Her Immortal Mate (Brides of the Vrakken #3)

7. Eike

7

EIKE

T he echoes reach us first - metal clashing against metal, shouts and screams piercing the cavern walls. My wings snap open before my conscious mind catches up. Something's wrong at camp.

"Hear that?" I scan the darkening horizon ahead, my enhanced senses picking up the chaos.

The sounds grow clearer as we near the edge of the forest — battle cries punctuated by the distinctive crack of their magic. Dark elves.

We burst from the forest into chaos. Dark elf warriors swarm our camp like insects, their elegant armor gleaming under the magefire they've conjured. Dozens more than any raid before. Our defenders are overwhelmed, falling back in scattered groups.

"Left flank's collapsed." I track the battle flow, old military instincts kicking in. Immediately I position myself in front of Mae. "They're trying to separate us into groups, overwhelm us."

A dark elf mage hurls crackling violet energy at us. I dive right, wings making sure nothing hits Mae behind me. The spell sizzles past, leaving ozone in its wake.

"Form up!" I bellow to our scattered forces. "Defense pattern delta!"

Our fighters respond, muscle memory from endless drills taking over. They fall into formation, creating overlapping fields of fire. But there are too many gaps, too few of us left standing.

A dark elf spots me, his lips curling into a sneer. "The aberration shows itself." His blade ignites with ethereal flame. "Your kind should have stayed buried."

I bare my fangs. The battlefield narrows to just him and me as I get ready to fight. His fancy swordwork means nothing against the combat experience flowing through my veins.

"You brought enough friends this time." I gesture at his forces. "Finally learned you can't take us one-on-one?"

His composed mask cracks. He lunges, blade singing through the air. I sidestep, wings spreading for balance — and to block Mae. All around us, the battle rages - magic flashing, steel ringing, warriors crying out in pain and fury. This is no ordinary raid. They mean to end us.

The dark elf's blade whistles past my ear. I grab his wrist, twist - bone snaps. His sword clatters to the ground. One punch caves his chest plate inward, sending him sprawling.

"Behind you!" Mae's warning cuts through the chaos.

I spin, catching another attacker's blade on my forearm guard. Mae darts in, striking the elf's knee with practiced precision. The joint buckles. I finish him with a sharp blow to the temple.

"You are supposed to stay behind me." My eyes scan for more threats while keeping Mae in my peripheral vision.

"You're welcome." She pulls a throwing knife from her belt. The blade finds its mark in an approaching mage's throat, disrupting his spell.

A booming laugh cuts through the battlefield noise. A dark elf commander strides forward, his ornate armor marking him as high-ranking. Purple energy crackles around his hands.

"Look at you scurrying about like rodan." His voice carries across the chaos. "Where's your precious First? Has she abandoned her children already?"

My muscles tense. He shouldn't know that.

"What's wrong, vrakken?" He spreads his arms wide, magic dancing between his fingers. "Did mother dearest not tell you she was leaving? Or perhaps..." His lips curl into a cruel smile. "Perhaps she didn't have a choice?"

Mae shifts closer to my side. "He's trying to bait you."

"I know." I bare my fangs. "But he knows something." They have spies, I'm sure, but this was a secret I hate them knowing.

The commander's eyes gleam with malice. "Come now, surely the First's pets deserve to know what happened to her? Or are you too busy playing nursemaid to this human trash?"

Magic explodes from his hands. I wrap my wings around Mae, shielding her as violet fire washes over us. The heat sears my back, but I've endured worse.

"Your arrogance betrays you." I straighten, unfurling my wings. "The First taught us well - never reveal your advantages to the enemy."

I launch myself at the commander, wings propelling me forward with supernatural speed. His magic tears through the air where I was standing. Amateur mistake - telegraphing his attacks.

Mae darts left while I go right, our practiced flanking maneuver catching him off guard. His shield spell only covers his front. Her knife finds the gap in his armor at his shoulder. He howls, magic flickering.

"Now!" I drive my fist into his chest. Enchanted armor crumples like paper. He crashes into two of his soldiers, taking them down.

"Watch the mages!" Mae's voice cuts through the chaos. Three dark elf spellcasters weave their magic together, purple energy coalescing into a deadly storm.

I grab Mae and take to the air as lightning rips through where we stood. Below, our warriors press the advantage, exploiting the opening in their lines.

"They are exposed there." Mae points to a gap in their formation. "Drop there."

"Like hell." I bank hard right as another spell screams past. "You're staying-"

"Trust me." She squeezes my arm. "We can help."

I growl but dive toward the gap. Mae runs as we land, pulling out a knife that I didn't know she had. She strikes at the nearest dark elf's hamstring, bringing him down. The disruption spreads through their ranks like ripples in water.

My wings snap wide as I pull up, drawing their fire. Spells light up the night sky but none connect. I've fought their kind too long to fall for predictable patterns.

"Push them back!" My voice carries across the battlefield. Our warriors surge forward, coordination drilled into muscle memory paying off.

The dark elves' formation crumbles. Without their commander's magic anchoring their spell matrix, their coordinated attacks fall apart. One by one, they retreat into the shadows, dragging their wounded.

Mae appears at my side, breathing hard but unhurt. "I think I would make a good fighter," she says with a teasing lilt."

"No." I scan the treeline, making sure they're truly gone. "Go be a healer." At least then, it wouldn't feel like my heart was trying to leave my chest.

Our warriors move with practiced efficiency, securing the camp. Mae slips off the check on the wounded. The dark elves may have fled, but they'll be back.

I move through the aftermath, wings trailing behind me. The metallic tang of blood fills the air - dark elf blood, rich with magic. Bodies litter the ground, their elegant armor now dented and torn. Their faces frozen in expressions of hatred even in death.

Mae works beside our healers, her medical training proving invaluable. She catches my eye but doesn't stop her work, pressing herbs into a warrior's wound.

My gaze sweeps across our camp. Broken weapons, scattered supplies, scorched earth from their spells. We won this battle, but at what cost? Each raid grows bolder, their numbers larger. They know something about the First's disappearance - something that gives them confidence to strike so openly.

We're immortal, yes, but that doesn't make us invincible. And as I look around, I take in how many of the bodies on the ground are vrakken. They won't die but they will need time to heal. Time we may not have.

The cold truth settles in my gut like lead. Without the First's guidance, without Akeldama's blessing, we're fighting a losing battle. Our numbers dwindle while they throw endless waves at us. Even immortality has its limits.

A breeze carries the acrid smell of burnt flesh and spent magic. In the distance, thunder rumbles - or perhaps more dark elf forces gathering. We can't distinguish friend from foe anymore, not with both our deities gone silent.

My fingers trace the worn pommel of my sword. How long before they return with twice these numbers? Three times? The First would know what to do. She always did. But she's gone, leaving us to face this alone.

I look at my people - proud, fierce, but tired. So tired. We can't keep fighting like this, not when every victory feels more like a defeat. Not when we're losing pieces of ourselves with each raid.