AO 4 Ch 14 (Patreon)

Chapter 14

The carriage was rolling out of the town. I watched as houses passed by and the snowy landscape emerged from the jungle of wooden structures. The horses were making quick work even in the snow and the town faded behind us.

“So…” Emlyn drew the word out as we bumped along only a few minutes on the road before she broke her silence. “Viviana is it?”

I sighed knowing this was coming. “I told you about the merchant and his pretty daughter.”

“Uh huh.” Emlyn was amused by the whole situation. “She’s very pretty. Right, Sienna?”

“Very.” Sienna had joined us at the end of breakfast. We’d ended up stalling for a little longer so that Vivi and Mark could get themselves set up and on the road just behind us. “I’m slightly amazed at how dense our love could be to not have taken them up on what must have been a very clear offer.”

Sienna had been very interested in Vivi once she came down for breakfast and had caught up on the morning gossip with my anchors. Then again, she was set to be my first wife, of course she was interested in this woman barging into my life.

I cleared my throat. “My mind had been elsewhere.”

“Must have been very dark and very far from reality.” Emlyn snickered, enjoying teasing me.

She had certainly gotten an opportunity, but I would get her back soon. Turnabout is always fair play.

“Careful, he’s going to make you regret that later.” Selina opened her eyes. Sienna’s anchor was similar to Vivi in many ways.

While Vivi was vivacious and the focus of attention wherever she went, Selina was more of a background actor in a play. Her mother on the other hand…

I was man enough to admit I had a small crush on Kim Keller. I had no idea how Selina could look so much like her mother yet be so different.

“Vivi was a friend when you were gone.” My words made the carriage go quiet.

Emlyn sighed and leaned against me. “Fine, I’ll stop. Just don’t bully me too much when it’s my turn tonight.”

“All the bullying.” I agreed.

“What does that even mean?” Selina asked.

“If you don’t know, then don’t ask.” Emlyn continued leaning on me and the silence became more comfortable.

“Now that I’ve gotten the two most important people in the room with me, I was wondering how I could get on the schedule. It would be a two-fer, me and Selina.” Sienna broke the silence and played with her fingers in her lap.

I cleared my throat to buy time.

Emlyn glanced at me and raised an eyebrow in question.

I shrugged. Actually managing that schedule was the last thing I wanted to do. That’s what having competent lovers was for.

She drummed her fingers on the carriage seat. “While we are on the road? Do you want your first time to be in a cramped carriage?”

“I can wait, but I want priority upon arriving.” Sienna said, tracing the necklace that was my courting gift to her. In high society it was enough to allow us to be alone, not to mention the provisional marriage contract we had signed.

Emlyn glanced at me. “Does Viviana need a spot?”

“What? No.” I was quick to answer. Perhaps too quick, but Emlyn accepted it and moved on.

“Aurelia?”

“You think she’s going to do it before she gets a courting gift?” I rolled my eyes that woman couldn’t break from the rules.

“Said courting gift is under this carriage.” Emlyn pointed out.

“Well, wait until a ball where I can use it to flaunt Aurelia around.” I said.

Sienna nodded. “At a ball is perfect. It’s a lovely experience if I do say so myself.”

I pointed to Sienna as if she’d just proven my point.

“Eva?” Emlyn continued.

“No. She’s cute, but we haven’t really found a point of common interest, especially since my soul magic seems different from what she understands.” I made an excuse. She was very cute with a slight dark sexiness underneath. What did Maribelle call it? Lady in the streets, beast in the sheets?

Not to mention, getting on better terms with her would be vital should I ever head to Zenovia. A part of me would like to see my father’s birthplace and his family. She would be my key to that, otherwise it was likely impossible to just walk up into the Zenovian palace.

“Want to try again?” Emlyn asked, seeing me lost in thought.

“I was just thinking that I still needed to be friendly with her because I’d like to visit Zenovia.” I explained.

“Uh huh.” Emlyn counted off on her fingers silently. “We can make it work, Sienna. Assuming the first few days are chaotic on our arrival…” Emlyn leaned forward to discuss more but something outside in the snow caught my attention.

I stared out the window, squinting but seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Scanning the surroundings, my eyes saw an endless field of white with a heavy breeze stirring up the dry top layer of snow into a glittering fog.

However, my instincts were still screaming at me and I trusted them. Surrounded by the snow, my ice magic was stronger. I opened my fox sphere filling my soul with magic to ready myself.

“Ard?” Emlyn sensed my tension.

“Swore I saw something.” I said, frowning out the window.

“The snow plays tricks on the eyes.” Sienna offered.

Selina however was alert now and scanning.

Nothing immediately came so I closed my eyes, concentrating on my soul magic. It was difficult with all of the ice magic in my soul. Reaching for it was like trying to find the last fork at the bottom of a soapy basin.

I swished around through the ice magic and grabbed hold of the soul magic, expanding it out from me more like when I kissed my anchors and just tried to feel for anything.

Dozens of somethings were out there, and we were heading right towards them.

My eyes snapped open and my ice magic flared as walls of ice exploded around our train of carriages.

“Ambush.” I said, but my words were lost in the ensuing cacophony.

