“Of course she does,” Eryx said, turning his gaze back onto the fields, lit only by a half a dozen torches. He and the others had planted them in the dirt, one by one, anticipating the battle. Panos liked darkness, so we would give him light.
Light and fire.
“However,” Eryx continued, “that does not mean you should give her your heart.”
“Enough.” I drew my spear from behind my back and levelled it at the darkness. “I’ll have no more talk of this tonight. Panos has arrived.”
Eryx raised his eyes—and his sword. Only a rustle of black amidst the shadows gave Panos away. He raced toward the castle like a wraith. Monstrous creatures flanked him on both sides, their long talons punching the ground as they loped across the field.
The three of us readied ourselves. We took the top battlements while Callista waited on the floor below us with the cannons. I gritted my teeth and stood my ground as the monsters drew nearer to the castle. I’d faced off against far worse than Panos and his Lykaon.
“Loose!” I shouted as the charging army got within range of the bows.
Orion and Aleka launched their arrows in unison. The arrows sliced through the air, thunking into the mangy sides of the creatures. The lumbering bodies tumbled to the ground, and their shrieks filled the silent night.
Panos stopped suddenly and darted back. I squinted, watching him. Through the tumbling bodies, he was almost impossible to see, but no...there he went, running back the way he’d come.
“What’s he doing?” I shouted, punching my steel-encased fist into the air. “Loose once more!”
More arrows stormed the skies, taking out several more beasts at once. Panos had paused at the edge of the fire-lit field to watch the slaughter. From this distance, it looked as though he smiled. Why would he be pleased by the death of so many Lykaon? Those were his creatures. He’d brought them here. Surely, he hadn’t wanted to watch them die.
“Wait,” I said, holding up a hand just as Orion had notched his next arrow.
Orion froze. “What is it, my lord?”
“Give it a moment. I want to see what Panos does next. Do you see him back there? He’s hiding.”
“He’s hiding because he made a grave mistake,” Eryx murmured from my other side. “He must not have known we have bows.”
But Panos would have expected it. He was a lot of terrible things, but he had always been clever and strategic in his moves. Nothing he did was ever undertaken without measuring out every possible outcome.
So, what did that mean his move was now?
Suddenly, the creatures slowed. The thunder of their footsteps stilled, and an eerie whistle filled the air. It was Panos, calling to the beasts. What was left of them. They shuddered to a stop in unison, lumbered around, and then took off. Fleeing from the battle.
Panos spun on his heels and raced into the night. His ragged clothes flapped around his weed-like body, swallowing him whole. A small handful of monsters followed close. They never liked to stray too far from their master, and he’d made the call.
They were retreating. After scarcely ten minutes of battle, they had given up.
A strange sensation whispered across the back of my neck. I’d felt this feeling only once before—days before Lysandra had stolen my family, my dragons, and Pira from me. I’d ignored it then, waved it away as nothing.
I wouldn’t make that same mistake again.
Frowning, I stared out at the empty field of fire. “Something doesn’t feel right. That was far too easy.”
“I agree, my lord, but what would be the point of that?” Orion asked, lowering his bow to his side.
“A test of some sort?” I asked. “The attack could have been a way to see just how many fighters we have and how well defended we are.”
Panos already knew that though. This wasn’t his first attack against us, and he knew every member of my Thunder.
“Which means we’ve just told him everything.”
My frown deepened. “Perhaps. We’ll have to change up our strategy. The next attack might come sooner than we think. Go gather Callista from below. Tell her to get some rest. I want all of you to meet me first thing in the morning in the Great Hall. I have something I need to take care of tonight.”
“What’s that, my lord?”
I smiled.
