Chapter 44: Andromeda

The quiver at her back was becoming worryingly lighter each time Andromeda grabbed another arrow. Still, she slid one out and fit it perfectly between her fingers, the motion almost second nature to her now.

Bella darted past the soldier Andromeda had shot down only a few moments prior, right into his arm that had been holding his spear. Her legs were tight and sore around the horse’s sides, working to keep Andromeda on her saddle as she aimed and fired. The horse was becoming increasingly weary, her head shaking with nerves and fatigue as Andromeda urged her down the line of soldiers.

“Come on, girl,” she whispered. “Just a little bit more.”

The mass of people had increased tenfold, the Zephyr and Aquae Guards having appeared from over the hill, raining down ghostly white arrows on the Ash army’s side several minutes before. Andromeda had watched as they joined the fight, the wave of Silmorite hanging heavily in the air.

The feeling of it was strange: a gross, thick layer over her body and her Gift. Despite being nowhere near a body of water, Andromeda felt naked, stripped of her ability. She tried her best to ignore it, but it surrounded her like a horrible veil.

Nocking another arrow, she rapidly scanned the battlefield, standing farther from the bloody fray at the center. She had been picking off soldiers whenever she found a clear shot. Sometimes it hit their leg, sometimes their arms. A few times in the chest and back, Andromeda freezing as she watched them fall.

It had taken all of her will to tear her gaze away and keep moving.

Soldiers bearing mostly green, white, and blue were scattered around her, some pushing forward, others tending to the wounded in a badly assembled medic’s corner, right at the base of the hill where she and Antares had thundered down. Gazing over the scene in front of her, she felt a different kind of twisted hate for the enemies at the other line, Damian and Oberon hidden somewhere in their numbers.

Her anger flared at the thought of the prince. How could he have betrayed his people? Switched sides so, so easily to the people promising death and hell upon anyone who refused to comply with their wicked plans.

He’s a horrible, twisted liar and a coward. A selfish and idiotic traitor.

Andromeda gritted her teeth. There was nothing she could about him now. Spotting one of her own Aquae guards struggling with a red soldier a distance away, she took aim and released the arrow, the feathered ends lightly brushing her fingertips. It flew straight at the enemy, landing right between their shoulder blades. Andromeda flinched, but forced herself to grab another arrow and look away.

How long have I been here? she wondered, strands of her light hair sticking to her sweaty face. She shifted the leather pieces tied to her body, the heavy material hot in the late summer heat.

Grabbing Bella’s reins, she urged her to circle around and gallop back farther left, barely managing to dodge soldiers. Her body was aching from sitting in the same, stiff position for so long, but she didn’t dare drop down. She was lucky enough Bella was responding, keeping her at an advantage from the rest of the battle.

As she rode a little bit deeper into the ranks, she didn’t let her horse stop moving, knowing she was a clear target so high up. Yet she loaded another arrow, finding a particularly large woman pinning a Royal Guard down on the uneven ground. Her blade was dangerously close to his throat, glinting in the midday sunlight.

Without another thought, Andromeda fired the arrow, the string taut and pulled back close to her ear. She watched in terror as the tip barely dug into the woman's side, the metal head still visible. Endurance. She whipped around and immediately caught sight of Andromeda, her face twisted into a snarl. Forgetting about the man at her feet, she tore her way through the crowd, right for her.

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no.

Panic seized Andromeda, almost tipping herself off of Bella’s back. Her fingers frantically fumbled for an arrow, her breathing turning shallow. Her eyes were still locked on the charging woman, murder in her eyes as she pulled out and discarded the pesky arrow in her side. Andromeda turned in her seat, facing that direction and automatically bringing her bow up. One glance, and she released the arrow.

Horror gripped her as she realized where she had aimed. Where the arrow landed. How tightly she had pulled back the string.

Embedding itself straight in her heart, the woman’s charge faltered. She stumbled over rocks as her body tried its best to absorb the shock with her Gift, the black pendant at her throat swinging wildly.

