I gave a watery chuckle and stepped back. Immediately, Yarina, Sigrid, and Bruna engulfed me in a big, sweaty hug. Theywere bloodied, their clothes torn, and they held a few fractured weapons, but they were beaming.
Daire waved to me from a mansion stoop where Jek leaned heavily on him, a bloody wound on his leg and Nikella’s spear still in his hand.
They were all alive. Gods, I could hardly believe it.
We did it, Mother. We finally won.
“Are we secure?” Aiden asked, coming up behind me.
Maz nodded. “We were already winning when the bridge exploded. The rest of the Wolves ran for the Noble Quarter gate.”
Henry jogged up to us, his uniform torn and a bloody scratch on his neck. “We routed the Wolves from the city, killing who we could.”
“Good,” Aiden said. “We’ll send out a warning for any who escaped. Their reign, as well as Renwell’s, has ended.”
Henry gave a slight bow, startling me.
That was when I noticed how all the other soldiers were staring at Aiden. With hope and respect in their eyes. Shedding enemy blood and protecting each other in battle would do that.
The snap of fabric drew my attention upward. An older soldier carried a strange flag that danced above the gruesome Noble Quarter. Strange, yet so familiar.
A falcon, a pair of clasped hands, and the half sun of Rellmira gathered on the field of deep violet. It was a flag that proclaimed Aiden’s royal heritage and what he stood for. From the looks of the surrounding soldiers, he had won over a fair amount of the garrison from the city walls and gates.
His claim to the throne was no longer an idea. It was reality. It was his.
I shifted the slightest bit away from him, wary of what people might think to see me so close to the future king.
Aiden glanced down at me, his brow furrowed, but he said nothing.
Henry’s eyes widened as he realized who was standing before him. “Delysia?” he asked desperately.
“Alive,” I said with a tight smile. “But in the palace with no way for us to cross over.”
He released a heavy breath, his shoulders dropping. “Thank the Four. We will find a way to cross, I promise you.”
“I’ll construct a rope bridge immediately,” Aiden said, his gaze never leaving the side of my face.
I nodded, my throat tight.
I hadn’t seen any Wolves in the palace, only guards. Hopefully, Everett and Delysia would be safe there.
A soldier approached, older and weather-beaten with a stiff spine. He wore a captain’s badge. “Shall I declare the city safe, King Aiden?”
Another tremor shook my heart. He wasn’t crowned yet, but these men clearly assumed that was just a formality.
Aiden nodded. “Have any able-bodied soldiers spread the word. Tell them the city is ours. That we will celebrate soon, but right now we need food, medicine, and shelter for the wounded. And a pyre for those we lost.”
I slipped away as they continued speaking. There was one person I needed to share the good news with.
I picked my way across the bloody battlefield that seemed so at odds with its noble surroundings. Faces peered down at me from polished windows, but I ignored them.
Passing the bronze dancer, I brushed my fingers over her foot just as the doors ofThe Silk Dancerburst open.
Melaena stood framed in the doorway, her usually flowing curls pinned into a tight bun. Gone were her silks, replaced by supple leather and a knife at her hip.
Tears pearled in her blue eyes as she stared down at me. “Is it... Did we...”
I nodded.
