with reinforcements. I could help her, but I was terrified. I knew, without doubt, we would lose.
In the distance, I heard my sister crying over Felix still. Her soft cries fueled the anger in me again, and I remembered Felix’s last words to me. The dagger.
I ran hard back to where I’d left my sister, slid to a stop beside Felix and snatched the dagger from the ground. Before Cecily could stop me, I pivoted and ran back toward Heidi with the blade in my mouth, praying I didn’t trip and fall right on it. Once I was near enough to Heidi, I slowed my pace and fell in beside her instead of trying to stop her. She paused momentarily to evaluate my presence, unsure if I was there to help or hinder her.
I clenched the dagger tightly in my jaw and waited, eyes connected to the fire in hers. They were like smoldering coals, and I feared we may have lost her forever. What darkness had taken her to this extreme? Or was there a little of evil in every witch? Every person? Whatever it was, it made no difference. This was the version of Heidi that was bent on destroying Ella, so it was this version of her I would die beside if necessary. This is a suicide mission, Sierra! Stop!
I growled lowly, forcing my thoughts from my mind. The troll attack was the first of many to come, and I could not go back to the castle without trying to stop Ella from killing everyone I loved.
Heidi scanned the forest, listening. “There’s an army coming. At least a hundred men, maybe more.” I heard the same. Like the rumbling of a wave to the shore, the echoes of marching rolled through the forest. I whined, the only way I could communicate with her.
“I feel certain she’s sending them to Schwarzwald. My nephew is there, and your son. My husband, my brothers—everyone. I will not let that army anywhere near my home. Are you prepared to fight beside me, Princess Saskia of Golden Stadt?”
Fueled by anger and naivety, I bowed my head in agreement. Everything that had happened until that point didn’t matter. All that mattered was here and now. My fear was gone. My doubts about Heidi’s ability to destroy Ella—gone. My son was in Schwarzwald, and I’d die a thousand deaths protecting him. My perspective shifted that quickly, and I was ready to fight however ill-prepared I was.
As we waited, the army slowly began to emerge from the trees ahead. I felt the ground rumble again, a small vibration that slowly built into an earthquake. Ella’s soldiers broke formation and scattered like ants in the rain, dodging falling trees and boulders rolling down the steep terrain.
I dug my paws into the soft soil, steadying myself as Heidi shook the very foundation of the earth. I slid a few feet from her, unable to maintain my position while she ripped crevasses around the army. They were surrounded by the deep holes, nowhere to go but down.
Heidi slowly raised her hands, and the atmospheric pressure around us grew heavier. It was difficult to breathe. My ears ached. My entire body screamed. I had no idea what she was doing, but I prayed she wouldn’t kill me in the process. When she’d gathered enough energy, and her hands were high above her head, she thrust them forward, palms toward the army. I expected them to be pushed back toward the border of the kingdom, but never, never, did I expect half the forest to go with them.
The witch single-handedly felled thousands of trees, tossing them like nothing more than toothpicks, clearing a path directly to Ella’s castle. I could clearly see the castle in the distance, and Heidi was headed straight for it on her new path.
With the first wave of soldiers no longer a concern, I repositioned the dagger, ensuring a tight grip before jogging behind her. She pushed on another hundred yards or so, then paused. As she raised her hands, the air grew heavy again. I held on for dear life, as much as a wolf can hold to dirt, but rather than destroy the other half of the forest, Heidi concentrated her magic on the castle walls. Still miles away, she forced her hands forward again. The moat surrounding the castle disappeared, the water rushing from it in one massive wave that crashed against the hill behind the castle before settling in the open fields surrounding it.
Heidi raised her hands a third time, and the pressure built again. My head throbbed under the change in heaviness, making me nauseous and a little clumsy. Still, I dug in as hard as I could and waited to see what Heidi would do next. Again, she thrust forward, but this time with a mighty scream that nearly burst my eardrums. From her hands, a white-hot ball of fire flew ahead, closing the distance between us and the castle quickly. It was a bomb of sorts, quickly destroying the stone wall that surrounded the castle.
People—villagers—poured from the center square of the castle grounds. I feared they were unwilling participants in Ella’s treachery and did not want to see them killed during our mission to rid the world of the queen once and for all. I tugged at Heidi’s pants, which was difficult with a dagger in my mouth.
She didn’t take her eyes from the scene ahead, but she did nod her understanding. She pressed onward, each step causing the earth to shudder under her power. I was a bit afraid of her, but I reminded myself she was on my side—our side.
The dagger began to cut into my lips, but I didn’t lessen my grip. I could have given it to Heidi, but I felt it was my responsibility to guard it with my life. Felix gave the precious item to me, and it suddenly became as much a part of me as the wolf inside. The dagger was the only thing that could ensure Ella would never harm my family, which had grown significantly in the past days, and I took it as my personal duty to plunge it deep into her chest, slicing her wicked heart in two.
Ahead I could see more soldiers, twice as many charging ahead without fear. I hesitated, unsure if Heidi could manage so many after exerting herself thrice already. When we arrived in Schwarzwald, merely opening the kingdom gate was a task that wore her down to nothing. Now, she seemed filled with energy, but how long would it last?
It appeared her energy had no limit as she lowered her hands this time, then pushed forward until the path cracked in two. It spread apart like a sheet of paper ripped down the center, opening wide enough to swallow a car. She raised her hands quickly and the forest on either side of the path engulfed in flames. I cried out, fearing she’d burn the entire wood down if she didn’t stop—Schwarzwald included.
