Dawn of Fire

Chapter 5

Cassius

Cassius Shifted into his eagle form. Drawing the magic up from the well deep within him. No one quite understood what happened during the shift but thought it a blessing from the gods. Questioning the gods would be an insult.

Cassius wondered if that same logic went into denying a mate. A mate he wanted with every fiber of his being but if he couldn't keep her safe, if he couldn't get his courts under control, he wouldn't subject her to that kind of torture. For a fae of noble birth, it was a headache, but for a girl from the towns, it would be an astronomical weight to bear.

Sirius shifted shortly after into his owl. Everyone thought at their first shift, they would be twins in their beast forms, but the gods had other plans. Both birds were strong predators in their own rights, but oh so different.

Cassius's Dark brown body glistened in the sunlight and his white head was such a stark difference from the rest of his body. He was a large bird. His large wingspan spread in the air and he felt the wind caress his feathers. His sharp beak clipped and he chirped at this brother. The call sounding like “kwit-kwit” carried through the air to his twin. The large Northern Hawk Owl clicked his beak in response. His black and white feathers were softer and shorter but no less deadly.

They flew over the towns and rivers. The trees seemed so small beneath them. They looked on the horizon towards the castle. The gray smoke plumes in the air signaling the war was growing closer and closer with each day.

Cassius felt his stomach churning at how dangerous this was all about to be for his kingdom. The humans had weapons the Fae had never battled before. Going up against guns and advanced technology with swords, daggers and shields? It was a suicide mission. But the Fae had something the humans didn't. Had something the humans wanted. Speed, agility, advanced hearing and sight, though they looked like humans, the Fae were as animalistic as any other wild animal. Protective, territorial, feral, and determined.

Cassius thought about the Fae he sent to the frontlines. The fellow friends he sent not knowing if they would ever make it home. Cassius wouldn't just sit on the throne and command his subjects to fight for him. It wasn't in his nature. Fae was protective and territorial. Cassius is even more so. He would be on the battlefront leading his males and females. They would know that the royal line was strong enough to protect them, willing to sacrifice themselves. Though he couldn't attend every battle, his twin would. He knew that for a fact. Even if he tried to keep him in the castle.

The two birds glanced at each other, their eyes conveying every message. The fear, the concern, the determination, the savage need to protect their kind from extinction. An extinction that would surely happen if the humans were to win. The Fae and the land would crumble.

The castle came into view and slowly they descended. Guards in their armor stood along all the entry points and bowed as their royal line landed in front of them.

Quicker than a blink, they were in their Fae forms and shaking out their bodies as if they still had a feather or two on them. The guards bowed their heads and they made their way up to the castle.

“Cassius!” Serena shouted as she jogged up the hall to meet them. She was beautiful. Her flaming red hair fell down her back in soft waves and her ember eyes were alight with happiness. She was tall and lean. Her muscles from training showed her strength. She was beautiful and deadly all in one package. She just wasn't what he wanted.

Cassius nodded his head at her in greeting and she bowed to both him and Sirius. “My father has word from Daramond. I'm afraid it's not the greatest of news, but he wouldn't go into detail. Not until he sees you. He hasn't even spoken to the council yet."

His brows furrowed as he marched to Ettarks chambers. Without knocking, he threw open the large oak doors and found Ettark pacing in front of his fireplace clutching a scroll with the Royal Seal of Daramond.

“Cassius.” he whispered as he rubbed a hand down his face. His long hair was graying and tied back in a braid. He wore his usual attire of trousers, boots, and blouse but he had a cloak on his shoulders as well, indicating that he just got back from a ride.

“Leave us.” Ettark ordered his daughter and then glanced at Sirius. He couldn't order him, but he could plead his case.

“If the news is as dire as Serena has explained, then I want my brother present. Serena can stay as well. Especially if she is to be my betrothed.” he said and a bitter taste filled his mouth as he thought about Clover.

Ettark nodded and sighed while sitting in the big chair facing the fire and Cassius and his entourage followed suit.

