and dragged from their mother’s arms.”
The sky was lightening in the east, causing the darkness that enveloped them to shrink and recede. Veronyka’s gaze was searching, boring into Avalkyra’s—and Avalkyra let it happen. There was no deception in this offer, no lie in her words. Avalkyra hated the empire and would love nothing more than the chance to tear even a fraction of it apart, her alliance with Rolan be damned.
Still, Veronyka did not speak. Avalkyra sensed Sidra’s restless attention—she was always chomping at the bit for a fight—but she let the silence hang as Veronyka considered her words.
“That’s exactly what Rolan wants,” Veronyka said, shaking her head slightly. “You said so yourself. It’s one thing to take out a handful of soldiers…. It’s something else to engage hundreds in a full-scale battle. I won’t help him start his war.”
“Look around you, Veronyka—the war is happening. You saw Hillsbridge. You saw the Silverwood…. The Phoenix Riders have avoided the worst of the collateral damage by evacuating the border settlements, but that won’t work forever. The only difference between attacking them now and attacking them after the Grand Council meets is that now, at least, we have a chance to strike a real blow against Rolan’s limited numbers. Once the full might of the empire joins him, it won’t matter how many soldiers we mow down…. There will always be more. We are grossly outnumbered. You could arm every man, woman, and child in Pyra, and still the empire’s forces would wipe us out in days—and the only reason we would last even that long is because of the size of Pyra. They outnumber us ten to one, and that’s not soldier versus soldier. That’s ten armed, trained, career fighters against farmers and herders and fisherfolk. The death toll would be catastrophic. The empire is coming for Pyra, and if they do, the Phoenix Riders will not survive it. We’ll be wiped from the face of the earth for good.”
Veronyka’s face looked pale in the golden light of the fire. After several silent moments, she released a slow, shaky breath. She’d come to some decision, though Avalkyra didn’t try to dig for it with shadow magic. She just waited.
“We’ll need to rest first,” Veronyka said at last, the words slightly grudging—Avalkyra suspected she’d rather fly into battle right this instant, despite her bondmate’s tired wings and her own exhaustion.
Regardless, Avalkyra’s heart leapt at the acquiescence in her tone. “We’ll take the day to prepare, and fly out at sundown,” she said.
Distantly, the sounds of the soldiers’ camp awakening could be heard, a growing rumble punctuated by loud shouts and the clatter of weapons and horses’ hooves.
“We have to protect the animage prisoners,” Veronyka said firmly. “Keep the fighting away from them no matter what.”
Avalkyra nodded, and when Veronyka’s head swiveled to Sidra, demanding a response, she nodded as well. Without another word, Veronyka went to her phoenix and unpacked her bedroll. They ventured into the darkness of the cave together and curled up for sleep.
Avalkyra turned to Sidra. “See how she gives orders without fear or hesitance?” she asked, unable to mask the pride in her voice. She suspected Veronyka could hear her—and wanted her to. “She’s a natural leader.”
Sidra’s expression was considering. “A warrior.”
Avalkyra shook her head. “A queen.”
But I have seen war in a way Avalkyra has not as she soars
high above, fierce and untouchable. On the ground, among
the dying, there is no difference between friend or foe.
We are all flesh and blood and fiercely beating hearts.
- CHAPTER 38 - SEV
SEV HADN’T MADE IT far before he collided with the perimeter guard. It was lucky Kade was dressed as a soldier; as soon as the guard saw Sev’s burden—and the blood—he hastened to help, and between the two of them, they crossed the distance to the medical tent much more quickly.
Once Kade was laid out flat on the ground outside with half a dozen other wounded soldiers waiting to be admitted, the healer’s assistant at the mouth of the tent directing traffic, Sev frantically tugged off Kade’s ill-fitting armor. He still refused to look too closely at Kade, but he knew that being found in stolen gear would require explanations that Sev couldn’t give.
When the man in front of Kade limped into the tent, exposing them to the assistant, her eyes narrowed at the gravely wounded bondservant. She directed her unasked question to Sev.
“Two farmers snuck into camp, sights set on the horses. The bondservant tried to fend them