Cora’s stomach turned. Darius was here. He wasn’t going to wait for the border meeting after all. She breathed past her fear, reminding herself that they were prepared for this scenario. Even her guards were ready, as demonstrated by the clothing, weapons, and armor they carried. One guard passed Cora a pair of trousers, a leather gambeson, and a breastplate while another handed similar items to Teryn. With no time for modesty, Cora and Teryn dressed in the proffered raiment with haste, then donned their weapons—Teryn’s sword and Cora’s dagger.
After they were fully dressed, the party proceeded to the nearest battlement. Once at the parapet, Cora glanced down at the castle grounds. Just like Captain Alden had explained, soldiers gathered in clusters of two dozen all around the castle.
“Seven devils,” Teryn cursed from beside her, his hands gripping the edge of the crenellated wall so hard his knuckles turned white.
“There’s at least one hundred soldiers,” Captain Alden said under her breath. Then, “No, one hundred and fifty. And more keep appearing.”
Cora swallowed hard. Their garrison boasted three hundred, but that wasn’t enough when the enemy was already inside the gates. Darius had memorized locations inside the keep itself; soldiers could already be surging through the halls…
Despite the fear tightening her chest, she anchored her soles to the floor, flooded her nostrils with cold night air, and connected to the elements. Earth beneath her feet. Breath in her lungs. The mist in the air. The light of the moon. The fire of her rage. Then, lowering her shields, she sought a specific strain of energy.
It sparked in her periphery, on the distant ground, then was gone the next moment. She whirled toward where she’d sensed him and saw a group of soldiers where there had been none a moment ago.
Then his energy returned, closer this time.
Then closer again.
She and Teryn turned away from the parapet just in time to see Darius appear on the battlement.
“There you are,” Darius said with a smirk. He was dressed in his same dark military-style ensemble as before, his gray hair swept back from his severe brow, but with a cuirass and gauntlets.
Captain Alden raised her sword, as did the rest of the royal guard, but Darius disappeared in the next breath. His absence did nothing to relieve Cora’s fear, and in another heartbeat, Darius was back, a dozen soldiers behind him. His arms were linked with two of his soldiers, and theirs were linked to their comrades, forming a clustered chain of sorts. Cora’s eyes widened at the sight. He could travel with that many companions simply by linking a group together and only making physical contact with two of them.
Darius’ soldiers dropped each other’s arms and withdrew their swords, taking up defensive stances.
“Majesty,” Alden said, her eyes narrowed on Darius. “Orders?”
“Hold positions,” Cora said, infusing her voice with as much calm as she could muster. Her fingers begged to unsheathe her dagger, yearned to flinch toward the bow and quiver that weren’t there. Yet she kept her arms at her sides as she and Teryn stepped forward, flanked by Alden and another guard. Darius’ men held their positions while their king mirrored the step toward the other party. He stood tall, his sword fully sheathed at his hip, hands clasped behind his back as if he had no reason to fear the blades pointed at him.
Why should he fear when he could worldwalk out of harm’s way in the blink of an eye?
“What is the meaning of this?” Teryn asked. Cora could feel the fear rippling off her husband, but he too was putting on a good show of keeping his composure. “You agreed to give us three weeks to make our decision—”
“Yes, but that was before my reinforcements were stalled.” Darius narrowed his eyes. “Did you have anything to do with that? Aiding your friends in Tomas?”
“We were not involved,” Cora said, holding his gaze without falter.
“Ah, but you knew about it, didn’t you? When you asked for more time to consider my offer, you knew about the rebellion, right?”
“You threatened us with war. Why wouldn’t I use any advantage to protect my kingdom? You’re the one who broke my trust. You assured me you’d prove your merit—”
“Don’t bother with that,” Darius said, a dark chuckle coloring his words. “You never intended to consider my offer of alliance, did you?”
“I suppose you’ll never know now. What you’re doing—showing up at my castle with an army—is unforgivable.”
He took another step forward, pausing only when Cora’s guards did the same. Still, he kept his gaze locked on Cora’s. “I told you my threats weren’t empty, and I was tired of waiting while I knew I was being toyed with. You seem to have forgotten what I said about Ridine. That I could and would take it in a single night, should you give me a reason to.”
“So you’re here to fight us?” Teryn asked.
“I’m here,” Darius said, “to give you one last chance to make a reasonable choice. You’ve forfeited your option of alliance, but I will still accept surrender. Take me to the tear at once, or Ridine is mine.”
53
Cora didn’t bother trying to mask the pound of her heart. Let him hear it. Let him think she was afraid. So long as he couldn’t distinguish the cadence of fear from the pound of anticipation, it didn’t matter if he noticed the spike in her pulse.
The key was masking her eagerness.
“How do you know I’m even apprised of the tear’s location?”
