AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They’d left almost an hour ago. If they’d flown, and I was certain they would’ve, they’d be there already… at the front lines. Had the battle already begun?
Loris laid a hand on my back, recoiling at the frostbitten skin. “Oh dear,” she said, “I hardly believed it when I heard…”
She came around to the other side of the table to look me in the eyes, “We stand a half-decent chance in this war, you know,” she said.
I looked up, the annoyance gone, and some tension easing from my shoulders, my heart beat slowing. I cocked my head at her.
With a small awkward looking smile—gods,had I ever seen her smile, before? Did I look so awful that even grumpy old Loris felt she had to do something to raise my spirits? I groaned. Shook my head.
“It’s true,” she said, her brows narrowing, “The Alchemist race are skilled in the arcane arts. Magic. But they aren’t much stronger than the men of the mortal realms. They are smart and cunning, but on the ground, if you put one Fae warrior against one Alchemist, the Fae will win. We are stronger than them. Faster, too.”
I hung my head. They were my own words. Though she hadn’t been here to hear them. I had convinced a legion of Horde soldiers we could win this war using a variation of those same words. They were true after all. Wewerestronger and faster. But every Fae on the battlefield would need to kill at leasttwofor us to stand a chance.
And the marching continued outside the infirmary… the entire Horde hadn’t even made it to the front lines yet.
And they had some Fae on their side. And Draconians. And the Mad King himself… would he be on the battlefield?
I should have gone.
I should have insisted.
Alaric. Kade. Finn.
I was back in the ruined palace at Mt. Noctis. Watching as Ricon toyed with them as though they were puppets in his morbid theater. I remembered the punch of Kade’s blade as it found purchase in my flesh. The look in his eyes.
“I should have gone,” I whispered to myself.
Loris placed her hand atop mine, “It was thesmartercourse to stay behind, majesty. And there’s no sense regretting your decision. It’ll be too late by now.”
Tiernan came back into the room from where he was helping move beds and tables into place in the main hall.
“Check on them,” he said, “I can see it’s driving you to madness—just check on them already.”
“But—”
But what if I distract them, I was going to say, but he interrupted, “The battle won’t have begun yet,” he said, “Trust me—the earth… I would sense if it had begun.”
His Grace. I wondered what it would be like to feel the pulse of the land beneath your feet…
Biting my lips and hauling in a steadying breath, I closed my eyes. Searched for the three tethers. Found them stretched taught, tugging at my soul.
Alaric,I called down the bond,where are you? Have you made it to the front?
There came no answer.
“He isn’t answering me!”
Tiernan came to stand next to me, covering my hand with his on the table. “Try again,”
Healer Loris gasped, realizing what I’d done. How I’d bonded myself to them.
I didn’t care if she knew. I didn’t care if anyone knew anymore. As long as they came back.
I’d tell the whole damned world. I’d shout it from the skies.
Alaric,I spoke again through the bond.
His voice ricocheted back to me,they’re here.
