Strategy Page 8

  “They’re on their way to some dragon towns, trying to undo the anti-shifting stuff.” I feel sick just thinking of Rune and Finn out there, and us not being able to get to them, tell them where we are, what’s going on.

  “They’re not with you?” Her voice hitches as she stares at me and I shake my head. “Why would you...”

  “I didn’t. But I couldn’t stop them.” I turn back to the coffee, not ready to have this conversation with her.

  I hear her soft footsteps behind me, afraid she’ll touch me again, mixing our feelings, letting her know how scared I am, but she pulls out a chair from the table and sits down instead. “You want to know what’s going on here?” Her voice is lower this time, serious.

  “Yes.” I hear Litha move behind me, turning to Aura. “We need to know anything you can tell us.”

  “Kit’s mum is all for just fighting the fae army, go all-out, try to take as many soldiers down as they can. My mum and Kit’s dad do not agree with her. Saying it’s too dangerous. The highest priestess—”

  “My mum,” Phoenix interjects, and she takes some of the mugs I’ve been filling with coffee, putting them on the table.

  “Her mum has been talking with like... people from all over the place, trying to organise something, but not all witches seem to agree that they have to help out. They think that it doesn’t matter if they’re under fae or werewolf or succubus rule, that life won’t change much for them.” Aura’s voice lowers even more. “They also don’t seem to believe that a new witch queen will rise, they don’t seem to believe all of that prophecy stuff.”

  “What about my uncle?” Bane’s voice is rough as he also sits down at the table. His first words since we got here.

  I turn around, looking at them, looking at our little group...

  Aura eyes him, sighing. “He seems to want to fight, but with the army so close to his kingdom right now, he’s more worried about protecting his own borders than he’s worried about the fae king coming here.”

  “Does he not realise...” Bane growls, balling his fists, before he relaxes his hands, letting out a frustrated sigh. “Of course, he doesn’t realise it. Fuck. They know nothing here.”

  “I guess it’s good that we’ve got the rebels on our side.” Litha lets out a laugh, but it’s not a happy sound. “At least some people worry more about everyone who lives in these lands than just their own little place in it.”

  “Litha...” I look at her, but have a hard time not agreeing with her. Of course, Mum and the werewolf king worry most about their own kingdoms and not this school, but they seem to have no idea about the significance of this place... They seem to have no clue why it’s important that this place doesn’t go down in flames, or that the fae king gets control over it.

  A phone beeps insistently and Phoenix pulls it out, her eyes going wide as she stares at the screen. “Fuck. Fuuuucking hell.” Her voice falters as she scrambles for her bag, pulling her laptop out and opening it on the table. Then she turns it on, tapping impatiently on the side of it.

  “What’s going on?” Litha slides next to her, suddenly alert again. We’re all running on fumes here, but each surge of panic gives us new energy to burn through.

  Phoenix shakes her head, her eyes scarily wide, bashing the keys as she puts in her password, and as soon as she can she opens a browser.

  A video immediately starts playing. Someone is speaking over the video, but I can’t see where they are, just that they’re not wherever this is being filmed. “The people of the town not far from here saw the flames of this small cottage over the trees. They rushed to it, hoping there was anything to safe, but found it almost burned to the ground already.” There is shaky footage of the cottage, and my throat constricts looking at it, we were just there. We’ve just left that place, and it’s already like this. Then the video shifts and I jump back, even though it’s not here, fear still grips me. This time the footage is taken from further away, it’s dark, but the blue and green armour of the fae soldiers is obvious, even in the reflection from the flames. The soldiers come into the garden, the same garden we were in not even hours ago. The soldiers don’t look too happy. “This footage has just been sent in. The fae soldiers are currently trying to stop the flames and rummage for things in the rubble. We don’t know what they’re looking for, or who they’re looking for, but whatever or whoever it is may no longer be here.”

  My stomach rolls and I grab hold of the table as I keep looking at the video. The same clips keep being repeated over and over. The soldiers walking through the garden, them obviously searching for us, or at least any clues about us, and the cottage we stayed at, almost fully burned to the ground. We really were out of there just in time.

  The video shifts again, going to other footage, somewhere else. “There have been a lot of videos today of fae soldiers on the move in other places of the fae kingdom too. It seems that it’s been a purposeful movement, they had a goal of where they wanted to go.” The video shows some soldiers marching through a town, the names on the signposts behind them send shivers down my spine.

  I pull my eyes away from the screen and stare at Bane. He has to recognise them too, right? The panic in his eyes tells me that he does recognise them. Those places aren’t far from here, close enough that the fae army could be here, at the campus, in two days.

  Two days.

