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He put a hand on my knee. “There’s value to a life not spent rearing children and slaving over work you don’t enjoy.”
“That’s the thing. They probably do enjoy it. It just isn’t me.” My shoulders slumped, and I turned my head, looking down at the Skaags moving through camp. “Sometimes, I wonder if something is wrong with me. It feels selfish not to pursue that legacy, especially knowing that so many of your people are unable to have children.”
“No one is asking that of you, Hellion.”
No one that he knew of, anyway. Cian had never even brought it up, not even before. I had made it known that I had no desire to play a role in rearing children, mine or otherwise, and he’d left it alone. Devonay, however, had always subtly suggested I play that role, and others in his cabinet had just assumed I would. I’d always resented that. They acted as if I should because I could, disregarding any discussion about what I wanted altogether. I had always been adamant that I wasn’t interested.
But the world had changed. I had changed. Fifty years of watching Gresham and his wife raise their child sometimes made me reconsider my position. I was not immortal, and Cian was still without an heir. It was far too soon to be having those discussions again, but succession had been brought up in council meetings more often lately. If Cian fell, who would rule Ezulari? What role would Nevahn have, if any? Would I return to Jaida or was my presence at his side a subtle power grab by the Court of Dreams? My motivations were suspect now that I was Jaida’s viceroy, and the only way to assuage those concerns would be to resign my post and commit myself entirely to being Cian’s partner. If I did that, however, Jaida might fall apart. Things there were precarious and had been for some time. The letter I had received that morning had been even more troubling.
I shrugged off his hand, closing the bag of bones and standing. “I received another letter from Gresh this morning. He’s ordered me to return.”
“Ordered you?” Cian frowned and rolled up the rug, handing it to me.
“Gresham is still my liege lord. I serve Jaida by his leave, Cian. I am still the Viceroy.”
It was unlikely he would summon me back to strip me of the title. Gresh had no interest in running his own court, which was just as well. He was no good at it. His wife, Xu Lin, however,wasinterested, and they had been at each other’s throats for years.
“Did he give you a deadline?” Cian asked as we started walking back toward the camp.
“Thankfully, no, but if he’s asking, it means he needs me. Jaida is my home. I can’t stay away forever.”
“Ezulari could be your home.” Cian twined his fingers in mine and pulled me to a stop. “Stay with me.”
I sighed. “Would you leave your people to come with me?”
“You know that I can’t, Hellion. I have an obligation here.”
“As do I there.” I pulled away from him.
“Jaida is not your court,” he called after me. “You’re only shielding Gresh from responsibilities he should have taken on long ago.”
I stopped and turned around, crossing my arms. “Like half the tithe?”
He lowered his head, staring at the ground.
With a sigh, I went back to him and put my arms around him. “I don’t want to leave you, Cian, but things must be settled in Jaida. I cannot just refuse to go back. There would be chaos. If you want me at your side, then I will need time to oversee a proper transition of power. But there is no rush. I’m not sailing away tomorrow. It behooves Jaida to ensure our closest ally doesn’t fall to invasion, and I intend to write Gresh to inform him of that. I am not going anywhere until Ezulari is secure.”
Odan suddenly landed on the grass in front of us. “Lord Cian,” he reported, breathless. “Urgent message on troop movements from Devonay’s spies.”
“The dragon?” Cian’s hand went to his sword.
Odan shook his head. “No, it’s headed straight for Lach Ban-Lenon as we assumed, but Balor’s armada has left the Bay of Strangers.”
“What?” I asked in confusion. “That makes no sense. Without holding the bay, they’ll lose the whole river if Brenna doesn’t win at Lach Ban-Lenon. He can’t send reinforcements if he gives up that position. Why would he do that?”
“Maybe this alliance between Brenna and Balor has finally fallen apart,” Odan suggested.
“Let’s hope so,” Cian said as we all started back toward the camp. “Then we may actually stand a chance.”
NightfellonLachBan-Lenon as a blanket of thick shadow.
From our little grove, I could easily spy the forward troops, Morlash’s men and their torches. They had the most dangerous job of holding the crossing as long as possible. If they didn’t hold it long enough to cost the opposition, Brenna wouldn’t even bother with the dragon. The Skaags would make them bleed for every inch of ground they took, and their losses would likely be substantial.
Above, even brighter lights dotted the sky. Nisang’s aerial force glowed in the power of a spell. The lights around their bodies were the eyes we would so badly need on the ground. How many of them we would lose depended entirely upon how effectively Brenna used her dragon and how fast my group got their jobs done.
Slowly, the other side of the river came to life, a sea of fire. Brenna’s army had made it to the shore at last. My stomach twisted again at the sight of so much light, worse knowing that each one probably represented a hundred soldiers and not one. It was a good thing my stomach was empty, or I would’ve lost anything I’d kept down.
I stood at the front of the grove, just under the tree cover. There were no lights beneath the canopy, nothing to give us away. Only the glint of the fire beyond caught on the few swords protecting the ballistas.
