Page 61 of Commanding Scythe and Sky

My mouth went dry as, one by one, our people turned toward the bloodied newcomer.

Mortification heated my neck and the backs of my ears as more eyes settled on me.

Then, like a ripple spreading over water, chairs screeched across the tile and rubber soles squealed as people lowered themselves to their knees.

As though they’d spotted a deity instead of a dumbass rookie who’d lost his mate and missed his one chance to avenge her.

I dragged my palm over my mouth and jaw as the last of the souls bowed their heads.

Alec swaggered back toward me, unapologetically weaving between kneeling bodies. Almost irritably, he handed me a foil-wrapped burrito before taking his place behind me.

I glanced back and met his amber eyes. The shield nodded.

“Please stand,” I said, relieved when they obeyed.

Aren’s words to Hazelharbor rang through my head, so I repeated what I could remember.

“We are free people. We kneel to no man—king or Commander.”

I wanted to tell them they should kneel only to their messiah, but in a fucked-up way, I supposed I was the souls’ equivalent.

The prophesied Great Commander.

King Calloway.

I’d never been one for public speaking. That had been James’s territory. Polished and precise, he’d known how to command a room. Aren had possessed such a formidable presence and wielded such a fierce blade that few ever dared question him.

That was part of what had made Magnolia so intriguing—not only to Aren, but to the rest of us.

Her willingness to stand in defiance of such magnitude.

And where the hell was she?

She’d risked everything to get Fae out, and we hadn’t been far behind them.

I cleared my throat. “Thank you for the welcome, but never again. Never kneel when you’re meant to stand.”

A few sounds of agreement rose from the gathering.

“That is what I ask of you. Stand with me. Stand beside me. Fight this evil shoulder to shoulder. Save the formality for the battlefield, because when we are here, I am just your neighbor.”

Their gazes weighed on me like I’d stepped into quicksand. My voice faded, and I released a hard breath as I spotted her.

Magnolia Green stood with a tray of food in her hands, mouth agape at the display. Her expression was heavy with emotion as her gaze landed on me.

Hell, if she didn’t feel like the most familiar thing in the room.

I walked toward Magnolia like she was a life preserver in a raging sea.

Her eyes flashed wide before she dropped her tray onto the nearest table and rushed toward me.

We collided with the force of a defensive lineman, and a startled laugh broke free at her enthusiasm. The sound echoed through the crowd as Tana and Kenna both splayed their palms over their hearts.

“Hey, little soul,” I breathed, wrapping her up as she threw her arms around my neck.

Finally, I set her back on her feet and anchored her in place by the arms, the same way I did with Freya when she didn’t want to be evaluated.

“How you faring, Hazel?”