I let the cloak of night drop as I stepped forward, startling two Rise Guards coming down the battlement. One dropped the quiver he carried, sending bloodstone-tipped arrows rolling across the wall. The other let out a short yelp. I raised an eyebrow as the first guard recovered, hastily picking up the spilled projectiles.
“Was that necessary?” Kieran demanded.
Dragging my stare back to him, I didn’t miss the measure of relief loosening the tight lines bracketing his mouth as he saw that there was no need for the hood. I looked like myself.
“Was what necessary?” I countered, ignoring the bland look he shot me as I crossed the battlement to join them at the wall.
Looking down, I saw Craven, struck down by arrows, scattered at the foot of the Rise, their bodies draped over one another. My gaze lifted, looking farther out, past the trenches to where the mist was expanding, having already blotted out the view of the southern edges of the Blood Forest. Twisted shadows moved within the mist.
“Cas.”
I turned my head to Kieran and raised my brows.
His gaze dipped to my mouth and then rose. “You have blood on your lips.”
“Blood that smells of a god,” Attes commented, crossing his arms over his chest.
I swiped my tongue across my lower lip. The sound of his sigh pulled at the corners of my mouth.
Kieran turned back to the mist. “I’m assuming you had another visitor.”
“I did.”
“I suppose we now know why there is a horde of Craven amassing outside the Rise,” he commented.
“I suppose,” I murmured, scanning the mist.
“Did you happen to learn anything from the visitor?” Attes asked. “Or did you lose your patience again?”
“I was patient.” The thought of the god’s taunts sent a pulse of icy eather through me. “Until I wasn’t.” I placed my hands on the ledge of the Rise, aware of Murin nearing the parapet. “I didn’t learn anything new.”
“Your Majesty.” He bowed slightly. When I said nothing, he cleared his throat, turning his attention to Attes and Kieran. “Do we know what led the Craven here?”
“Kolis,” Attes answered.
The essence flared stronger as I heard Aylard swallow and listened to his heart rate pick up.
“Is he here?” Aylard asked, his voice level despite the pounding of his heart.
“No. He doesn’t need tobehere to lead them here,” Attes reminded the general as Kieran shifted so his shoulder rested against mine. “Kolis controls all that is dead. Even the living dead.”
A sound came, drawing our attention to the mist. It was a low howl of insatiable hunger that rose into a shrill wail. The sound came again and again as a horn blew, warning the city of an incoming attack.
Not that the already-silent city needed to be warned.
All along the Rise, archers shifted, waiting for their orders. The other generals on the Rise, aware of my presence, stayed quiet. I could feel Kieran’s stare on me.
“They can be taken care of easily.” I looked at him. A muscle along his jaw throbbed. “You could’ve already taken care of this. Both of you could have.”
Kieran said nothing.
What I said was the truth. He had enough eather to level half the Craven out there on the field. So did Attes.
“Go ahead,” I said, a smile playing across my lips. “Say what you want to say.”
Kieran’s gaze slid to mine, the golden aura behind his pupils pulsing.
“Just because I can, doesn’t mean I should.” I mimicked his flat affect.
