They came to a stop in front of me, and Calyx frowned. “Playing with the dead, Princess?”
I ignored him. “Why are we repairing the watchtowers?”
At the sound of my voice, Levi broke contact with Eliza and strode forward, his long blond hair flowing in the hellish breeze. “Because you need a proper base now, Lilith. The dragon destroyed ours, so why not use this one? It’s defensible. Supply caches built in. Even comes with barracks. You have an army now. We need to house them.”
“What he said,” Calyx intoned.
“It won’t fit them all, but some are better than none,” Rathiel commented.
Until they started fighting each other for the right to one of the rooms.
“But thanks to our siege, the outpost now needs some work,” Rathiel continued. “Walls need shoring. The watchtowers need rebuilding. Essentially, we need to fix everything we broke. And we still haven’t inspected the western half.” He pointed toward the empty cage. “But Levi’s right. This is as good as any other place.”
Their logic made sense. My army waited beyond the stone walls, restless and loud. Sleeping out in the open wasn’t defensible. Here, we had gates, towers, walls—things that would help keep us alive. Things that gave me more control.
“Alright,” I agreed. “Then we make this our new home.” I faced Levi and Eliza. “You two—take Calyx and head back to camp. Collect everything you can, including Purrgy and Vol.”
Eliza’s eyes went wide, and she stared at me like I’d just sentenced her to death. My lips twitched.
“Me?” she squeaked. “With…them?”
I arched a brow. “Yes. You. With them.” I couldn’t send just Calyx and Levi. They’d likely kill each other along the way. Sending Eliza would force them to play nicely—well, nicer. I could have sent Rathiel in place of one of them, but I wanted him here, where we could discuss the possibility of me raising all the dead soldiers. And right now, that was a conversation for his ears only.
Levi smirked. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”
Calyx scoffed—loudly—and rolled his eyes. “Didn’t realize she needed a bodyguard.”
A low laugh slipped from Levi’s lips, one that sounded almost cruel. “Jealous, Calyx?”
“Hardly. We both know I’ll be the one saving her ass if shit goes sideways.”
I blinked—was this actually happening right now?
“Ooh,” came a smoother voice. “An angel fight? Over a girl? This I gotta see.”
I glanced over to find Calder approaching, with Varz and Gorr at his side.
Sighing, I planted my hands on my hips. “Are you two done comparing your dicks? Or do you want me to give you a few more minutes?”
Eliza made a sound halfway between a groan and a laugh. Levi shot me an annoyed glance, but Calyx just laughed.
“Go,” I told them. “The sooner you leave, the sooner you’re back. And the sooner I don’t have to listen to whatever this is.”
They’d taken a few steps when I called Eliza’s name.
She stopped dead, then turned back with a glare black enough to peel skin. It took every bit of my willpower to keep from laughing.
“If you have to choose between Vol and Purrgy?—”
“I know, choose Purrgy,” she said, rolling her eyes.
I winked at her, knowing she would bring them both back.
“And Levi?”
He half-turned, his grin almost sadistic. Clearly, he was enjoying ruffling Calyx’s feathers.
“Try not to kill each other along the way.”
