Kendra stared at the Silver haired witch in fear, and horror and amazement and— and mortification. Yes, a whole myriad of feelings and emotions. “You... you killed him.” She whispered as she stared at the General’s charred remains still emanating wisps of smoke.
“Well, I’m pretty sure we can all agree that he had it coming,” Morgana said testily as she dusted her hands clean. “Why my sisters and I were helping him in the first place, I have no idea... I guess I became too fond of him and blind to the monster he was becoming, but I’m glad that I put was able to put a stop to it after all,” She admitted softly, lifting up her head to shoot Kendra a sad smile. Kendra could see the tears in her eyes.
It hadn’t particularly been an easy feat for her after all like it had seemed.
The thing was that Morgana had seen it all… her interference in altering the course of destiny had been because she could not bear to see that much massacre. Maybe she was growing too weak… becoming too soft to handle these things now, but she knew that this time things were different. She couldn’t just sit back and watch evil happen even though she had participated in said evil many times. She knew that she was going to have to bear the consequences of her actions eventually… but she’d deal with that when the time came.
“So... what happens now?” Aiyisha asked warily... and who could blame her really? Just a few minutes ago, the witches were fighting on the side of the humans... and now they had turned against their General. Just a few minutes ago, she had been frozen, watching on it horror as her friend took what could have very well been her last breath. For all she knew they could have a whole other agenda now.
“I think it’s high time we all came together and put a stop to all of the fighting, don’t you think? I say we call a truce.”
“You can understand why we are all not exactly welcoming, can’t you?” Leray answered, his reading glasses perched atop his head as he eyed her in distrust. No one had been spared from the power of the General just a while ago. All wolves had been frozen in whatever it was that he had done, finding that they could not move, it was a wonder really just how easily he had rather been killed, for his power had truly been impressive. But the long and short of the story was that Alaric Macintyre would not have been able to do all that he had done… he would not have been able to rain this much terror on innocent people— would not have been able to cause this much destruction had the Silver Witch and all those she was referring to as her sisters not helped him in the first place.
“I get that, and I guess I deserve it,” The Silver Witch admitted gracefully, “But you’ll come around eventually and see reason— see that it is indeed the only reasonable course of action. For it’s not as though you would exactly succeed should you try a counter attack anyway.” She winked and started to walk away— her white garments not once sullied by dirt or by all the blood that had been flying in the air a short while ago— but then she just as quickly stopped in her tracks. “Kendra, it really was nice to see you again, although the conditions of our reunion make my statement really questionable— but then it’s the truth. Mated life suits you indeed, you are… glowing.” Morgana threw her way with a wink, making the female beta blush a dark crimson at the manner in which she said the word ‘glowing’—such an innocent word had evoked thoughts and imaginations not so innocent, thoughts so erotic, passion and pleasure-filled…
The Silver Witch cleared her throat loudly, a small smirk on her lips which suggested that she knew exactly what Kendra was thinking. “Let me know if you agree with the truce, I do have a lot to tell the Queen what with her General being no more,” She said as she started to walk away, “Aiyisha, you do know how to contact me after all.”
And the she and the rest of the Curers who were able were gone.
Kendra’s eyes surveyed the plains of Desolation, trying to estimate how many honourable soldiers they had lost. Truly, in that moment, the name the piece of land had gained for itself seemed most suitable, for the melancholic picture being painted seemed like some poetic justice of sorts. Their loss was quite substantial alright, but definitely nothing when compared to what they could have lost had the war dragged on for long.
“Let us get those injured to the infirmary, and take care of those we lost today,” Aiyisha ordered as she stared solemnly into the horizon, her countenance very much understandable, for it was her first war, and to see that much people injured and dead on her orders and on her account— people who had been so full of life, swarming with energy and vigour just moments ago, now reduced to nothing but pain stricken, wounded victims and lifeless stones, … it sure was enough to even the most powerful of general’s gloomy.
But such was war.
Casualties did happen even if one emerged victorious, just as much as death was assured as well, and it still did not take away the fact that they had been able to save their homes from destruction, no matter how undeserving the victory had been.
Aiyisha von Sterling took solace in that fact.
“What is that?” Murmurs and whispers broke out among the once silent crowd, as everyone looked up to the skies, a fleet of weird looking creatures heading in their direction,
Leray recognized them first,
“Dragons! Take cover everyone, and try to be as still as possible,” He cautioned, “Hopefully they will just pass by, the Gods know we cannot handle another confrontation today,”
Everyone did as he had ordered, but apparently, they were not passing by. About a hundred of them landed on the plains of Desolation, their sizeable forms looking around at the bloodbath in interest,
“KENDRA!”