Then a shadow loomed over the soldier, and the Aquae Courter from moments before appeared, swinging his blade with rage. They both disappeared in the battle in a tumble of limbs and steel.

You shot her straight in the heart.

Andromeda looked down at her fingers, one holding the smooth arch of her bow, and found them trembling. She couldn’t erase the image from her mind of the sharp point digging itself into the woman’s heart, in between her ribs with a trimmed feather end.

Would her Gift be enough to save her?

That shouldn’t matter, Andromeda thought angrily, but the thought wouldn’t leave her mind.

Instead, it grew, eventually picking out memories in her head—one of which was the dream she had experienced months ago. Her ravaged city held many dissimilarities to the scene in front of her, true, but it replayed hauntingly in her head. Death, destruction, and anguish.

There are people who will be feeling the pain of that soldier tonight.

A loud horn echoed, and Andromeda’s eyes shot up, searching around her. It was similar to the one the Aquae Guards had blown, but lower and much longer. It sent a chill through her, and she gripped the reins hard enough to turn her knuckles white.

At the sound of the bellow, the battle shifted. Almost all the Ash soldiers turned their heads in unison, a creepy visual to behold.

And then they began to retreat.

What?

They were retreating. Disengaging in any skirmish they had been fighting in and charging southward. Andromeda tried to look to where they were running towards, trying to catch a glimpse of their wretched leader, but all she found was a moving, retreating mass of armor-clad soldiers. It was almost as if the call was sucking them back to their horrible ranks, pulling itself out of the blood soaked field and leaving behind disoriented and tired soldiers

And a mass grave of people. Bodies were littered everywhere. Everywhere. Slumped up against the rocky ground, some facedown and some staring up into the sky with lifeless eyes. Some had arrows protruding out of their bodies, others were torn open with wide, gaping wounds, still bright red and drying. They each held their own color, red and green and blue and white and purple.

All of them. Dead.

Bella shifted backwards, her uneasiness matching Andromeda’s horror. She couldn’t tear her gaze away.

All those people. All with family, loved ones, a life, a sense of duty that ultimately got them killed.

And she had helped with that, didn’t she?

Trying to look away, she let out a cry as she caught the cold, dead eyes of a fallen soldier almost completely under Bella’s feet, wearing the deep green of the Terris. He was so young—probably younger than her. His hair was matted with blood, his throat slit open as he stared at her with a haunting question

Why me?

She wanted to throw up, banish the images burning themselves into her mind. But she knew they would be there for as long as she lived.

Terris, Zephyr, and Aquae soldiers stood in ranks as far as Andromeda could see. The enemy was leaving, leaving in a trail of destruction and death.

What now?

“Andromeda!”

Turning at the sound of her name, she found Cassiopeia running towards her, her crimson-covered spear bouncing at her back. Andromeda watched as she reached her, her breathing low.

“Are you okay?” Cassiopeia asked quickly, looking over her with wild eyes. Her black hair was a disheveled mess, her pale cheeks flushed.

She nodded numbly. “Why are they retreating?” she said quietly.

“I have no idea, but if they’re leaving, we need to leave too. We can’t stay here. Astrid went to get the two other horses.”

“What about everyone else?’

Cassiopeia’s expression shifted, one of deep worry. “Arc left with Eclipse, out past the hill. She…she was stabbed. In the stomach. Badly.”

Andromeda felt her heart drop, the images of dead people going by even faster in her head.

Please let her be okay, for everything that the stars have to offer, please let her live.

“Andromeda,” Cassiopeia said softly, placing a hand on her arm. “We’ve got to go. Now.”

“Right,” she whispered as her friend swung herself behind her, Bella letting out a low neigh. Andromeda carefully slung her bow next to her almost empty quiver over her shoulder. With shaky hands, she snapped the reins, and the horse obediently took off, heading out of the mass of soldiers and near the hill’s base. They ran by countless guards, Andromeda trying to focus on the reins in her hands. Yet thoughts of that young man and Eclipse wouldn't leave her mind.

