Twenty-Two

When Devyn finally came out of Emmerich’s room, three of his people had made it to the safe house. They reported that the main base had been completely sacked, but their group had suffered no casualties. The soldiers were sent to neighboring towns and villages and ordered to ravage those who were suspected of aiding criminals or hiding the princess. Because of their orders, the guards were split into groups and sent in every direction, intent on destruction.

Rage boiled Devyn’s blood. Her danger sense screamed that innocents were about to be caught in the fallout. She had to do something. Emmerich wanted to get her damning evidence concerning the queen into the people’s hands, but what was the fastest way to do that?

“Word of mouth is going to be the quickest way to get anything done.” one of the newly arrived men said when Devyn voiced her concerns.

“How fast could information possibly travel throughout the entire kingdom accurately?” she countered.

“You’d be surprised, Your Highness.” another of the men answered.

“So, what do you need from me?” she asked.

“You can write a letter. Make it an official release from the Office of the Crown Princess and detail everything you’ve found so far. All the crimes she’s committed, every murder, every power she’s taken. Include anything that your mother might have written down as well. We’ll make copies and send them out as far as we can get them. The people will take care of the rest.” Emmerich said.

“Alright, that will probably take me a little time. If you have some parchment, I can get started right away.” Devyn replied.

She was given all the supplies she needed to write everything out in her letter. She commandeered a large table in an otherwise empty room and spread everything she had brought with her out there. Then, she began to write.

She combed through the documents her mother had left behind as well as her journal, looking for everything that could be used against her grandmother. Nara took it upon herself to create a timeline of the events described in the writings to make it easier for Devyn to keep it all straight. The letter came together slowly, with Devyn starting over again several times before she was satisfied.

It took nearly a week, but the letter was at last complete, and the group hastily made several copies of the original to spread throughout Malvan. Emmerich sent his subordinates out, one heading south, another going west, and the third was sent further north to reach the villages along the border with Iskald.

“Nara, I want you to go back to the castle town and regroup. Get everyone together that’s still in the area and tell them to prepare to fight. I’m sure the queen will set her sights on us in earnest once she gets word of Red’s letter.”

“What makes you think she’ll assume we’re to blame?” Nara asked, almost entirely focused on double checking the provisions in her pack.

“She already thinks we’re involved. Our base never would have been breached if she didn’t. I don’t know how she guessed, but she did.” Emmerich growled.

“It could have been Lord Dietrich,” Lothar added, “he was watching you closely. He may have guessed and reported his suspicions to the queen.”

“I wouldn’t put that outside the realm of possibilities,” Devyn grumbled.

“Either way, she’s on to us and we need to be ready,” Emmerich said.

“If it’s alright with you Miss, I’d like to accompany Nara. I think I can help shore up the defenses against the guard since I know exactly how they’ll choose to operate.” Lothar said, looking nervous.

Devyn blinked, “If that’s what you want to do, then that’s fine with me.”

“Better go pack a bag then, Roth,” Emmerich said casually.

Lothar started for the stairs, but stopped short when he came next to the Wolf, “You said you can protect Her Highness. Swear to me that she’ll be safe with you.”

“Lothar—“ Devyn started, but a glance from Emmerich silenced her.

“I swear on my mother’s soul that she will be kept safe,” he said, his voice firm.

The men stared at each other for a long moment before Lothar nodded and strode from the room.

Nara canted her head to the side as she watched him go, “It’s rare to see someone speak to you that way and walk away, Boss.”

“He genuinely cares for Red. I respect that.” Emmerich replied with a shrug. Nara and Devyn exchanged amused smirks.

Lothar came back after shoving some clothes and supplies into a backpack he’d been given. He kept his goodbyes brief, making Devyn promise to be on her guard while they were apart. She agreed and hugged him tightly before he could turn away, surprising him. He awkwardly patted her back until she released him.

Once Nara and Lothar had left, Devyn wandered back to her room and crawled into bed. She nestled into the sheets and pulled the quilt over her head. The truth about her family was about to be exposed across the entire kingdom and it was all due to her. The part of her heart that still felt any shred of familial loyalty toward Valda despaired. Even still, it had to be done. She was well aware of that. Too much had been done not only to her but to the citizens of Malvan to go unpunished.

She must have drifted off to sleep, because the next thing she knew, Emmerich was curled up against her beneath the thick quilt. His soft, steady breathing tickled her ear, and she shifted her body against him. His arm snaked its way around her middle in answer, hugging her closer to himself and breathing in her scent.

“I hope you don’t mind,” he rumbled sleepily, and she felt the scruff of his beard rasp against her skin, “but I saw you sleeping and couldn’t help myself.”

“I don’t mind.” a smile tugged at her lips.

“That’s good.” his hand traced the curve of her hip and gooseflesh rippled across her skin.

“How long was I asleep?”

“Not long, maybe two hours. I figured you could use the rest.”

“I guess so.”

“What’s on your mind, Red?”

“I suppose I’m just anxious about everything. I feel like something dark is looming, something that I won’t be able to escape unscathed.”

“Is it just anxiety, or your sense at work?”

“Anxiety. When I sense danger, it’s…different. It’s like something completely separate from myself exists within my mind. It’s normally dormant but wakes up to warn me when there is a threat to my life. The warning is like a howling that invades every cell in my body, screaming at me to get out, to run away. It can get so intense that it physically hurts.”

“That sounds horrific.”

“It can be. Useful, though.”

Emmerich twisted, bringing himself up on his arm so that he leaned over Devyn, “You can let me take care of things from here on out if it’s too much to deal with.”

Devyn turned to lay on her back. She gazed up at Emmerich, his expression soft in the lamplight, and smiled, “I appreciate that, but I need to see this through.”

“I figured you’d say that.”

