It had waited for them, that much was clear. Why, otherwise, wouldn’t it have made its move until now?

“All in formation,” the King called, as a hooded dark figure advanced from the woods, a mile out of Norda.

It was only one person, and he shouldn’t have felt such dread, but he did, and he wasn’t going to ignore it.

He, Nathos, Vincent, and Xandrie may be the only ones who knew to fear what was happening when a dark mist appeared, projected out of the stranger’s hand. His own frame was lit in gold - just what Vincent had described when he’d told them how their walls had been breached. They’d walked right into a trap.

“He wanted me here,” Rhey guessed. “This… he means to kill us all.”

He turned to Nathos, the only person with knowledge of such things. Could Shadow kill? Maim? Drive them insane? Whatever he’d planned, it wouldn’t be good. He didn’t want to find out.

“The bulk of us have to flee. If - when - it reaches us, it will be too late. Demelza, change and take Xandrie out of here; ride south, don’t look behind.”

If he stayed, he’d give the rest of them enough time.

He was surprised and relieved when the women obeyed without protesting; Elza turned gold and the woman he would never have jumped on her back.

Rhey breathed easy for about ten seconds, but then, he yelled as hard as he could, screaming at the two damn idiots who were going to get themselves killed. He should have seen this coming. Neither woman was good at listening to orders.

Instead of going south, Elza went north, landing atop of the guard tower, glowering, her scales turning black as they did when she was ready to spit fire.

“Stay where you are,” Xandrie yelled above them all. “You’re not welcome here.”

The shadow walked forth, ignoring her; a chilled laugh filled the air.

Elza spit her dragonfire right at the advancing figure, but while it burned the plain, the stranger remained unharmed, its shadows keeping the fire at bay.

Shit.

Then, something did stop it.

Gold.

A fine golden myst, flying from the same direction the flames had come from; Rhey found Xandrie surrounded by dark clouds, and pushing Aether right at their enemy.

It was working. Not for long, though.

Unlike the stranger, Xandrie couldn’t keep at it for long.

“She needs time and strength. Demelza can share some of hers, but that won’t be enough - she’s an apprentice without guidance going against a master,” Nathos looked like he might burst if he attempted to think any harder. “Chants. That won’t help for long but positive energy may help.”

“You’re proposing we cheer on her?”

“You have a better idea?” Rhey roared at Vincent, who shook his head.

“Nope. Singing sounds great. Let’s get to it guys.”

They sang ballads and lullabies, feeling helpless each time Xandrie stopped holding on, needing to catch her breath for a second. Each time, the hooded mage and its shadow advanced. To their credit, none of their men left, although they could have run south.

All of a sudden, Demelza took flight, heading west. Before she’d even cleared half of the distance, Rhey knew exactly what the two dumb women were up to.

“No.”

He’d lost his mother to this damn wall. Not again.

Xandrie couldn’t hold the mage away and she knew it - they were all going to die if she did nothing, so she’d chosen to give her life instead. It made sense; he just didn’t want to fucking accept it.

Damn woman. He shifted and let the erratic tiger crying after his mistress jump on his back, before following after Demelza, flying right next to them; he knew exactly what he wanted to do - bully Demelza into turning back - but now he’d given in to his beast, his instincts told him a very different thing. Instead of shepherding them back to Norda like he should have, Rhey found himself floating alongside them, quieting his own heart, his own everything, and pushing as much energy as he could through the link he felt there. The link shouldn’t have existed yet, without a mating bond. But it was inside him - and his beast had known it.

The weak golden filigrees coming out of her hands went blazing gold, and he felt her breathe out easier immediately. He followed them back and eastward, this time, feeling himself growing weak, but feeding as much as he could through the bond. If they died together, so be it.

His own flesh unexpectedly regained some energy; that bond, he did recognize. Vincent. He didn’t have to turn to know that his cousin, though far from them, and unable to fly, was also emptying himself of whatever life force he could spare, and sending it to him

Xandrie may not have managed to rebuild the wall if the foundations laid by his mother hadn’t been there. And she would never have managed to do half of it, untrained as she was, without his help, and Vincent’s, too. But between the four of them, they somehow did get a shaky, rocky, uncertain barrier going.

By the time they were done, the dark figure had run back to its woods, chased away, for now. Rhey knew, without the shadow of a doubt, that it would come back.

They didn’t land as much as crash on the floor, but their men had their backs, so they felt free to collapse. It was nightfall before any of them woke up.

Xandrie was already up, and sitting next to him, when Rhey regained consciousness. The first thing he did was cup her chin in his hand, and growl a low, threatening, “Never again.”

She wasn’t going to put herself in danger like this again. She just wasn’t.

The damn woman just laughed.

“Right. Or, every single time something comes at us, I’ll just get better at kicking their asses.”

He had a few things to say about that, but first, and more importantly, he had something else to do. His lips captured hers - finally, finally - and devoured them, unwilling to let her go. Ever again.

This was everything that mattered, he felt it down to his entrails, sealing their bond forever, by right of flesh.

“I’ll wed you soon,” he swore, “But when I get you home, I’m going to feast on you and fuck you until the morrow because, Alexandria, you’re mine. And we’re alive.”

Thanks to her.

“I’m okay with fucking. Please. Pretty please.”

The woman was going to be the death of him, of that, he was certain.

Nathos said their wall would hold.

“You’re sure? Because I basically had no idea what I was doing. I just pushed energy through the marks I could feel between each guard post.”

“And that’s exactly what it needed - living energy. Joda did an incredibly powerful thing, but it was fading and she wasn’t there to rekindle it. We’ll reform the guard here, but you did good. We’re safe thanks to you.”

By the time they’d made it to Tenelar, the word had somehow already spread, and they were greeted by the entire Kingdom, kneeling before their King, their Prince, Princess, and their Rider. Xandrie looked awkward, but took the honor graciously, collecting each flower thrown at her on her lap.

Then, they were finally home - with three thousand servants, seven hundred residents and as many guests - but none of those mattered.

He helped her down from her horse, and wordlessly took her hand, leading her away.

“My King…” Nathos started.

“Not now. Day off. Two of them. Call me if the whole world burns.”