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“We keep moving,” Zor said steadily. “I’ll carry you and I won’t give them time to regroup before we land in our next spot. Strategically, this is the most viable plan.”
“I have a better idea.” I pasted on a smile to hide my shaking. “Well, not better, but an idea.”
Raz groaned. “No. Not happening.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “You haven’t even heard my idea yet.”
“Still a no,” Zor said in solidarity, and I frowned at the two of them ganging up on me. “Attacking one flank at a time and keeping our distance is the safest strategy.”
“But not the most effective,” I murmured. The huge army slogged along, mindless, empty shells, driven only by the creatures inhabiting them. We’d all checked ourselves over for any wounds, no matter how small, but I couldn’t forget Ember’s attack, how sharp her teeth had been.
One small nick and there was no doubt they’d take us over.
A fucking papercut could do us in right now.
I shook my head, hardly believing what I was about to propose. “Drop me into the center of them and leave.”
Raz just crossed his arms over his chest. “That doesn’t even constitute an idea. And you’re right, it’s not better.”
I turned to Zorander. “One clean blast from the center of the army should take out most of them,” I explained quickly. “I didn’t have to use very much magic when I killed the Reaper in Ember, just a touch of the magic and the thing disappeared. This isn’t about power, it’s about reach.”
“This is about not acting foolishly and getting yourself killed.”
“Foolish, maybe, but I don’t intend to get killed. This is about completing the Oracle’s task as expediently as possible so she frees our friends.”
And my mother, I didn’t add. My mother who finally was free, only to become the prisoner of an even bigger monster than the king.
“The second you vanish, Zor, I’ll let my magic loose.” After last night, my well was overflowing. This wasn’t a power problem; this was ahow fast can you move before you get ripped apartproblem.
“I won’t condone this plan. This is too reckless, even for you, Anaria,” Zor growled softly, sweat dripping down his dust-coated face, leaving streaks of mud.
His thin shirt clung to his muscled body, and I understood the fear he was feeling, because every time I looked at him, I felt the same kind of helpless dread. He had no armor, nothing to protect him against these creatures.
At least I had my magic.
“I have no desire to be dropped into the middle of a bunch of Soul Reapers, but we don’t have the luxury of debating this right now. I have enough magic to cast a wave big enough to consume the entire force, once I know you are both out of range.”
For my friends, I would do this.
For the innocent people in Solarys, I would do this.
“But I can’t…Iwon’tcast my magic while you are close.” My gaze flicked down to the black line trailing up the inside of his powerful arm. “This isn’t about choices, Zorander. This is about doing the only thing left to do and having no choice at all.”
At the rate this army moved, shambling though the soldiers were, they’d reach the wall by midnight. Maybe the wall would fail completely beneath this many Reapers, all of them carrying such foul magic of their own.
I shuddered to think what would happen to Deepwood and all the other unsuspecting villages scattered through the forest once they passed through the gate. If the unwary inhabitants would become food for this army…or fresh hosts.
Either way, they had to be stopped.
“One clean blast will end them. I can do this.” I held Zor’s gaze as steadily as I could, given a deadly host marched only a few lengths away. “Ihaveto do this; you know it’s true. If they get through the ward, they’ll slaughter every living thing they come across.”
“Or we head to the wall and you enforce it with your magic. We outlast them, we wait until their hosts die,” Raz suggested softly, his hard jaw set, his eyes cold. That coldness was fear, not anger, and I wanted to scream.
“I don’t know how to reinforce an ancient ward. And once the hosts die, the Reapers will just be set free to look for more hosts, then this cycle repeats.” Never in my life had I thought I would have to fight so hard to do something so foolish.
“I have to kill them.” The reek of death hung all around us, the foul, rotting scent of ten thousand Reapers. “We only have one chance.” I looked between them. I could defy them both, march into the thick of that host and destroy them myself, but I wanted us to agree.
I wanted us to make this choicetogether.