“You did, huh?”

“Mhm,” he hummed, kissing her brow, “I can read you like a book.”

“Liar,” she said with a smirk.

“I’m not.” he countered.

“Prove it.”

A sly look lit the Wolf’s face, and he sat up to straddle Devyn. He peered down at her, his eyes seeming to go unfocused. Devyn felt a weight settle over her, pressing against her comfortably and she sighed, relaxing into it. The next moment, she felt what she could only describe as the caress of a hand against her consciousness, lulling her into something like a trance.

“You feel conflicted. You still love Valda, but you want to punish her for killing your mother. You want to make her suffer. You want her to feel the pain you’ve carried around in your heart for years. You’re simultaneously afraid that you won’t be able to end her life when push comes to shove and that you might enjoy watching the life leave her eyes.”

Devyn blinked away the sudden tears that clouded her eyes, “How did you do that?”

“The same way I got your attention that night in the tunnels. Haven’t you noticed? I said before, that the connection we have is more than just simple attraction. This bond is strong and whatever it is, it allows us to read each other on the deepest levels. It allowed me to speak into your mind that night when I was dying on the floor of that tunnel.” he brushed a stray lock of hair from her face.

“What is it?” she asked.

Emmerich rolled off Devyn, falling onto his back beside her with a huff, “Before the Fae were annihilated, couples would sometimes come together and develop a bond like this. They were claimed to be fated to one another. Their very souls were tied together. The couples were always equally yoked in some way, a perfect match.”

“But I’m not Fae, so how would that apply to us?” she asked, turning to look at him.

“I don’t know. You are very powerful, maybe that has something to do with it.”

“I’m not that strong.”

“Now who’s lying?”

Devyn gave Emmerich a flat look and he laughed.

“You really think I’m powerful?”

“Red, I watched you create a fully grown medicinal plant inside a dark tunnel carved into a mountain in minutes. Of course, you’re powerful. You just need to hone your abilities.”

“I don’t even know what my abilities are.”

“Based on what you’ve been able to do so far, I’d say you have control over plant magic at least. It wouldn’t surprise me if that isn’t all you can do either.”

“Can you wield anything besides fire?”

“No, I only have an affinity with that element. Although my mastery of it is pretty thorough.”

Devyn considered the information, “Do you think I’ll be able to shift into another form like you? My mother could, so can grandmother.”

“You could give it a try now,” he suggested.

She sat up and stared at him, “Right now?”

He nodded and sat up to match her, “Try to clear your mind. Close your eyes if you have to.” Devyn did as she was told.

“Feel around inside you for your power. When you find it, take hold of it and call forth your animal form.”

“How will I know what to call?”

“You won’t know until you shift. You just need to focus on pulling the power out of you.”

Nodding in understanding, Devyn closed her eyes and focused on the well of power within her. It was strange—now that the spell Aristea had put on her to bind her power had worn off, accessing it was becoming like second nature. She wasn’t sure how much power to pull forward. She tried bringing up a handful, then another, and another.

She cracked her eyes open and looked down at herself. Nothing happened. Her shoulders slumped and she groaned.

“It doesn’t usually happen right away,” Emmerich chuckled, “it took me a month to figure it out and that was with the information my mother had given to me on how to do it. Just keep practicing.”

“You learned this as a child?”

“It’s normal in Fae families to begin your magical education before you even learn to read.”

“So, I have a ton of catching up to do.”

“You’ll pick it up easily enough. I’ll help you. We can start immediately if you want.”

“Do we have that kind of time?”

“You need to know how to control your magic. It’ll take a while for the letters to make their rounds anyway, so we can make the time.”

They began with basic spellwork. Emmerich had a small shelf in his bedroom that was stacked with several volumes of books on various kinds of magic. He explained that accurate information about magic was hard to come by so any time he found a reliable source he made sure to snatch it up.

He selected a tome on elemental magic and handed it to Devyn. He asked her to read over it while he pulled more books. She settled into a chair and began to read.

All magic had derived from nature in some way or another. Even the ability to see the future as Aristea had been able to was rooted within the natural world. The Fae had been so adept at wielding that magic because they were originally born from it. The first Fae were said to have sprung directly from the forests and rivers long, long ago. As time wore on, they began to teach what came so naturally to them to their offspring. Each new generation would shape and mold the magic to suit their needs and capabilities, thus widening the breadth of their power again and again.

To use magic, one needed Fae ancestry. Only with a blood connection to the very heart of nature could a person hope to manipulate it. Performing magic was a simple matter as long as the hereditary link was strong enough. Every so often, someone with even a proven Fae bloodline would be incapable, but that was the exception to the rule.

Depending on which elements one was adept with, basic magic was possible with just a thought. More complicated magic required spells and potions, but what remained constant was the fact that control of one’s emotions was paramount to the success of the magic. Wild, careless outbursts often resulted in chaotic, unstable magic that could very well harm the caster as well as those around them.

Devyn blinked. It made sense then why her powers had manifested more easily when she was angry or upset. She sighed…Getting control of her temper would be easier said than done.

They developed a routine as the days passed by. Devyn would wake up early and read a bit more of the magical texts that Emmerich owned while she made breakfast. After they ate, he’d clean up and they would practice spellwork or shifting for the rest of the morning. After a break for lunch, they’d either continue Devyn’s magical training or spar with each other until sunset when they’d eat a simple dinner and turn in for bed.

It was easy to fall into the daily rhythm. Spending each day together felt as natural to Devyn as breathing. It would make sense if Emmerich’s thoughts on their bond were correct. She had never been so at ease around another person in her life, not even her mother. They fit together effortlessly, like pieces of a puzzle. Perhaps she did have enough magical blood coursing through her veins to warrant a mating bond with him. More than anything, she wanted that to be true.