Screaming came up and down the carriages as drivers pulled back and tried to calm the horses.

“Ard!” Emlyn admonished me a moment before one of the walls shattered and figures with billowing white cloaks rushed our carriage. “Attack!” She yelled at the top of her lungs. She was outside the carriage a moment later, her sword sparking lightning as she clashed with the first figure.

I half expected her to blow them away, but Emlyn grunted and slid back a step.

The other side of the carriage was saved by my wall of ice as arrows punched into the wall hard enough that I knew they would have gone right through the carriage and its occupants.

Thankfully, the wall of ice was thick and they punched through, but didn’t manage to have enough strength to pierce the carriage.

A swirling storm of ice petals filled the air as roses of thorns bloomed all over my ice walls. My mother was pissed.

“Back inside, Em.” I warned her a second before the storm of petals turned into a fierce whirlwind of death.

Each and every petal was like a blade as they tore through anyone outside the carriages.

I saw Uncle Valken get caught, his arm suddenly covered in cuts as he jumped back into his own carriage. He’d be fine. The Vel’shae man had a serpent sphere. I’d bet he could heal from most damage.

However, the anchor that had clashed with Emlyn didn’t fare so well.

Blood sprayed off of him in multiple directions as his white cloak was dyed red and ripped into tatters.

He hunkered down, earth magic radiating from him as he tried to survive my mother’s fury.

“Shit.” Selina watched as dozens of people on the other side of the wall were caught in the expanding storm. “Your mother is terrifying.”

“She’s not that bad. I could do that.” I huffed.

My mind moved to Mark and Vivi who were likely just behind our line of carriages with worry.

“Emlyn, we need to go check on Mark.” I didn’t want them to get caught up in our trouble. Mark might have a few guards, but we were clearly dealing with anchors.

Her eyes hardened. “Ard, don’t put yourself in danger.”

“What’s the point of having power if I can’t protect people?” I challenged her with a glare to tell her just how serious I was.

My mother’s storm was dying down, and the anchor outside was uncurling himself, covered in red tinged ice, but very much still alive.

I was pissed and pulled on the ice around him to seal his legs before throwing open the door and switching to death magic, smothering the man in inky black magic.

His own magic resisted mine for a second before deathly pale settled over his features and he withered away before me.

“Let’s go.” I stepped out, releasing him from the ice and kicked the dying man over.

“Brutal.” Emlyn came out behind me. She was ready to follow me back to the second caravan.

My mother’s spell had cleared the field, leaving dozens of bodies surrounded by a red stain. Whoever sent these people had clearly taken us seriously.

Dozens more had survived outside of my mother’s spell and were rushing in towards us now.

“Fuck me.” Emlyn gasped.

I drew on all the ice magic I had been building up and made three manticore claws before adding another six and let the nine claws orbit around me. “My mother can handle them. Let’s get out before she does that spell again.”

Maribelle landed on top of my carriage, blood flecked her outfit, but she wasn’t injured. At least, not currently injured. “Where are we going?”

“To check on Mark.”

“And Vivi.” Emlyn added.

“I will follow you anywhere.” Maribelle said seriously.

“Don’t forget us.” Sienna stepped out of the carriage with Selina. “Even if I’m off to save a rival.”

Grabbing onto the snow beneath me with my magic, I made a sled of ice and launched it away from the rest of our carriages, bringing the four ladies with me.

Aurelia and Zuri might be upset when they found out what I had done, but they were safe with my mother and Uncle Valken there.

I doubted our attackers were prepared to fight a Vel’shae with five hundred years of experience.

Between him and my mother the fight was lost as soon as their ambush failed.

My sled skimmed over the snow, spraying it out to the side as my worst fears were realized. Figures in white cloaks surrounded Vivi’s carriage.

“Maribell.” I didn’t need to say more.

She pushed off the sled hard enough to make the nose dip into the snow and spray all of us.

As soon as I could see again, Maribelle had almost reached them, spinning through the air to land on a figure that was just turning towards her. Blood sprayed into the air followed by his head and Maribelle flipped off of him as they all rushed her.

She dodged back giving me enough space to act without hitting the carriages.

More ice magic flowed through the snow, and a blossom of spikes exploded in the middle of the enemy anchors. I shattered them a moment later and made a small storm of ice shards.

It wasn’t as realized as my mothers spell and far smaller, but it was enough to stall them as my nine manticore claws tore away from me and spun through the crowd.

Sienna’s floating fortress started firing the miniature cannon balls in rapid salvos. Now that Maribelle and the carriages were out of the way, my provisional wife unleashed everything she had.

The small storm of ice settled a moment later and the anchors were huddled down. Blood dyed the snow red around them.

Yet only two of them were laid out in the snow. There were about a dozen of them that I could see.

My eyes kept dodging to the side, expecting more to pull themselves from the snow. Those white cloaks had worked wonderfully to hide themselves in the winter and now I was jumpy.

One I had missed pulled a screaming Vivi and a solemn Mark from the carriage. “Lay down your weapons and dismiss your spells.” He pulled back his hood to stare into my eyes.

