The Flame of Wrath (56 page)

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              Along the mountainside, Olivia reached an area where the path widened. She stood there breathlessly. Her hands gripped her knees as she struggled to slow her racing heart.

             
A shadow reached out to merge possessively with her own.

             
Seeing the faint movement, Olivia's head jerked upward. She glared in the figure's direction with a carnal ferocity darkening her youthful features.

             
Then suddenly the youngest of the Shadow Reign siblings released a choked sob. She lurched forward with a softening expression. Her legs buckled as she collapsed to her knees. She wrapped her arms fiercely around a narrow waist. “Oh, my Lady,” she croaked. “The battle was awful. The heathens---” Her voice faltered as she took note of Aurea's flaming eyes. “Empress...”

             
The Empress stared down at Olivia. She was little more than a darkened silhouette bathed in radiant light. Her eyes, however, stared out from the darkness that was her very nature. Their glowing cerulean was relentless.

             
“You failed,” Aurea said quietly.

             
“No, Empress!” Olivia's panic filled the air. She cleaved tightly to Aurea's tunic.

             
“Then why have you retreated,” the Empress demanded.

             
“I came to warn you! I came because Virtue spared me.”

             
“I am Virtue!” Aurea snapped. “Me!” Her flames rose higher. “And I have spared nothing,” she seethed. “Not yet!”

             
“I will prove myself,” Olivia promised desperately. “I will! You will see that I am virtuous.”

********

              Rays of sunlight pierced ethereally through the fog. The hopeful shards grew until their strength burned away the Dragon Child's breath. With its absence came an ominous truth.

             
Proud silhouettes stood defiantly while all around them lifeless bodies littered the ground. The survivors were breathless and battered. They wore the magnitude of the battle within the haunting depths of their eyes.

             
Aurea's army had been defeated.

             
A white wolf used his colossal gate to cross the spans of the battlefield. His footfalls slowed as he reached the epicenter of the field. With light bathing his body, the great wolf shrank. His features morphed from an animal to a man. The weariness of his eyes betrayed the toll which each magical act took from him.

             
The druid arched his brow. With a slow movement of his head, he scoured the horizon. “Where is Autumn?” he asked aloud.

             
While in his weakened state, Soren's gift of sight could only glimpse the future in breaths. He saw the lingering shadows of auras or the fleeting auras of the world mere moments ahead of them, but nothing more.  As he searched the faces of those around him, an uneasy feeling filled him

             
The rebel soldiers began searching among their own battle-dusted faces. They removed indistinguishable helmets, exposing their faces to others searching for one particular face among the many. When it was clear that Autumn was not standing among them, they resorted to searching among the fallen, but Autumn was nowhere to be seen.

             
Soren loudly spoke an ancient chant. He grit his teeth painfully as his body underwent transformation.

             
The titanic white wolf lowered his head to the ground. He inhaled deeply. Through the myriad of scents he caught the one he desired. He followed the scent until he found a motionless body. A low growl accompanied his grimacing muzzle.

             
“Angelos,” he snarled.

             
He lowered his nose to the earth once more. Autumn's scent was here. His ruby eyes could see the lingering traces of her aura. He followed it, thinking only of Autumn. Her aura led away from the battle. Its hue began to change as it drew further from the others. It was the complex shade which he had only seen once before.

             
With a sudden brutality, the wolf lifted his majestic head. He stared with passionate red eyes to the warriors. His thin lips moved with an unnatural motion as he spoke. “Shed your armor and leave your weapons. Then burn the battlefield as Autumn commanded. Let the Empire believe our forces died here.”

             
Zahara opened her mouth to speak. She was silenced by Soren's voice.

             
“Return to the haven. I will go after Autumn.”

********

              Autumn scaled the mountainside with a fierce determination burning inside her eyes. As her hands gripped possessively at the rocks, she propelled herself upward. She was numb from war, dazed by its horrors. And yet, she was determined to see this day through to the end.   

             
The Queen slipped slightly on the mountain. She dug her nails and feet into the rock, regaining her grip. She reminded her weary body that there was still so much to do.              

             
Any remaining families awaiting escape from Aurea had slipped into the tunnels beneath the province. She knew that they were safe, but now she was faced with another dilemma. Would Aurea believe their ruse?

             
In the aftermath of war, the countryside would be riddled with bodies, some too damaged to identify. Were they members of the Empire or those allied with the Honored Mother? This would be the question. Aurea never knew how great her opposition was. Perhaps that would be their saving grace. If Aurea saw only scorched remains and fallen armor, maybe just maybe she might listen to arrogance's voice as it spoke confidently into her ear.

             
Oh how Autumn prayed for that outcome! Aurea must look upon the ruined remnants and revel in her victory. Otherwise, she would bitterly send her might down upon the land, doing all she could to find and destroy whatever opposition remained.

             
The jagged surface of the mountain forgot its inhospitality, offering up a small path. Autumn hoisted herself up onto the path. She took no time to catch her breath. Instead she raced along the path's length. Each spirited step taken was accentuated by the gritty sound of the soil beneath her feet.

             
Following the sharp cutting path, she veered dramatically to her right. Her ears perked suddenly.

