Ludo shrugged. “Well, a little bit. He told us you mastered your visions and managed to see into the past.” He grinned. “I knew you were special. Most people get visions of the future, right? That’s how it normally works?”
She didn’t have the stamina to try to explain it. “How did Reeve react?”
Reeve hadn’t been too happy when they’d first met. He had hoped for the Sparrow to fix everything. Instead, he was stuck with someone who couldn’t control her gift. Rachael felt a smug smile on her lips. She doubted he had expected this—but then, neither had she.
“Reeve frowned and said, ‘about time’,” Ludo said.
“Sounds about right. Did Cale say anything else?”
“No, but he looked worried. Not as worried as you, though.”
Rachael appreciated Ludo’s sincerity. She’d failed to identify him as her assassin because he’d been so genuine. Ludo hadn’t wanted to kill her and had said that everything he’d told her was true. She’d believed him then, and she still believed him now.
Rachael tried to draw circles into the ground with her foot and pouted when the ground was too solid to shift. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course! As long as it’s nothing too personal.”
Ludo always managed to make her smile.
“How does all this look to you? We’re dealing with the worst of the gift here. What do you make of all this as a Tramuran?”
Ludo shrugged. “It’s war, it’s awful. It would still be awful if the gift wasn’t involved. Doesn’t matter if it’s the Dark One or the Tramuran king. Either way you’ve got a tyrant to kill.”
Could it be that easy?
“But the Dark One isn’t a mortal man,” Rachael said. “I can’t just stab him and declare an end to the fighting.”
“Good thing we’ve got magic on our side then.”
“He’s got more magic. Worse magic.”
Ludo raised an eyebrow. “And we have a dragon. The Dark One is the Dark One, but there’s a reason dragons have appeared in stories throughout history. They are ancient, just like Him. They are powerful, just like Him. You can’t kill Kaida with a simple stab wound either.”
It was Rachael’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “So, I should pit them against each other and pray the right one wins?”
Ludo laughed. “Now that would be one epic battle! But it sounds too easy, doesn’t it? Make them fight it out and hope the right side wins.”
Rachael sighed. “It does. It’ll be a lot harder than that.”
“And we’re back to why you look like this. What’s wrong?” Ludo shuffled closer. “Was it a vision?”
If he’d known just what she’d seen, he wouldn’t have sounded so excited.
Rachael smiled. “You’re not like most Tramurans, are you?”
Ludo grinned. “What can I say, I’m not like most people.”
She laughed. “I get that impression.” She remembered falling through eternity, and her smile died. “It was a vision. Not a good one.”
“Are they supposed to be good? Do people ever get visions of sunshine and rainbows? You need to earn the good things. Visions are just there to make you want them more.”
It was beyond her how Ludo made everything sound so simple. “I can see why Reeve likes you.”
Ludo grinned. “I’m irresistible, all right.”
“Our chances are small, Ludo. You two should leave. Start over. Be happy while you can.” It hurt to send them away, but the idea that they might stay and die for her hurt worse.
“And leave you with even fewer Sparrows? Don’t hurt my pride, Rachael.”
She coaxed a small smile onto her tired lips. “I don’t imagine Reeve would go for that, either.”
“No chance.” Ludo stood, but hesitated. “My ma always said that difficult problems usually have simple solutions, but we overthink them and miss what’s right in front of us. Maybe that’s what you’re doing.”
She stared into the sun rising over cracked soil as Ludo left her to her thoughts and wondered what she had overlooked.
Chapter Forty-Seven
“How are you feeling?” Cale asked.
