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“I’m okay,” I tell him. “I’m here to… I’m here to…”

Raise an army? Gather soldiers to fight? It all sounds so ridiculous.

“I’m here to rescue you,” I decide.

My father closes his eyes and shakes his head. “Oh, lad, it’s over. The keep’s fallen. They’ve taken everything.”

“Dom? Nori?”

My father gestures to the far end of the forest. “They got ’em working in the northern quadrant. But this forest is nearly all felled. Don’t know where they’ll send us after that.”

“We will not give them an opportunity.” I grip my father’s arm. “There are forces all over the Vale, mustering for an attack on Sira’s stronghold at Castletree on the night of the full moon. The Golden Rose and all the princes have returned. We’re going to fight, and we’re going to win.”

My father lets out a sigh. “All my soldiers are in camps like this.”

“It starts with this one,” I growl. “Then we free the rest. The garrisons at the labor camps aren’t that big. We can do it.”

“Say your madcap idea works, laddy. Then what? All our horses have fled or been eaten by those damn goblins. The full moon is only a few days away. We’d never march an army to Castletree in time.”

I suck in a breath. He’s right. There are hundreds of miles of farmland between here and the border. We’d need an entire cavalry.

My gaze drifts toward the hill and catches on Thrand. He stands against the setting sun. Animals, fleeing the destruction, scamper by him.

This isn’t just our home. It’s theirs too.

My eyes catch on my father’s wrist guards. The sigil of Autumn is etched into the faded brown leather: a fierce ram with a crown of red and orange leaves. Suddenly, I’m a child, sitting at my mother’s feet as she recites legends, pointing to the many tapestries that decorated Keep Oakheart. Her favorite stories were those of the Storm Rams, a mystical vanguard who would come to the service of Autumn fighters in times of great need.

The Storm Rams are only legends. But they stand for the bravery of all living beings of Autumn.

My brother believed every creature deserved a chance. He gave his life to free those in need.

I squeeze my eyes shut. Give me strength, Mother. Give me strength, Billy. Guide me.

There’s only my heartbeat, steady and confident in my chest.

What had Dayton told me once? I’ve always been good at taming wild things.

“I’ll get you to Castletree. I’ll get all of Autumn’s fighters to Castletree.” I pick up my father’s axe and offer it to him. Flickers of flame begin to lick up my body. “But first, let’s go find Dom and Nori. I think these goblins need to be reintroduced to Autumn’s royal family.”

43

Dayton

The ship bobs in the water in a familiar rhythm, and the Summer air is sharp with salt and sun, the kind that stings your skin just a little. The wind tosses my hair, and gulls cry overhead. Gods, I missed this. The warmth. The ocean. The endless blue.

Hadria is free.

For now.

But none of us will be truly free until Sira is defeated.

After we made it through the Celestial Landing—miraculously, with no free-falling or near-death experiences—I blew the horn. The Huntresses of Aura answered, ready to take us to our realms.

I hated saying goodbye. To Rosie. To Farron. The others. The next time we see one another, we’ll be fighting side by side.

A band of huntresses flew me toward the Byzantar Isles, where Delphia was waiting. As we passed over Spring, a golden hawk shimmered against the sun.

Justus, returning home with me.