Lu groans and frowns into her empty cup. “He’s going to be insufferable.”
“When is he not?” Osrik says with a cocked brow.
Chuckling, I push away my plate of food and then glance around at everyone. “Listen,” I say, sobering. “We’ve had strategy, timing, and fucking luck on our side so far. But we don’t know what we’re walking into when we get to Seventh.”
They chew on my words as much as their food.
“But even though our numbers are down, we’re in the best possible position we could be in. We’re so fucking close I can taste it. If we can pull this off, then the rest of Orea won’t become what Highbell and Ranhold have.”
Osrik shrugs. “Then we fucking pull it off.”
Everyone nods and I lift my cup in a toast. “We fucking pull it off.”
Because if we don’t, all of this was for nothing.
When we gather at Highbell’s barracks, the yard is already full of growling, antsy timberwings. King Thold is with his Elites, Queen Kaila with hers. The Wrath with ours. A group of Second soldiers decided to stay with us too, with their fleet of beasts.
Everyone is dressed in full armor, save for Manu, who’s staying behind here in Highbell with the rest of the survivors.
I’ve counted heads multiple times. We’re nearly a hundred strong, and we’re lucky we’ve managed to scrape together this much after all our combined losses. But a hundred isn’t a lot. Unless Slade managed to clear Seventh too, we could be vastly outnumbered. Especially considering we’re traveling to the source of the invasion.
I don’t know if it’ll be enough. But we have tomake itbe enough.
Like Osrik said, we fucking pull it off.
And we do it with what we’ve got.
CHAPTER 47
EMONIE
A sudden lurch beneath memakes my eyes pop open in alarm, and I become instantly awake. I’m nearly sent sprawling as someone hefts up the back of the prisoner’s cart. I start to roll, but I reach out and grip the metal bars to stop myself before I slam against the other side. I hold on until the cart is dropped back down, and I curse beneath my breath from the jolt.
I’ve been in here for a couple days now, and my body is sore all over. I look over at the fae who knocked me around so unceremoniously and realize he’s hitched the cart to a pair of harnessed horses.
Things stalled after the veined fae died, so everything was at a bit of a standstill. The king has probably been figuring out how to deal with Lydia and Orea at the same time. But maybe this means the contingent is finally going to be heading back toward the capital like he wanted.
I eye the fae as he checks the horse’s harnesses, and when he starts to leave, I call out to him. “Hey, I’m hungry, and I need some water.”
At least they let me out to relieve myself a couple times, but that’s been the entirety of their hospitality.
The soldier turns to look at me and then comes over. “Yeah?” He stops in front of me, leering at me in my revealing dress. Then he spits in my face, almost right into my mouth.
Lovely.
“There,” he says as I flinch in disgust. “Enjoy.” He turns and walks away with a laugh.
“What a complete bastard,” I grumble as I wipe his spit away.
I hear noises ahead, and sure enough, it looks like I’m at the very back of the gathered Stone Swords who are starting to march toward Lydia.
They’re taking me with them, and that part is quite convenient, since it means I’ll be back in the city with the Vulmin. But they’re taking me to beburned alive, and that part is not so convenient.
But it’s just an obstacle I have to figure out how to get around. Simple. Easy.
I can handle this.
Chewing on my lip, I look around, watching the camp, trying to come up with a plan. After a few more minutes, a burst of voices draws my attention toward the buildings, and King Carrick comes striding out. Unfortunately, all my finger crossing was for nothing except a cramp in my hand. The goddesses have not, in fact, blessed us with his demise.
