“I didn’t want to assume.”
“You should assume,” Ahyana told me. “Always assume that we are with you.”
We decided that when we were done delaying the army, Suri and Io would share a horse so that Haemon and Xander could each have their own mount.
They climbed up onto their horses, and I went over to see them off.
“I’ll take care of Io,” I said to Xander.
“I know you will.”
“Be safe,” I said.
Say the words. Tell him.
But I didn’t want it like this. I would tell him. When we could be alone and the words could be just for him.
He leaned down to kiss me fiercely. “Do not die,” he ordered.
“I won’t.”
“I love you,” he said, making the bond resonate in my heart, and then he made a sound and his horse leapt forward, with Haemon’s close in pursuit.
Xander’s light grew dimmer with each passing moment.
I love you.
“What now?” Ahyana asked.
I turned back to face my sisters. “Now we go and see what kind of damage we can do to the Carian army.”
“Why are they using the earth dragons to pull up those trees?” I asked.
“Because that’s the only way to kill an olive tree,” Io said sadly. “Pulling it out by the roots. It takes a new olive tree so long to reach maturity—they are ruining the livelihoods of every Ilionian farmer from this area.”
We were on a ridge where we could easily see the Carian army in the valley below us. I couldn’t stop watching the dragons. They were so big, much bigger than I’d expected. Their scales resembled rocks and they looked like walking hills. Their long tails had a ball of spikes on the end, and I could only imagine the damage they could do with those.
What I couldn’t tell was how the Carians were controlling the dragons. How did they get them to do what they wanted?
Xander had been right. Those dragons were going to knock down the walls of Troas like they were toys. I didn’t understand why Artemisia’s former general had been concerned about breaching the walls.
Unless there was something that would make it harder for them to control the dragons during battle.
“How are you supposed to stop a dragon?” Ahyana asked.
“With another dragon,” Zalira responded.
But the only other dragon we had was Luna, who sat perched on my shoulder, even though she barely fit. She snorted derisively several times and it made me think she didn’t like the earth dragons.
“Let’s see what we can do to stop them,” Io said. We had all drunk fortification potions and agreed not to power each other so that we would retain our strength. We would take turns trying to slow down the army.
Io knelt on the ground, putting her hands flat out in front of her. “Dea Khloe.”
I watched as roots erupted out of the ground in the valley and wrapped around the dragons’ legs. While it seemed to frighten them initially, they just stepped forward and snapped the roots.
“It’s not working,” Ahyana told Io.
“I know,” she said.
