It took me days to finally put on my armor. To get out of bed and bathe and stand on my own two feet and feel the bones struggle to hold my weight. My last set of armor had been left behind in the underworld, so I was given a new set.
It was identical to what I’d worn before, except the vambraces were intact.
I was given a new sword as well, but instead of it possessing Khazmuda’s scales, it had Zehemoth’s.
I forced myself to leave the villa. Forced myself to go to the castle and face the evil forces that had come for us head on. I assumed my father would be in the study, so that was where I headed, but I hesitated in the doorway when I saw him.
In the black armor of the Southern Isles, the Rothschild crest in the center with the dragon soaring above it, he was taller than my father, the pieces of armor on his arms and shoulders bigger than anyone else’s.
He didn’t notice me right away, standing at the table and looking down at the large map on the table my father had hardly ever used since I could remember. But now, his study was a war room.
Callum’s eyes subtly flicked to the door, clearly expecting someone else, but they immediately hardened at the sight of me. He grasped me in his hold without touching me, the energy from his presence quickly changing when I breathed the same air as him.
My father noticed Callum’s distraction and followed his gaze to where I stood by the door. “Lily, everyone else will be here any minute.”
My father’s voice snapped me out of my reverie, and I approached the table at my father’s side, across from Callum. I looked at the map that was weighed down in the corners by little wooden statues of dragons, and I surveyed the other dragon pieces my father had placed on the map to denote different locations.
I focused on that map as hard as I could and tried to ignore Callum across from me, but being in the same room with him was like trying to breathe in smoke without having to cough. When the tension became too much, I lifted my eyes to his face.
He stared at me the same way he always had, like I was a painting.
I flicked my gaze away again in embarrassment, but I felt his stare anyway as if he couldn’t care less.
Footsteps sounded from outside, and Hawk walked in first, followed by Aunt Eldinar and her husband, General Ezra, along with my mother. Some of the commanders came in too, and we took our places around the table.
Viper was the last one to step inside.
It was one of the rare times I was in the room with both men at once.
When I looked at Callum’s expression to see his reaction to Viper, he was looking at me as if nothing had changed. As if he didn’t care about anyone else in the room but me.
Aunt Eldinar led the meeting. “Callum, where do you think the portal will open? Last time, it was in Riviana Star. Do you think it’ll be the same location?”
Callum finally took his eyes off me. “They don’t seek the Realm of Caelum, so I believe their focus will be here.”
“But can they open the portal anywhere they choose?” Uncle Ezra asked.
Callum nodded. “I believe so. What they want is here, so they’ll hit us first. If they defeat us, they’ll occupy the mortal world and harvest every soul they collect to replenish what they lost. They know taking the Realm of Caelum will require additional resources, so they’ll recover before Leviathan challenges Riviana.”
“What do they want that’s here?” I asked, addressing Callum directly.
Callum held my stare.
“They want revenge against all of us,” my father said. “For rescuing both you and Callum. Their prides and egos are bruised.”
“The Southern Isles is a poor choice for a battle,” Aunt Eldinar said. “With the cliffs up high and the village and valleys below surrounded by the sea, it’ll be difficult to anticipate our enemies. It’s not an easy place to defend or claim.”
“The dragons will be instrumental in this,” Uncle Ezra said. “Dragons are the offspring of the earth. They’re the greatest opponents to the demons and everything else below.”
“I’d rather not risk the dragons we have left,” Dad said. “But we don’t have a choice.”
Aunt Eldinar turned her hard gaze on Callum before she looked at my father once more. “Will Callum’s involvement be an issue?”
My father held her gaze for a while before he answered. “Right now, it’s just about survival. We can sort out their differences later.”
“I’m leaving for my kingdom as soon as this meeting has concluded,” Viper said. “I’ll petition my king for his army, but I suspect his answer will be no. You should recruit all your allies in this endeavor because it’s unlikely you’ll be able to rely on our aid.”
“The outcome of the battle affects us all,” Aunt Eldinar said. “And you feel uncertainty?”
