tendril of fear leapt from her hand, sending the heading flying. The remaining messenger trying to flee paused as it rolled toward him. His eyes were wide as Quinn grinned savagely at him. “Take that with you, and let Elijah and Doran know that I will be seeing to them personally when I get my hands on them. I don’t like liars, and I don’t respect traitors. I will burn both their lineages at the stake for what they’ve done.”
As the messenger scrambled to pick up the fallen head, Lazarus saw Lorraine stiffen from the corner of his eye. She hadn’t left as she’d intended, but instead heard as Quinn swore to kill Doran’s lineage. He only had one heir. One that hadn’t been seen or spoken of in over a decade.
Her son.
Chapter 36
Sweet, Sweet Darkness
“Mazzulah had said that loving her was akin to loving destruction, and the god wasn’t wrong about who or what she was. She wreaked havoc wherever she went, but only in earning her love and loyalty could one guarantee their own survival.”
— Quinn Darkova, fear twister, walker of realms
The sun was nearing the horizon. In the distance, banners flew.
Green and silver.
Red and white.
Quinn turned away from the balcony and went to braid her hair away from her face. Lazarus had already gone with Draeven and Dominicus, readying what army they had. In his absence, she prepared herself for battle. Donning the red and gold armor he’d had made for her before her untimely death. She’d never had a chance to wear it. Now she did.
Quinn was just putting on the light chain mail when a knock made her pause. “Come in,” she called. She couldn’t sense who was in the hall, which meant it could only be one person.
Lorraine opened the door and stepped inside. Dark circles lined her eyes. The crinkles at the corners of them were more pronounced this morning. If Quinn had to guess, the other woman likely hadn’t slept a wink. Neither had Lazarus, or most of Shallowyn.
“Need some help?” she offered.
“Alright,” Quinn said, turning to lift the breastplate to her chest. There were decent odds she’d be naked before the battle even got truly underway if she needed to slip into the spirit realm, but wearing the metal pieces assuaged Lazarus’ desires to control her. It didn’t hurt that seeing her in his colors would present them as a united front.
“Word has it they’ve nearly a hundred thousand men,” Lorraine said softly, securing the back plate to the front with the snaps on her shoulders.
Quinn let out a low whistle. “We’ve only got fifty thousand, including Dumas,” she said. “We’ll have to end this quickly to minimize casualties.”
Next, they secured her arm pieces. Lorraine’s nimble fingers fastening the straps with quick efficiency.
“I have complete faith in you that you’ll be victorious,” Lorraine said. Quinn handed her the thigh pieces and stood taller as the other woman knelt to strap those on too.
“This is only the beginning. There is no other option but victory. If we lose too many now, we won’t stand a chance with Nero’s army.”
Lorraine didn’t say anything. There was a hum in the silence. A thickness in the air that had little to do with the damp morning, and more to do with the armies that would clash today. Quinn couldn’t feel anxiety for it was just another form of fear. But she could sense trepidation in others, and even without the ability to read Lorraine, the worry that creased the stewardess’ features was apparent.
“You will do what needs to be done. That’s why you’re the right-hand,” she said softly.
“I’m not his hand anymore,” Quinn said. “Though I choose to act it.”
“I suppose that’s true,” she murmured, toying with a particularly tricky clasp. “You’ve chosen to act as a hand even though you scheme as much as he does.”
Quinn gave her a wry grin. “You sound resigned.”
“On the contrary, I find it refreshing. While you’ve always been unrefined, your cunning and brutality give you a mind for battle and war. You see beyond the obvious. You were always meant to be more than just a dog told to bite.”
Lorraine sat back to admire her handiwork before giving the plating over her knee a sharp tug. When the piece only shifted a fraction but didn’t slip, she gave it a pleased nod before standing.
“Where did you learn to put on armor?” Quinn asked her as she turned to pick up the helm. It was closer to a crown