Rachael shuffled her feet and sighed. Cale was concerned about her, she knew that, but everyone was fussing over her ever since the last vision had knocked her out. She missed the garden in her palace. She missed Commander Dryden’s unshakeable faith, and she even missed Kleon, the brother she hadn’t known she had. Were they all right? Had the city turned against her? She’d wanted a bit of time away from it all since before her coronation, but this was too much. If her people were angry, they were right to be. What kind of queen abandoned her people right after accepting the crown? Circumstances had forced her hand, and she’d done what she believed to be the best and safest thing for everyone, but it no longer seemed like a good enough reason to leave. Maybe, if she’d stayed, she could have drawn Cephy out, got her to the palace somehow, and ended it there. Maybe, if she’d done that, the city would be as dead as the Red Wastes now, crumbled under Cephy’s fury.
There was no point in dwelling on what she might have done. She’d done what she thought was best.
Rachael smirked. What she’d give for one hour alone in the garden’s silence to sort through this mess. No one bothered her there. No one except Cale. He’d still have found her if they were back in Rifarne, but at least he would have been the only one.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I’ll let you know if I feel dizzy or if my nose starts bleeding again.” She hated that she snapped at him. Since the last vision-turned-nightmare, she’d been afraid to doze off in case it was the last time. She couldn’t die yet. There was too much left to do.
Cale gestured away from the camp. She went ahead, grateful that he still had the uncanny ability to know exactly what she needed. Everyone was on edge. Cephy could ride in at any moment, but here he was, worried about her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m just tired, but not from the vision.” In truth, she felt more energised than she’d done in weeks. She’d have to ask Kaida if this was another side-effect of her visions.
“From the fighting and the running,” Cale said. “I understand.”
He stopped close to her and she leaned in. If Cephy took away everything she cared about an hour from now, she wanted this moment to be hers.
“When we’re back in the White Palace and can sleep without nightmares again, I’ll—”
Rachael scoffed. “I don’t think I’ll ever sleep without nightmares again, but go on. You’ll what?”
“I’ll take you somewhere private so we can talk. There’s something I want to say, but not here. Not in the middle of all this. I’m tired of people always listening in on me. This should be a private conversation.”
“I know just the place.”
For a second, she allowed herself to picture the house Cale had shared with his sister. How perfect it would be—close enough to the city to buy groceries but secluded enough to be private.
“I have a feeling this will be over soon,” Rachael said. “One way or another.”
“Want to talk about your vision?”
“There’s not much to say. Everyone and everything was dead.” And Cephy burnt the flesh off my bones. The memory made her arms itch. She balled her hands into fists, resisting the urge to scratch.
“We’ll prevent it.” He paused. “Rachael, when you said you knew how to end it...”
“I know what we need, but I don’t know how to get it.” She rubbed her temples in frustration. “I’m sorry. It’s the last thing I want to think about. Just for a moment, I want to pretend everything will be fine.”
“Okay.” He pulled her into his warm arms, and she closed her eyes. Pictured the lake behind his house and a soft breeze on her skin. Her heart hadn’t beat quite this hard back then, but she didn’t mind it now. “I’ll help in any way I can. Just say the word.”
It was tempting. There was one thing she wanted, more than anything else,
but he was right. They needed a private moment.
“I will.”
Rachael opened her eyes and pulled away when she sensed Kaida. It seemed the dragon had regained enough energy to make the air crackle around her, even if it wasn’t as strong as it used to be.
“I am sorry to interrupt. I need to talk to Rachael.”
Cale nodded and looked over his shoulder. “I should talk to the others anyway.” He went back to the camp and left Rachael alone with the answer to—and cause of—her worries.
“How can I help?” Rachael asked.
“Actually, I can help you. I know what Mavis told you.” Rachael’s blood froze. “I am sorry. I could not resist the chance to see my old friend again.”
Rachael nodded, but in truth she was torn. “And? How much did you hear?”
“Everything. I have come to ask for your forgiveness.”
Rachael blinked. She hadn’t expected that. “Why?”
“Because I knew how to end the war. I have always known. Or rather, I suspected. I did not trust my memory and sought the answer in Naikino.”
For the first time since Rachael had met the Mist Woman, Kaida didn’t look young. She looked exhausted beyond anything a good night’s sleep could fix.
