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.
With tender care, she removed each twig, each crystal, with careful reverence, then dusted the table with a silk handkerchief she’d tucked into the front of her chemise. Once clean, she replaced the items one at a time, crossing each stick with precision until it formed something like a star, then arranged the crystals around it. With her protection talisman back in place, she gave the nightstand an approving nod. She stepped away, but not before her eyes fell on the nightstand drawer. That was where she’d previously stashed the talon collar, right next to Morkai’s book of blood weaving blueprints.
A book Cora now knew Teryn had read.
He’d told her all about what he’d done with the blood Darius had left behind before he’d taken Cora to Syrus. Told her how he’d made a bond with Morkai’s warrior wraiths, earning their loyalty for one final battle, before he’d give them eternal rest. All Teryn had to do to summon them was offer his blood.
She’d been chilled to learn of what he’d done, yet she hadn’t felt an ounce of fear. It was more…awe. Relief. They now had a way to bolster their numbers without their enemy being any the wiser.
As for their enemy…
He could act at any time.
Cora sensed Teryn’s approach before his footsteps sounded on the stairs. She glanced over her shoulder to greet him with a tired grin.
He was dressed down to his shirtsleeves and trousers, his silver hair hanging in waves around his face. In a few slow strides, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He nestled his face into the crook of her neck. “Couldn’t sleep?”
“No,” she said. “Besides, I wanted to wait for you.”
He’d been in the study all evening, arranging correspondences with the trusted few who knew about Larylis’ formal abdication. They were keeping it a secret for now, so as not to alert Darius of their intentions, but they still needed to set some things in motion so as not to throw Lela into chaos once all was said and done.
They stayed like that for several long, quiet moments. These were the moments Cora treasured lately. The calm before the storm.
Too soon, Teryn pulled away. She turned to face him, lacing her hands behind his neck. He frowned, then ran a hand down her bare arm. “Aren’t you cold?”
She hadn’t noticed the cold until now, but dressed in only her chemise so late in the evening, and in a room without a fire, she had to admit she was chilly. “A little.”
He smiled down at her and rubbed both of her gooseflesh-covered arms, pausing as one of his hands brushed over her bicep. He stroked the skin with his thumb, eliciting a shiver from her. “Your tattoos have grown again.”
Brow furrowed, she slid her hands from behind his neck, resting one palm on his chest while she inspected the other arm. Sure enough, on the inside of her bicep were more geometric shapes that hadn’t been inked with a needle. “Oh, you’re right.”
She hadn’t noticed before now, as it wasn’t a part of her body she regularly inspected, nor was it an area that drew her attention in the mirror. Yet as surprised as she was to see the new designs, she’d experienced a similar phenomenon last year, when a spiral appeared on her inner elbow. Salinda had explained that Cora wasn’t the only one whoseinsigmorahad taken on a life of their own. The tattoos themselves were a Faeryn tradition, passed down to the Forest People—Faeryn descendants and witches alike. Now that she knew more about Lela’s history, she wondered if it was the influence ofmorathat made the tattoos grow on their own.