  That’s much sooner than we expected... It’s another four days until the new moon... Are they going to attack early, or is this just because they expect us to fight them? Get some extra days in before the big event?

  Fucking hell. I hope that Rune and Finn succeed, because if they don’t... We’re really and truly fucked.

  Aideen’s grandma comes into the kitchen, looking curiously between us when we’re all quiet. “You look like you’ve seen a lost spirit.”

  “The fae army is at the cottage.” Aideen stands up, going over to her grandma. “And the rest of the soldiers are about two to three days away from arriving here.”

  The old woman nods, her eyes filled with pain and exhaustion. “Right. I guess this means that we need to get a move on, don’t we?” She looks at Litha. “Have you looked in the spellbook yet?”

  Litha shakes her head slowly. “I looked but... It looks so complicated.”

  “I don’t expect them to be easy, no. But you’re going to be needing them, I’m sure.” Aideen’s grandma sits down at the table and Aideen gives her some coffee. “Now, go tell those hothead kings and queens what’s going on and that they need to come to a decision soon.” She looks at me. “I’m sure they’re more likely to listen to you now. Your kingdoms need you now, all of them. I think it’s time for some new rulers here.”

  I nod, standing up, and Bane stands up too. Then Litha and Phoenix stand too, coming over to us.

  Litha looks around, her eyes on each of us, like she’s trying to read our emotions or something. “I guess we’ve got to do this. We’ve got our own plans, we know that we’ve got a lot of people we can depend on for them, but it would be nice if we had some extra help. I think it’s time to become what people have been telling me I am for these last weeks... Time to take control of my destiny.” She stands up straighter, her head up high as she looks back at Aideen’s grandma. “Where are they?”

  “You’ll find them in the meeting rooms. Your parents just joined them. They looked ready for a long night of discussions. Go get them, my queen.” The woman smiles and Litha grins back.

  “Thank you.” She turns around, her strides long as she leaves the hallway, and then we’re crossing the dark fields towards the building where Finn was attacked. We encounter some soldiers, but nobody tries to stop us, not when they get a good look at Litha.

  Bane and I sprint ahead of her as we get close to the meeting room everyone is in, opening the doors.

  As the doors open, the room goes really quiet, and Litha steps forward, her voice travelling far as she makes her announcement. “The fae soldiers have found the cottage we were staying
at, they were looking for us. And a much larger army of fae soldiers are about two days away from the campus. What are you supposedly going to do about it? How are you going to stop them?”

  The silence in the room is almost deafening, and when I look to the side, looking at Litha, I understand why. She’s not standing in the doorway, as I was expecting, but she’s slightly floating in the air, a red glow surrounding her, her magic sparking off her skin and hair.

  Oh, she just went full witch queen on them.

  Impressive!

  * * *

  Reviews mean the world to me (and other readers)…

  If you liked this book, please consider leaving a review. It doesn’t have to be a long review and can be as simple as ‘I liked it’ or mentioning something in the book that made you smile (or cry). It really helps me spread the word about my books. Thank you so much!

  * * *

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  Next in this series: Destiny (Lughnasadh Elite Academy 9)

  Don’t want to stop reading? Grab your copy of the next book!

  Out 30th of October 2019! Pre-order now!

  Destiny (Lughnasadh Elite Academy 9)

  Try next!

  While you’re waiting for the continuation of the story about Litha and her harem, here are some other stories of mine you can try out!

  Here are three choices I think you may enjoy, depending on why you love this story!

  * * *

  If you like New Adult angst with broken boys and their damaged girls, try out my Skylar Heart titles, starting with Shattered:

  Shattered (Damaged Hearts 1)

  LIZZY

  I should have known he was trouble when I watched him drive his motorbike onto campus, leaving a trail of people whispering as he made his way into the Art Building.

  Word around here is, he doesn’t date. So why do his eyes keep following me? Why does he want to talk to me?

  Rumor has it, Hunter’s good at two things: making art, and getting into fights. I love art, but I can’t stand violence. I’ve been on the receiving end of it too many times.

  My life is simple, it needs to be if I want to graduate and keep my eating disorder at bay… I sleep, I eat, I go to class and I definitely Do. Not. Date.

  So why do I feel so safe in his strong arms?

  HUNTER

  She’s like a spooked little mouse. Not my type at all. Until she looked up at me and I was caught in her azure eyes.

  But I won’t let her get close. In the last four years, I’ve lost everyone I’ve ever loved. I will never trust anyone ever again. The second I do, I’ll find myself alone again. So, what’s the use?

  So I create big metal installations, I go to class when I feel like it, I drink and get into fights at the bar.

  I have to stay away from Lizzy, because my darkness will only make hers worse. I know I have to, but that isn’t what my heart wants. When I see the pain in her eyes, I can’t resist her. I want to help her, touch her…

  Protect her.

