There was another familiar face waiting in Caliza’s office though. With broad shoulders and a kind face, Caliza’s husband, Kuren, had dark eyes that seemed to be constantly waiting for you to confess all your innermost feelings. I’d done it more than once. A thin scar along the hard line of his jaw stood out starkly against his dark skin, a souvenir from the first crow he’d ever met. Apparently, he’d tried to pet it from behind.
I launched myself into his open arms. “It’s so good to see you!”
A deep laugh rumbled in his chest. “And you. I hear you’ve been quite busy.”
“I can’t imagine what you mean.” I pulled back.
He smiled, and the warmth of it made me relax. His smile always had that effect. It was as if the simple motion released some power inside him that sucked all the stress out of anyone within ten feet of him.
We took our seats. A half hour later, Caliza and Kuren had updated us on Rhodaire’s situation, from supplies, to soldiers, to the battle itself, and I’d told them about the alliance, the Sellas, and our current plan to flank Razel’s army.
Like we’d predicted, we’d had to give ground since Rosstair, falling back to Elaris. With Lesiar Lake at its back, the walled city would make a good defensible position.
“The house leaders and I agreed that if you secured the alliance of the other kingdoms, we’d meet her forces there,” Caliza said. “The town has been evacuated of everyone not contributing to the fight and sent south. It’s under a day’s ride from Aris.”
“This won’t be a typical battle,” I warned them. “The Sellas I faced in the wood could use similar magic to Res. At least fire, water, and earth. I don’t know what the others can do.”
Kuren leaned back against Caliza’s desk, arms folded in an easy posture. “We should meet with Lady Kerova and Lady Turren later to discuss battle tactics. We’ll need to adjust. I’m particularly concerned about facing an opponent wielding earth magic. Zellen Arkos wrote a really fascinating essay on wall sieges that I think is in your library here.”
Caliza scoffed. “Arkos? He wouldn’t know siege warfare if it built a wall around him.”
“Viden then?”
“If you want to fall asleep after the second word.”
“Pretty sure that’s all books,” I muttered.
They both rounded on me, Kuren’s eyes wide with shock, Caliza’s narrowed in condemnation. I slapped a hand over my mouth to silence a laugh.
Ericen chuckled softly. “Alternatively, I can help?” All eyes turned to him, but it only seemed to make him more comfortable. “You’ve only ever had to think of how to use these powers, not how to defend against them. Illucia, on the other hand, has volumes dedicated to crow warfare.”
“Like those arrows,” I said, remembering the souvenir Caylus had plucked from the Aizel. What else did Illucia have developed to counteract the crows? “Speaking of, I have a gift for you,” I said to Kuren, withdrawing a set of blueprints. I’d found them tucked into the side of one of the horns Caylus had made for us, clearly drawn by someone else’s steady hand. Kuren took them from me, unfolding them in his lap. “It’s the design for those horns I brought back with me. We should produce as many of them as quickly as we can and ship them out to Elaris.”
Kuren’s eyes flitted across the page, absorbing information at an inhuman rate. It was too bad he and Caylus hadn’t gotten the chance to meet.
“We planned for me to open the Sella road two hours after my arrival to let the first wave of Trendellan soldiers through,” I continued. “We can send them to Elaris straight away.” With the use of the road, they’d be fresh and rested, with a short march ahead of them. “We’ll do the same again tomorrow at the same time and the day after to move the army through in sections.”
“If you can give me the details of Elaris’s defenses, I can try to predict what my mother will do,” Ericen said. He stood behind my chair, his hands on the back of it. I could feel the warmth of his fingers pressing into my back.
Kiva snorted from where she leaned against the wall, one finger toying with Aroch’s paw. “So you can walk them straight to her? No thanks.”
“Sooner or later, you’re going to have to accept that I’m here to help you,” Ericen said.
“Or I could just stab you.”
I rolled my eyes. Ericen might not be able to see it, but something had changed in Kiva’s countenance toward him. Her quips had turned joking—mostly. She might not fully trust him, but I could see her making an effort.
Caliza shot Kiva a stern look. “Your mother hasn’t returned from Korovi. That means you’re in charge of the castle guard.”
Kiva’s face darkened. “Have you heard from her?”
“Her last letter came a week ago. She was still trying to convince them to aid us,” Caliza replied. “For now, I want you to work with Prince Ericen to train the other lieutenants on basic Illucian sword techniques and weak spots in their armor. They’ll ride out tomorrow and distribute that information to the soldiers already in Elaris.”
Kiva clenched her jaw, her reflex to retort no doubt battling with her desire to follow orders. Though I couldn’t see his face, I had a feeling Ericen looked somewhere between amused and smug.
Caliza turned back to Ericen. “What else can you tell us?”
The prince crossed his arms. “The most important thing to note is that Illucians treat crow warfare like a knife fight: the first step is always to control the knife. They’ll do the same with Res. If they can draw him out and kill him early, they can drastically change their strategy.”
He talked for nearly half an hour, giving us everything he could. From the knowledge that their warhorses’ footing was weak to the advice that arrows were highly effective against thin Vykryn uniforms. Normal soldiers wore metal-reinforced armor, but the Vykryn believed that a worthy warrior didn’t require it, and if they died, they did so willingly in the service of their god.
