“Let me guess,” I said with a soft laugh, “one part is the land of the Guardians.”
His smile grew broader. “Excellent guess. But yes, it grows here and the Delfora. It can boost energy threefold and give us all an edge before we head into battle tomorrow.”
"It can also have the same effect as alcohol on humans," Reece warned. “Thankfully, the more negative influences will be out of our system by the new-moon, leaving only the extra energy. So, just beware for now.”
Darin clapped him on the shoulder before quickly retrieving his hand at the look the desert god shot his way. "Reece is correct. If you sleep off the effects, it will definitely be worth it in the new-moon."
Reaching down, I ran my hand over my blades, calming at the touch of metal. The impending battle had us all on edge, but we shouldn’t waste time when we could be discussing strategy. “We need to leave in the early hours of the new-moon,” I said, “if we want to have a shot at reaching the Delfora at the same time or, hopefully, a little before Tsuma and the others.”
“As long as we beat the power moon,” Reece said, “they will have no advantage.”
A moon we were only guessing about the time of arrival
There’s only so much we can plan,Galleli said. Darin and others jumped, but they didn’t say a word against his form of communication.At this point, we’ve just got to do our best and let the sands fall where they are destined to lie.
“Cryptic and somewhat terrifying, as per usual,” Lucien said with a snort.
The food started to arrive then, and the conversations down the table switched to more lighthearted topics as everyone focused on refueling. All of us had been on rations by the end of our trip down the sand rivers, so this fresh array of energy-restoring foods was most welcome.
"We even had some high-quality plasma brought in for you," Darin said to Lucien. "It took a few days to trade for it, and it’s not going to be as good as what you get on Valdor, but it should sustain you for this battle."
Lucien lifted the glass cup that had been placed before him a few minutes ago, and as he took a sip, his face relaxed. "This is perfect. Same as what we had on the ship."
Already his color was more golden, skin shining as his cells sucked in the freshly harvested energy he required to keep regenerating. Alistair was the same, seemingly flush in water here, his curls no longer dull and limp, skin without a single flake. Stopping might have cost us some time, but in the end, we were heading into this battle at our strongest.
An advantage I knew from experience could spell the difference between life and death.
Focusing on the fruits before me, I filled my plate to assuage the ache in my stomach that now required physical sustenance. We also cracked open the fae seeds Galleli had brought from the boat, sharing the contents with any who wanted to try them. I split the shell and lifted out a small, brown seed. Sniffing it, I found it had a slight chocolate scent. Mera had said that her favorite food originated from a tree, and it seemed that this seed was very similar.
Only this tree originated in Faerie and was almost as rare as the desert flower. The princeps had showed their support for our mission by including these nearly priceless seeds in our storage—as much as Darin did sharing the elixir with us. Everyone was putting in their all to win this war.
“Will the seeds and elixir have any odd effect together?” I asked as I swallowed the seed, which had almost no taste but did leave a burning path down my chest until it settled in my center. Tingles sparked under my skin, my blood soon buzzing as I was filled with a sense of power and freedom.
“Together they will heighten each other and inflate both negative and positive symptoms of the power boosts,” Reece said, his lips twitching. “It could get wild around here tonight.”
Already feeling that, I laughed louder than normal, happy to feel this buzz if it meant that tomorrow we’d be successful.
We had a true chance, and even if there were no guarantees in life, I was determined that this time, no bones would be left in these lands.
43
Despite the underlying tension that continued to exist between Reece and Darin, the rest of the dinner went by with relative calm as we ate, drank, and focused on strategies for the new-moon. By the time we were full and ready for whatever tomorrow would bring, I marveled at the true calm I felt. It wasn’t unusual; I’d often found a sense of peace when the battle was close and no more planning or training could take place. One way or another, this would all be over soon.
The elixir arrived just as everyone was done eating, small glasses filled with its milky substance. “Drink it slowly," Reece warned us as he lifted his. “It’s been known to drop powerful beings on their asses.” With a smirk, he threw it back in one gulp. Arrogant bastard.
I stared at the cloudy, pink liquid before lifting it to my nose to find it smelled like a more potent version of purple desert flowers, which were probably a hybrid version of this much rarer plant.
Breathing in deeply, I threw the liquid back in one shot and gasped at the duality of sweet-fire burning down my throat and into my center, joining the seed.
Reece let out a low laugh beside me. "You don't have to do the opposite of what I say to prove a point. I promise, nothing bad will happen if you just take my word for it."
I couldn’t answer at first, too busy dealing with the heat expanding in my body, sapping my breath. Eventually all that energy settled, joining the well of power that I’d been holding from the Honor Meadows.
"You shot it in one go,” I reminded him when I could talk again. “Not to mention I’ve never blindly taken another’s orders. You know me better than that.” I crossed my arms as my head spun. “Taking orders is not in my nature, just like having a true mate isn’t in yours.”
Well, shit. Seemed that the power items were already loosening my tongue. Reece looked amused as he leaned back on his cushion, arms braced to either side, making him look even larger. The only outward sign of the elixir affecting him was the slightest tinge of pink in his cheeks, which just made him more handsome. "Seems my little Lale has something to say to me.” He laughed. “Never been a better time than right now, with your barriers down.”
"Doyouhave something to say to me?" I shot back.
