Raine followed his friend as they made their way back to the command tent. He meant what he had said to Casimir—he was indeed pretending. Because in reality, he was altogetherterrified. Scared of their failure, scared he would lose someone he loved. And ever since the attack on his father’s farm, he couldn’t help but imagine what could have happened had they not arrived in time. The images of his father bloodied and beaten, his childhood home ablaze, his sister limp and covered in burns in Pax’s arms. The terrified, crying children. It plagued him in almost every waking moment.
And in his dreams too.
Shaking off the memories, he mentally reviewed their plans. The front lines would include fae from each kingdom in a pattern. The fae of Saxumdale were to use their stone magic to provide blockades and cover for the archers who’d be equipped with the Igneothenian arrows. The fae of Monterre would create as many golems as possible to fight before the blockades while also grasping the enemies with vines and roots to hold them still as the lava wielders melted them.
The hope was they would be able to reduce the daemon’s army by as much as possible before they broke through the front lines and the battle morphed into an unorganized melee. They had to remain efficient, not straying from their plan as long as possible. But they had Valeria and the ice fae to contend with as well. And despite the amount of daemons they’d felled during the battle for Igneothenia, they were still vastly outnumbered. Not to mention the numerous creatures that could nullify their magic.
But that wasn’t even the hardest part. They had to find out where Andras was, and somehow lure him to Ava. She wouldn’t be able to hide away, but would need to be out in the open. A temptation. Like an offering the ancient god couldn’t refuse.
And while she would have a team nearby to aid her if she had to fight through any enemy soldiers, the moment Andras neared they all had to disappear.
He had to think she was alone.
Raine lifted the flap of the large tent and they steppedinside. Thorne looked up from the table covered in maps, his bright red hair pulled back with a strip of leather. He donned the same leather armor as the rest of their army, something he rarely wore.
But though he was king, he insisted on being on the battle grounds, fighting alongside his people. They were lucky to have a king such as him.
“How is everything running?” Thorne asked.
“Smoothly. Everyone knows their role and are prepared to move at a moment’s notice. Did the spies return from their latest mission?” Casimir asked.
Thorne nodded. “The daemons and ice fae are camped together. On the other side of the river.”
“I wonder if we can somehow use the river to our advantage,” Casimir said.
The flaps opened and Maeryn entered, joining them as they considered their options.
Raine leaned over the table, studying the terrain on the map before him. He ran his finger along the river, when it dawned on him. “I have the most excellent idea.” He straightened.
Thorne raised a brow. “Let’s hear it.”
“This part of the river is calm and shallow”—he traced it on the parchment—“unlike the part to the south that flows next to Greywood Forest.”
“And?” Casimir said.
“Perhaps we can lure them to cross it…then boil them alive.”
“Boil them?” Thorne asked. “And how do you suggest we do that?”
Raine gestured to Maeryn and gave her a wink. “Boss here will do it.”
Maeryn gave Raine an assessing look before speaking toThorne. “I cannot do it by myself. But with a team of us, we can use our lava to heat the water.”
Casimir laid a hand on the pommel of his sword. “It could work. But how do we lure them across?”
Raine brushed his hair behind his shoulder. “A team sneaks into their camp in the middle of the night to destroy something important. How about their weapons? Anger them. Force them to come to us.”
Thorne shook his head. “I don’t know…”
“The daemons are not as organized as the fae. They’ll retaliate. And when they do, we make it seem like we don’t know they’re coming,” Raine said.
“It won’t kill them all,” Casimir said. “As soon as they realize what’s happening, they’ll stop crossing.”
“But it could kill a significant amount. We let some cross first before we boil it. Fight them on land. Give them a false sense of security,” Raine explained.
Thorne’s eyes flared with an idea. “We could also have some of the stone wielders raise a wall. So, they cannot turn around and retreat. On the east side.”
“Trapping as many as possible in between the wall and the boiling river?” Casimir asked.