“Over there, where we left the horses,” Cassiopeia called in her ears, and Andromeda shifted her steed, spotting a group of horses at the very back. Thundering towards it, the white figure of Maximus and Astrid became clearer. Jerking a bit too hard on the reins, Bella slowed to a stop.

Andromeda took a deep breath, the long-standing pressure of Silmorite ebbing away as the Ash army continued to retreat, taking their lockets with them. She briefly reached for her Gift, but still felt nothing.

Astrid noticed the pair ride in, and a flash of relief crossed her face before it was replaced by her normally stoic one. Her sword sheathed at her back along with her blades, she sat atop Maximus, gripping the lead of Phantom next to her. At the sight of Eclipse’s empty horse, Andromeda’s stomach gave another lurch.

“You’re alive,” Astrid said rapidly, scanning them both. Her eyes softened, and her shoulders drooped, her armor covered in a considerable amount of blood. “Thank…thank the stars.”

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“Where’s Orion? Antares?” asked Cassiopeia.

Something caught the corner of Andromeda’s eyes, and she turned in the direction of the now settling battlefield, a figure running towards them with their sword sheathed away. She squinted before recognizing the familiar mess of red curls and the tall, lean figure.

“Antares!” she said loudly as he drew closer. He must have seen them riding towards the back.

He finally reached them, and Andromeda immediately noticed his arm, wrapped in a dark cloth and soaked through, signs of a wound peeking from the ends. There was a tear in his leather at his stomach, revealing a light pink scratch on his skin.

“Hell, Antares, what happened?” asked Astrid, her voice ringing out.

He stopped and bent over, taking in deep, gulping breaths, before looking back up at each of them. Streaks of dirt marred his cheek.

“I’m…fine…” he gasped. “Just…let’s just get…out of here. I…might have been spotted.”

“Shit, come on,” she urged, handing him Phantom’s reins. “We need to leave.”

“What about Orion?” Andromeda cut in as Antares pulled himself onto the dark horse with a grunt.

“Last I saw him, he was fighting somewhere in the middle of the field,” Astrid replied with a shake of her head. “I…I don’t know where he is.”

“He’ll have to find us,” said Antares. “We have to get past the hill, somewhere remote. I sent Arcturus that way with Eclipse.”

“Then let’s go find them.” Astrid nodded, before shooting Maximus for the hill. Antares gave Andromeda one last look before following, Phantom reluctantly obliging.

Andromeda and Cassiopeia followed them past the soldiers, past the already growing piles of the dead. Guards looked up in alarm as they thundered past, watching them retreat back through the hill. Had one of them yelled for them to stop? She didn’t know. All she could focus on was the rushing wind and her friends leading the way, trying desperately to leave behind her dark thoughts.

Light drops began to land on Andromeda’s face, mildly cooling her warmed cheeks. The darkening sky was opening up, releasing its rain. She barely felt the droplets, numb against her skin as she raced farther from the valley.

Astrid led them back the way they had come, reaching the top of the hill in only a few minutes. They continued along, past the trampled earth and discarded arrows from the Zephyr Court. A grove of wide, sweeping trees was up ahead, and Andromeda brought Bella to a slow trot as Astrid and Antares entered. The leafy cocoon shielded most of the now steady rain, only allowing a few sprinkles through.

The poor thing was panting now, coat slick with sweat and dirt and blood. As they entered the shade of the cluster, Andromeda brought her to a stop and carefully slid off. Cassiopeia followed, landing on her feet with a thump.

Legs weakened and sore from the saddle, Andromeda led the horse into the trees. Tying her reins to a low-hanging branch, Andromeda and Cassiopeia left Bella to graze and rest with the other two horses and walked over to Astrid and Antares.

“This should be good cover,” Astrid murmured, stripping off her heavy leather pieces and dropping them to the ground. Her simple clothing underneath stuck to her skin, drenched in sweat and rain.

“You can still see the field from here,” Cassiopeia remarked quietly, her head turned towards the grove’s opening.