The full impact of Kaida’s words slowly settled over her like winter’s first snow. “If you knew… Maker, Kaida, why didn’t you say anything? Why did the empire have to fall—why is this ground cracked—if you knew?” Rachael had felt a kind of calm shock when she’d started speaking, but now her hands were shaking and her eyes filled with heat.
Kaida smiled. It didn’t reach her eyes. “Because I am a dragon, Rachael. This answer may not satisfy you, but you must understand that we are an ancient race. We have seen countries fall before Ar’Sanciond, before yours. Such is the nature and only fate of humanity.”
“You didn’t do anything because humans die anyway?”
Rachael dug her nails into the soft balls of her hands to stop them from shaking and to stop herself from punching Kaida. So much lost, so many dead, because Kaida had felt too important to lift a finger. Rachael wanted to hurt her on behalf of everyone who had died in Sanciond that day, but she sensed there was more. Kaida hadn’t given them the chance they deserved; Rachael refused to do her the same injustice. The least Kaida could do was explain herself fully.
“In essence,” Kaida said. “We walk among you, humans to your eyes. Sometimes, we grow emotionally attached to someone. We do not get involved in human concerns because your world would be very different indeed if we did. Imagine it—every time a human we care about goes to war, we interfere to ensure they win. Every time someone we love dies, we save them. It may be natural for us, but it is not for you.
“Humans die. It is crude but true, nonetheless. When the Dark One threatened Mavis, Vail, and the others, we receded. A thousand years of sleep is nothing to us, yet a few hundred are enough for you to question whether we ever existed.”
Rachael’s mind reeled. She had suspected that there was one more thing Kaida wasn’t telling her, but this was too much. Rachael had wanted the truth, but she hadn’t wanted this.
“Why are you telling me this if you’re happy to watch us die?” Rachael wanted to be the strong leader everyone needed her to be, but her voice wavered and she didn’t care. She had a right to be upset. “If this is the only fate of humanity, as you put it, is there nothing we can do?” Her legs went soft. “Will we die here no matter what I try?”
“Not happy, Rachael. Merely accepting of the inevitability.” Kaida summoned a small amulet into her palm and handed it to Rachael. “A gift, Queen Rachael of Rifarne.”
It was plain but beautiful. The stone was white, smooth, and oddly comforting. There were no adornments, just a stone the size of her small fingernail and a leather band. Rachael took it into her hands but had no idea what to make of it.
“Why are you giving me this?”
“Because I am leaving.”
“No. You’ve run enough; you will stay right here and help us.” She hadn’t missed that Kaida had avoided her question. Were they doomed to fail at the last step? Was Kaida leaving because of that?
“I have no right to ask it of you, but I would like you to trust me. I know what must be done and I am ready. This amulet is my farewell gift to you and Cale.”
Hot tears blurred her vision. “I don’t want an amulet; I want my life! I want a future!”
Rachael had never been so angry. She couldn’t believe Kaida had told her all this just to leave them to be slaughtered.
Kaida smiled, wider this time. How Rachael hated that knowing smile.
“Persevere and trust me. This amulet will block your visions. If you wear it, they will not evolve or harm you.”
Rachael’s legs were trembling. “You can’t go. We’ll die without you.”
“Goodbye, Rachael of Rifarne. We will not meet again.”
Kaida vanished, taking the answers Rachael needed with her.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Reeve found Ludo lying behind one of the tents. The Tramuran had his legs crossed, his arms cushioned his head, and he stared up at the sky.
An open sky. No walls to restrict him.
Reeve had always hoped to die like this.
“Join me,” Ludo said. “The ground’s a bit hard, but the stars make up for it.”
Reeve had hoped to talk a little farther away from everyone else, but he’d given Ludo a hard time over just about everything. For all he knew, this was the last time they’d have together.
He spread out beside Ludo and looked up. There were so many stars out here, bright and countless in an endless void.
