Warbill tucks a strand of his greasy hair behind his ear. “And when did you make her your queen?”
Ariadne stands, her excitement sending a flush into her pale cheeks.
“During our time in Dimhollow. Catarina, a high priestess of the coven, married us. It is binding and the manifestation of my greatest wish.”
Ariadne turns to the fire and angrily folds her arms.
“You don’t approve?” I ask. Strange. I always thought Ariadne liked Eloise.
“The dress, Damien!” She turns to me, hands spread. “I wanted to be the one to design her wedding gown. What was she wearing when these vows took place?”
I think back to that day. I see her eyes clearly, the look of joy on her face. I feel her hands in mine. “I don’t remember.” I shrug.
Ariadne grabs the sides of her head. “It’s a travesty! It’s a great miscarriage of justice.”
I give a deep, rumbling laugh. “I promise you she is my stars and moon, my beginning and end, blood of my blood, and my shade from the burning light. She is my destiny, my fate’s reward, my true and only mate, and your queen. What she wore is insignificant.”
“Insignificant? Oh, my heart!” Ariadne clutches her chest.
Warbill’s laugh fills the space. “Just save yourself some time, Damien, and promise her that once you take back Stygarde, you’ll host a proper wedding and coronation at the castle.”
I smile and look up at my old friend and her tear-filled eyes. “I promise you, Ariadne. We will have a proper wedding.”
“And you will allowmeto design her dress.”
“Eloise would desire no one else, and there is no one better.”
Her shoulders finally relax, and she sinks back into her chair. “Good. As long as there’s a plan.”
“What is the plan?” Warbill asks more seriously. “How do you propose to take back the kingdom?”
I let out a long-suffering groan, frustrated with my lack of control. “We need more men. I have the allegiance of the mountain dwellers, but they number only a thousand, without an umbrae among them. Tempest has more. A network of rebels, but I’m unsure how many.”
“The mountain dweller’s weapons will come in handy,” Warbill says. “You know my sword is yours. I will get strong again once I’m able to feed, and I remember how to fight. There is power yet in these old bones.”
I nod. “Having a former umbrae at my side means everything, Warbill. I welcome your allegiance.”
“How many men can New Stygarde claim?” Ariadne asks.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “We’ve been cut off from the shadow network to avoid detection. Tempest sent word by raven occasionally, but we had to be careful.”
Warbill frowns. “Last I heard, Victus projected fifteen thousand.”
“Fifteen thousand?” Ariadne’s eyes widen. “How? That is more than even King Malek boasted.”
“That’s what Victus had heard from the Rivertoads, whose travels made them privy to more than we are in the west, but he never explained the number.
I suppose there are those like Banias, who simply saw an opportunity for profit and power among the new regime and stayed. And don’t forget that New Stygarde has the allegiance of Willowgulch as well. The dark elf king will spare no expense to support his daughter’s reign, and he will no doubt employ his own troops, including elven hunters, to defend and expand her rule.”
“I don’t suppose Tempest is hiding another fourteen thousand men,” I grumble.
Warbill scoffs. “Her efforts are not without merit. Last I heard, she and Lord Thane had five thousand on board, a number that grows every day as people flee their ravaged villages. Many of them are former umbrae.”
“An experienced umbrae is worth three inexperienced soldiers, but it’s not enough. Not with what we’re facing.” Although I hate the idea of hurting Stygarde’s children, there may be no other way to stop Brahm and Nevina than to go through them. Highly skilled warriors are capable of keeping collateral damage to a minimum. Umbrae are trained to neutralize rather than kill innocents. But such discretion is only possible if we have enough men. An overpowered army will be too busy surviving to protect anything in their path.
“What about the witches?” Warbill asks.
“Sworn to remain neutral.”