“I'm afraid this isn't good news at all. I was told there was a lone fae at our borders demanding to speak with you. This fae flew all the way from the castle without stopping once. He was exhausted, but I recognized him immediately. It was the King's Hand. He requested to meet with you, but I told him you weren't on the grounds. He was anxious and desperate, so I took his message under a blood oath to give to you.”

A blood oath was unbreakable. If it took that much of a promise for the Hand, then it is serious, Cassius thought.

“Daramond is crumbling. They lose more fae by the minute against the humans. Not just in battle but in kidnappings. Fae has disappeared. More females than males but a life is a life. They are worried that the humans are up to something. Something diabolical. They have even sent spies into the human's grasp but once they are taken no word ever comes back out. Remember how the princess was granted access to stay in our lands for safety?” he asked and Cassius nodded.

“There have been threats made. They want her. Terribly. The Royal family has gone to great measures to make sure she stays hidden. Even corroborated with witches to conceal her identity. They had always been cautious with details given out since her birth, but the spells that we were told they used. They are extreme. Her name had been erased from history. Neither you nor I remember her name even though we went to her birthday celebration. She has the Hands son with her who is her born protector and the queen's sister. They reside here in Tamarisk.” he said, catching his breath.

Most of this I knew except the witches. That could explain why so many gaps in my memories existed when I tried to think about Daramond.

“It gets worse, my King.” he sighed. “It turns out that sending her here was the best decision that they could have made. They have a traitor in their courts. A Traitor who is working with the humans. He is out for blood and power. He wants the princess as a gift to the humans. They know who it is and they are working on a plan, but the Hand gave us this letter from the King himself. He is practically begging you to find his daughter and protect her. They are asking for refuge for her. They want her trained. They want her prepared. She is powerful, Cassius. From this letter, it's no wonder the humans and the traitors want her. She controls all the elements, but she also has healing capabilities. In the wrong hands, she could be a massive weapon. But in the right hands. In the capable hands of you, my lord, she could be the answer we had been hoping for. The miracle we need to win this war.”

Cassius stood up and paced the room at the news. “It's almost unheard of for a fae to control all the elements. One or two yes. Three is rare. The last fae who could control all of them was more than 800 years ago! How?” he asked mainly to himself.

“Perhaps the gods had a plan. The gods knew we would need a savior and blessed us with her.”

“Who is she?” Sirius chimed in. “They want her protected, but that means we need her location. We need to get to her before they do. We need names and descriptions. We need information.”

Cassius nodded, and Serena chimed in. “From what I know about the spell, father had me look at the letters. The magic concealing her identity can only be broken by the princess. They couldn't physically give us her name. They gave us a brief description, but even then it was vague. It's almost like it would cause severe pain or even death if her information was given out. It's a challenge, but we need to find her. We need to dig deep. Figure out what we remember about her. Family traits, anything from the birth celebration. I know it was 25 years ago, but anything helps at this point.”

“What about the name of her Protector?” Cassius chimed in. “You said the Hands' son was her sworn and bonded protector, the same as Sirius is for me. Does the magic prevent them from giving us his information?”

Ettark smiled at him. He felt like the twins were his own sons, and times like this made him feel immense pride for them.

“You're right. It doesn't extend to him. That would take more magic than physically possible to erase that many people. His name is Talon. His father described him as tall, strong. He has dark tan skin, brown eyes and hair. And his wings are dark. Almost like leather. He doesn't have a beast form. Just his wings like most Fae from Daramond. He has tattoos covering his entire torso and arms. One of the tattoos is on his arm. It is of the Royal Crest. And he is a fighter. He has trained from the moment he could walk. From what his father had mentioned, he is the best warrior the Daramond has ever produced minus the King himself. A Fae with his abilities would do wonders in the war, but it is no wonder they chose him as her bonded protector and sent him with her. They are blood and soul bonded. They have a life tether similar to that of mates but different. You know the bond you and your brother have, Cassius. It is very very similar. Where she goes, Talon is not far behind and vice versa. They can feel each other's emotions and pain. You find Talon, and you'll find the princess.”