I didn’t recognize the man, but he would have fit right in with some of the lower noble houses. He was healthy, strong looking, but not so puffed up that I’d recognize the name of his house.

My options were limited.

He held the two people I wanted to save in his arms. Both of them were normal people; he could crush them with a thought.

I held up my hands and the manticore claws fell to the ground, sinking into the snow.

“Ard?” Emlyn asked.

“Let’s figure out what we’re dealing with.” I glanced over the figures. All of them had survived the storm of ice with their bodies.

Now that I got a chance to count. There were fourteen standing anchors and two in the snow that they ignored.

This was a lot of skilled and trained anchors to casually have on hand.

“Her too.” He pointed at Maribelle who still held her daggers.

“Sheath them.” I told her, hoping that would be enough.

“Drop them.” He shot back.

“Listen, she’s not going to do that.” I argued.

“Maribelle will absolutely do that. If she doesn’t want her family to die, then she’ll stand aside.” The man snapped at her.

My maid only smiled and licked her lips. “In that case I’m holding onto these.”

“Bitch. Don’t try to bluff me.” The man squeezed the squirming Vivi until she let out a groan and stopped struggling. “You betrayed Carmilla, but we still hold your leash. Be happy that your family still breathes and you are given another chance.”

Maribelle shook her head, making her long blond curls dance in the wind. “That’s where you misunderstand. My leash has never been held by Carmilla. My parents were an easy excuse to engender trust. Truthfully, they never wanted anything to do with me until I became an anchor. I couldn’t care less. Ard on the other hand? He holds my leash and I love it.”

“Twisted bitch.” He spat. “Order her to stand down.” He turned to me, apparently done arguing with her. 

“Maribelle, drop your daggers.” I decided that the move might even be to our advantage, because I knew she had more than two knives under that skirt of hers. If they thought she was disarmed it might give her an opportunity.

She twirled the blades until the points were down and threw them into the snow in such a way that the handles stuck straight up for her to grab should she need them.

“Alright. Now Arden, that’s you right?” The man pointed at me and then confidently continued. “Step over to the side. You’ll be coming with us.”

“Oh. I will?” I asked. “This is a lot of people to kidnap me.”

“No. You’re a bonus. Killing your mother is the priority. Those at the front of the wagon train probably got her with the ambush. Best way to kill a powerful mage.” He smirked.

They were far enough back that they hadn’t been caught in the storm or seen the result of their ambush. Who knows, he might even think that we’d been running.

Either way, there was no need to correct him.

I stepped off the sled and over to the side.

“Ard.” Emlyn hissed.

I waved her concern away. This wasn’t like the time when we’d been traveling to Hidavente. I was far from helpless anymore.

The thought of using my soul magic crossed my mind, but with him holding Vivi, I wasn’t entirely sure if she'd survive. My usage of it so far was less than accurate.

So, for now, I decided to wait.

Killing time wasn’t the worst strategy in itself. The potential for backup increased with every second. A Vel’shae or my mother would turn the tables instantly, and they’d be using their hostage to negotiate for their lives.

“Someone go manage him.” He jerked his head in my direction and two female anchors rushed to my side, but they didn’t touch me as if that would set off another round of fighting.

I waited patiently. Two anchors next to me put me in a dangerous position, and I worked through what my reaction should be if fighting resumed. My manticore claws from earlier were laying in the snow and I shifted them slowly under the powdery layer to not attract attention.

As he said, the best way to get a mage was to ambush them. Letting a mage prepare was dangerous.

“Alright, we’re going to wait here for the rest of our group.” He put Mark down and handed him off to another of the anchors. “They should be here any second.”

I doubted they would be, not after my mother had survived the ambush.

The dozens of anchors he expected to help him were lying dead in the snow.

Right now my main concern was that if I didn’t kill the man in charge instantly, he would take Vivi with him. Killing an anchor before they could react was more difficult than it sounded. And I could risk harming Vivi with the wild magic that I was still struggling to control.

Perhaps my soul magic could do it, but then I’d risk being incapacitated with two anchors at my side.

Everyone was fidgeting in the stalemate, when one of the ladies next to me gasped and a spike that came out of her shadow penetrated through her skull turning her into a unicorn.

I only had to glance at the one who hadn’t made a sound, seeing she was dead too. I knew Vivi was in danger; they’d kill her just to get her out of the way before the fight. It was now or never.

Focusing on the man in charge, I zoned in on his head. I didn’t try to lift his whole body, just his tongue.

The result was instantaneous as his head exploded.

A familiar cloaked form landed amid the rest of the enemy anchors. Uncle Valken tore into them with clawed hands.

I hooked three of them with manticore claws that I’d prepared, catching them by the point where their spine met their skulls and pulled them into the air, driving the claw deep enough to stop their movement.

Uncle Valken was a sight. Not a single weapon touched him as he spun and danced between them. It was like a planned play where it was made to look like a fight without hurting anyone.

Yet his claws broke that rule and he tore chunks of flesh from them like a monster.

The stalemate was shattered further when Maribelle twisted the head off another and Emlyn joined in smashing another two into the snow.

The standoff had taken longer than the conclusion. In a flash, the anchors were utterly defeated.