A godsdamned hero, if you will.
And not just to the rebels in Norun but his friends in Khero too. Today the final shipment of weapons had been smuggled to the rebel forces in the southeastern cities of Norun, and tomorrow the battle would begin. Lex’s spies had relayed that King Darius’ reinforcements were just north of where the rebels would attack, which meant they’d never make it to Khero.
In one fell swoop, Lex would practically save the whole damn world. He wouldn’t be surprised if his portrait ended up in one of those fancy textbooks Larylis was always reading. If so, he’d be sure to send him one, just to boast.
He puffed his chest as he grinned at the small crowd gathered on the battlement atop the wall that marked the border between Norun and Tomas. He used to hate this bloody wall. Not because it wasn’t effective; it was. Up until now, his kingdom had avoided all conflict with Norun. Tomas was known as a kingdom of cowards, ruled by a monarch who’d rather hide behind a wall than engage in any form of violence. Lex’s kingdom was so unremarkable that Isvius Dorsus, King of Norun, hadn’t shown an ounce of interest in conquering it.
Which meant he wouldn’t expect what was coming for him tomorrow.
Lex’s father, Carrington Quil, the renowned coward king himself, had agreed to send a battalion to aid the fights closest to the border. See? Not so much a coward now, thanks to Lex being utterly bloody brilliant. So what if all Lex had done was secure a trade agreement for Aromir wool? It had been enough to get Carrington to stop fawning over Lex’s crybaby brother, who only fed their father’s fear of conflict. That little slip of paper promising Tomas inclusion into one of the most coveted trade agreements on the continent was exactly what Carrington had needed to bolster his confidence and convince him to finally aid the rebellion of his former neighbors.
Now those soldiers stared up at the person giving them their pre-battle pep talk, moved to tears by the speaker’s words.
That speaker was not Lex.
It was his wife.
His tiny spitfire. His sweet little hellion. His beautiful demon with the voice of an angel. The true hero of the rebellion and savior of the world.
Yeah, Lex couldn’t take any of that credit. It belonged fully to her.
Lily wore partial armor and a billowing white gown, the epitome of a warrior angel. Her auburn hair was curled in an elegant updo that put her round cheeks on full display. The softness of her form and the sweetness of her looks paired with her vicious words were an oddly alluring contrast.
“Tomorrow, we will fight to take back the kingdoms of Haldor and Sparda,” she shouted. She may be quiet most of the time, but gods above, she could project when she wanted. Her uncle, the former King of Sparda, stood beside her and proudly nodded. Lex, standing on her other side, nodded even prouder. “We will punish Norun for underestimating those they perceive as weak. We will show them that even the smallest rodents bear formidable teeth.”
A cheer went through the crowd of soldiers, and Lex tried his best not to swoon. Gods, his wife was adorable. She looked so much like she had when they’d reunited after the Heart’s Hunt. Lily hadn’t wanted to speak to him back then, for there was that whole bit about him competing for another woman’s hand, but he’d had a valid explanation. He’d just needed to find her first. Which he had. Standing behind a podium at a secret rally, giving a speech much like this one, encouraging the rebels to maintain hope. That their time would soon come. All they’d needed were weapons.
Lex had fallen in love with her thrice over while he’d listened to her speech, and after he’d managed to convince her he wasn’t pure swine for having participated in the Heart’s Hunt, he’d promised to bring her vision to life.
He was honored that the time had come.
She raised her voice and pounded a fist against her breastplate. “Tomorrow, we will stand upon the corpses of our enemies and bathe in their blood!”
Another cheer rose from the crowd, its pitch near deafening.
Lily blushed and grinned from ear to ear like the wicked little cherub she was.
Seven devils, he’d never loved her more.
52
Cora greeted the North Tower Library not with the affection of a friend but the respect of an old enemy. She stepped inside the circular space and found it just as impotent as ever. It was merely a dim, moonlit room, clean enough to prove it was well maintained but with a staleness that spoke of having very few visitors.
She slowly stalked the perimeter of the room with her head held high, not bothering to skirt away from the shadows that gathered in the darkest corners. She swept past pools of moonlight and shadow, as if they were one and the same, and remembered how far she’d come. Just like she’d done the night before her wedding, when she’d awoken from that fiery nightmare, she was here to remind herself of the enemy she’d already defeated. Of the dark energy she’d banished from every object in this room.
Morkai was gone.
Soon Darius would be too.
She’d returned from El’Ara ten days ago, her alliance with the Elvyn secured along with a plan for their ambush. By now, all the pieces should be in place. Larylis and his soldiers were posted in the woods, some near the ambush location, others ready to defend the real tear. Ailan should have sent some of her Elvyn soldiers to join them. Ailan herself would be waiting in the Blight near the tear for the signal that it was time for her to face Darius. The rebellion in Norun should have begun. Cora and Teryn had sent a battalion north to defend the border, should Darius’ forces suddenly invade. In two days, Cora and Teryn would ride to join them and prepare for the meeting with Darius. Meanwhile, Ridine’s garrison was prepared to defend the castle should Darius appear at any time.
Her mind reeled to keep all the plans organized in her mind, as well as to measure the time discrepancy between the human world and El’Ara. She wasn’t sure whether it was a blessing or a curse that time went by so much slower here. For Ailan and Mareleau, just over a day had passed since Cora had left. They would experience a flurry of activity from dawn to dusk until the battle began.
Even Valorre had a job to do. For the last week, he’d been seeking out all his remaining unicorn brethren, and perhaps any other fae creatures who may have come through the Veil. Most of the unicorns had figured out how to return through the Veil on their own after they’d gotten their memories back. But there were still some who hadn’t left, and she didn’t want them trapped here when she pushed themoraback. Cora ached at the silence that had once been filled by Valorre’s presence, and it was only made worse knowing she wouldn’t see him again until they reconvened at Centerpointe Rock. He may be there already, but she wouldn’t know until she arrived.
In the meantime, Cora could only wait. Prepare. Plan for numerous scenarios.
She blew out an anxious breath and circled the room once more. This time, she paused at the nightstand upon which her talisman of twigs and crystals rested. This was the only surface that gathered dust in the room, for the servants knew better than to disrupt this design. Only Cora tended to it.
