Chapter 7- Warped with magic

MAREWYNN POV

The ride back is slower. The woods are quiet, except for the steady rhythm of hooves on damp earth. I'm wedged between Valen and Rhaenan— Valen takes the left side, closest to danger, even if there’s none. Rhaenan’s on the other, scanning the trees with that half-bored, half-alert look he wears like a second skin. The guards trailed behind, seven of them.

I shift in the saddle. “So what now?” I ask. “The Barrier’s still holding, but barely. Can the other Lords help? I mean, they built it together, right?”

Rhaenan nods without hesitation. “Yes. If it comes to it, they can lend their power again. That’s how it was forged in the first place—one Lord alone couldn’t have done it.”

“But,” Valen cuts in, voice steady, “getting them all to agree won’t be easy. Most of them don’t believe anything’s wrong. The Barrier’s stood for thousands of years. To them, it’s unbreakable.”

“After what I saw today” I say, glancing his way. “The way it flickered, the way you had to force it to respond? It was beautiful yes but It needs repair it didn't seem stable”

“They’ll call it a surge. A flare. Magic behaving strangely, not failing,” he says. “They don’t want to believe something that’s protected us this long could fall.”

“They’re fools if they ignore it,” I mutter, then look ahead. “What if we talk to them anyway? And about the coming war. Caelora can show them with her visions, right?”

“She can, yes,” Rhaenan says carefully. “But her visions are subjective and can change and sometimes dosen't come to pass.”

Valen doesn’t say anything at first. Then, “They should. But they won’t. Not unless the threat walks through their front gates.”

I let that sit for a second.

“Then we show them the truth before it gets that far,” I say. “Before it’s too late.”

“We could do that,” Rhaenan said, gripping the reins tighter, his tone edged with frustration, “but we could also try to get Edina back before the Starlight Waltz.”

“What’s the Starlight Waltz?” I asked.

He glanced at me, sighing as his horse moved beside mine. “It’s a renewal of magic, for everyone in the Starlight Court. A kind of feast. A celebration. The stars align—converge, sparkle, dance. You’ve never seen anything like it. It even rains stardust... shimmering and bright. I’ve lived hundreds of years, and it still takes my breath away.”

“It sounds beautiful,” I said, almost smiling. “But what does that have to do with Kyante?”

Valen’s voice came from the other side of me. “She was born of the Starlight Court. Her father, Mattock, was Lord there. She was a priestess—strong, revered. When the Waltz comes, she renews too. Her power grows.”

I adjusted my seat, heart suddenly heavier. “And Edina could be in danger during that time.”

Valen nodded once, jaw clenched. “We’ll get her. I’ve already sent word to the Elyadrian mountains. Reinforcements are coming. Once they arrive, we move. I swear to you, on my life, Maerwynn—we will bring her back.”

Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away.

“So if Kyante used to be good... what changed?” I asked, trying to understand the woman who haunted my sister.

“Being a scorned bride can twist something inside a person,” Valen said quietly. There was finality in his voice. Like he didn’t want to say more.

“She had potential,” Rhaenan muttered. “But Mattock was a bastard—cared more about where to put his cock than anything else. Neglected the court, betrayed her trust. The other Lords voted him out. Valen’s father took his place.”

“And where is Mattock now?” I asked.

Rhaenan just shrugged.

But Valen went still.

His horse stopped, and without a word, the rest of us followed suit.

He raised his hand slightly. “We’re not alone.”

Silence fell over the woods. Too still. No rustle, no breeze, not even birdsong. Just the soft clink of armor and the tension crawling over my skin.

I reached for my bow, strung neatly at my hip, and knocked an arrow with practiced fingers. My eyes scanned the trees, heart thudding.

Then—

A sharp cry split the air. One of the guards screamed—a blur of black wings swept down from above and ripped him off his horse, lifting him clean into the sky.

“Algoth!” someone shouted.

Chaos erupted.

I looked up just in time to see the beast—twice the size of a man, leathery wings flapping hard, its mouth and fanged mouth dripping with red. Then more followed. Dozens. Circling, diving.

And with them—figures in white, shrieking as they flew. Banshees.

“What the hell are they doing here?” I yelled, loosing an arrow into the neck of one Algoth as it swooped toward Valen. The creature screeched and dropped, wings twitching.

“They’re not supposed to be this far north!”

“They’re drawn to you,” Rhaenan shouted back, slashing his sword through a banshee mid-scream. “To the Aether. Or maybe Kyante’s corrupted them. Warped them with her magic.”

My blood ran cold.

They weren’t just hunting us. They were hunting me.

Another guard fell, his horse kicking wildly before fleeing into the trees. I ducked as a banshee swept past, its claws skimming the air above my head.

Valen’s voice cut through the noise. “Stay close!”

I edged my horse closer to Valen’s, staying behind him as I pulled back my bow, quickly knocking another arrow. One of the Algoths veered toward a guard on the outer flank, claws stretched wide.

I took the shot.

The arrow struck it dead in the chest. It let out a high, piercing shriek before spiraling into the trees below. The guard looked back at me and gave a sharp nod. I nodded back, heart hammering—only to be knocked clean off my horse by something heavy.

I hit the ground hard with a yelp, the wind knocked out of me.

Before I could scramble to my feet, Valen was there, dropping from his horse and skidding to my side. His hands found my waist as another Algoth dove overhead, close enough that I could smell its foul breath.

“Get her out of here!” Rhaenan shouted, cutting down a banshee as it screamed past.

Valen didn’t hesitate. He met Rhaenan’s eyes, gave a single nod, then turned back to me. Without a word, he lifted me into his arms. His wings unfurled behind him—huge, dark, and glinting with faint red along the edges. They hadn’t been visible a moment ago. But now, they stretched wide, powerful.

“You can’t fight and fly at the same time if more come at you,” I said, breathless, my arms tight around his neck.

“We don’t have a choice,” he replied. “I need to get you away from here. I’m not strong enough right now to fight on the ground.”

I remembered—how much power he’d spent reinforcing the boundary. How drained he’d looked immediately after.

A banshee shrieked behind us as Valen pushed off the earth, his wings beating once, twice, and we were airborne—rising fast through the trees, then soaring above them.

The wind stung my face, my hair whipping wildly behind me.

Below, I could still hear metal clashing, screams, wings slicing through air. And behind us—banshees. At least three of them. Gaining.

I twisted in his arms just enough to stretch my hand behind us, trying to summon light, power, anything, to slow them down.

A flicker. A pulse.

Then nothing.

The magic sparked in my palm, but before it could take shape, it fizzled out like a snuffed flame. Useless. My hands felt too cold. My focus too split.

“Come on,” I muttered, trying again.

This time, it bounced against my skin and vanished.

I groaned, frustrated. “Why isn’t it working?!”

Valen’s hold on me tightened. “Don’t force it. You’re shaken. You’re not weak—you’re just not calm.”

“I don’t have time to be calm!”

“I know. Just hold on.”

We flew faster, but the banshees screamed behind us, closing in and the ahead, two algoths flying towards us with claws out.