บท 74: Chapter 74: To the Tower!
Ravyn POV
Ravyn wasn't sure what was more astonishing: that she had somehow been teleported out of the tower into the deep, dark, moonlit night, or that she immediately found Jiro and Garnet–with King Odo of Lugdunum, no less!
She managed a respectful bow to the king, then wrapped her arms around Jiro and Garnet. She just wanted to hug them and never let go.
When she'd focused her power on the rogues mauling and clawing Jiro, Garnet, the humans, and the mages, she'd felt such a wave of satisfaction. It swept her along, and she enjoyed making the rogues fall into a dead sleep.
Jiro hugged her, overcome. Although quiet and reserved at times, he enthusiastically held her, overjoyed to be reunited. Garnet's arms encircled her, too.
"Thank the Moon Goddess," Garnet whispered. "Thank Goddess she whispered to you, and you appeared."
"I suppose you could view it that way," Ravyn said dryly. "But however it happened, I'm just so thrilled to see you both–and you brought the king. How?"
Beaming with pride, Jiro and Garnet briefly told her about the astonishing trip to Abandonnado Island, getting captured by the royal soldiers and mages, and the shifter debut at the royal court in Aquitaine.
Ravyn's mouth hung open while they told the story.
It wasn't because she was shocked that Jiro and Garnet would be the ones to start a dialogue with a human king and queen. Jiro was the natural politician in the family, with Garnet a shade better than he was. Jude was almost as good!
She wasn't stunned because of their news about Melisande and Hades being one and the same after what she'd learned.
No, it was simply that she never expected to feel so proud of her family that her heart was bursting with it. And she knew that this change, for the shifters, would be like the moon changing its orbit. Maybe it wouldn't be as scary, or catastrophic for the world. Far from it! Clearly, the council agreed, if they'd voted to let Jiro and Garnet talk to the humans.
But they could think about that later. All seemed quiet around the tower, although Ravyn couldn't hear anything inside the tower.
King Odo greeted Ravyn and Jude. "And this is Queen Ravyn and King Jude? You both look surprisingly energetic and strong, considering the circumstances."
"Your Majesty, thank you for coming to our aid," Ravyn said enthusiastically. "I know it must have been a shock to learn about the shifters, but you're handling it remarkably well."
King Odo, whose black hair and eyes were the same color as the night, looked at her seriously. "It's a threat to my kingdom! I mean, this business with this Hades and dark magic. How should I handle it? I AM the king."
A young mage agreed, her eyes glowing with passion and strength. "And I got to see Ravyn Rolfe herself drop those rogues with a sleep spell!"
Blushing at the woman's worshipful look, Ravyn said, "I just thought they needed a nap. They were grumpy."
Jude howled his soft approval, trying to keep quiet, just in case no one had heard or noticed the battle raging outside.
* * * * *
Jude POV
Having Jiro and Garnet there, defiant and brave and bringing the King of Lugdunum with them, felt like a mini-island of calm on this island of darkness and chaos.
Jude smiled at them with warmth. Leave it to Jiro and Garnet to do the impossible! They'd convinced a human king and his elite circle to join this fight. The king wouldn't just take any garden-variety mages or soldiers on such a perilous mission.
But the old barriers of never talking to humans, never revealing themselves, blocked his enthusiasm and wonder. With a snarl, he said, "Do these humans know … everything?"
Jiro had that steely stare that made every Alpha, starting with his own brother, roll over and expose his throat. It was no secret that the Alphas all feared Jiro just a bit more than they did Dane. They knew what they were getting with Dane, mostly. They never knew what Jiro might do, and they respected the h*ll out of him for it.
In his calm, even voice, Jiro addressed Jude's unspoken concerns. "We shifted right in front of Head Mage Pascalline here on this very battlefield." He indicated the young mage who seemed starstruck in Ravyn's presence. "We intervened to save the humans, and don't tell me you would have done any differently, no matter the cost. We told Bram that, and he agreed with no little pride. The humans captured us, and probably rescued us all. The king and his queen are an Alpha and Luna through and through. Their only problem with our revelation about the shifters was that they didn't know about this threat from Hades for three years, which is valid. King Odo had the same outrage and dismay that you or I or Dane would in his position."
Blushing, Jude said, "You do have a point there. Sorry, Your Majesty." He looked at the dark-haired, dark-eyed human king with the respect he was due.
King Odo inclined his head, a smile on his pink lips. "I'm not going to waste time being offended when there's a fortress to breach and people inside to rescue. And it's Odo." He turned to his soldiers. "You three, Avignon, Montreal, and La Sarre! You keep a sharp lookout outside. Mages Worth, Cayce, and Blackwater, stay with them."
The soldiers and mages stood at attention, swords and magical staffs at the ready. "Yes, Your majesty," they chorused.
With a bark of laughter, Jude said, "I'll lead the way, if you don't mind, Odo."
The human and the Alpha darted across the battlefield, with Ravyn and Ravyn-in-training Mage Pascalline close behind and Jiro and Garnet flanking them. Closer and closer they came to the tower, making excellent progress despite having to navigate around the bodies on the field. Melisande/Hades hadn't even had the decency to bury the fallen rogues.
"I can't believe Hades would let the dead just rot out here, to be picked apart by wild beasts," he muttered.
Garnet spoke in a low voice. "Cyran has connected with Hades through a mind-link … they're still connected, even though the slave bond was severed."
"Fenrir's guts … you can't sever blood ties, no matter how hard you try or how hard you want to," Jude muttered.
Garnet nodded grimly. "Hades is unraveling. The Dark Goddess is mercilessly pointing out his failures and refusing to let him die."
Jude gnashed his teeth, as much to keep himself from breathing the stench of blood as to express his outrage. "Add another crime to the charges against the fiend."
"What's that?" Garnet asked.
"Making me feel even a glimmer of pity for Hades."
The tower's gray walls appeared in front of them, the ancient, crumbling stones a bizarrely welcome sight. Not so much the rogues that had poured out of one of the shadowed doors at the base of the tower. Dozens of rogues, fur bristling, teeth gleaming in the darkness.
"Do we fight them?" Odo asked quietly, his hands gripping the hilts of his swords.
"Too many," Garnet murmured.
Head Mage Pascalline formed a sphere of silvery, crackling energy. "Allow me. This spell looks like silver–let's hope it fools them."
Ravyn patted her on the arm. "Brilliant! I don't know why I didn't think of it."
With a mighty arm, Head Mage Pascalline hurled the silvery ball lightning spell at the rogues, who howled and scattered.
Odo pointed with his swords and everyone charged into the tower, panting and gasping as they reached the base.
Where was the entrance? Where?
Jude's wolf sniffed out the doorway that the rogues had come out of. Howling, he made a controlled dash for the dark entrance. Odo pushed ahead of him, sword up, and Mage Pascalline and Garnet illuminated the dark entry. No rogues lurked in the tall arched door. Jue grinned at Odo. "Thank you."
"Think nothing of it. We're comrades in arms."
"Maybe even friends," Jude said spontaneously, and saw the human's pleased smile.
On that positive note, they both entered the tower, ready to face whatever awaited them.
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AmandaMadden
AmandaMadden As the classic line from "The Priincess Bride" goes, "Have fun storming the castle!" But it was important that this scene have some character growth. Jude accepting the humans' help is a major step, even for a forward-thinking Alpha.
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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