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I blinked. “You came here to what?”
“Nearly mah whole family fights in the army of Tailliz. Ye think I’d let them go against the Red Empire and nae try tae help?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond. Apparently, Gruoch cared more about her siblings than I’d given her credit for. Cared more about me. Maybe I hadn’t been entirely fair in my judgment of her. “That’s very—”
“Nae tae mention, a battle micht gie me a chance tae kill someone. Mibbie in a fun wey, like a sword tae the neck or a spear up the arse.”
Well. My eldest sister was still my eldest sister. A would-be murderess who’d been an utter nightmare as a custodial guardian. Bloodlust would always factor into her motivations in some way. I was still somewhat touched that she’d come racing to our rescue, but I wasn’t about to hurl myself into her tender embrace anytime soon.
“Thanks for your concern,” I said, “but if Ilyana’s willing to take the risk, then I am, too.”
“Then you have our heartfelt thanks.” Gervase paused to shush the baby, who was starting to fuss. “We’ll tell Melilot to put an end to the fire rain as soon as our troops are in position. Once it stops, they’re going to throw everything they’ve got at us.”
“Right away?” I asked. “In the dark?”
Gruoch snorted disdainfully. “A dark nicht cannae stoap troops with wizard support, ye dafty. We’ll hae tae haud the line till the emperor calls it off.”
“If he calls it off,” Jacqueline said. “I’d order a retreat right now if I was sure he would. But I’m not. Especially once his troops have boots on the ground in the northern kingdoms. We have to make our stand here. However unlikely a victory might be.”
“We’re still your best shot at surviving this,” Ilyana said.
Jacqueline finished donning her armor. She swung her arms back and forth and rotated her wrists and neck, checking the range of motion. When she was satisfied, she picked up something that looked like a soft cloth knapsack with a metal shell attached to it.
“You might be right,” she said to Ilyana, “but even so, I can’t afford to send anyone else along with you two. I’m going to need every soldier and knight we’ve got to survive what’s coming.” She motioned her husband over. “All right. Let’s get the kid strapped on.”
Ilyana and I stared as they fitted the knapsack over the armor and made sure Briar was snug and secure inside. King Gervase carefully arranged the straps so that the child’s head was properly supported.
“You’re bringing your baby into battle?” Ilyana asked.
“Of course,” Queen Jacqueline said. She reached back over her shoulder with a steel-covered finger, and Briar immediately started sucking on it with every evidence of blissful enjoyment. “I had the armored cradleboard built and ready for use months ago, just in case.”
Gruoch spat on the floor again, this time in approval. “And a good thing ye did. What kind of mither would abandon her bairn in the middle of a war zone?”
Most, I would imagine, if they were heading straight for the thick of the fight. King Gervase had a long-suffering look on his face. But he said nothing as he braced the protective metal carapace against the backplate of his wife’s cuirass. There had undoubtedly been an argument on this subject, and he had undoubtedly lost.
“That’s as safe as I can make it,” he reported after triple-checking the buckles. “Given the circumstances.”
Jacqueline nodded sharply. “Then let’s rally the soldiers. There’s a battle heading our way before the night is through.”
Chapter Thirty
Benefits of Fame
In short order, the troops were arranged in front of the fire rain. Their armor reflected the light, glimmering streaks of red dripping down the polished steel like paint.
“Good luck,” Winifred said as I climbed into Sunbeam’s saddle. My other sisters echoed the sentiment.
“To all of you as well,” I told them. If Ilyana and I moved swiftly enough, maybe we could stop the battle before it began. Otherwise, my sisters were going to have a difficult time of it. For every enemy soldier distracted by a sneeze, a hundred thousand more would be behind him.
The moment Ilyana was mounted on Stinky, Sam approached a woman standing only inches away from the fire rain, her arms upraised. A cascade of curly brown hair fell nearly to her ankles.
No one else dared to go anywhere near her. It’s a bad idea to startle a sorceress when she’s busy turning the landscape into ash.
Sam laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You can stop now, love,” he said. “Time to rest.” With an exhausted sigh, she collapsed into his arms.
As if a spigot had been turned off, the fire rain stopped. The last scattering of droplets glinted on the ground before winking out. A bare expanse of scorched earth lay before us.
I didn’t wait for the soil to cool. I summoned up a pathway of ground cover to protect the horses’ hooves: white star creeper, rupturewort, and dwarf matted lignum—low, tough plants that could withstand being trampled. The horses launched forward, flowers sprouting in front of them like a carpet unrolling as they ran. Sunbeam soon pulled ahead, which seemed like a wise idea. If things went badly wrong, Ilyana would have some warning. Probably by way of an arrow striking me in the neck.
