Thoughts of her father caused a wrenching in Aully’s heart. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
When she opened them again, Kindren and Audrianna were standing before her, with Detrick off to the left. Her uncle sang a short refrain from his book, some nonsense about the glory of the Dezren, eternal life, and smiting enemies. He then tucked the book beneath his arm and stepped between Kindren and Audrianna.
Her uncle took Kindren’s good hand in his own. “Do you, Kindren Thyne of Dezerea, denounce your betrothal to Aullienna Meln of Stonewood? Do you release her from the ties that bind?”
Kindren lowered his head. He hesitated, but eventually his lips moved, though with the murmuring crowd, it was difficult to hear what he said. Beside Aully, Carskel tensed.
“I am sorry, but we could not hear you,” said Detrick.
“I will,” Kindren stated, loudly this time.
Detrick released his hand and proceeded to do the same to his sister-in-law. “And now, Lady Audrianna Meln of Stonewood, do you bless this coming union, with all your heart and with Celestia’s sanction?”
Carskel visibly cringed at the sound of the goddess’s name.
“Of course,” Audrianna said, turning her head from side to side. She kept her voice raised so all could hear. “Of course I do.”
Detrick smiled warmly and stepped back, which brought Aully’s anger back to the surface. Kindren continued to stare at his feet while the Lady of Stonewood waved to her admirers. Then the elegant and beautiful elf, in the briefest of moments, peered at her daughter and mouthed, Do it.
Aully’s breath came so quickly that she almost didn’t realize that Carskel had leaned back down, his chin resting on her shoulder. “Now is the time,” her brother said. “Address your people. Half of them are mine already. Once we reach Dezerea, you will be the Lady of this city. Tell them how much you love me. Tell the disbelievers that the stories they have heard aren’t true. Tell them we will bring them glory that Stonewood has never seen.”
Aully nodded and took three steps away from him. She placed both her hands on the platform’s hempen railing, gazing out at the swarm of elves. She scanned their numbers, seeing face after familiar face. She spotted Hadrik, Mella, and Lolly as well as her cousin Mariah, lingering on one of the upper skywalks. They were among those who appeared downcast, defeated. Aully closed her eyes and remembered the last time she’d stood here. She recalled how she had fought inwardly about whether she should do as Carskel told her. How she had taken a half measure by shouting out his sins instead of ending all the pain, all the torment, right then and there.
That would not happen again.
“They are waiting,” she heard Carskel say, impatience in his tone.
Aully faked a smile and raised her left hand to wave at the crowd. A smattering of cheers answered her. Her right hand she kept by her side, holding her middle three fingers out straight while bringing her thumb and little finger across her palm until they touched. The words of a spell entered the forefront of her mind, and she could feel the web pulse as the land’s magic infused her.
“For you, Celestia,” she whispered, softly as she could, and stared at the circle of bright sky amid the canopy.
“Invaders!” shrieked a loud, panicked voice. “Lord Carskel, they’re coming!”
The spell died on Aully’s lips. She whirled around and glanced up to see Davishon Hinsbrew, the Surveyor of Stonewood, slinging down from the top of one of the nearby trees. His face was a mask of panic, eyes wide and teeth grinding together.
The elf landed on the causeway, pitching the hanging walk into an exaggerated sway. Carskel stormed toward the elf, his clenched right fist inching ever closer to the khandar on his hip.
“What is the meaning of this?” he roared. His normally pale cheeks were flushed.
Davishon scampered along the causeway, pointing east. “They are coming, Lord Carskel!” he screamed. “Karak’s soldiers! They are here!”
The Surveyor’s voice was so loud that those standing on nearby skywalks heard him, and panic ensued. Elves dashed this way and that, scrambling to climb the ladders to their homes. Ethir and Mardrik barked orders to the other sentries, who snatched their bows from their backs and dashed along the walks. The din was so loud that Aully could barely hear herself think. Hands were on her then, gathering her close. She looked up. It was Kindren who held her, while Lady Audrianna began shoving them toward the other end of the hanging causeway.
“Move!” Audrianna shouted. “Come now, one foot in front of the other. Quickly!”
They shuffled along the causeway, and that’s when the first of the humans appeared. They burst from the forest, their horses kicking up clumps of damp earth as they galloped. The soldiers wore armor painted black, with bits of silver, and Aully could see the red sigil of Karak’s roaring lion on their breastplates. They passed beneath the hanging platform, which hung only a few short feet from the tops of their helmed heads, but didn’t stop. They simply kept on going, leaning over in their saddles, disappearing into the trees on the other side of the clearing.
“Kill them!” Aully heard Carskel cry out. “Kill them all!”
Arrows rained down from above, and Aully shrieked. Kindren stopped lugging her along and instead tossed her onto the causeway’s wooden planks, then fell on top of her, shielding her with his body. He used his left hand to snatch Lady Audrianna by the hem of her dress and tug her down as well. There they huddled, swaying, as soldiers passed below them. The soldiers screamed. Arrows flew.
One of the soldiers yanked back on the reins, spinning his horse around. He flipped up his helm, revealing a youthful face with crystal blue eyes and strands of hair that were so silver they were almost white. Aully remembered seeing a man like that once, the one who had dueled with Ceredon Sinistel during her and Kindren’s betrothal, though in her panic she couldn’t remember the man’s name.
“We aren’t your enemy!” the man bellowed in the human’s common tongue. He pointed a mailed first toward the direction from which he’d come. “There is death coming, huge with horns and hooves! You must-”
Arrows zipped past him. One struck his horse in the flank and one clinked off his armored shoulder. “Fuck this,” the soldier swore, veering his horse back around and galloping into the forest.
“What are you doing? Get off my betrothed!”
It was Carskel’s voice. Aully shoved aside Kindren’s arm to see her brother stalking down the causeway toward them, khandar in hand. “No!” Aully shouted as he reached down and grabbed Kindren by the back of his tunic. Kindren’s eyes widened in surprise, locking with Aully’s before he was forcibly lifted off her. Kindren was then cast aside, tumbling to his rear on the slatted walk. Though Kindren was the same height as Carskel, her brother had a great advantage in both age and strength.
Carskel raised his khandar, appearing ready to hack Kindren to bits. Aully scampered to her knees and lifted both her hands. The magic within her rekindled, and she uttered the words in short, sharp bursts. A small ball of flame formed inches in front of her palms, and she sent it flying. The spinning fireball struck Carskel in the back, setting his white frock aflame. He yelped and lurched away, beating at the flames with his free hand.
Aully glanced to the side, where Lady Audrianna was kneeling. “Mother,” she said, somehow calm despite the chaos. “Help Kindren. Get him off the causeway.”