Sweet Innocence and Gentle Sin || 𝐀𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐑

Chapter 10: Drowning My Hands In Blood

Content Warning: graphic descriptions of gore

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Screaming birds sound an awful lot like singing. And I will tell you now, That I'm not even singing.

I expected many things when we arrived at the Western Pass—but not this. The Western Pass got its name from the large expanse of land that split the mountains. For the longest time, no one dared to fight in it, because of how the land built walls around. It wasn't thin enough to allow archers along the ridges, but not wide enough for a proper cavalry or an easy escape.

The entire pass stretched on for miles. It was impossible to determine exactly how long it was, but I knew you couldn't walk it in a day. The camp was up against an empty lakebed, which was used as a battleground. On the other side stood Beron's camp.

Why would our enemy want to fight here? And why would we accept the challenge? I asked myself those questions as I followed Azriel through the camp. It looked like it consisted mostly of mortals. I knew from their armor that the only reason they survived against High Fae was through magic.

We walked into a large tent that served as a meeting room. I was honestly over all the tents at this point, but there was nothing I could do about it. Mor stood beside Miryam, who was talking to a heavily armored mortal man.

His hair was a rich brown that matched his sharp eyes. He looked up from her and said, "who are they?"

Mor gestured at each of us. "Azriel and Rowena. They are here to help us."

"I didn't expect an Illyrian," the man said, sounding like he thought out loud. He eyed me with hesitation and said, "I heard about you, didn't think the rumors were true, though."

"Are you glad I'm here?" I asked, hoping that it sounded like a joke.

He laughed. "I'm glad that anyone is here. We're in deep shit."

"Jurian believes Beron brought his men here," Mor explained.

"After we escaped," I started. "He must've thought it a waste of time to just return home."

"The good news is that since you two are here, you can tell us everything you know about his army," Jurian said.

I looked at him with curiosity. He wasn't exactly what I expected, but I wasn't disappointed. I thought he would be shorter, and not as lean. I hoped his mind was stronger than he looked.

"If Beron's here, get the buckets of water ready," I joked, shaking my head.

Jurian laughed at that and said to Mor, "with your men, I'm sure we can conjure enough wards to hold him back."

I leaned over the table and said, "Beron is the kind of male that doesn't care about killing his own men. Now, I'm worried that he won't be alone."

"What do you mean?" Miryam asked, brows knit.

I glanced up at Azriel and said, "when we were attacked... it wasn't just him. His sons are traveling with him—and Tamlin."

"Spring Court? I thought they hated fighting with Autumn," Jurian said, making a face of disgust.

I shrugged my shoulders. "That's what I know. I was traveling with them—that's how Azriel found me."

Jurian nodded slowly and said, "very interesting. You'll have to tell me later, though. Now, I think I can find a way around the range if I send a couple of scouts."