For a moment, she thought he might intervene. She braced for an argument, a warning that it was too dangerous, that she was leading them to their death.
But instead, he held back, and something unexpected glinted in his expression—pride.
Beneath the fierce determination in his gaze was an unspoken acknowledgement, a silent vow of support.
Her breath caught as the weight of his approval settled over her. The man who’d always protected her was standing with her this time, letting her rise as a leader.
She turned back to Danaos, her voice sharp with fury. “Are you really going to let the Rasennans get away with what they’ve done?”
Danaos stiffened, clearly unprepared for her direct challenge—or for the ripple of support it stirred in the ranks. His eyes swept over the soldiers, taking in their quiet, expectant stares. The shift in the air was unmistakable. They weren’t waiting on him anymore.
They were waiting on her.
His jaw worked, reluctance plain, but at last he gave a curt nod. “They say the Omega is chosen by the gods,” he said, hisvoice edged with grudging acceptance. Then, lower, meant for her alone: “Make sure they’re with us today, or none of us will be going home.”
Straightening, he faced his soldiers. “The Omega has spoken,” he barked, hesitation gone from his tone. “We move! Let’s track those bastards down and bring our people back!”
The response was instant—a roar of voices, armour clattering, weapons raised high. What had moments ago been a weary, soot-streaked crowd now bristled with purpose.
The fire in their eyes matched the one burning in Alena’s chest.
The hunt had begun.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
LEUKOS
“There.” Leukos pointed ahead. Beside him, Theo pushed up onto his elbows, brushing dust from his cheek to get a clearer view.
From their perch on the hillside, they had a perfect vantage of the valley, the dense forest beyond, and the Rasennan camp arranged in a tight square. Even at a distance, Leukos saw the neat rows of tents, soldiers moving like ants between palisade posts and half-dug trenches. “The cohort’s camped in the valley just as you said, and they’re building fortifications already.”
On his other side, Alena shifted against the hard ground. “Do they really build palisades and dig ditches every night?”
A cold wind swept down from the north, slicing through Leukos’ cloak and carrying with it the faint scent of lilies from her oiled hair. He kept his eyes fixed on the camp, but drew the breath in deeper.
“Every night,” Theo said, forearms braced against the unyielding earth. “That’s the legion’s way—always digging in, always ready for attack.”
Alena’s gaze lingered on the camp below, green eyes blazing with the same fire that had kept him alive since the massacre. The devastation the First had left in its wake had seared them all, yet she hadn’t bent beneath it. She’d taken ruin and turned it into resolve, rallying soldiers to hunt those responsible.
Leukos had watched her from afar, a strange sense of pride stirring within him.
“Sounds like a waste of time to me,” the Amazon drawled from her spot, her lone eye surveying the enemy camp. “We’re going to slit their throats, wooden fence or not.”
Her bluntness startled the others. Leukos only shook his head, quietly relieved she was on their side.
Nik cleared his throat. “Well, on those inspiring words, let’s head back.”
They eased away from the ridgeline, crawling backwards before slipping down the slope towards their camp tucked in a cluster of trees and juniper bushes. Since leaving the burned village, they’d tracked the cohort on horseback—the wolves leading with unerring noses, Theo reading the Rasennan strategy like a map.
Riding had proved easier than Leukos expected, a small relief amid the tension. His training kept his ice magic from harming the bay gelding beneath him. None of the soldiers knew about his struggle to keep his Gift in check—and he intended to keep it that way.
Danaos and Despoina had ferried the survivors back to the palace, and by the time Leukos and the others reached the rendezvous point below the hill, the twins were already back—with fresh men, horses, two elderly healers, and a handful of Rhaetic language potions for those who needed them.
Leukos recalled taking one as a child while studying the enemy Empire with Galen. He had never enjoyed speaking their harsh tongue and rarely used it. He’d noticed Phoebe quietlyrequest a vial from a healer, only to pass it to Alena, who swallowed it with a grimace.
Just then, Danaos called for everyone’s attention. They gathered around a broad slab of stone serving as a table. Leukos relayed what they’d seen, and Theo bent over the rock, sketching a rough map of the area onto a scroll.
“So—here’s the plan,” Theo said, his voice cutting through the murmur of the camp. “The Rasennans are dug in at the forest’s edge. Instead of a full palisade, they’re using the trees as a natural wall to the east.” He tapped the parchment. “My guess? The prisoners are here, on the eastern side, furthest from the western gate.”
