He pulled her down on the cot, wrapping an arm around her and holding her close. “It’s not a waste. This is the dream, love. This is the peace we fought for, and even if it won’t last, cling to this one moment of it.”
She curled into him immediately, tucking herself into his side with a sigh that sounded like surrender. Not to the enemy, but to this request.
Her fingers traced idle lines along his chest. “I’m glad we get one more night.”
“One night with you is worth a lifetime without.”
Silence stretched between them. Her breathing slowed. And for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, James felt his muscles unwind, the relentless press of vigilance finally giving way to stillness. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
They lay there in the dark, the cot too small for two, their limbs tangled, hearts steadying against each other. And despite everything—the pain, the fear, the dread of what was coming—sleep came. As did the dreams of a life that would never be…
Until a horn bellowed, ripping James back into wakefulness.
It was a low, dull sound, and it reverberated in his chest as he wiped away the confusion of heavy sleep, unsure what time of the night it was.
Ahnna was upright in his arms. “That’s the alarm.”
James was already grabbing his boots, tossing Ahnna hers.
They were out of the room in seconds, the common room alive with noise. Warriors ran past, some still buckling weapons and armor, all while the horn kept up its bellow. Ahnna caught hold of his hand and dragged him outside, both of them following the warriors racing down to the beach.
Lara and Aren stood on the beach, the king shouting orders to get the chain up.
“What’s going on?” James demanded.
“That’s a long list,” Lara responded. “I didn’t want to wake you, but news came in during the night. It sounds like it all turned to chaos after you fled Verwyrd. Virginia called out Alexandra, George Cavendish confessed to being Alexandra’s knifeman, and then Alexandra herself confessed to the murders. Ronan took off her head, and now Lestara rules as the baby king’s regent. She wasted no time picking up the reins of Alexandra’s plans, and they now sail to war.”
It was almost too much to take in, so James only asked, “What else?”
“A Maridrinian merchant vessel has arrived. Just one.” Aren’s tone was clipped. “They’re lit up like a light show with banners hanging everywhere, so the Harendellian ships know who they are. We’ve let them inside shipbreaker range, and there are longboats on the approach.”
One merchant ship wasn’t going to make a difference unless it was the front-runner bringing news of the impending arrival of the Maridrinian fleet, but James kept his mouth shut as the longboats drifted under the chains and into the cove. The first rays of sun began to glow from the east, the night having passed while he’d slept with Ahnna in his arms, and now the fight would begin.
Against all hope, James prayed to the fading glow of the stars overhead that they would not fight alone.
Then a woman got out of the first longboat to hit the beach, pulling back her hood. She was pretty, her hair long and dark, expressionregal. Though it was too dark to see color, every one of James’s instincts screamed that this woman’s eyes were Veliant blue. As would be the eyes of every woman who stepped out of the boats, their bodies dripping with weapons, and their expressions promising death to any who stood against them.
“Sarhina.” Lara’s voice was choked with emotion. “Is Delia…?”
“She’s safe.”
Queen Sarhina of Maridrina bowed low, a feral grin on her face. “In the darkest hour of Ithicana’s night, the Veliants have come to fight at your side. May God, fate, and every fucking star in the sky have mercy against those who come against us.”
97
Ahnna
There were no words todescribe the swelling in her heart that Ahnna felt as Taryn and Bronwyn pulled back their hooded cloaks. They stood behind the other sisters, both of them staring at the water lapping the beach, and even from where she stood, Ahnna sensed their worry that they weren’t welcome.
“Taryn! Bronwyn!” she called, taking two steps into the water, equally worried that she was the last person they wished to see. But they lifted their faces, and all doubt about sentiment vanished from her chest.
Wading through the shallows, Ahnna flung her arms around her cousin, then caught hold of Bronwyn and pulled her in close. “You came.”
“Yeah.” Taryn stepped back, smoothing her dark ponytail, expression rueful. “I have to say, we didn’t hesitate when Sarhina came knocking.”
Bronwyn huffed out a breath of agreement. “Turns out living your best peaceful life away from all woe isn’t all that wonderful when you know that your family and friends are suffering and dying.”
“Alas, our garden was sowed with cowardice and shame, so none of its yields tasted sweet.” Taryn slung an arm around Ahnna’sshoulder and another around Bronwyn’s, directing them toward the sand. “So we are here to fight, and probably die, but at least we will go into the Great Beyond with songs of glorious death ringing in our ears rather than songs about squash and potatoes.”
