When he finished, I brushed my lips against Sebastian's, possibly our last kiss for the unforeseeable future—or forever if the prophecy ended with my demise. Then I packed a few things into my rucksack and tossed it over my shoulder.
“Just promise me you’ll stay by my side?” he asked.
“I promise,” I said dryly, unsure if that was a promise possible to truly keep.
Sighing in defeat, he offered me a soft smile as he backed away. “Let's go fuck up some Draemornians then.”
Smiling back at the man I loved, I prayed to the gods that this moment together wouldn't be our last.
“Everyone splitinto their training groups, then follow the orders your instructors have put in place for you.” Sebastian's voice boomed throughout the great hall, addressing all of the first years who were willing to fight. Good thing he had more sense than his father and came up with a plan in case this happened. Otherwise we would have been screwed. He stepped off of the pedestal, maneuvering his way through the crowd to my group.
Kohen followed him, glowering at Pia as he approached. He tried to talk her out of fighting, as well, but she wouldn't give in.
“Here's how this is going to go.” Kohen took charge, clasping his hands together behind his back. “The Draemornian army is expected to attack by midday. Most of the more experienced soldiers have really advanced mental shields, so don't bother using your powers as your first line of defense. A swift stab of a blade will do the trick. Many of you are going to die, so if anyone wants to change their mind, there's the door.” Kohen gestured to the exit. “There's a group in the throne room waiting to go to the dungeons. There's a tunnel down there that travels about a mile underground. It will take you to a concealed exit chamber—where? I can't disclose that because I don't know. But that's your best bet at staying alive through all of this.”
“Did you know about that?” I bent to the side to whisper to Pia, figuring that she'd lived in the castle long enough to know its hidden passages.
She shook her head.
A few first years made a run for it, but most of us stayed. We knew what we signed up for.
“Our group is going to man the wards that surround the castle. We will be on the front lines, stopping the Draemornians from the second they step foot onto the grounds.” Sebastian's eyes rolled over me, and I could sense his apprehension from even this distance.
“If you don't have a weapon already, get your ass to the armory and get one, then make your way to the main gate,” Kohen ordered.
“NOW!” Sebastian yelled for added dramatization.
Our group separated, and Pia and I gathered in the front of the room with Sebastian and Kohen.
Sebastian ran a finger over my thigh, stopping at my sheath to remove my dagger. I raised an eyebrow as he pulled a small vile from his back pocket.
“What's that?” I watched as he wrenched the cap off mydagger and emptied the contents of the vile into the hollowed out center, careful not to spill any on himself.
“Poison.”
“What kind?”
“The kind that kills someone within minutes of simply touching their skin. Seconds if it enters the bloodstream.”
I winced, uncomfortable that I would have something so deadly strapped to me.
Sebastian twisted the cap back on, then resheathed the blade against my leg. “To put it lightly, don't screw up,” he warned when he met my distressed gaze.
“Very reassuring. Thanks.”
Sawyer joined us when he was done briefing his soldiers. “Those idiots are going to die.” He angled a thumb back at his group. “One of them just asked me how long I think this will take.”
“What you tell ‘em?” Kohen snorted.
“Few hours at most.”
“That's cruel,” Pia sneered. “You know damn well no war had ever finished in a few hours.”
“Maybe it will motivate them to try and make history,” Sawyer replied, then turned his gaze to me. “You need more than just a dagger, Maeve.”
I glanced at Pia, noticing that she had a few blades strapped to her. “Shit, yeah. Okay, I’ll run to the armory and then I’ll meet you guys outside.”
All four of them shot me down.
