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My generals glance at each other in a way that suggests they don’t share my confidence. Still, they have confidence in me, and I believe their loyalty Is genuine when Horst speaks for them. “We’ll conduct raids on their avenues of supply. I’ll keep you abridged of their success.”
“Thank you,” I say. I stand, indicating that the meeting is dismissed. The generals bow one at a time as they leave to take care of their individual responsibilities for the raids.
I head to my chambers. There is nothing left for me to do now but wait for word from my generals. My father and I spoke yesterday, and if he has anything more to report to me, he’ll call me.
The rest of the evening belongs to me and Brooke.
She is waiting for me when I arrive. She wears a white silk robe with a gold clasp and a bright red ruby brooch. She wears nothing underneath.
We don’t speak to each other at first. Our movements are fierce and animalistic, almost desperate, and when we finish, we both cry out.
Our sexual relationship has become more intense since war was declared. I think we both know that at any moment, we could lose one another. That causes us to take advantage of every spare instant we have.
It’s not until we separate that she speaks. “Do you have to leave?”
It’s a common question of hers. She knows that at any moment, I might have to depart to lead my soldiers into battle. That moment looks more and more imminent with each passing day.
“Not yet, my love,” I reply. “We’re striking Brantley’s supply lines. If all goes well, we will immobilize them. If that happens, we can force them to surrender.”
“Or to attack with their dragons.”
I shake my head. “Brantley is not suicidal. He knows that he will die if he exposes us.”
“That might be worth it to him as long as you die too,” she points out.
I begin to reassure her again when there is a knock on my door. I frown and go to the door. It’s Franklin, the valet assigned to me here.
I open the door just widely enough that my face is visible. “What is it, Franklin?”
“Your Highness,” he says, “pardon the intrusion. The Aerie is attacked.”
ChapterTwenty
Darkness and Pain
Brooke
Aiden briefly protests my insistence on coming with him to the Aerie, but he knows he won’t win that fight, and he doesn’t protest for long. I have to follow him in the private jet however. He has to fly too fast for me to accompany him, so I will reach the Aerie after him.
Or what remains of it. The plane will land at a private airfield an hour’s helicopter ride from the Aerie. Once we land, Franklin will call Aiden and ask if it’s safe for me to go to the Aerie. If we get the go-ahead, then we will take the helicopter to the estate.
When we descend below the clouds, I see the smoke. Even from a hundred miles away, the flames are visible. The main palace is on fire, as well as several of the smaller buildings. I can’t tell if any of them are the house I’ve called home for nearly an hour and a half, but that’s not that important to me right now. All I can think about are the hundreds of people who live on the estate, innocent people who thought they had landed the job of a lifetime working for a wealthy and extraordinarily generous benefactor, people who are now terrified for their lives.
If they haven’t lost them already.
We land, and within ten minutes, we receive the go ahead to fly to the Aerie. The closer we get, the more I see the damage done. The forest surrounding the estate is scorched. The fields and meadows are still aflame, and it soon becomes clear that not only my own house but all of the buildings on the grounds have been destroyed. I see the charred remains of anti-aircraft artillery and missile emplacements and the burnt husks of at least a dozen helicopters. The Aerie didn’t go down without a fight.
I see that the main palace is still standing, although flames have destroyed half of the structure. I feel a rush of pride and relief when I see Aiden standing on the helipad next to Petyr and Courtney, the assistant Aiden gives me when I first move here.
The Aerie hasn’t fallen. Whatever the battle here was, it was hard-fought but won.
At least I think so. My confidence disappears when I land and see the pain in Aiden’s eyes.
“What is it, Aiden?” I ask, rushing to him. “What happened? When did they do this?”
“This morning,” he says. “While I met with my generals. They had access to stealth aircraft and conducted a surprise air assault.”
“No ground assault?”