             
A rustling sound disturbed the distinct sound of her heart thundering inside her ears. The sound had come from the path just ahead. Her eyes narrowed in the sound's direction. Someone was just around the bend. With a new conviction, she charged forward.

             
Turning the corner, her eyes took in the stretch of cliff nestled against the mountain's side. Its surface panned outward into a flat plane. She stopped. Her eyes searched the area around her.

             
A deep uneasiness began to pull at the pit of her stomach. An intense silence filled this place. It was unnatural. Her body tensed with wariness. She shifted her eyes to the earth at her feet. A shadow fell over her, commanding the Queen to look up. She had only just managed to lift her shield above her head before a sword came crashing down upon it. With a growl of exertion, she pushed upward with both arms. The might of her actions tossed the descending attacker from her body.

             
A loud gasp filled the air as the warrior impacted roughly into the wall of the mountain. The force with which the warrior hit sent an ornate helmet free. It now fell with agonizing slowness then crashed brutally against the ground.

             
Autumn's eyes widened. She swallowed convulsively at her sickening shock.

             
Long blond curls tumbled around the face of rage. Her cheeks were flushed by the day's increasing heat. Sharply, she lifted her eyes. Their depths darkened bitterly to an intense blue. Within their innermost recesses angry flames were stoked to new heights.

             
Taking a horrified step backward, Autumn blanched at the very sight of the woman.

             
Aurea pushed herself upright with a condescending smile affixed to her face. “I had to be sure,” she explained. “I couldn't leave such an important task to your brother now could I? He was absolutely worthless when it came to matters of importance. Especially while facing a real opponent.” Her smile intensified. “By the way, my Love, how did it feel taking his life?”

             
With a growl of rage, Autumn rushed at the Empress.

             
Their swords locked together with a resounding clash.

             
The sun bathed their battle with a heat to match their fury. It caught on the golden glory of Aurea's hair as readily as it caught against the bronze of Autumn's armor. It danced between the flashes of twirling red or swaying white tunics.

             
For a blinding instant, the light had Aurea aglow. Her golden armor flooded Autumn's steel-gray eyes so much so that the Queen cried out.

             
Autumn staggered backwards, struggling to see. She blinked wildly as her sight slowly began to return to her. The sounds of her opponent to her left acted as a warning. She veered just in time.

             
As Aurea hastily threw her weight behind her downward attack, Autumn took advantage of her faltering balance. She thrust her forearm into the Empress' face. Though her vision was muted by haze, she could see Aurea falling to the ground in pain.

             
Breathlessly, they each took pause.

             
A trembling hand reached for her face. Aurea could feel the wetness coming from her mouth and nose. She stared to the vibrant red glinting in the sunlight.

             
“What's the matter, Empress?” Autumn asked. She straightened her stance then prepared herself to fight once more. “Is it different when the blood on your hands is yours?”

             
Aurea clenched her teeth and let loose a scream of frustration. She pounded her fist against the ground while lost in a tantrum. Then ferociously she scrambled to her feet.

             
The Empress was shaking violently. Her infamous rage had once again gotten the better of her. The flames of her eyes spread wildly across her pupils, consuming them zealously. “This fight is too evenly matched,” she admitted quietly.

             
Autumn searched the Empress' wild eyes. “You're wrong, my Love,” she rasped. “We were never evenly matched. That's what threatens you the most. You can't stand not being good enough.”

             
Aurea lurched forward. She sent her sword crashing downward with all the savage might she could muster. Her furious eyes sparkled with something inhuman. As she commanded her opponent's attention, she smiled darkly. In her eyes the reflection of an advancing figure burned brightly.

             
Autumn held her sword steadfast against the sword which thirsted for her life. Inside Aurea's eyes, she saw her imminent death. It came as the warrior approaching from behind. She quickly lifted her shield behind her head. The act had come not a moment too soon. As soon as her shield was raised it was greeted by a sword hitting it with such force that its blade caught in the shield's skin.

             
She shifted her blue-gray eyes to gaze into blue oceans thrashing with sorrow and desperation. “Olivia,” Autumn breathed in recognition.

             
“Their deaths have to have been for something,” Olivia whispered. She thought of her fallen family as she held Autumn's stormy eyes. “You and your baby have to die.”

             
Together, the three women danced to the music of self-preservation. Death swirled about them, forewarning of its coming. And yet, the women seemed enthralled by its song.

             
Olivia jerked back her sword. The act ripped Autumn's shield from her possession.

             
Reacting quickly, the dark-haired woman drew her dagger from its sheath at her ankle. She held it firmly, keeping it locked against the sword so desperate to run her through. As adrenaline coursed through her, her arm was strengthened by a hidden reserve of power. It had been just enough to alter the path of Olivia's sword, but not enough to save her from it.              

             
The sudden change in stormy eyes commanded Aurea's attention. She noted their glassy expression. She had seen it once before while their bodies had been locked together in passion. And yet now though it was similar, there was something wholly separate about its nature. This was pain.

             
Aurea's chest raced with excitement. “Go ahead,” she prompted. “Scream.” She watched with a tilted head as Autumn struggled not to cry out. “Now you know what it feels like,” she said, “to---”