The hall exploded. It wasn’t just a roar this time. It was the sound of an army rising. The thunder of fists hammering on tables, the clang of steel as fighters drew their blades in salute. Every man and woman clambered to their feet, their eyes locked on me.
This queen would never ask them to do anything she wasn’t willing to do herself.
This queen would bleed beside them on the battlefield.
I didn’t give Grayson another glance. The anger radiating from the dais became a distant, irrelevant heat. My focus remained on those who were eager to join me, those hungry for a chance to fight back.
“The training hall has weapons,” I yelled over them. “Arm yourselves!”
Maddox set his jaw, the scar through his eyebrow a pale line on his flushed skin. He wasn’t looking at me, but at the crowd. “The armory is in the north wing,” he finally said. “The weapons there are meant for battle, not for practice!”
A second battle cry went up, this one full of grim approval. The energy sharpened into a single, deadly point.
“Meet in the valley on dragons,” I shouted, leaping off the platform. I didn’t bother to look back at the advisors who no doubt remained in their places, silverware still in their hands.
The hall emptied in a thunder of running feet and the scrape of benches, determined fighters pouring into the corridors. My friends and I were swept along with them as we ran toward the training hall, Lexie sharing my news about Kira.
Inside the training hall, torches whispered in their sconces while the hiss of steel rang out in the air. Fighters stripped swords from the walls, tested the weight of axes, and strapped quivers onto their backs.
Lexie grabbed two wicked, curved blades. Derren lifted a heavy broadsword from the wall that looked like an extension of his own formidable frame. Kerralyn, ever the strategist, bypassed the larger weapons for a pair of long, sharp daggers and a repeater crossbow that she hefted and sighted, already calculating her angle of attack.
I ran my hand along a row of longswords, their hilts wrapped in dark leather, before choosing one with a simple cross guard, its weight familiar, balanced. Though I’d mostly trained in hand-to-hand combat with Commander Thorne, he’d spent numerous months showing me how to battle with various weapons. This sword felt like home. I also added a half-dozen throwing knives, slipping them into the sheaths on my thighs and forearms.
As I turned to leave, my gaze met Maddox’s. He held a massive, brutal-looking war axe, his knuckles white around the shaft. He gave me a single, sharp nod. It wasn’t forgiveness for his brother, but it was an acknowledgment and a truce. For today, at least, while we fought the same enemy. We could pick up our fight again tomorrow.
We burst from the back of the castle and sprinted across the broad grassy area behind, spiraling onto the path to the aerie.
I’ll come back to you,he’d told me.
Didn’t he know? I wasn’t the kind of woman who waited. I was the kind who fought by her man’s side.
Pherin landed on my shoulder, making me jump.
“You should stay here,” I said.
She released a peep so loud it pierced my ear, and sent something that resonated like,try to make me.
“Then stay back where you’re safe,” I said.
I swore she scowled, clinging to my shoulder as I picked up my pace.
The main aerie was strangely quiet, and I wondered if we’d be allowed to stroll through and steal dragons. At least Kira wasn’t here to refuse us entry.
Armed warriors crowded behind me, their companions scampering around, flying, or clinging to shoulders. The scent of scorched sand and beast hung in the air, but the stalls were mostly empty. Only a handful of dragons remained, shifting restlessly when we poked our heads into their pens.
Trew had taken the bulk of the mounts.
My stomach plummeted. We had an army, but no way to fly them to battle.
“Fates,” Lexie breathed beside me. “There aren’t enough for all of us.”
Helena strode out of the tack room. Instead of regular leathers, she wore plate armor over a chainmail shirt, and she’d strapped a sword to her back. Three other stable hands, similarly armed, came out with her.
She strode right over to me, her gaze meeting mine. “I heard your speech. I’m with you.” She dropped into a shallow bow that wasn’t one for a new warrior but better suited for a commander.
“The king’s force took the primary mounts,” Helena said, studying the group massing in the hallway. “But there are two other aeries on the eastern ridge, dragons for the scouts and reserves. One of us can take the rest of your group and help them mount.”
“Thank you.”
