"Of course." He placed a hand on my waist, holding me before him. His eyes shone with tenderness and pride. "You know…all along you've hated being a princess, but you're so bloody good at it." He smiled, and I smiled back. He leaned forward and kissed my cheek, stroking it once, and then he left. Tran winked at me, then followed after Alex.
I walked over to Fleck, crouched before him and grabbed his little hand between both of mine. "Don't let them get you upset. You don't owe anyone any answers. This is not your war."
He kicked his feet that didn't quite touch the floor. "I just…wish I could help."
"Just because you can't predict the future doesn't mean you're not helping."
His lips pursed. "What if…what if that is the future, lady? What if…I can't See Gaia, because Gaia won't exist? And what if…I knew and I failed everyone because I didn't know how to stop it?"
I just looked at him for a long moment, and then I said, "What if?"
He glanced up at me, confused.
"No matter what the future holds, the fact remains it's the future that's still holding it. There's nothing we can do or say to change it except worry, and I don't want to live every day of my life worrying over things I can't change. I want to live in the moment. I want to live now, and be grateful for the time I have with the people I love most." I brushed the short hair back from his forehead. "Don't let their worry become your responsibility. We all do what we can in the way we think best. Sometimes that way puts unreasonable expectations on others. But don't ever let them make you feel less than you are."
The little flecks in his eyes shimmered as he looked at me. "You've learned a few things, lady."
I grinned. "I certainly hope so. Now." I squeezed his hand. "Want to help me and Alex build a catapult?"
He smiled so big I laughed, and I stood, tugging him off his chair. His gaze moved past me and settled on the door, and then that gaze went wide.
I peered over my shoulder to see Danton standing in the threshold. It was as if there were some great gulf between us, and I felt every inch of that space.
"I was…hoping to speak to you?" His tone was formal, respectful, but it still couldn't hide the ache I felt pulsing inside of him.
Before I could say one word, Fleck said, "I'll go ahead, lady." He hurried off past Danton and through the door.
Fleck was a child in appearance only.
I glanced back at Danton, who was watching me, and I took in his sheathed swords and large cloak.
I stood up and turned to face him. "You're…leaving…?" I whispered.
His pale eyes moved over my face, and he stepped into the room. A board creaked beneath his weight. "I am," he said quietly, taking another step toward me. "Carter and I are returning to Orindor."
I almost asked why, but I knew. I hated that I knew. "Danton, you can't leave now! We need you!"
We wasn't at all what he'd wanted to hear, though I was sure he hadn't expected me to say anything different.
"Orindor needs me," he replied. "My people have no one. My father hasn't at all prepared them for what could happen if Eris gets a hold of that stone, and I need to be there to help them get to safety until all of this is over."
"You need to be here helping us! You can't run away now!"
He took another step, his eyes never leaving mine. "I am not running away, Daria. Gesh is here. If they hadn't come, I'd stay, but…" He exhaled slowly. He held back so much. I knew because I could feel it all churning inside of him. "I can make a difference in Orindor, and I have time to warn them before it's too late. I have time to get them to the portal just in case." He took another step. He was only a few yards from me now. "I wrote to my mother last night, through a small bindingbook we share, and she's agreed to help Carter and me." He paused before me, his eyes bluer than the sky. "Daria…I'm going to do what I should've done a long time ago and be the man you reminded me I could be."
We stared at each other a very long moment and my heart squeezed a little. Because he was leaving. Because I didn't have the right to want him to stay. Because even despite my newest revelations about his past, I still felt guilty that I couldn't give back what he so obviously wanted to give me. I wanted to say something, but there was nothing to be said. I couldn't say what I didn't feel, and he wouldn't ask for what I couldn't give. But it still made me feel like a horrible person.
His gaze touched my hair, my nose, my mouth, and finally settled on my eyes. "You'll tell Alexander…?" he said so softly.
"Yes." It fell out in a whisper.
I felt one last swell of his disappointment, and then he swallowed and said, "Goodbye, Daria."
