A corner of my mouth ticked upward. “I wouldn’t press my luck with the Huntress if I were you.”
In the fortress, more clangs and rustle echoed, as if an entire battalion rushed around.
Beren grimaced, even as his fingers twitched. Then his gaze dropped to the trolls breathing heavily next to us.
“Aligning yourself with beasts.” His top lip curled. “Are you that desperate?”
An arrow hissed through the sky, landing at Beren’s feet, too fast to catch its origin. He jumped back, scowling.
“The only beasts I see here are you,” I said. “And the only ones who are desperate. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have asked for parlay. So speak.”
“Very well.” Beren straightened his shoulders. “Beasts or not, you’re outnumbered.”
From inside the fortress, I heard Dax’s venomous laugh.
“Be serious, Beren.” I had wounded warriors to help and frightened civilians in hiding, not time for grandiose games. “You have the numbers, we have the cause. One of my warriors is more dangerous than ten of yours. We have something worth fighting for, not just orders.”
My gaze swept over the Northern army.
“And we will fight. We will take you down with us if we must.” My voice whipped through the night. “Those who survive have to take their chances against The Huntress. And you all know what happened to the soldiers near the rim.”
A visible current shifted through the soldiers. They didn’t back down, but the hold on their weapons loosened.
Edrin’s gaze hardened. Lioran began breathing heavier, eyes not leaving me. If he wanted to try his weird Northern mind tricks, I wouldn’t give him the opportunity.
“Don’t believe him.” Nadya picked the wrong moment to speak. “He’d do anything to avoid the death of his own people.”
I finally looked at her. The one who’d stolen so much from me and wanted to hurt me more. All I felt was pity. “You are no longer welcome here, Nadya. You’ve done your best to destroy this place. You have failed. Don’t embarrass yourself now.”
Her jaw tightened and her shoulders shook. But she still didn’t meet my gaze.
Good.
“The people of Solkar’s Reach will fight to protect this land until the very last one of us,” I went on. “With or without me.”
My warriors yelled, raising their weapons and smacking their shields. The trolls joined in with their own otherworldly roars.
None of us were backing down.
“But you do want to protect them.” Beren tilted his chin up. “I’m giving you the perfect way to do it. We’ll retreat.”
Danger cracked through the air. “On what conditions?”
“You abdicate.”
I raised my brows. “Is that all?”
“And you give us The Huntress.”
Pure fury rushed through me. My primal instincts screamed out for blood as images of me impaling Beren’s head swam in my mind.
“Never,” was all I said, that lone word cutting.
Lioran cleared his throat. “Ryker, it’s best if you–”
“It’s best if you leave.” I unsheathed a dagger from my baldric. Blood swam in its pommel. “And promise me neither you, nor your soldiers will ever return. Or you will not be walking out of here on your own feet.”
Lioran clamped his mouth shut.
