We walked in silence toward the front of the camp. The Fae stood shoulder to shoulder, some with heads high, some glancing nervously around them. Lana raised her chin, taking in the sight of her people. “Fae of Atheria,” she said, her voice amplified outward on the winds. “I know you’re scared. That’s okay. There can be no bravery without fear.” She looked out, taking in the army that gathered at her request.
The vast number of Fae who believed in the message flooding across Brookmere to rally against the darkness still took my breath away.
“You’ve heard us say what we’re fighting for, what we need to do. You wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t. But let me remind you, we are defending our homes. Andras tried to crush Brookmere, making it weak under his control. But you prevailed.Weprevailed.”
A few shouts rose up, chanting with confidence.
“You resisted the darkness. You fought alongside us in Ellevail. You traveled hundreds of miles to join us. You’ve already proven yourselves to be courageous. Now Thames wants to do what Andras couldn’t.”
“Never,” a few cried out to more cheers.
I stared at my mate, my heart and soul. She was everything I could have ever imagined for myself. I didn’t deserve her or her valor. Her love was the greatest gift of my life. Standing here, taking in the way she commanded an army, the way they wereas enraptured by her as I was, made me think of the legends that would be written of this moment. Stories passed down for generations about Illiana Dresden.
“He will not succeed,” she shouted. “On my life, he will not succeed this day. Take the bravery you’ve already shown and use it. Let it build. Stand united with me. We will defend our home and each other. We are stronger than the darkness. We are stronger together than the dark ones and evil will ever be.”
Whooping and hollering rang through the crowd. Some of the army threw their magic upward, sparks bursting in the sky, cool winds sweeping among the troops and the earth rumbled, as they embraced Lana’s words.
The clouds cleared overhead, and light shone down on our army. Lana looked to the sky, her eyes glassy as she basked in the sunlight, savoring its warmth. Eventually she tilted her head back down to her people, and the rays of sun caressing her skin made her look ethereal. I swallowed down the lump growing in my throat. This woman was everything.
A force.
A savior.
Mine.
“Nature is with us. If the root of our magic is with us, who could possibly stand against us?”
She drew her sword, raising it toward the sky. “For Atheria, we fight!”
Our soldiers drew their blades in unison, chanting, “For Atheria, we fight,” as our battle cry.
I drew my own blade from my back and joined in.
Lana stood, chin raised, chanting along with her people.
And when her brilliant blue gaze met mine, I shouted louder, letting my pride shine through both my words and actions.
“For Atheria, we fight!”
Chapter 39
Kade
Athunderous echo of hatred reverberated across the void before we even saw Thames’s army.
When they appeared, the sheer magnitude of the force rippled over our soldiers, and the confidence Lana had worked to build faltered. We were vastly outnumbered.
“Steady!” Lana shouted, allowing her voice to carry as it had before.
Thames’s army marched forward, not halting until they were halfway through the void. The masses cheered, taunting and shouting at our troops.
The calm that always came over me before a battle settled my nerves, allowing me to take in as much detail as possible. My gaze shifted over the enemy until I caught sight of him.
Thames.
He marched in the middle of his army before raising his hands and rising off the ground. I couldn’t even be sure what the core of his magic was at this point.
“Fae of Atheria, you have been deceived,” his cold voice sounded around us, and there was a part of me wondering if people could hear him all throughout the land. “The darkness I offer is not the evil you’ve been told it is.” The grin on his facedid nothing to hide the monster inside of him. “It will bring you strength. It will enhance your magic. Don’t you want to know what real power feels like? Especially those of you who have been burdened under the weight of being less than for so long.”
