AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You know in your heart that defeating Brenna will never be enough. There is another, one whose fearsome power remains unmatched.”
My fingers closed into fists. “Iridyn.” I turned to face him, unwilling to look upon Jaida’s destruction further. “Tell me what must be done.”
Ren let the curtain fall. “Follow your heart into darkness, Hellion. There is a price that must be paid in blood, and a great storm that must be weathered. Learn not to see with your eyes, but with your heart, and Jaida may yet be saved.” He glanced past me at something only he could see before drawing me into a kiss. “Go now,” he said, holding my face in his hands. “And remember that light shines brightest in the darkness.”
I flinched awake and found Nevahn staring at me with concern, his hand cupping my sweat dampened cheek.
“You’re safe,” he whispered. “It’s only me. Are you all right?”
I closed my eyes and leaned into the comfort of his touch, trying to forget the sting of the dream. “It was just another nightmare,” I lied, for I was well versed in the magic of dreams. I knew it was more than that. Ren’s spirit had reached out to me from the other side with a warning, and I would be a fool to ignore it.
Voices in the main part of the tent rousted me. I sat up and frowned at the closed door, listening to Nisang and Cian speaking quietly on the other side. The council meeting would be starting soon.
“You should come to the meeting,” I told Nevahn. “If you feel up to it.”
His face fell. “Why would I go?”
I took his hand in mine and we both sat up. “Don’t listen to what the others say, Nevahn. You are needed here. Your place is at our side. Somewhere inside you is a leader capable of rallying these men behind you. I need you to reach deep and find him, for all our sakes. Can you do that?”
He sucked in a deep breath and nodded solemnly. “I feel like I can do anything as long as you’re with me.”
“Then I will never leave your side again,” I promised, kissing him. I pushed away the fearful warning Ren had given me. Whatever fate befell Jaida, a journey there would have to wait until after we won our victory against Brenna.
Nevahn and I quickly dressed, going out to the meeting table. Cian glanced between us, but said nothing. There wasn’t time before Morlash and Odan came in one after the other, practically climbing over each other to get to the table first. Tepith was the last, which was unsurprising considering the beating I’d heard he’d gotten from Nevahn. He looked only slightly worse than usual, a deep purple bruise blooming on one side of his face.
As soon as he saw Nevahn, Morlash’s lip curled. “What the fuck is your pet human doing here?”
The table creaked as Cian leaned forward, his face stern. “Do you have an objection?”
“He started a drunken brawl that sent a dozen of my men to the infirmary, including Tepith,” Morlash snarled. “I want to know what the consequences will be.”
Cian leaned back. “What would you like me to do, Morlash?”
“A public punishment. Use him as an example to keep everyone in line,” Morlash suggested.
Next to me, Nevahn stiffened, but I put a hand on his lower back, massaging gently to relax him.
Cian’s nose twitched, and I restrained the urge to smile at just how stupid of a request that was. Surely, it hadn’t escaped Morlash’s notice that we were both sleeping with Nevahn. Asking Cian to string up his own lover for a public humiliation was never going to go over well. Yet he was bold enough to ask for it, anyway. I had to respect his confidence, even if he was a fool.
“It is my understanding that Tepith was the aggressor,” Cian said, turning his attention to Tepith. “The witness that I spoke to said he attacked Nevahn first and Nevahn acted in self-defense. Or are you willing to admit in front of everyone, Tepith, that a human caught you unaware and beat you soundly?”
Tepith’s face hardened as he glared at Nevahn. He didn’t even glance at Morlash. “It’s as you’ve heard. I started it. General Odan finished it. The human was barely involved.”
“Someone so high ranking should know better.” Itisked, crossing my arms and drawing a scowl from Tepith.
Morlash glowered at the table in silence.
Nisang crossed his arms and studied me, his expression unreadable.
Odan just grinned shamelessly.
“Give your reports.” Cian slammed two new wooden ballista figurines down on the table.
Odan cleared his throat and pointed to a narrow space on the map forward from the camp. “They’re booby-trapping the whole pass with tripwires and spells.”
“Retrieving the fallen is truly out of the question, then.” Nisang’s wings sank toward the floor. “That’s going to do wonders for morale. You can already smell the dead when the wind shifts just right. As more time passes, it’s only going to get worse.”
“They’re not picking up their dead either.” Odan clicked his tongue and shook his head. “The good news is the water’s not tainted. Not yet. We cleared the bodies from it before they got there, though the pyre attracted their attention.”
