29
Dracus in Scarhamm? Never let me see the day.
—T HE S YLVAN KING, IN RESPONSE TO A PROPHECY
T HE MOMENT THEY WERE ALONE IN ONE OF THE darkened tunnels, Cassia found herself pressed against the wall, her head bent back with the strength of Zeru’s kiss. She smiled against his lips, her fingers diving into his thick hair. His hands gripped her above her waist, his palms curving over her ribs. She clutched his shoulders as if she might float away if she let go. The exhilaration of success and the rush of risk blended with the dizzying joy of his kiss made her feel as light as air.
“I can’t believe we succeeded,” he said when she finally drew away for breath, the excitement in his eyes making her grin. “Your impossible plan has become less impossible.”
“I knew I’d be in danger,” she said dryly, “but I didn’t expect her to threaten you with decapitation. I should have remembered your ability to inspire murderous impulses.”
He lifted a skeptical brow. “I don’t know, you never managed to murder me.”
She blinked at him cheekily. “Maybe I wasn’t trying very hard.”
That earned her another minute of heated bliss. When he pulled away, she was surprised to see irritation narrowing his eyes. “You took your time refusing the queen’s offer to stay. I started to think you were actually considering it.”
Surprise parted her lips. “I didn’t want to insult her by refusing too quickly.”
He didn’t look mollified. “You could have given me some clue.”
“Like what?” she asked. “A broad wink? That would have been subtle.”
His eyes narrowed. “Rude, sarcastic Sylvan. I wonder, do you taste as tart as you sound?” His hands slid up her body until his fingertips cradled her jaw, and they didn’t speak for another few minutes.
When she pulled away, she observed, “You’re closer to the queen than I realized. She seems to like you.”
His hands slipped down to rest on her waist. “My family was among the most powerful in the Cryptlands, outside of royal blood.” He nodded his chin toward the area they’d come from, where everything was beautifully crafted. “We had servants, lived lavishly. When I gave the ring away, the queen punished us. But… when I showed promise in her army, she couldn’t ignore me. Eventually, over the past few years, I’ve regained some of her favor. She made it clear if I returned her ring, my parents would be forgiven, and everything would be as it once was.”
So, that was why it had meant so much to him to get the ring back. “And there I was, standing feet away from her. You could have given me up. Instead, you lost the chance to help your family.”
“Give you up?” His laugh rang through the tunnel. “Ah, yes, I could have handed you over to the queen and watched you suffer, maybe die at her hands.” The words dripped with sarcasm. “That’s definitely something I would be capable of doing.” He nodded to himself. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
His mocking tone and the censure in his expression for suggesting such a thing made it clear how he felt. She dropped her gaze, humbled at the fervency in his eyes.
He lifted her chin, waiting until her eyes met his before saying, “My family will be fine. And if we pull off your plan, the queen may be happy enough that she rewards us anyway. Without the ring.”
“I hope so.” She put her arms around his neck, pressing herself into him. “You deserve to be rewarded.”
His eyebrows rose. “This is a new, refreshing perspective.”
When their lips met, the kiss was sweet, heated with words they hadn’t yet spoken. As they finally drew apart, Zeru sighed and put his forehead to hers. “We have to go if we plan to follow the Dracu army.”
Cassia nodded, closing her eyes. Danger behind them, danger ahead. She had a sudden impulse to put her ring to the amulet and spirit them both off to Welkincaster. But she would never leave her sisters to fight without her help. Never again.
Zeru added, “Or you could go back to Scarhamm alone. Your wings would take you there faster.”
That wasn’t an option. “And risk being shot on sight for the second time? No, I’m staying with you.” As his arm tightened around her, she added, “You can tell your queen we couldn’t bear to be parted.”
His grin turned wicked. “I’ll try to make that believable. Though she already thinks we’re together.”
Cassia made a face. “Yes, offering me to you like some sort of perk.”
A speculative light came into his eyes. “And like a gallant fool, I refused. Maybe I should have taken the time to carefully consider. The way you did.”
The warm glow in his eyes reminded her of something. “You promised to tell me what your endearment means if we made it past step two.”
“Oh,” he said, turning his head to the side. “I didn’t think we’d actually live this long.” His tone was light, but she felt the tension in his body. “So, I don’t actually have to.”
“You are displaying what one of my tutors used to call ‘Dracu sophistry.’” She punched him lightly. “Tell me.”
His face lost expression. “It’s something tediously obvious. I don’t want to bore you.”
She pulled back to look at him squarely. “You’re really not going to tell me? You all but promised, Dracu.”
A hunted look came into his eyes. “It wasn’t a vow. It was a loose agreement at best.”
She sighed. “Well, I guess I might never know, then. Because step three of my plan is the most dangerous.” She put a hand to his jaw. “I wish you’d tell me.”
Though he leaned into her hand, his eyes shifted away. “I’d rather go into battle than risk watching your face fall as I tell you something you don’t want to hear.”
She tried to turn his face toward her, but he was as immovable as rock. “Tell me, Zeru. Last chance.”
