“Our plan is unchanged.” He strokes my hair. “The miners won’t be exhausted. They’ll be stronger than ever. But our plan is still the same. We have to fight for what we want.” He looks around at the Phalanx. “That’s nothing new for us.”
“Aye.” Grayhail pats his warhammer.
Brannon stops drumming his fingers. “This may not be a battle we can win, but I’d sure like to find out.”
“I think I’ll choose the bear form.” Thorn smiles. “I haven’t ripped anyone apart in a while.”
“I’m ready.” Chastain’s face is solemn but steady. “This battle will decide if freedom is just a dream or the new reality.”
“I fight.” Parnon shows his fists.
Why does that simple phrase from him warm my heart now? I used to think it meant Parnon was a simpleton. Now I know it’s just part of who he is. There’s so much more there, and I realize how lucky I am to call him a friend.
“Who gets to ride the wyvern I saw outside?” Valen asks. “Me? It’s me, right?”
“The bull hasn’t let anyone ride him.” Gareth’s tone verges on cocky. So much so that my ladybits go all tingly and warm. “But he and I are about to come to terms.”
“We have our battle plan.” Silmaran rises. “I’ll rally the troops and leave them to your command, Gareth.”
“May the Ancestors bless us.” He rises and sets me on my feet.
We all repeat the phrase, the sound reverberating as the first rays of the sun peak into the room.
I cling to him, the knowledge that this may be the last time I see him settling inside me like a dagger.
He pulls me away and back to our bedroom. Once inside, he just holds me.
I try not to cry. I want to be brave for him, but he can sense my distress. So, he holds me. And I calm. It takes a while, but I tamp down the fear and let the love shine through instead. He’s going into battle. He needs to know that he takes my love with him, that he always will.
“I believe in you.” I say it against his tear-wet chest. “You are my heart, and you will prevail.”
He kisses my crown. “I have you, my beloved. I’ve already won.”
A fresh tingle pricks behind my eyes. “Are you trying to make me cry or what?”
He laughs, the sound rolling through me. “I’m only telling the truth. Remember our bargain?”
I look up at him, his eyes flecked with gold from his feral. “Do you love me?”
The magic snaps tight between us.
“More than I’ve ever loved anything in my long life.” He kisses me.
“And I love you.” I satisfy the vow we made and kiss him despite my tears. “Come back to me,” my soul whispers to his. “Come back to me.”
19
Gareth
“His name is Calasterno, if you’ll remember.” Iridiel walks in a circle around me as I stare up at the wyvern.
“Does he understand me?”
“Yes.” The unicorn stops behind me. “But that doesn’t mean he likes you.”
The air is thick with malice even though the sun has risen bright and clear. In the near distance, the plume of dust rises as Cenet’s horde approaches. Our forces will meet within the hour, and this is only the beginning.
I pull the golden statue from the pack at my side. “I brought a bribe.”