With his help, we made plans to plow the fields outside the walls of Elaris, making the land uneven and dangerous for the Illucian horses. Messenger birds left with instructions for archers to target Vykryn, the knowledge that normal Illucian armor was weak beneath the arms, and details on Res’s abilities.
By the time Ericen finished, Kiva looked slightly less like she wanted to stab him, and something like hope shone in my sister’s eyes.
“Thank you,” she said.
Ericen bowed his head.
Kuren finished writing down the last of Ericen’s information. “I’ll have copies of this sent to Lady Kerova and Lady Turren. We’ll meet with them tomorrow to discuss final plans.”
“Great,” I said, letting out a breath. “Now I could really use some fresh Rhodairen air.”
As the others filed out of the room, Caliza caught my arm, holding me back. She pulled me wordlessly into another hug, and for a moment, we simply stood there in silence, each memorizing the feel of the other’s arms.
“You did it,” she whispered, holding tighter.
“And you held the kingdom together while I did.”
As we pulled back, Caliza slipped the silver bracelet of feathers off her wrist. “You should have this back.”
I smiled, lifting my hand so she could slide it over onto my wrist. I ran my fingers along the metal, still warm from her skin. It’d belonged to Estrel once, a gift from my mother. They might not have been related by blood, but they’d still been sisters. The matching piece, a feather circlet, sat poised on Caliza’s brow.
“Mother would be proud of us,” she said.
I snorted, waving a hand. “Forget Mother. I’m proud of us.”
A quiet laugh leapt from her lips, and she hugged me again. “Me too.”
* * *
The smell of the royal training grounds was painfully familiar. It made my heart ache with longing for a time when Estrel and I would rise befo
re most of the castle, training for hours first by torchlight and then beneath the pale pink sky of dawn.
Although simple, the courtyard had more than enough for my purposes. A small sparring ring, a few well-used dummies, and a view of the clouded sky. I leaned my head back, staring up at the darkening clouds. The air smelled thick with rain, a promise of a coming storm. I couldn’t wait to feel the warm rain against my skin.
I hadn’t realized how much I’d needed home.
“Care for a partner?” a low voice asked from behind.
I smiled over my shoulder at Ericen, nodding to where Res had settled down in the corner to sleep. “I already have one of those.”
“A less lazy partner then.” He returned my smile, stepping into the yard.
Res lifted his head, cawing indignantly.
I snorted. “Well, you are lazy,” I said, and he laid his head back down with a huff. “How about a rematch?” I suggested, drifting toward the sparring ring. With everything I’d learned recently, I felt alive with energy. Nerves, excitement, fear—they flashed through my veins like lightning, making me jittery.
Thunder boomed in the sky above, matching my nerves.
Ericen followed me into the ring, his lips pulled up in that one-sided smirk that never failed to irk me. “First one to tap out?”
I lifted my hands, shifting into a stance as the sky broke and warm rain fell. “I’m not holding back,” I warned him.
His smile widened, his fingers slipping under the hem of his shirt. In a fluid motion, he had it over his head and was tossing it aside into the damp dirt. “Neither am I.”
I had barely had time to feel the heat flushing my face when he struck. Cursing, I dodged him and backed to the other side of the ring.
“You did that on purpose,” I growled.
He laughed. “A soldier should use all the assets at their disposal.”
“I wouldn’t say assets,” I muttered.
Ericen raised a doubtful brow, that stupid smirk spreading once more. Lightning split the sky. I sprang forward, swiping for his jaw. He leapt away, laughing.
Back and forth we went as the rain drummed around us. Water dripped from strands of his black hair and in rivulets down his chest, and my clothes grew heavy, clinging fast to my body. Unlike last time, I didn’t shy from landing my own blows, and with each spin and step that took me out of the prince’s reach, the furrow between his brows grew.
I caught him in the ribs, then in the stomach with a kick. He stepped back, as sturdy as ever. I needed to get him unbalanced.
As Ericen struck, I knocked aside his blow, spun inside his guard, and threw my elbow into his gut. He wheezed, stumbling back.
I tackled him.
We tumbled to the wet ground, his back hitting hard. I landed atop him, one knee in his chest, the other foot braced against the earth, a fist raised to strike. He fell still, a look of surprise on his face I’d never seen before. For a moment of long, thick silence, I was all too aware of the heavy rise and fall of his chest, of the heat of his skin burning through two layers of cloth.
Then Ericen laughed and ran a hand through his rain-soaked hair, pushing it out of his eyes. It’d escaped its soldier’s cut in the last few weeks, the ends curling like beckoning fingers. “You stole my move,” he rasped, still breathless.
I smirked. “Getting slow in your old age.”
“I’m barely a year older than you are.”
“And yet you move like Res after breakfast.”
The crow let out a low caw of agreement, and we both laughed. The sound echoed through the courtyard, a reminder we were alone. The rain drummed a steady beat on the stone. Only a flurry of feathers told me Res had taken to the sky.
Ericen’s eyes searched mine. One hand cupped my face, his calloused fingers gentle against my skin.