“Andie,” Astrid said, bringing her attention away. “Do you still have any of the medicine? Any at all?” She turned to Antares, who had peeled back his soaked, makeshift bandage to reveal a nasty, open gash all along his forearm and stopping above his elbow.

“Oh, right.” She dashed back to Bella, giving her a comforting rub on her head as she unhooked the satchel at her side. Peering in as she walked back, she found a few vials and glasses smashed, but still many bandages and other usable things. She handed it to Astrid, who pulled out a few supplies and began to attend to Antares.

Andromeda looked back at the disarrayed battlefield through the shifting leaves, unable to stop herself. The fighting had finally ceased but left behind a depressing display in its wake. Soldiers mourning their dead and helping up the injured, a splattered picture of color and death spread out through the valley as rain thundered down—it was almost as if the world wanted to erase the scene left behind. Left behind by monsters who dared to carry the honor of her kingdom.

A trotting sound caught her attention and her gaze shifted. Her eyes widened with joy.

“Eclipse!”

Arcturus rode Clover up the hill, Eclipse clutching him tightly from behind. When they finally reached the top and entered the umbrella of trees, Arcturus immediately jumped off of the horse, helping Eclipse down as she winced. Andromeda rushed to see her.

She’s alive, she’s alive!

Andromeda ran up to her friend, tears almost coming to her eyes. She was wrapped in a basketful of bandages, her clothes dotted with blood and water as her face held tired eyes. Still, Eclipse managed to smile. A smile that was wide and true.

“Andie,” she called as she made her way towards her. She held on to Arcturus as she walked, the two of them slowly approaching her as if they were tied together.

As soon as they were near enough, Eclipse broke out of Arcturus’ grasp, embracing Andromeda as she stumbled into her arms. Andromeda hugged her back softly, careful not to press anywhere near her wound.

A single tear streaked down her face, and Andromeda quickly wiped it away. “You’re all right,” she breathed, the thought comforting her own mind.

“Of course I am,” Eclipse laughed. As she pulled away from Andromeda, she stumbled back as she clutched her side. Arcturus quickly dropped down to catch her, and smiled as he lifted her up. She smiled back, a loving look in her eye.

Andromeda smiled too. It seemed they had finally worked things out.

“Oh my stars, you’re alive,” Cassiopeia whispered as she walked up to them. “I…I saw it when it happened, and I got so scared, and…” She covered her mouth with her palm, her eyes wide.

“I’m all right,” Eclipse replied, giving her a small nod. “And…I owe you an apology, Cassiopeia. For our spar, for my actions, all of it. I wasn’t being fair to you.”

Cassiopeia’s face morphed into one of bemused confusion. “It’s…all right, Eclipse. Don’t worry about it.”

“I told you she was too stubborn to die,” Antares called from the grove, wincing as Astrid finished the knot on his arm.

“Oh, shut up,” Eclipse muttered, but it didn’t hold any of the normal banter they usually had. She seemed to be glowing, despite her wound and the frazzled mess she was, the happiest she looked in days.

“That was quite the stab you took, Princess” said Astrid, turning to face her.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” she shrugged.

Arcturus cleared his throat, eyeing her expectantly.

“Oh. And um, Arcturus helped too.”

“Come on,” said Cassiopeia, nodding to the center of the trees. “You probably shouldn’t be standing for too long.”

The rest of the group sat by Antares and Astrid, Cassiopeia leading Clover to the rest of the horses. Andromeda settled in between Astrid and Eclipse, the grass soft beneath her.

For a moment, everyone was quiet with the soft hum of the rain. Andromeda’s thoughts continued to rush past, but she tried her best to enjoy the calm.

“So…what happened to you?” Cassiopeia asked Antares, gesturing to his arm.

“Oh…it was some Ashie with Strength,” he shrugged, lightly placing his hand over the long bandage.

“That damned prince,” Astrid muttered with a scowl. “He turned against us.”

“He turned against the entirety of Ophelia, siding with Oberon,” Arcturus said sharply. His hand was planted behind Eclipse on the ground, leaning in towards her.

“Despite being heavily outnumbered, they were likely going to win,” Andromeda mentioned softly, staring at the ground. “Why did they retreat?”

