Page 86 of Memory of Ashes

Amelia nodded.

“This is sacred ground. The beasts lurk in the forest for a reason. To keep us out,” he hissed.

She flinched, remembering that he had been the one who had wanted her dead.

He noticed her flinch and looked away. “It was never personal. I hope you understand that.”

She nodded again. She understood. If she had known how Tiryn was going to use her, she would have gladly sacrificed herself. The king had created an army of monsters that had slain her own people. The world as she knew it was now non-existent. She blinked back the tears that blurred her vision. This was all her fault. If only she’d listened to Emin.

Even if they managed to kill the king and defeat his army, her city was gone; everyone she cared about was probably dead by now. Logically she knew it was the king’s fault, but if she had just died, she could have prevented all of this.

They cautiously entered the forest. No one spoke as they moved as quietly as possible until they reached the rift. The silence was eerie. The birdsong had stopped at their approach.

She felt a prickle on her arms as the hairs rose.

The rift was like a scar on the mountain.

Elthar dismounted and approached the rift. He sank to his knees before it.

“The homeland,” he cried.

“Come on,” Ruven said quietly and patted his shoulder.

Elthar looked up at him. “You don’t understand. This place has haunted my dreams for centuries.”

Was he old enough to remember? These fae lived for centuries and they had shared her world once upon a time, but how long ago was that?

He rose and followed Ruven through the rift, leading his horse behind him. The rift shimmered as the army followed suit. It took hours for them all to descend the mountain. They made camp near the base where they would wait for Tiryn’s army.

In Elthar’s tent, they met with his generals to discuss the strategy.

Eleandor, the sage, as the fae called him, was there. She didn’t know how they could trust him. She remained near the back of the tent.

They would split the army into three groups. A small group would remain in the centre as a decoy whilst two larger forces split off to either side. Tharos would hide them until the enemy had engaged and then unleash hell.

“What if Tiryn brings his whole army?” Felin, Elthar’s captain, asked.

“He won’t. Tharos has a plan, and he is quite believable,” Ruven replied, wearing the same grin she’d realised she’d missed.

Felin was having a hard time taking them at their word.

“If it comes to the worst, we can always retreat through the rift and try to kill them if they follow,” Elthar said.

“It won’t come to that,” Ruven insisted. “But Tiryn needs to die.”

*

As the sun climbed into the sky, a scout appeared in the distance.

“It’s time,” Danae said.

The army split into three and stood prepared, ready for the enemy to come into sight.

Amelia was nervous. She was eager for the battle to go their way, for their plan to work, but she was also eager to see Casyl.

She would only play a minor role in the battle, but the responsibility resting on her was crushing. If she could not block Tiryn’s power, they would fail, and it would all be for nothing.

They sent their own scouts to see what they were facing. One returned with news that an army much smaller than theirs was approaching, with no sign of further forces behind it.