Page 367 of Commanding Scythe and Sky

Nevertheless, Freya sent word down every string of her web that The Obsidian Crown had been moved into Sire’s territory.

Now, we waited.

It took every scrap of strength I had to shove the storm down, bottling it inside my chest to clear the sky. For now.

Wind chimes hung from every still-standing tree lining the streets, every upright light pole, every bridge along the water. The gentle clink and peal of countless bells sang like a melody every time the wind shifted.

Sire might’ve been the one fighting alongside New York day by damn day, but that was my calling card.

A not-so-silent sign that the mortals in this quadrant of the city believed in the symbol Grayshell had pitched to the rebellion.

The Great Commander.

Because the lightning always came first. The wind along with it. And then hell came with me.

They didn’t know it yet, but we were going to answer their invitation tonight. I just prayed it was worth it.

We’d moved in on silent feet—blending with the mortals as they rushed to and from work or the markets, heads down, hoods up.

Marcus had, in fact, proven Tessa’s words true—not only by converting Sire to our cause, but by unraveling the magic of the Obsidian Crown enough for us to understand it.

His daughter had been right on more than one front, for that matter. Only our most trusted allies were lined up.

Kingsley’s shifters were lying in wait in Central Park—the image of my first mission there taunting me endlessly.

Teiran’s legion was one order away from swarming in on our tails.

Freya’s Paladins were steeped in the darkest corners of the city, ready to hold the shadows at bay.

Half of our recovered Grayshellian covens were poised to strike on my mark.

But most crucial of all was the man stalking up on my right—the one squinting into the starless sky at the oversized ravens circling the city.

“I’ve wanted to kill these shadow birds from the moment they touched Ally in Chicago.” Alec sidled up next to me, and I smirked over at him, nodding as he laced his fingers around the bow slung across his chest.

“Any trouble?”

“I don’t think so, but if that bitch tells me to reshelve her goddamn books one more time, you’ll be peeling her off the wallpaper.”

I snorted, reaching for his shoulder and yanking him in close for a hug he returned with more enthusiasm than I’d expected. “Hopefully that all ends tonight.”

“It fucking better. I’m not kidding, August. She’s a damn tyrant.”

“Yeah, well, I appreciate you taking one for the team.”

When Reyna started giving me shit before the summer humidity even hit, I knew I’d have to wedge an insider beneath her defenses like a splinter under her fingernail. Freya was a non-option, and not just because she couldn’t control her face half the time. Reyna wouldn’t be dense enough to believe she’d turn on her brother. The infamous Wraith had never been one to take orders lying down, and her friendship with Reyna was no different. Which meant she couldn’t play doormat and let the queen undermine me without raising suspicions.

Of everyone left alive, Alec was the only man for the job—the only soul I knew without a doubt I could depend on, no matter how deep things got. The only one I knew wouldn’t turn his back on us for anything in the world.

He’d played his role perfectly. His knack for manipulating emotions was the ideal scalpel to exploit the weakness in our armor. But goddamn, had I missed his chatter at my six.

“You fucking better,” Alec muttered, drawing me back to the moment when he gave me a tight squeeze. “You’re gonna owe me until we’re old and decrepit.”

“Based on Aren, that’ll be a minute.”

“The Commander really toss your salad there, rookie?”

“Fuck off,” I muttered with a laugh that sounded alien to my own ears. I released him and moved for his mate, who prowled up behind him, her eyes still sweeping the sky for more threats.