He paused for a long time, and her heart swooped as his face turned back to hers. “It means,” he said slowly, “‘turnip.’”
There was a soft challenge in his eyes, and something vulnerable that made her heart squeeze. She could tell he was lying, and yet she couldn’t help but laugh.
Once the sun was low in the sky, hidden by the trees of Thirstwood, the Azpian army set out toward Scarhamm. Cassia and Zeru followed, staying away from the queen and her advisers, while behind them imps flew among clouds of pit sprites. Zeru seemed perfectly comfortable, but Cassia’s whole body felt prickly and alert, no part of her able to relax. It was beyond strange to be marching with Dracu and their Azpian allies, even a few drakes pulled along on chains by Skrattis. The queen and her contingent of advisers conferred while scouts and guards sniffed the air and watched the woods for signs of scuccas. Their rotted-leaf smell lingered, and the ground cover between the woods and the fortress was crushed and churned into mud.
Cassia recalled the Huntsmen’s warnings about Selkolla spelling the ground to devour Sylvans, but it stayed firm as they approached. Perhaps she was protected by the Azpian company she was in, or she was no longer quite Sylvan enough to be affected by the spell.
As they drew near, the gates creaked open, and one of the guards motioned the queen and her small retinue inside with a respectful bow. His eyes lingered on Cassia, but she kept her face forward and hoped he didn’t recognize her. Likely, she would be a curiosity to everyone wherever she went from now on. She had better try to get used to it.
Zeru bent and whispered in her ear as they passed through the gates, his eyes on the Dracu heads lining the posts. “This feels so wrong. Passing the gates of my enemies.”
“How do you think I feel?” she asked, nodding toward the company she was in.
The Sylvan king stood in the inner bailey, the spread of his antlers and his stance proudly declaring the space his own.
“You’d better act as mediator,” she whispered to Zeru. “My sister Enora should be here to help… ah, there she is. Coming from the barracks. Silver hair. No-nonsense attitude.”
“I see her,” he whispered back. With a final speaking look at her that seemed to warn her to stay safe, he moved off toward the Sylvan king. He bowed first to the king, then to Enora as she looked him over. Zeru’s voice carried over the hushed assembly. “Silvanus, king of the forest,” he acknowledged. “We come in good faith to discuss our shared cause, defeating the betrayer, Selkolla. Is there somewhere we can speak together?”
“Here,” the Sylvan king said in his low rumble. “If the Seer is in the ground nearby, let her witness our pact and know she cannot hurt us.”
The Dracu queen stepped closer to the Sylvan king, and Cassia was struck by the difference in size between them. But the diminutive queen displayed no fear, her words like a gauntlet thrown in the massive king’s face. “I hear your subjects are eager to swear fealty to me.”
After a short pause, the Sylvan king replied in a voice lacking all expression. “You are no doubt eager to claim my subjects as your own. But first, the terms. Does your blood pact with Selkolla specify only the lands that were yours at the time? If so, no alliance will help us.”
“It includes any people who have sworn fealty to me,” she asserted. “I have a witness in your own camp.”
The king’s eyes grew stormy, the winds picking up in the trees nearby. Someone stepped forward.
Veleda.
Cassia’s mouth fell open.
“I was there,” Veleda confirmed. Her long, dark curls were wilder than usual, her face showing exhaustion. Her eyes flicked to Cassia and away, so fast that Cassia was sure she’d recognized her.
Veleda had been witness to Selkolla’s pact with the Dracu queen? Prickles of reaction covered Cassia’s whole body. How could that be?
The king stared down at his Court Seer. “A traitor in my camp?”
“No traitor,” Veleda said, her chin raised. “I was in the Cryptlands at the time of the promise Selkolla made to the Dracu queen. I will explain all, Your Majesty. But for now, I speak Sylvan true when I tell you I heard the terms of the vow. It was sworn in blood with all the proper rites to make it binding.”
The pact was made in the Cryptlands, so Selkolla would be bound by it more strongly there. But it should apply here, too, especially if this land is declared the queen’s.
Cassia looked at Veleda as if seeing her anew, suddenly remembering how easily the Seer had moved through the Cryptlands, as if she knew the way. She wished she had time to question her. But everyone’s eyes were on the Sylvan king, awaiting his reaction.
His eyes sharpened, and a cold, pine-scented breeze blew. “Very well. This declaration of sovereignty will last only until the sun rises. But first, you must vow not to harm any Sylvan or anyone who has ever served me.”
“Until sunrise, only,” the queen added with a cunning smile. “Very well. I agree to your terms. In return for your people’s fealty, I vow not to harm any Sylvan or any subject of the Sylvan king until sunrise. Do you all bow to me?”
After a hesitation, the king nodded. A rough chorus of voices spoke as one, as if they had practiced. “We swear fealty to the Dracu queen until sunrise.”
The Sylvan king’s expression grew somber, and a dark cloud passed over Scarhamm. He towered over the Dracu queen. “I will make you pay if you betray me, Nienke.”
