Everyone stares at the dead fae, and his words repeat in my ears.This won’t stop the fae from taking Orea.
Queen Kaila walks over, breaking the silence as she looks at her men. “We’re leaving. Ready yourselves.”
Ryatt snaps his attention toward her. “Leaving?”
“Yes,” she says, already striding for her timberwing. “You heard what he said. The fae aren’t going to stop. I fulfilled my part of the bargain with your king. Now I’m going back to my kingdom where I can defend my land and ready for the next onslaught.”
“We’ve just had a victory here,” Ryatt argues. “We need to press our advantage.”
Queen Kaila arches an imposing brow at him. “I helped at Breakwater Port, and at my brother’s insistence, I helped here as well. But I don’t seeyourking anywhere, Commander,” she says with a pointed look. “I fulfilled my promise.”
Before she can step away again, Manu comes forward and mutters in her ear. She gives him a sharp glance, but then the two of them start whispering heatedly back and forth.
I glare at Manu, my hands tightening into fists, my teeth grinding. He looks a lot better now than he did in the dungeons.
I should’ve knocked his teeth in.
“Stop it,” Rissa hisses with a jab of her elbow to my side.
I look down at her, and she arches her brows at me in challenge.
Yep. Fucking hard again.
“Fine,” I grumble.
When Kaila and Manu turn and walk back over, Kaila’s face has hardened. “My brother and advisor has suggested a different course of action,” she clips out, clearly unhappy with it, though her eyes move to Ryatt. “Third Kingdom will aid Orea.”
The relief in Ryatt is obvious as his shoulders loosen. “Thank you, Queen Kaila,” he says with a tip of his head.
“Don’t thank me,” she says harshly, brown eyes darting to her brother. “Thank Manu.” Her guards gather around her as she tosses her black braid over her shoulder, her silver chest plate covered with frost. “Now let’s discuss a plan, Commander, and we’ll see if we truly can save Orea.”
“We can,” Ryatt says nobly, and I have to hand it to him, he sounds like a hero through and through.
And right now, Orea really needs a fucking hero.
CHAPTER 28
SLADE
The dead land ends.
After miles, it finally gives way to an earth that still lives. The border between the two is like the jagged edge of a scab. One step, it’s the ashy, unnatural silt, and the next, it’s lush grass and centuries-old trees. Birds fly overhead, insects flock to low-hanging fruits, and the air no longer carries an edge of death.
We passed two cities on our way. No doubt they flourished at one time, but they’re nothing but empty ruins now. At one point, fae tried to build a wall in front of the encroaching decay, and I could sense echoes of magic also used to try to stop the spread.
But it didn’t work. The dead lands just kept reaching.
I haven’t let myself stop to rest or to slow down. Travel has been grueling, but my bond beckons. I know she’s here and I’m getting closer, so there’s no time to waste.
The Vulmin leading the way give me a wide berth. They continue to watch me warily, and they’re wise to do so. But finally, my destination comes into view.
The sprawling, beautiful land of Lydia.
It was once just one of the many kingdoms of Annwyn. Each territory had its own ruler, culture, protections. But theneverything changed, and the separate lands were ingested into the belly of one beast, bowing to a single monarch and falling under a united rule.
Across this stretch of green valley, I see Glassworth Palace where the monarch lays claim. It sits on a flat expanse of land, and a waterfall cascades off its sharp edge like syrup dripping off a plate.
The palace used to be made solely of stone that was riddled with stained glass windows to earn its name. Those stained glass walls and domed ceilings are still there, but it now has crystal spires and gemstones growing out of it. Its vibrancy spits in the face of the bereft land we just left, standing arrogant and vivid, when everything just miles away is a colorless corpse.
