By the time I reach the side yard of the palace, the coalition force is already parked out front, have won through the initial barrier Rupe put up in front of them. Femke still doesn’t seem to be in fight mode, but from the tense feel of the standoff, battles could erupt at any moment.
I’ll leave it to them, though I wonder when Syd’s distraction will come into play. Curious, I reach out to her and feel her immediately.
Let me know when you’re in position, she sends.
You’ve been waiting for me? Probably an excellent idea and something I should have thought of.
Of course, she sends. We all have. She pauses. Something’s changed.
I made a discovery. I send her happy energy so she knows I’m fine. I’ll need your help with it later. For now, consider me in position. I stop at the edge of the trees to observe. Planning to go in the back, through my room, as long as Rupe has made the same mistake with the protections around the palace as he did the fence. As long as he’s only shielding the front of the building, I should be able to sneak in. And considering the massive size of the palace, I have to believe his power isn’t enough to protect all of it. Is Femke ready?
She is. Syd leaves me a moment then returns. Eva and her people have been holding off the sorcerers and your people remaining don’t seem to want to fight. I have a feeling this is going to be quick and dirty and won’t end well for Rupe.
My lips lift, a wolf growl escaping. What a shame. Shall we begin?
I leap out of the trees, in a dead run, heading across the side yard for the back of the palace just as a huge column of fire erupts to fill the front lawn with flame. The sky is so bright I have to squint, while the pounding weight of sorcery leaves the surrounds of the palace and diverts forward, to Syd’s show of temper.
Perfect, I send to her. Mission accomplished. The few wereguards patrolling the side of the palace leap into action, running for the front lawn, leaving my path wide open. I feel the edge of the shielding brush past on my left and almost howl my excitement I was right about Rupe’s inexperience and inability to protect the entire place. I’m inside the grounds and nothing can keep me from Caine now.
I shift into wereshape to climb the trellis, my fellow werewolves following suit. I look down to find my mother and brother circling a moment before they run back the way they came. I don’t care if they are retreating. I’m more than happy to tackle this and keep them safe.
The werenation has let them down long enough.
My room is dark and quiet, suddenly filled with panting, angry werewolves. I creep to the door and open to my wolf, her senses reaching out into the hallway. Rupe is even more of a fool than I thought. He’s closed off the front of the palace, but failed to block my power within, as he did at the castle where Andre tortured me. Perhaps this place really is too big for such protections. Or maybe he’s chosen to instead only shore up the throne room. There’s only one way to find out.
The hall is as dark and quiet as my room. I gesture to the weres with me to follow, feeling them fan out behind me. A flicker of motion ahead becomes two wereguards, both of whom who immediately morph into wereshape upon seeing me and join my ranks.
I feel their minds, the hints of the coercion that bound them burning away and offer my power in return. They accept it willingly as we descend the broad staircase to the vast foyer.
Never has this gaudy and over-gilded space been so beautiful to me. I step down onto the cold floor, nose lifting as I sniff the air to catch the scents I seek. Caine’s burns at me, pulling me to the right toward the throne room, and I follow eagerly, trusting the rest of my weres to guard my back.
Light shines through the large windows, casting across the floor from behind me, throwing my shadow ahead. Blue fire mixed with rainbow light and the flares of white spirit magic thud against the front of the palace. The fight Syd set off is going strong. I focus on the two wereguards standing at the throne room doors, maintaining my aggressive forward pace. They seem stunned, dazed almost. When I reach out to their minds, I realize why. I was right about the protections Rupe was able to manage. These two stand just outside the thick, black shielding, their coercion still in place, but held almost in stasis as the shields feed from them.
I free the pair with a jerk of my wolf’s energy, the two large guards stumbling forward, finally recognizing me. I snap at them, but not in anger, and they shift to join me, wereforms taking over as their fury surges. Awake and aware, they know what they’ve been forced to do, who they’ve been put here to protect.
Frustration burns tiny holes in my resolve as I come to a halt at the entry to the throne room. I touch the edge of the shielding, transparent until my fingers slide over it and the thick, black goo of it sucks at my claws. I pull away with a hiss of disgust, glaring down the length of the deep purple carpet to the scene unfolding near the throne dais.
I recognize my grandfather’s kneeling shape, his silver head turned to look back over his shoulder at me. I can’t make out his expression, nor feel him through the wards around the room. The other man crouched by the throne I know even better, my heart constricting at the sight of Sage, clearly still lost to the animal he’s become thanks to sorcery as he shakes his head and paces back and forth like a chained lion.
Power pushes against my back as the front door slams open and a wave of magic users storms through. I turn and gesture at Syd who’s in the front line, and she hurries toward me at a fast trot. Femke joins her, Piers and her grandmother at her side, as I point at the blocked way before me.
“If you would,” I growl, staring at Caine who lounges on the throne of my grandfather like he’s not about to have his ass handed to him. He even has the balls to wave at me, the remains of his pack hovering around him and a double line of coerced wereguards standing at attention. There’s no sign of Rupe, but he has to be here, he and his sorcerer friends, in order for this barrier to stand.
Syd’s rainbow power cuts through the shields and they sigh apart, crumbling to dust before disappearing. She turns and holds out one hand toward the throne room with a wicked smile.
“After you, Your Highness.”
I stride down the carpet toward the throne, ignoring the waking wereguards who shake their heads and stare around in disbelief and growing anger. Caine is so close I can taste him in the back of my throat, smell the stench of him. Soon I will have his blood on my teeth and this will all be over.
“Stop!” He stands abruptly, hands out, chest bare under the heavy robe he wears open to expose his heavily tattooed skin. Caine grins at me and I wonder if he’s gone mad to think he can order me to do anything.
One of his werewolves lunges forward and grasps my grandfather, pulling his chained form sideways, claws at Oleksander’s throat. Two others pin Sage down while my love howls like a wild animal for his freedom.
“That’s close enough.” Caine’s grin is feral. Does he really think this will stop me? I’m surrounded by magic, powerful people who can kill him and his pack in a heartbeat. I feel suddenly sorry for this man and the delusions ruling him, most likely fed to him by Rupe. “Your precious grandfather and your human pet have been waiting for you, princess.”
Syd’s power is building next to me, but I wave her off and take a step forward. “It’s over, Caine.” I half turn, look behind me at the Enforcers, vampires, werewolves and sorcerers ready to strike him down at the least provocation. “Release them and I might be merciful.”
Caine laughs. It’s genuine amusement, doubling him over as he clutches his naked waist. When he sobers, his face alters into spiteful hate, a smile still on his lips.
“You hear that, Rupe?” Caine opens both arms, self-assurance making me nervous. “I suppose we should surrender then, shouldn’t we?”
Rupe emerges from behind the throne, a line of sorcerers coming with him. There are more than I expected, almost twenty as I count, their number climbing as Rupe joins Caine on the throne dais. I hear the throne room doors slam shut and turn to see more sorcerers forming a wall between us and escape.
***