to remain on the battlements, viewing the progress as they prepared to go off into the unknown.
Ryder and I said our goodbyes early this morning before he’d gone outside to help the men. My heart clenched in my throat while I studied his unbending spine and prowess while teaching the simple folk how to wield their weapons.
I’d married a man who had been born to lead, to teach those who were willing to adapt and learn his expertise, and I couldn’t have loved him more if I’d tried. He was everything I needed and all that was good in the world. The idea of him marching off to battle without me left me numb and terrified, even though I knew he was strong enough to do this on his own.
“This is utter shit,” Ciara snapped in frustration as she stared at Remy and Blane among the horde’s elite troops stationed around Ryder’s position.
“Amen to that.” I peered down the line of women and warriors who stood with me on the battlement, each wishing we could follow our family into battle. “They’ll return to us, all of them.”
Lena scrutinized Lucian. Her gaze narrowed on his form as if she wasn’t sure she wanted him to come back. I cleared my throat to gain her attention. Her blue gaze turned toward me, studying me as a frown tugged at her lips.
“Are you good?” I asked softly, hoping not to be overheard.
“I’m great,” she replied softly, and yet her tone wasn’t convincing. “Ever learn something so horrible and so wrong that you aren’t sure if it is truth or another lie?”
“Yes,” I laughed soundlessly. I felt Lena’s unease as surely as my own. The hair on my nape stood up, and power slithered through the horde as more men mounted horses. “You and Lucian are good, though, right?”
“No, but we have a very strict no-speak policy about it right now, actually. We’re in somewhat of a truce while you need us. Afterward, well, I’m uncertain where we stand anymore. I know that I crave Lucian, and I know I love him.”
“So, you’re not planning his death while he’s here?” I smirked, my nose scrunching up as she shrugged her shoulders. I turned my gaze to search the sea of troops for Lucian, finding him studying Lena with a pensive look of longing. His dark brows rose as if he could hear us whispering about him over the sound of the war drums.
“I don’t think anything can kill Lucian, but I sure as fuck wouldn’t mind if they knocked some of the cocky-dick out of the prick.” Lena shrugged again, and I took in the way Lucian’s mouth twisted up into a sardonic smile.
“Okay then,” I frowned.
Ciara studied Blane’s posture as the dragons spread out away from Ryder, taking their position on the outside of the front formation of warriors. Others, like Remy, were already in dragon form.
Our gazes lifted, finding them flying high above the horde as the last of the men mounted their warhorses. All around us, the mountains moved with troops, forty thousand strong and counting as each caste sent their strongest fighters to the frontline.
The flags rose, signaling the king was out of the stronghold. I exhaled slowly as Fyra, in her dragon form, landed on the newly added perches that stuck out over the courtyard. They were long and sturdy enough for the dragons to land on without fear of falling. Another female dragon landed on our other side, turning her scale-covered head to release a bloodcurdling screech that echoed through the mountains. The men below peered up and studied the mythical beasts that, only a few months ago, we’d thought to have been extinct.
Ryder’s dark head lifted, and he held my gaze, regarding me remorsefully as if, right now, he was regretting his choice in telling me to remain on the battlements. He was unable to show any affection in front of the horde that flanked him in every direction.
The Elite Guards were the last men to mount their horses. They were decked out in black