He started to turn away from me when I reached across the empty space, touched his cheek, and turned his face back to me. I leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He looked startled and grateful and sad all in the same moment. "Be careful, Danton. I said I wouldn't forget, and I stand by that promise."
He started walking away, but he hesitated. "You were right…about him. I've always despised him because he has always had what I wanted most. Respect and admiration. Unfailing integrity." He paused, and the muscles in his jaw worked. "And now he has you." His gaze flitted to me one last bitter moment, and then he stalked to the door, his cloak whirling behind him, and he was gone.
45
ALEXANDER
"He's gone."
I glanced up. Daria walked toward me, and by the look on her face, I knew she was referring to Danton.
"He just left with Carter," she continued. "He…asked that I tell you."
I swung the woodcutting axe so the blade sunk into the stump before me, and I left the axe there, handle sticking out at an angle.
"Where's Fleck, by the way?" she asked timidly.
"He just left to get some rope." I wiped my brow. "Did…Danton tell you why?"
She stopped before me, those stormy grey eyes fastened on the axe in the stump. "He said he contacted his mother, and that she agreed to help Carter and him get the people of Orindor to safety. He said he wouldn't have left if Gesh hadn't arrived."
"Do you believe him?"
Her gaze lifted to mine. The grey in her eyes was so deep, so rich, they almost looked blue. They did that when she was upset.
"Yes," she whispered.
I raked a hand through my hair. She was upset over him. I had no right to feel jealous, but I did. She reached out and placed her palm on my face, forcing me to look at her. I could lose myself in her eyes. I often did. I was now.
"You know I love you," she said, her gaze sifting through me. "He knows that too, which is part of the reason he's leaving. And that is also why I feel guilty, because I know we could use his help."
I placed my hand over hers and sighed. "I know. But maybe if you could stop being so irresistible to everyone…"
She laughed and shoved my shoulder, but I pulled her toward me and held her close. "Daria, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I'm sorry if I've made you feel like you have to. I just…I think I will always be jealous for you." I ran my fingers through her soft, dark hair. "But that's no fault of yours. It's who you are and why I love you. I'm just grateful you've chosen me."
She smiled up at me. I loved it when she smiled at me like that. It made me feel on top of the world—invincible. And then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me softly.
Two days.
Two days of preparations and rest. Two days of managing egos and language barriers and tempers. If this battle didn't kill me, managing an entire kingdom would finish the job. It had been too long since the people of Gaia had worked together—too long and too many old feuds and allegiances. I worried enough about the battle on the outside without also worrying about the battle brewing within.
Mercedes had been furious when we finally told her Myez was tending to her wounded. It took Daria a fair amount of explaining, and Mercedes still wasn't happy about it, but our options were limited, so she was forced to stand down. Still, she checked on her wounded more than necessary and fixed My
ez with an array of threatening glances in the process.
On the morning of the third day, we left Rex Cross, towing our catapults and pitch and boulders, weighted down with weapons and armor, and headed south toward Castle Regius. It was remarkably cold for these parts, and the bitter wind was relentless. It howled and screamed like some evil spirit warning us to flee.
Daria walked beside me. Nexus had stayed behind, and the plan was that Daria would call Nexus to her before we crested that last rise and entered the valley where Castle Regius lay. According to Tran, through his correspondence with Arioch, the situation at the castle had not changed. Eris had burnt down the marketplace to make room for his army, and in addition to having nearly eight-thousand shadowguard at his command, he'd employed the use of barghests and giants as well. We still didn't know how many gargons he had at his disposal. Arioch had said he'd only seen a handful of them flying to and from the castle. A handful made me uncomfortable, but not knowing exactly how many made me even more so.
We'd sent a small party of scouts the night before, but they'd only confirmed Arioch's words. When we were a few hours away, we sent another party forward. They had nothing new to report, and the situation at the castle remained about the same: The shadowguard were stationed behind the walls, a few guards stood post along the wall, but they hadn't seen any gargons.
