And then I collapsed into his arms, where I knew I would never have to fight again.
* * *
Iwas only unconscious for a moment. When I awoke, I found myself in Kalen’s arms. He carried me through the gates of Albyria, surrounded by a weary collection of warriors. Nellie walked beside him. Her hand rested gently on my arm, but she still carried the axe. When she spotted me awake, she winked at me and tossed it onto the ground. A signal of victory.
The battle was over. The war had been won.
Except it hadn’t.
I climbed from Kalen’s arms, putting a halt to the march into the city. I’d taken control of the power, but I felt woozy from the effort. I stumbled, and Kalen caught my arm.
“Let me carry you, love. You need time to recover from this,” Kalen said.
“You don’t understand. The humans are going to attack us. Where are they? Where’s Val and Niamh?”
“I saw everything you saw. I know about the humans.” A muscle in his jaw worked. “I sent Boudica to scout. We’ve burned the bridge, but the human army brought planks with them, as if they expected us to do that. We’re falling back to the city, so what’s left of our army can defend from the walls. The gods did attack the battlements earlier, but most of our warriors here were able to take cover. There are enough of us left to put up a good fight.”
“And our people who are with them?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Boudica didn’t spot Val, Niamh, or Alastair. I can only hope they escaped when they realized what the humans were planning.”
“I don’t want anyone else to die,” I said. “I should go to the bridge and face them myself. I’m what they’re here for. They know what power lives inside me now. Everything they’ve done, it’s been to stopme.”
“Only because they know you will lead to their defeat.” He tucked a wayward strand of hair behind my ear. “You and me, together. Just one more enemy. One more battle. One more push for survival, and we’re done.”
I sighed, so very weary. As I tried to conjure the strength to fight another battle, a cacophony of caws sounded above. I looked up. Hundreds of ravens had stormed the skies. They were swooping in majestic circles, their black wings flared against the moonlight. I watched them, awestruck. The ravens had been gone from these lands for a very long time. And now they were back.
Druid Balfor suddenly appeared before us. He had a bundle of clothes in his hands that he handed to Nellie. Still only in a cloak, she gratefully took them.
“I knew you would need these,” he said to her. Then Balfor turned to me, looking nervous. “I have something to tell you. And you might not like what I have to say.”
Fifty-Two
Tessa
Kalen and I stood together outside the gated entrance of the city. Wind whipped around us, casting ashen dust into our eyes. The human army marched up the hill. They flashed their silk banners as the king rode in front. Despite their preparations, there was evidence they were suffering from the battle beyond the bridge.
A few of them wore the marks of Orion, their faces gaunt and ashen. After Druid Balfor had spoken with us, I’d used the power of the gods to undo what Sirius and Orion had done to our warriors. They were fully healed now, unlike those infected in the human army.
The army stopped several yards away, and the king rode forward to speak with us. As he did, his eyes locked on some steel in the mud. He stopped, examining it closer. I craned my head to see. It was the axe Nellie had been carrying.
The king motioned toward a petite woman with short golden hair. Blood and dirt painted her neck, but there were no visible wounds. Whoever’s blood that was wasn’t hers, and she carried an impressive broad sword. A good fighter, then. I’d have to keep an eye on her.
“Get the axe, Vera,” the king ordered.
She rode forth and collected it before falling back. Strange.
Kalen and I walked forward to meet the king. He looked older than I’d expected. His hair was peppered with gray, and lines stretched around his eyes. Angry veins spiderwebbed across his cheeks. Instead of battle garb, he wore a long, silk robe. His feet were even sandalled. It seemed like a statement to me.
“I take it you’re King Duncan Hinde,” I said.
He remained on his horse, so he could look down his nose at us. “And you’re Tessa Baran and King Kalen Denare.”
“QueenTessa Denare,” I said.
“Ah yes, of course. You two have wed. I take it you are claiming your place as Queen of the Shadow Fae. I’ll admit, I didn’t see that in my visions, but I didn’t care to look for it. It hardly matters when you will not survive the end of this day.”
I smiled. “I understand the confusion. I meant Queen Tessa Denare of Talaven.”