“That’s what’s bothering me as well,” Antares replied grimly.

“Could they be regrouping? Preparing for a second strike?” Cassiopeia suggested.

“I don’t think so,” Antares shook his head. “That was a full-scale retreat. It would be inconvenient for him if he planned to attack again so quickly.”

“All those people are dead,” whispered Andromeda. Everyone looked at her. “What was the point of him attacking? Why would…why would he do this?”

“A show of power?” guessed Eclipse.

That thought made her feel sick. All of that death for a show?

“What happened to Piere?” Antares unexpectedly asked, changing the subject. “I saw you two chasing after him earlier.”

Andromeda watched Arcturus stiffen near her, Cassiopeia pressing her lips together across from her.

“He…he’s dead,” Cassiopeia said curtly, her jaw tight.

Everyone went silent for a moment.

“You killed him?”

Arcturus nodded, releasing a shuddering breath. “He killed our friend. We didn’t think it through.” A pause. “But no one told us we would feel so horrible about it, even after what he did.”

No one made a sound as Andromeda took in his words. He was right. It had felt horrible. Her world was pooling with warriors and soldiers, fighting and killing almost effortlessly. Not once had someone told her how difficult it was to kill. How painful it was to watch a life fade away at one’s own hand.

Andromeda never thought she would ever be one to end a life, yet here she was. Haunted by a feeling she couldn’t shake away.

“Wait,” Astrid interrupted, her eyes narrowed as she put a hand up. “Quiet.”

The group stilled, Andromeda listening to the brush of leaves and the soft brays of the horses. What did Astrid hear?

“Someone’s coming,” she whispered, jumping to her feet. “Right towards us.”

Who could possibly be coming?

Her heart loud in her ears, Andromeda watched Astrid creep near the opening in the trees, a small blade in her hands. Yet, she lowered it as she stepped out.

“Orion?” she called out, and Andromeda felt another wave of relief wash over her. He had found them.

A few moments later, Orion rushed in with Astrid, his face red and panting heavily. The rain had almost thoroughly soaked him, sword tucked at his side. Streaks of dust clouded his slightly cracked spectacles.

“Thank the stars,” Cassiopeia let out, throwing her head back in a sigh. “Everyone’s here.”

“I need to tell you something,” Orion started hoarsely, but Astrid placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

“I almost thought you turned against us,” she said with a ghost of a smirk in her lips.

He shook his head vehemently. “No, I would never. But have you heard the news?”

A strange feeling began to creep up on Andromeda, Orion’s jitters making her uneasy.

“News? What news?” asked Eclipse.

He panted, his eyes fearful and urgent, before speaking.

“The Terris Court captain is dead. Captain Euphorion. The Ash army killed him.”

A sharp gasp, though she didn’t know from who. The whispers of the trees were joined by the group’s own mutterings.

Andromeda looked to Antares on instinct, but she noticed his face holding even more shock than the others, a blank stare as he looked at Orion.

Oh stars.

His father.

“No,” Astrid whispered grimly. “Do you know what this means?”

Everyone went silent as they turned to face her.

“The Ash Court has murdered the captain of another Court. They’re supposed to be allies. Tensions will escalate even further. If a full-scale war hasn’t broken out yet, it sure as hell will now.”

They had just been through an actual battle, and the horrors would live through each of them for the rest of their lives. Yet, all it led to was the death of a captain, Antares’ father. A full-scale war? How in all the stars would they survive that?

Andromeda looked at each of her friends, finding expressions of shock, confusion, even fear. Antares sat frozen in his spot, something flickering in his dark eyes.

“So this battle, all that effort,” Eclipse muttered, saying what everyone was thinking. “It was all for nothing?”

“We failed,” replied Astrid. “We were unable to prevent the very thing we fought to avoid. And now we have an even bigger problem on our hands.”

Her words echoed through the forest, Andromeda’s heart loud in her ears. The continuous rain seemed to grow heavier, thrumming hard against their grove.

We failed.