We reached the last turn before the road dipped into the valley, and Daria called to Nexus. Not ten minutes passed before Nexus landed beside us, giving the men nearby quite a scare.
"You still want us to keep to the clouds until they open the gates?" she asked, her lips bright pink from the cold. A flake of snow landed on her lashes and I resisted the urge to wipe it away. I always wanted to touch her, but right now, I needed to stay focused.
"Yes, wait until their first wave comes through. I don't want to give your position away just yet."
She nodded. "We'll keep to the clouds, then. I'll let you know if we notice anything bizarre. Actually, this whole thing is bizarre, but you know what I mean."
I grinned then slid my hand in her hair and kissed her gently. "I love you. Be careful up there."
"I love you too. Stay alive for me," she said in all seriousness, and then she jogged over to Nexus. Nexus bowed his head and she fluidly, gracefully, climbed into the saddle and shook back her short hair. She looked so strong and so beautiful—so majestic—sitting up there.
"Focus, Del Can't." Thaddeus smirked beside me.
I watched Daria and Nexus soar into the sky and disappear into the clouds. "Thaddeus, I've never been more focused in all my life."
Thaddeus coughed beside me. "Gag." Then, "Ow!"
Vera had nudged him in the ribs. "I think it's sweet." She nodded at me approvingly.
I looked at her in surprise. Vera never described anything as "sweet."
"Shall I give the order to my men, then?" Mercedes asked from behind me.
This was the point we'd divide our forces, as we'd discussed.
"Yes." I turned around to face her, then looked past her at our blanket of three thousand. We weren't Eris's eight thousand, but what we lacked in numbers, we made up for with sheer grit and determination. We also had a dragon.
Mercedes and I worked together dividing our armies. We sent a few factions on ahead and into the forest, and then Mercedes, Hawk, Thaddeus, Vera, Myez, and I, along with about five hundred of our men, continued on the road that descended into the valley. Tran and Fleck walked with our company, too, though they stayed in the rear. We'd decided to bring Fleck in case he Saw something that might help, though he had clear instructions to stay far back out of battle and out of sight. When we rounded that final rocky bend—the last barrier keeping Eris from having a clear view of us—I paused for a moment to gaze down into the beating heart of Valdon.
The lush valley was hidden like some natural treasure, protected by snow-capped mountains all around. From here, I could see the castle, nestled on top of the hill behind the great wall. It'd always been a magnificent sight, but even more than its beauty was the sense of nostalgia it brought. I'd spent so much of my life at that castle. I'd been born and raised to protect it, and here I was bringing war to its front gates. I had to remind myself that those I'd served were no longer there, that the castle I'd called my home had been defiled by Eris, who poisoned the grounds with his army of shadowguard. We had to take it back.
Everything Arioch and our scouts had reported seemed to stand true. No one stood before the castle walls, and the castle itself hadn't suffered during Eris's quick takeover. I still didn't spot any gargons, though.
"I sure in blazes hope this works," Thaddeus murmured beside me, squinting at the distance. "I don't see anyone walking along the wall, though, do you?"
"No, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. You know those embrasures are high, and those towers can hold quite a few."
"I don't see anyone," Vera said from Thaddeus's other side. She held a polished wood spyglass to her eye.
"Where in the seven territories did you get that?" Thaddeus asked, reaching for it.
Vera leaned away and whacked his hand with it, then reached around Thaddeus to hand it over to me. "Care to take a look?"
"Sure, thanks." I took it from her, and Thaddeus grunted. I ignored him, scanning the castle walls for signs of movement…and there it was. It'd been quick, but— "Someone's inside the keep." I handed the spyglass back to Vera.
"Eris?" Mercedes asked.
"I can't tell, but no doubt whoever it is will call for help as we approach." I glanced around at Vera, Thaddeus, Mercedes, and Hawk. "Ready?"
