Minutes ticked past, but eventually, my eyes closed. I tossed and turned all night, unable to get comfortable as the hours droned on. It had to be the longest night of my life.
Morning was creeping over the horizon. I wasn’t asleep, more or less dozing, when a loud noise shook the cabin. It was loud, like a crack of thunder. I bolted upward in bed, chest heaving.
There weren’t any sounds of alarm from the rest of the cabin. I didn’t think the girls heard it. I abruptly looked to my left, and gasped. Looming in the darkness was the wizened face of the old hag I knew so well. Half of her features were cast in shadow, the other illuminated by the breaking dawn. The hag stared at me, her haggard old eyes glimmering with something forbidden.
I hadn’t seen her since the King’s Contest. Even all these years later, I couldn’t forget a single line in the old woman’s face. She’d been burned into my memory, as close to me as the semblance of my goddess was.
The hag’s lips parted, uttering a single word. “Go.”
I sprang out of bed. I cast off my pajamas and donned my warmest fur clothes, along with my leather boots and winter cloak. I rummaged through my things until I found the wolven necklace infused with Unseelie power that Ethan had given me last Christmas. I knew I would have to call upon its power, and fastened it around my neck.
I would get a spare sword and some armor from my cottage in Edinmyre first. As the Worldweaver, I could take physical items back and forth between the two worlds. Leather armor would have to do; I was too tired to wear anything heavier.
I wouldn’t bringLodburzaninto this battle. As much as I longed for my own weapon, taking the wolven stone anywhere near Gabby was too big a risk. My own sword would stay in Edinmyre, at my cottage where it was safe.
The hag watched me as I dressed. I was slowed up by the tiredness permeating my bones. I was so weak, and exhausted from my hearthfire being destroyed.
But I had to push through it. I had to keep going, and ignore the pain in my body.
There was no time to rest, even though that’s what my body begged and pleaded for me to give it. I was the Worldweaver. People were depending on me, and the only way this war would end is if I brought it to a close myself.
My arms shook as I braided my hair, for even that took a tremendous effort. I clenched my teeth and forced myself not to cry out as I summoned a portal. The hag remained even then, watching me as I stepped on through.
I’d just married Ethan. I couldn’t lose my husband days after our wedding.
And Black Claw or not, I wouldn’t let him face Gabby alone.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ethan
The air was brisk. It was a dreadfully cold day, colder than most in Malovia. I prowled through the trees in my wolven form, an entire army behind me.
It was overcast, and near dawn. We’d been marching all night through the forests. Now, the tree line was breaking. In a valley below stood the fortress, tall and intimidating as ever.
People had said the Fortress of Towers was formidable in stature, enough to make the bravest shifter cower, and I thought they were right. It was a monstrous structure, surrounded by four tall spires that spiraled into the clouds, and a great black wall that was at least a hundred feet high.
Scaling it would be impossible, but we had sorceresses at the ready to break the wards down. Upon closer inspection, I surveyed a few guards on the towers, and a small patrol on the walls, but nothing else to greet us. Gabby had no idea we were here.
Once the sorceresses had broken the wards, the plan was to send dragons overhead, to storm the fortress and shatter the walls. Once Gabby’s forces came out to defend it, we’d meet her on the battlefield. While my soldiers were keeping her army busy, my team would swarm into the fortress and find Gabby. Once we did, we’d kill her. Then the war would be over.
We deemed it best to keep it simple. There had never been a successful siege on the Fortress of Towers before, but I was damn determined to make this the first.
Crows gathered in the branches above, cackling and squawking. They knew it was near time for a meal. The high priestesses had offered sacrifices to the gods before we left, pleading for it to be a quick and successful battle.
Finlay was on my left side, and Arthur was on my right. I hadn’t yet accused Vara of betraying us. That would rouse Arthur’s anger, and I needed to keep him close. Vara, along with Amantha, Ozzie and Jasper, were at the palace. I’d asked the other three privately to keep an eye on Vara while we were fighting, though Vara herself had seemed very shocked when we’d announced that we were going to war.
She was either a good actress or we were spectacularly wrong about her being the traitor. I wasn’t sure which it could be.
Alexei crossed our path, transforming from griffin to man as he faced us. We changed, too, and I put a hand on the hilt of my sword as Finlay and Arthur flanked me.
“Do you have a report?” I asked Alexei.
“The soldiers are stationed around the fortress. General Bani is ready to move on your command,” Alexei said.
He hesitated, and I said, “You’ve found something.”
“During the march, soldiers happened upon a couple of underground entrances,” Alexei said. “Gabby has multiple tunnels leading out into the woods. That’s how she’s been getting supplies in and out of the fortress without being seen.”
