Chapter Fourteen

“Rey! Axxon!”

“Kyann!” They opened their arms as I stumbled towards them and I almost fell into a three-way hug. Shivers of pleasure coursed through me. They were here. They were safe and well. A world that had twisted out of shape slipped back into alignment. The four kings were awake.

And they had a job to do.

I pulled away from their warmth and strength. “The village is under attack. I’m sorry, there’s a lot to tell you, but it will have to wait. The Emperor sent troops. Fon and Vashri need your help to drive them away.”

Axxon clutched my hand and we began to run towards the flare of fire. I revelled in the warmth of his grip. Hope surged through me.

“Rey!” Fon saw us first. He sent a gout of fire towards the soldiers trying to charge past Lord Hullar’s warriors into the village. A voice cried out in agony, and the others scattered. Fon was grinning in amazed delight. “And Axxon! About time you joined in the fun!”

Vashri was more restrained in his greeting, scanning Rey and Axxon rapidly for injuries. “How do you feel?”

“I feel like we need to help this village,” Rey replied.

“How many soldiers remain?” Axxon asked, immediately practical.

Fon glanced back to check that the group he’d just dispatched were staying away.

“We’ve been working our way around the village’s edge,” Vashri said. “We send them away, and a few minutes later they try to creep back somewhere else. Lord Hullar and his warriors are doing well, but they are tiring.”

Rey stepped forward. “Then let’s show the Emperor that the four kings cannot be defeated.”

Instead of skulking around the edge of the village, the kings strode into its centre. Axxon’s hand remained firm around mine. I wondered if he’d ever let go, and then decided that I wouldn’t care if he didn’t. Rey was less demonstrative, but his eyes kept darting aside to check that I was there. When he caught me looking, he smiled, his grey eyes filling with a warmth that made my cheeks heat.

“Lord Hullar’s men have done a good job,” Fon said as we neared our destination. “But they’ll be pleased to let us take over, I don’t doubt.”

He turned a circle in the middle of the meeting place, almost standing in the dying fire. I supposed that held no fear for him. He raised his hands, caught my eye and grinned. “First, let’s get a proper look at what we’re dealing with, shall we.”

He muttered a spell and light poured out from him, turning the dusk back to day. Cries around the village marked the places where people were fighting.

Axxon was next. He let go of my hand to direct his magic where it was needed, and turned the earth itself into a weapon. Stones flew up from the ground, hurtling towards the Emperor’s men. Their cries turned to shouts of alarm.

“The four kings are here! They must be!”

I smiled in satisfaction. “You bet they are,” I murmured. I stood forward, turning in a circle to see between the huts, snatching a glance where I could at soldiers and villagers. “Go home!” I called. Vashri helped to amplify my voice once more. “If you came to this village with hate and destruction in mind, you are not welcome. The four kings are here and they will defend all of Charnrosa from evil. Lay down your arms and support the kings and no harm will come to you.”

I’d hoped my speech would be followed by a retreat, or soldiers putting down their weapons and surrendering. But words that had worked on simple villagers who only wanted to go home had little effect on these professional soldiers, who had their orders and were intent on following them.

“The Emperor is our saviour!” a voice cried. “We will do our duty, or die in the attempt!”

Sounds of battle returned, metal against metal and cries of fury and pain.

The four kings shared a glance and worked as one. While Axxon sent a hail of stones, Rey sculpted water into a weapon, driving darts of water to pierce the armour of the Emperor’s soldiers. Vashri controlled the air to add power and speed to their missiles. While keeping the scene illuminated, Fon contributed with a cascade of well-placed fireballs that he dropped at the feet of the few remaining horses. Less than a minute later, they’d bolted and the soldiers were all on foot.

But they fought on. The kings’ expressions grew grim as they poured more magic into their enchantments. I could do nothing but watch. The villagers and Lord Hullar’s warriors retreated towards the middle of the village and the eye of the magical storm, leaving the kings to deal with the Emperor’s troops. When the soldiers tried to push through and follow the villagers, the kings drove them back.

It took a few minutes, but as their number steadily diminished, the soldiers gave up, small pockets of men throwing down their swords and raising their arms, and then bigger groups. Finally, one of them raised a horn from his hip and blew a retreat. Chased by Fon’s fireballs, they returned the way they’d come over the plain.

When it was clear they’d truly gone, the villagers raised a tired but triumphant cheer.

Fon ceased his light and the day turned to darkness once more. The embers of the fire glowed suddenly bright, reflecting on his teeth as he grinned and grabbed my shoulders in a hug that robbed my breath. “It’s good to be together again.” He planted a kiss on the top of my head.

Satisfaction made me glow from the inside out as the other kings clustered close. More battles lay ahead, but now we were together I knew we could face them.