—Gabriel:“Bow strung. Missiles primed. Waiting on you.”
The voices pressed in, fifteen at once, but Viktor held them like reins—loosening what he didn’t need, keeping only his anchors: Gabriel on the ridge, Samson with the horses, Carys at his right hand.
“Loose.”
On the slope below, Gabriel raised one arm. A rocket shrieked into the dusk, arcing fire into the violet sky before bursting in gold. Trails lingered, then faded into the oncoming dark.
“Hold until my word,”Viktor sent, steady in every mind.
“Eat if you can. Sleep if you can. Before dawn, we rise.”
The thoughts withdrew one by one until he kept only Gabriel’s.
“Walk with me, Feindoran.”
Boots, grit. Their shadows stretched across the flats. Above them, the stars swallowed the fading trails of fire.
“The Midnight watches Ashakar,” Viktor said, grim. “Legion breaks on the full moonrise.”
“How many?”
“More than our line can hold.”
A breath.
“Which is why we thank our queen for reinforcements. A scout from Vykenra just ran in—Amerei secured three Sagittarii cohorts. They’ll be here at dawn.”
Gabriel stopped dead, bracer leather creaking.
“Three cohorts? From Vykenra? Dask, what did she promise them?”
Viktor’s jaw flexed.
“I don’t care.” His voice was rough as stone. “We live.”
They walked until the ridge fell away and the west bled out behind the teeth of the mountains. The last stream of light unstitched itself, leaving only the hush of rain on the far side of the peaks.
For a long while they said nothing. Gravel ground under boot, wind whispering between them like a promise neither wanted to keep. Viktor tipped his head back, finding the single star burning above a sky of clouds.
“Remember our last night in Irongate?” he asked.
Gabriel huffed.
“I try not to. I promised at least two she-elves I’d be back.”
“Dask.” Viktor laughed under his breath. “So did I.”
He scraped his heel across the dirt.
“Never thought we’d end up serving together. You and I.”
Gabriel shrugged, laced his hands behind his head, then dropped them again too fast.
“I knew the elves would take you away from Aerdania. You’ve always fought like one of us.”
Silence pressed.
He exhaled hard.
