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“You cannot do that,” Casja said. “This... We will manage.”
“There are hundreds of prisoners inside, Casja,” I said. “Cari says Gethin can only send them one by one, and it takes him a while even to do that. And the army is...”
The sounds of horns and marching became louder, carried by the wind to reach us.
“Close,” I finished my sentence.
“We will keep them off as long as we have to,” Casja said. “And then, we’ll escape.”
“And if we can’t,” Lord Tynan offered. “You should leave us, Prince Kieran.”
He was using my title for the first time.
“Is this another test?” I asked, smiling at the man.
“No,” he replied. “Like you said, Lugh will keep us alive because he cannot afford the animosity of our families. But you... He will kill you if he gets his hands on you.”
“I know that,” I said. “But I can’t leave you behind.”
“Perhaps I should’ve tested your survival instinct rather than your desire for power,” Lord Tynan said.
“He would’ve failed,” Casja mumbled.
My nerves made me chuckle. A short pause followed, in which we silently watched the marching enemy.
“Should we come up with a fighting plan?” Lord Tynan asked.
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, I heard the sound of a door opening. I turned to the side casually, expecting to see one of ours.
For the first time in my life, spotting the shining black armor of an elite soldier made me reach for my sword. More came in behind the first soldier. There were at least five, fully dressed for battle.
They hadn’t seen us yet, and I had no idea how they managed to get in before the rest of the army, but this fight would not be as easy as the one at the watchtower. I opened my mouth to warn Casja before they could spot us.
Don’t worry, Cari said as a woman with long black hair that was neatly tied to the top of her head met my gaze, followed by other elite soldiers wearing the same dull face. They’re mine.
Casja relaxed beside me.
“Cari says she’s controlling them,” Casja explained to Tynan as he spotted them too, and attempted to reach for his blade. “They’re here to help.”
Although the elite did not seem to pose any danger to us, it was odd seeing their blank faces up close. They gave no indication that they were resisting her control, I wondered if they struggled against it, and immediately felt guilty about using them like this. They were not puppets to be controlled. They were Unseelie...
“We will need the help,” Tynan said, his gaze darting off the elites and landing somewhere in the distance. “They’re here.”
I spun around to see the first battalion climbing the hill. Although they were walking very slowly, they would reach the moat soon.
“Is it time to send that hurricane now?” Lord Tynan asked as the elite soldiers walked to the edge of the battlement to stand beside us.
“No,” I said. “Wait.”
The first battalion did not move any further than the clearing on the other side of the moat. They seemed to be waiting for others to catch up.
“Who is leading them?” Lord Tynan asked.
I was about to tell him that I had no idea until I saw her. She did not look my way as she rode her horse up the hill and stood right at the peak to glance toward the castle. The smile on her lips told me she did not consider us a worthy enemy. Right then, our eyes met.
“Lady Queill,” I said.
Hello, my prince, her voice rang inside my mind. I see you have made a new friend.
