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As she rose higher and pulled back somewhat on her preternatural vision, she could see the breadth of Greaves’s assembled forces. His ALA was all in black with the occasional maroon slash of color for effect. Black leather kilts were the order of the day on both sides, but just to keep things simple Greaves’s army wore maroon leather weapons harnesses, which she thought was a nice touch although some contrasting embroidery would’ve livened things up a bit. If she got out of this alive, she’d tell Stannett to give Greaves a few pointers.
She rose up even higher. Off to the southwest she saw something else, something in flight, something massive.
“No f**king way,” she murmured as it came into focus. Just like that, she was worried. What people might dislike in war, they doted on when it came to display.
She drew her wings in slightly and floated back to the ground. Colonel Seriffe and Thorne flanked her. She turned to face them both, her back to the canyon.
“You’re not going to believe what the little peach has done.”
The men spoke in unison. “What?”
She shook her head. “If this doesn’t f**king take the cake. Tell you what, boys. Fly up about forty feet and take a gander off to the southwest. I want you to see this for yourself. Tell me what you think.”
The men stepped several feet apart. They’d already mounted their wings; now they unfolded them from close-mount into full-mount and in an almost choreographed movement flew straight up and out to hover above the maw of the canyon.
Thorne’s voice pierced her head through their shared mind-link. Are you f**king kidding me?
Nope. Looks like Greaves has thought of everything.
So that no matter what happens today, he can’t lose. No wonder he chose dusk. I thought it was because the canyon just looked prettier at this hour.
She rose into the air again and flew behind the men. At your rear, she sent. It was the proper form of flight protocol address, but it always made her laugh.
Thorne dipped a wing and shifted so that he could meet her gaze. “When do you think the fireworks will begin?” he said, his voice gravelly but loud.
“Any f**king time.”
But as Seriffe turned to her, she saw the sudden raw state of his emotions and recoiled. He had three small boys and a wife. He adored his family and here he was facing the end of it all. If he died today, what would become of Carolyn and the little ones?
Aw, shit.
Almost on cue, yep, fireworks launched into the air and all the little video-bots floated into a variety of static positions to best capture a sky suddenly full of splashes of blue and green, purple, yellow—and every color under the sun.
She ordered the men back to the ground and followed suit. With her leopard flats on the soil again, she once more stretched her vision across the maw of the canyon. There he was. He even met her gaze and lifted his cup to her.
Goddamn f**king poser.
***
Greaves preferred a win–win, which was exactly what he had this afternoon. The fireworks were charming—not the most complicated designs and patterns he might have chosen, but he’d made this decision at the last minute so naturally there would be compromises.
Still, how could one ever go wrong with fireworks?
He sipped the last bit of tea. As squadrons of geese, swans, and ducks, as well as their magnificently costumed handlers, moved into position exactly between the rims of the canyon, he gestured for his aide to take the cup and saucer.
The young vampire didn’t look at him as he hurried to his side, bowed, then performed the task.
As the servant moved away, Greaves rose to his feet—the prearranged signal. All his generals moved back into the ranks, all with the exception of Leto, his second-in-command, who took up the position on Greaves’s far right. He kept Leto close, as always. Something wasn’t right with his favorite defector but he hadn’t had the time to pursue it yet.
He loved how swiftly the men moved, each disappearing into the ranks, barking orders until both divisions thrummed with battle energy, all to the pounding of the fireworks and the great flashes in the sky.
As he faced south, away from the canyon, he watched his death vampires rise into the air, a long glorious line of matched killers, stark white complexions with a faint bluish hue to the skin, huge glossy black wings and the fierce presence of muscled warriors. The promise? With the Coming Order, he would provide dying blood for all.
The sun was now almost set.
Let the fun begin.
***
Endelle shook her head.
Shit.
Fireworks were now blasting from both sides of Greaves’s forces, so that the sky above the canyon was full of light and sparkle. Yeah … spectacle.
The squadrons of fowl drew opposite and very near to Endelle’s forces. Their corresponding handlers wore enormous gowns, men and women alike. The costumes hung down into the air at twice their height. Each wore a massive headpiece; their wings were at least warrior-sized to support the weighty attire.
Endelle shook her head and exchanged a roll of the eyes with Thorne. Whatever she thought of Greaves, this whole f**king presentation was goddamn brilliant.
For the next fifteen minutes, the spectacle parade passed, performing to music blasted from a new set of air-bots, heavy orchestral music, which she recognized as Holst’s The Planets.
Jesus H. Christ.
Well, this might just be a little payback for her last spectacle event at the Ambassadors Reception at White Lake. Despite the incendiary bombs that had disrupted the fireworks display, killed eleven people, and burned out a number of famous public gardens, the ensuing press had resulted in a staggering response of support for Endelle’s administration. Both sympathy and accolades had flowed in from around the world.
Maybe tonight’s little display would twist the world around Greaves’s pinkie. Fuck. What the hell was she supposed to do to combat this? And just how many of her male and female warriors were going to fall to their deaths in the canyon tonight?
And—God forbid—would she lose any of her Warriors of the Blood?
She scowled up at the series of firework dragons that now flowed east over a dusky sky, above the final act of a thousand snowy white swans, moving in elegant wave-like patterns below.
She sent a message to Thorne. Get Medichi on the com.
***
Medichi stood with his arms wrapped around Parisa, waiting, his gaze fixed to the skies as several new dragons appeared, all moving toward their position at the farthest left flank of Endelle’s forces. The swans were almost opposite them now.
“So beautiful,” Parisa murmured.