They all heard it loud and clear, Alpha Killian Silvercrest’s voice as he sought out his mate in the midst of all the death.
Everyone in hiding came out, breaths of relief escaping their lips, but Kendra was probably the most relieved of the ton as she ran to her mate and jumped into his arms, hugging him tight and covering him with kisses, ones he equally returned with just as much fervour.
He was safe.
He was back.
If Kendra had thought herself relieved, then Killian was by all means relief personified, for as he had spied the bodies scattered across the plains, he could have sworn that his heart had stopped.
They had been too late.
As heart breaking as the revelation had been, it hadn’t compared to the fear that washed over him as he thought that Kendra had not made it out alive. He had refused to believe it, almost going mad with worry, but he had oddly still felt calm, which was crazy right?
But the thing was, he just knew that if something had happened to her, he’d know it— that he’d feel it.
He was glad to know that he had been right.
Perhaps, he could fully count on this mate bond thing they shared after all.
Most of the beasts stayed in their monstrous form, but a few changed into their human form, with a couple sporting a partial shift.
Iconus Draconian was one of the people who had shifted into his human form, his cloak shielding his nakedness from sight as usual… but even without it, one could have just as easily pointed out that he was the leader of the dragons after all. There was just something about him that screamed power and rank. The dragon lord cleared his throat loudly, an action that had Killian pulling away from his mate unwillingly. Seeing the two wolves look so much in love made his heart hurt even more as he thought about his family— the wife and child he had lost at the hands of the Curers. Truly, their case had been a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. He remembered that day very well… his wife, Seraphine had told him she wanted to visit the little werewolf town of Shadowbane, blabbing about wanting to show their young lad some famous landmark over there. Naturally, he had been adamant at first, saying no… but she had pushed and pushed until he had relented— it wasn’t as though could have brought himself to say no to her in the first place after all— for he loved her, very much… their union being one of the very few to have been blessed by Aphrodite, one that they had both accepted with opened hearts and minds. He had made her promise to be careful, and then sending them off with five guards, he had made her go.
He regretted everything he had done that day.
He should have been more insistent, should have—should have gone with her at the very least, but alas, he had had important businesses to attend to himself,
And now they were gone, and he was here.
“Iconus… meet my mate, Kendra Sullivan,” He heard Killian faintly make introductions… the words snapping him from his thoughts. “Ah, the Beta,” He bent his head subtly in greeting, an action that Kendra gracefully returned. “Nice to meet you, my Lord… come with me please, there are other people I would like you to meet,” She said, leading them towards the leaders of the Dnakle Pack. She made quick work of making introductions, and the Dragon lord gracefully made his acquaintances, “I’m guessing our help was not needed after all,” He threw at Aiyisha, but she was quick to not take any credit, “The witches who had allied with the human General turned on him, one of them killed him right before us,” She gestured towards his charred remains, “And they may or may not have agreed on a truce.”
“Hmm, I see… my vengeance would have been sweeter had it been delivered at my own hands, but it does not cancel the fact that he still is no more, nonetheless.” He sighed deeply, “I guess I do feel lighter now.”
Together, the wolves and the dragons made quick work of clearing the mess of war, a few healers had luckily been part of the hundred, and they went around with Aiyisha, attending to injuries, the rest worked on getting the gate reinstalled, lest the Curers returned under the cover of night and the orders of Morgana to finish what they had started. Alpha Joffrey came out at one point to meet the Dragon lord, tears standing in his eyes as he watched his daughter attend to her soldiers. He suddenly seemed even more frail than before, and was quick to bid them goodbye and return to his chambers.
Soon, everything was in order, and there was nothing more to attend to. “You owe me one, Killian Silvercrest,” Iconus Draconian had said as he eyed the engraved ring on the Alpha without a pack’s finger, but his gaze had just as quickly shifted from the ring to Kendra, “Who knows, perhaps I have found a way to get my payment after all,” Shifting back into his dragon form, he said, “This isn’t the last time you have heard of me, Silvercrest, I’ll be back to reclaim my debt,” and then he took off to the skies, his horde of a hundred men following after him as they made their way back home to the Cenotes.
All that while, his words rang loud and clear in the young Alpha’s ears, even as his mate clung to him in relief, even after they were long gone.
Something about the promise seemed eerie.