We all descended into the valley. Dark and heavy clouds filled the sky, and the temperature dropped even as we approached. Our group of five hundred walked in lines of twenty, those great pines looming on either side of us, their tops bending and swaying against the wild wind. Every so often I looked to the sky, knowing Daria was hiding up there somewhere, but I also searched for signs of gargons. Not that I could do much about those gargons from down here, but at least she'd be able to feel my warning if she needed it.
I knew someone had to have noticed us by now, and I was a little surprised no one had ridden through the gates to meet us. Eris must not mind drawing the battle right up against the castle walls. I didn't know if that should concern me, but we were too close to change our strategy. Still, having the castle always in view made the walk languorous and slow. We couldn’t go any faster; we carted boulders and catapults. We were the diversion. We'd face the brunt of the attacks while the rest of our forces waited in the trees for my signal, and then they'd join the fray. The most crucial part was the beginning, and I hoped that between Mercedes, Tran, Vera, Thaddeus, Hawk, Daria, and myself, we could hold off the first wave.
We'd made it about halfway to the castle when I noticed movement along the wall. There were only a few dark shapes at first, but the closer and closer we came, the more those shapes took position at the embrasures. Soon, archers dressed in black filled every embrasure. Someone stood on the walk of keep now, their crimson robes a jolt of color amidst the winter grey.
"I think that's Mistress Dothrai," Vera squinted at the keep.
"I think you're right." I frowned.
"I wonder how she got out of those cuffs," Vera added.
"Well, you know what they say," Thaddeus said. "If it's not one thing, it's my mother."
I leveled a look on him, but he only smiled innocently. Vera looked away to hide her grin.
Still, no one came forth; still, we kept marching. We were just under two hundred yards away when Mistress Dothrai yelled an order, and the archers along the wall fired their first round of arrows. No talks, then. I shouted at our men to hold their position. I hadn't even finished my command when a dome of translucent white light spread over our heads. The arrows soared and descended, but when they hit the dome of light, they fizzled into ash and fell upon us soft as snow. I glanced back at Mercedes, who shook her head. I looked farther back to see Tran's arms raise
d.
Once the last of the arrows fell, Tran released the dome and I yelled, "Move!" We made it a few more yards when another volley of arrows came.
Tran created another dome of light, and the arrows hit and dissolved just like before.
I gave the command for our archers to fire. Arrows sailed overhead, striking the embrasures along the wall, but a few hit home. Some archers toppled off the wall; others exploded into black shards. We fired another round of arrows with the same result, but, strangely, the archers along the wall didn't fire again. The wind picked up and the sky darkened, but the castle was quiet. Suddenly, I felt a twinge a fear, but it wasn't mine. It belonged to Daria, and the moment her fear registered, I saw her and Nexus drop from the clouds. I might have been impressed with the speed at which they were flying toward us had I not also been very concerned that they were flying toward us. Seeing her now meant something was wrong.
She yelled at me, but I couldn't hear what she said. Then she waved her arms. She really needed to hold on to that saddle before she fell out of it.
"Fall back!"
I heard her that time.
"Illusion!" she yelled. "The shadowguard are—" Her words were cut off as the forest erupted in yells.
Shadowguard swarmed out of the trees in a flood of black, charging at us from both sides, and yells and clashing metal echoed through the forest. Thaddeus and I both cursed, and then my heart sank with realization. Eris had known we were coming, and he had also known what, exactly, we'd planned to do.
"How did he know?" I shouted at Thaddeus.
"Don't look at me! I didn't tell him!"
The shadowguard hadn't been behind the walls. That was what Daria had been yelling. Somehow Eris had created an illusion—a bloody good illusion at that, to convince a wizard and both of my scouting parties his armies had been behind the walls, when all this time they'd really been hiding in the forest waiting for us. We were already surrounded.
"Shields! Hold the line!" I yelled at the men around me. We couldn't let the shadowguard get between us. We held our shields in a line best we could as we fought together. Archers along the wall released more arrows.
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