She paid me no mind and surged forward. The second wave of soldiers had very little room to move, but they managed to maneuver around the crack, between it and the line of fire that led straight to the castle entrance.
Heidi spun on her heels and screamed, then swooped her arms out wide. I hadn’t heard the dozens of trolls closing in behind us, but she had, and they flew everywhere. Hundreds of feet in the air, they snarled and screamed, but nothing they did could save them from their fate. Heidi turned again, then flung the airborne trolls toward the soldiers. The giant creatures bulldozed the crowd of soldiers like bowling balls. Once the trolls recovered—how, I had no idea—they began cutting through the soldiers, evidently uncaring which side they were on.
I felt like I was watching a movie and at any moment it would shift to a commercial break. Only it wasn’t a movie, and I wasn’t that lucky. There would be no pause in the horror show that unfolded in front of me. I was so distracted by it, I barely heard what Heidi said to me.
“They’re coming,” she stated, but who was coming and where from, I couldn’t figure out.
At least, not until I heard the howling.
With the newly carved landscape surrounding us, their howls seemed to echo from everywhere in the forest. Within seconds, six wolves joined our ranks. My sister, who had torn herself from Felix, took my right flank. I didn’t recognize Jemma’s wolf form, but I knew it was her standing on my sister’s right. The only other wolf I recognized was Calla, who came to my left and looked me in the eyes. There was a determination in her that mirrored my own. We were fighting for our children, and Heaven help anyone that got in our way.
Our special telepathic bond kicked in, despite the fact we were not technically pack mates.
The boys are safe under Ravenna, Fiona, and Julianna’s care. They’ll die before anyone can come close to our sons. Calla’s thoughts were solid, a final statement that Ella would not survive the day.
Behind us stood a black wolf and a grey wolf, standing closely. Just behind them was a petite red wolf I remembered seeing back in the castle. I realized if I looked closely enough, I could tell who they were by their eyes. Marcus, Caleb, and Seline. Even the King of Schwarzwald was willing to put his life on the line to end the war with Ella here and now. Elizabeth was nowhere to be found, but that was reasonable considering she was pregnant.
“Ready?” Heidi asked, and amid a song of howls, she moved onward.
Our army is coming. Hold fast and don’t give an inch. They’ll take care of the rest. Marcus projected his thoughts, commanding his own small army of wolves. He needn’t have bothered trying to convince me to hold my position. I had no intention of backing down or letting Ella have anything that was mine—not again.
By now, most of the soldiers in the second wave were either dead by Heidi, or by the trolls. Some managed to regroup, and reinforcements flooded from behind what was left of the castle wall. The third wave of soldiers was larger, more muscular from what I could see, but I had no doubt Heidi could manage. She even chuckled before she raised her hands, then paused a moment. I’d like to think she was deciding what fun thing to do next, but it was not the time to ask, nor could I as a wolf.
Calla tensed beside me, observing the fires on either side of the path. Heidi managed to control them, concentrate them to one area, but I feared she may soon lose control and everything she’d done would only make the fighting more difficult. My fears were quickly set to rest when a mighty crack of thunder startled us. Overhead, a storm took shape, darkening the sky with a sickly grey-green color. The clouds rolled, stumbling over one another in their race toward Ella’s fortress. The army paused, but only for a moment. They weren’t going to let a little rain stop them. A tidal wave, now that was another situation altogether.
The clouds opened, and sheets of rain poured down, dousing the fires and pushing the soldiers to the ground. They flopped around like fish, clinging to anything they could get their hands on, but it was no use. Heidi flushed them down the rift in the path. Man after man swept away, never to be seen again.
Behind us, the sounds of marching and hoofbeats grew closer. Heidi was unfazed by the sound, and neither were my companions, so I decided it must be the army Marcus declared was coming. Marcus lifted his head to the sky and let out a long howl, calling his army closer.
They fell in line behind their king, hundreds prepared to fight to the death to protect what they had built in five short years. I noticed a man on horseback closing in on us. As he grew nearer, I saw that he was my father. His face was set like carved stone, hard and unwavering, determination etched in his features.
He waited patiently for Marcus’ order.
Heidi glanced at me, still holding tightly to the dagger. I ducked my head, an unbreakable bond formed between us. Heidi raised her hands, and Marcus howled again, signaling to King Agustus it was time.
“By order of King Marcellus, I command you onward!” Father yelled.
Heidi sealed the rift in the path with a short wave of her hand, more powerful than ever. I shuddered to think what Ella might be capable of if dear, sweet Heidi could cause so much damage. The army marched ahead of us, closing the distance quickly. When the fourth wave of Ella’s soldiers appeared, flanked by trolls on either side, our military was ready. They surged onward, clashing with them in front of the castle. More of our men stormed the fortress, clearing the way for Heidi and her pack of wolves.
High above the castle, in the tallest tower, Ella stood watch over the scene below. Heidi saw her just as I did and tensed slightly beside me. I could not control the growl that slipped from my mouth. I wanted to storm the castle myself, run through the halls until I sniffed her out, then jab the dagger right in her heart. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be that easy. Ella was prepared. She still had a few tricks up her sleeve, but I had something she didn’t—something worth fighting for.
Heidi’s smoldering eyes settled on Ella as the battle raged on around us. Her words of warning gave me chills.
“Run and hide, Cinderella. I’m coming for you.”