  Shattered (Damaged Hearts 1)

  * * *

  If you’re into some paranormal romances between sexy men, try out my Rosa Swann titles, starting with His to Protect:

  His to Protect (The Vampire’s Past Trilogy 1)

  No matter how much you try to leave your past behind, it doesn’t always leave you…

  Sean

  After being hired for my dream job, I move back to the small minded town where I grew up, for the job and to finish my degree.

  I’m surrounded by my past, by old classmates, old neighbourhoods and old prejudices against gay people.

  But on my first day back, my eyes fall on something new around here. A goth guy sitting at the front of the class and I can’t keep my eyes off him.

  Even though I don’t know him, I feel like I need to protect him, no matter what.

  Jules

  I can’t stay in the same place for too long. People start to notice that you don’t age, that you don’t get older, and add to that that the chance of vampire hunters finding you gets bigger the longer you stay…

  I know that I’m running out of time in this town. I need to move on. I just need to finish my degree and then I can leave and start over somewhere else.

  But when my housemate/blood donor turns on me and forces me to leave, I suddenly find myself asking for help from the new guy in our class.

  Leaving doesn’t look as appealing anymore…

  His to Protect (The Vampire’s Past Trilogy 1)

  * * *

  If you want to try out some more girl-on-girl loving or just cute small-island romances, then my Emily Engberts titles may be more to your liking, starting with Second Chance at Christmas:

  Second Chance at Christmas (Seasons on the Island 1)

  Josie doesn’t want to spend yet another Christmas as the only single adult at the family dinner. So, instead, she books a week long holiday to her favourite island. Ready to spend it doing what she loves doing most, long walks on the beach with her dog and reading novels in front of a fire.

  What she hasn’t counted on is running into her old summer fling, the one girl she could never forget.

  Sanne is freshly heartbroken, and instead of having to deal with her parents’ pitying looks over Christmas dinner, she decides to still go on the winter holiday she’d booked, even if it means going on her own. She can entertain herself well enough, and maybe some fresh air will clear her head of all the darkness from the last months.

  But when she sees Josie at the cafe, she can’t help how her heart beats faster or how much she wants the other woman to hold her.

  What starts as a shared meal at a cafe, followed by the first snow of the season, could turn into much more.

  They lost their chance of being together when they spent the summers on the island as teens, but can they take it now that they’re adults?

  Can they take the chance amid knee-high snow and Christmas decorations?

  Second Chance at Christmas (Seasons on the Island 1)

  About Layla Heart

  Layla Heart loves sexy romances and has a particular soft spot for broken boys and their damaged girls. When she’s not reading or writing steamy stories, she loves to nap with her two cats, preferably under a fluffy blanket, and play videogames. She has studied literature and creative writing but often finds that the couple of classes she took on coding is much more of a help in this new adventure as an author.

  For social media, check the Easily Distracted Media page on the next page.

  About Easily Distracted Media

  Easily Distracted Media is a publisher/brand name for a group of pen names from one author. Each pen name gives a slightly different ‘flavour’ of story, but they’re all highly emotional, focusing on close connections between friends and chosen family.

  E. Engberts, Queer Scifi Young Adult stories.

  Emily Engberts, Lesbian Romance stories (18+).

  Emmy Engberts, Queer Young Adult Romance stories.

  Skylar Heart, Straight Contemporary Romance stories (18+).

  Rosa Swann, Gay Romance stories (18+).

  Newsletter: http://www.easilydistractedmedia.com/newsletter/

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/easilydistractedmedia/

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmmyEngberts

  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/easilydistractedmedia/

  Published by Easily Distracted Media

  As E. Engberts (Queer YA Scifi)

  BASE Status: Online

  BASE Status: Update

  As Emily Engberts (Lesbian Romance, 18+)

  Second Chance at Christmas

  A Card for Valentine’s

  A Blooming Spring Love

  As Emmy Engberts (Queer YA Romance)

  Her Elysium (Flowers and Keyboards 1)

  The Other Dress (Flowers and Keyboards 2)

  Colour Her (
Flowers and Keyboards 3)

  As Layla Heart (Reverse Harem Romance, 18+)

  Lughnasadh Elite Academy Serial

  As Skylar Heart (Straight Romance, 18+)

  Shattered

  Unraveled

  As Rosa Swann (Gay Romance, 18+)

  Lunar Pack Serial

  Feathers and Microphones Serial

  Mated to the Alpha Serial

  The Baby Pact Trilogy

  Second Chance Mates Serial

  Making a Family Serial

  Omegas’ Destined Alpha Serial

  The Vampire’s Past Trilogy