I leaned down and kissed him.
Ericen surged up, catching me in his arms and holding me close. My legs hooked around his waist, my hands finding his feather-soft hair, his lean neck, the bare skin of his corded back. Pressed between the power of the storm and the prince’s strength, my body came alive.
I kissed him until we were both breathless and the storm fell apart around us, the rain softening to a quiet drizzle and the thunder fading. A light shone through the darkened clouds, washing the courtyard in gold.
And still, we held on.
Twenty-Seven
In the end, Kiva found us.
We practically sprang apart when her raucous laugh filled the courtyard. Whereas my cheeks flushed red as fire, Ericen glowered at Kiva with a dark menace that would have once made me nervous. Now I knew when he was all bark and no bite.
Kiva dragged Ericen away to start training the lieutenants, and I returned to the mausoleum to activate the Sella road. Estrel joined me, and we chatted to pass the time. It took almost an hour for all the soldiers to pass through, as the road was narrow and only allowed for one through at a time. Estrel organized them with their captains and sent them toward Elaris.
A tall Jin soldier passed through, followed by a familiar face.
“Elko!”
She grinned, slapping me on the back hard enough to make me stumble. “Crow girl! Which way to Elaris?”
I blinked at her. “You’re going to fight? Does Auma know that?”
“My sister is not my keeper. Besides, I’m healed.” Elko pounded her first on her chest, then blanched. “Or at least I will be soon.”
Estrel leaned toward me. “I’ve got this.” She slung an arm around Elko’s shoulders, leading her a short distance away and speaking quietly to her. Elko cracked her knuckles, a grin curling her lips, before she clasped hands with Estrel and struck out toward the castle.
I raised an eyebrow when Estrel returned.
She shrugged. “I told her someone needed to stay behind and protect Caliza.”
With the last of the soldiers through for the day, we returned to the castle together, everything inside me light as a feather. It slowly faded as we rounded the castle and the graveyard appeared. The pale blue light of dusk filtered through the stone mausoleums and intricately carved headstones, glinting off the black metal gate.
I slowed, thinking of the headstone deep inside, presided over by the carving of a single crow, beneath which my mother slept. Estrel paused, looking back at me.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?” I asked.
Her face made it clear she knew I meant the Sellas. “It was your mother’s decision.” And loyal friend that she was, Estrel had kept her secret. I understood that.
“Why though?”
“She didn’t want to burden you with it,” she replied. “Your mother, she never wanted the responsibility of being queen. She was wild as a youth. Even you’d be impressed at the amount of trouble she caused.”
I raised a doubtful brow. The woman I’d known had been hard and unyielding as stone.
Estrel grinned. “I’m serious. Did you know Larisa once caught her sneaking out through the balcony of a visiting noble’s room, the same day your father had come with his family to discuss their engagement?”
I gaped. “No.”
“Oh yes. Larisa was furious. I don’t think your father ever knew. Larisa covered up the whole thing.” She smiled wistfully. “She was always cleaning up after your mother and me.”
I grinned, imagining my mother scaling the castle walls, dressed in nothing but her nightgown, and Kiva’s mother shouting at her to get down.
Estrel’s own smile faded. “She was crowned young, like Caliza. The responsibility, the demand—it weighed on her, wore her down. Though your parents loved each other, your father was more concerned with war than running a kingdom. Then he was killed in that battle with Illucia, and suddenly your mother was alone with two children, a kingdom, and a war.”
Once, Ericen had told me a similar s
tory about Razel. She’d wanted to breed horses. But when Lord Turren and a group of his soldiers attacked Illucia, they murdered Razel’s husband along with her older sister and mother. Her father died shortly after, and she was made queen younger than even my mother.
The story the Rhodairen people knew was that Lord Turren had retaliated for my father’s death of his own volition. After, he was banished, his complicit soldiers were stripped of their crows. Then Razel had used the anger and humiliation that had festered in their hearts to turn them against Rhodaire. They’d betrayed us, helping her accomplish Ronoch.
Then she’d executed them.
“Did she order the attack on Razel’s family?” I asked, my chest tightening at the memory of the night in the throne room, when Razel had stood with a blade pressed to Kiva’s throat and told me that my mother was not as innocent as I believed.
Estrel let out a quiet breath. “I don’t know,” she said. “She was so broken, so angry after your father’s death. She—” Estrel hesitated, shaking her head. “I don’t know.”
I nodded. Maybe I would never know.
Who would Razel have been if she hadn’t had her family ripped away from her? Who would my mother have been without an army of responsibilities slowly draining her dry?
Perhaps the two of them hadn’t been so different, as Ericen and I weren’t so different.
I’d told Kiva once that the cycle of revenge between our kingdoms needed to end, but I wasn’t sure I could be the one to break it.
I wasn’t sure I could forgive the woman who’d taken everything from me.
Twenty-Eight
It took a lot of prodding and more than one handful of chicken to get Res up the next morning, but a short time later, we stood on one of the four landing platforms at the top of the castle.
Ericen eyed the edge of the platform with unease. “Is this where you execute people?”
I adjusted the saddle on Res’s back. “Only the ones I really don’t like.”
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