“Are you ready?”
“Ready for what?” Ludo asked. “Ready to go home and have a bath?”
“Ready to die,” Reeve said. “We don’t stand a chance in this fight, Lu.”
Reeve felt Ludo shrug next to him. “Maybe not. But I intend to try.”
“I’m not planning on just lying here until something kills me either, but I see our chances and they aren’t good.”
“They’re not.” Ludo sighed. “But I’m not ready to go.”
Reeve wasn’t either. He’d only just opened up to Ludo, and it seemed like they might have had a future together if their current situation had been different. Reeve didn’t want to die, but he was realistic.
Ludo rolled over and held himself up on one arm, his face close to Reeve’s. “I suppose if there’s anything you want to say, now’s a good time.”
“Anything I want to say?” Reeve scoffed. “Maker, what don’t I want to say? We have no chance of winning this thing, I haven’t seen Kaida in an hour—did you notice that she’s disappeared? —and there are so many other things I want to say to so many people, most of them aren’t even here. Never mind what I should have said. I regret not doing half the things I could have but was too scared to for too many different reasons. Cale told me I’m brave, but I’m not, Lu. I’m a coward. Otherwise I might have—”
Ludo kissed him. His arms wrapped around Reeve, his weight pinning Reeve against the ground.
And for a moment, Reeve forgot his fears.
Ludo pulled away, a large grin on his oh-so-soft lips. Reeve held on to him.
“It’s a promise,” Ludo said. “Of things to come, once the future is ours again.”
Reeve rolled on top of him and kissed him. Perhaps the future wouldn’t be so bad.
Now they both just had to survive what was to come.
Commander Dryden brushed himself off. The last minutes of the battle had been brutal. He had torn through the horde without mercy, and he was covered in ash because of it. Judging from the grey-stained clothes of the Sparrows and his own men, they had fought just as hard.
And then, just like that, the remaining Mothers had disappeared. He’d assumed Rachael was in trouble when no more had joined the fray, but to see the last ones retreat didn’t bode well.
Kleon walked over. “Well fought, co
mmander.”
They clasped each other’s arms.
“Same to you. I don’t like this. Why did they leave?”
Kleon nodded. “It’s either another trap or they’ve been recalled by whoever commands them.”
“I don’t think it’s a trap.” The air no longer felt heavy. Wherever the Mothers were, it wasn’t here. “Where are the healers?”
Both Sparrows stepped forwards.
“Heal those of us that need it,” Kleon said, “then find any other injured. Knock on doors if you can’t find anyone in the streets. Check the back alleys too.”
They clasped their fists to their hearts. “Yes, Kleon.”
Commander Dryden smiled at him. “We work well together.”
Kleon returned the smile. “We do indeed.”
It briefly warmed his heart; it was good to see some positivity after the slaughter.
“You’ve all fought well,” Commander Dryden said. “Rachael and Cale can be proud of their Sparrows, and I am proud of my men.”
A few civilians came out of hiding. They still looked terrified.
He walked to Meldrick and whispered, “They’re scared. Soothe them. As many as you can.”
The boy nodded.
“Today’s attack proves one thing: we’re winning this war.” He gave the civilians a few moments to come closer and for others to join the growing crowd. “What I saw today was a desperate attempt to win the upper hand. Queen Rachael has them scared.”
He straightened. Next to him, Kleon did the same. One look over the Sparrows and his guards and they followed suit.
“Today is a victory for Queen Rachael, for the White City, and for our future. But I have also seen a hasty retreat, and that tells me that our queen needs us. All of you can help. My guards and her Sparrows are ready to ride to her aid, but even those of you that won’t be joining us on the front lines can give us a hand. Rebuild. Support one another. Heal the wounded. And if you want to join us after all, return to the palace with my men and we will outfit you.”
He wasn’t sure how to find Rachael, but he’d somehow get a message to Cale.
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