“Worry your antlered head about the problems before you, Silvanus,” the queen said blithely, surveying the fortress with the air of a conqueror.
Before the sun had even fully set, the Sylvan and Dracu forces took their positions behind Scarhamm’s walls. Cassia and Zeru stood together atop the watchtower. Cassia could feel the anticipation of the trees, as if the forest knew what was coming and waited with nervous excitement. The two Huntsmen on lookout gave them space, leaning on the railing and talking quietly at the opposite end.
“Well, Sylvan,” Zeru said, leaning his arms against the railing next to her, “by some blessing of the Ancients, your plans have gone well. Dare we hope for more? Maybe Selkolla won’t be able to strike Scarhamm, and you won’t have to initiate stage three.” He rubbed his chin, which was darkened by a few days’ worth of growth.
Cassia nodded. Everything had gone better than she’d expected. But the Seer had been planning this move for a long time. “If she does come, at least there are more of us fighting together.”
“Yes,” Zeru agreed. “That alone is almost beyond belief.” He turned a look of shining admiration on her that struck straight at her heart. “You did that, Cassia.”
She shook her head, uncomfortable with so much credit. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you.” If it weren’t for him, she’d still be hiding in the woods without even a memory of her name. She still hadn’t thanked him for coming for her. It seemed too great a thing to express.
“And I have a feeling my sisters have been working on my father. It seemed as if he’d accepted the alliance by the time we arrived.” She looked down at the forest, undeceived by its quiet darkness. The trees’ restlessness felt like her own. Or maybe the trees knew more about what was to come than she did.
As if sensing the same tension, Zeru turned toward her. “Whatever happens tonight, stay up here on the watchtower where you’re safe.”
“No,” she said with quiet ferocity. “I can’t believe you’d even suggest that.”
His eyes were serious, his voice full of conviction. “Selkolla wants the ring. If you are down there in the fray, you’ll be an easier target. Don’t make it easy for her. If she can reach you, you’re playing into her hands.”
Cassia turned her head to watch the forest, seeing more in the gathering dark than she’d ever thought possible, thanks to her sharper vision. “Even if she did… I don’t think she can control me anymore.”
“I don’t, either,” he said, tucking a lock of hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear. “But we don’t know. Don’t risk it.”
“It’s my choice, not yours,” she reminded him.
“I know. I’m trying to persuade you, not order you.” He brushed his lips across her cheek. “Does this work better?”
“No,” she breathed, turning her head so their lips almost touched, “but keep trying.”
Footsteps on the ladder made them pull apart. Cassia wasn’t surprised when she saw a silver head followed by a dark brown one. Enora and Thea smiled at her, then faced Zeru as if waiting for an introduction.
“Enora. Thea. This is Zeru,” Cassia said simply, warning her sisters with her eyes.
“We’ve met,” Enora said, giving him a brief nod.
“Pleased to meet you,” Zeru said with a polite, stiff bow.
Thea merely stared at him, her expression telling Cassia that she’d like nothing better than to take the Dracu’s head from his shoulders.
“Where’s Rozie?” Cassia asked, trying to break the tension.
“Safe in her bedchamber,” Enora answered, “probably trying to bargain her way out here to fight with us.”
Cassia could easily imagine Rozie traipsing into the garden wearing oversized armor, determined to defend her home with whatever weapon she could lift. “I hope you left someone firm in charge of her.”
Enora lifted a brow, amused. “Two of the staunchest guards I could find. They’re probably wondering why they were stuck with the toughest post.”
Cassia chuckled, taking a moment to examine the garden below. The rustle and murmur of the Sylvans and Dracu forces blended with the forest’s evening sounds.
“Won’t be long before we know whether we’re getting visitors tonight,” Thea said, surveying the woods.
As always, Cassia envied her sister’s equanimity in such a tense situation. But Thea was right. The waiting was almost over. None of them doubted that Selkolla intended to make her move on this night.
Zeru made a noise, and Cassia turned to see sweat break out on his forehead. Sunset, she realized. Her hand went to his shoulder as he gripped one of the wooden supports, his jaw firming as light swirled at his back. Then his wings formed, black and segmented, the claws looking like curving thorns against the backdrop of the forest behind him. They opened wide, and he shook them out before furling them at his back. His chin lifted, and he gave her staring sisters a raised-brow look.
“Well,” Enora said dryly. “That’s not something you see every day.”
“He’s not boring,” Thea agreed with a nod. “I’ll give him that.”
Zeru’s slow smile made Cassia’s heart thump harder. “Glad I could amuse.”
As the garden filled with shadows, the fortress faded to a silhouette. Every indrawn breath brought the scents of burned wood and the familiar pine and peat of the forest.
Next to her, Zeru lifted his chin and sniffed the air.
“Cassia,” he said in a warning tone.
She put her hand on his arm, staying his speech. She smelled it, too. Rot and decay. One of the hounds barked as a rumble shook the earth. That was all the warning they had before a hundred thorn-clawed hands dug their way up into the garden.