Chapter 22 Lily
LILY
I went straight to Hawk after my conversation with Callum was completed. “We need to launch our fleet for the Empire Colonies. The Barbarians are on their way to conquer them—and then us.”
Hawk was already dressed for battle, always in his armor except when he slept, prepared for the war that would march on our doorstep at any time. He faced me in the courtyard where I’d intercepted him on his way from the military barracks.
I waited for the interrogation, for him to ask how I knew this information when no call for aid had been released from King Ithaca. For the conversation to then turn to the topic we always discussed—the god who protected me better than the dragon scales of my armor.
But that miraculously didn’t happen. “I can prepare everyone for departure, but it’ll take at least two days for us to arrive. Is that enough time?”
“It’ll have to be.”
“The dragons can get there much sooner. Perhaps that’s all we’ll need.”
“The dragons are staying behind.”
His eyes widened slightly in clear confusion.
I couldn’t afford to conceal information from Hawk anymore, not when so many lives depended on knowledge.
“The Barbarians have golden cannons on their ships. They shoot sharp spikes that might be enough to pierce the hides of our dragons. Until we can build them all suits of armor, we can’t risk their demise. ”
Hawk took that all in and didn’t issue a single question. “Will our navy be enough?”
“I don’t know, but I know they won’t expect us to be there.”
“Has King Ithaca been warned of their approach?”
“Yes, I informed him of the coming battle, but the asshole seeks an alliance with the Barbarians.”
He took a slight step back, doing his best to follow me without the wealth of context I had. “What? He wants to be allies with the enemy that wishes to conquer him?”
“He thinks he can persuade them to fight together and take the Southern Isles. Since I refused to give him a few of our dragons, he’s found another way to make that happen.”
Hawk blinked several times as he processed all of this. “Then why the fuck are we giving him aid he didn’t ask for? This isn’t making any sense, Lily.”
“Because if we don’t take this opportunity to defeat the Barbarians when they least expect it, then we might have two kingdoms coming for us instead of the one.
We defeat the Barbarians without risking our dragons, and then we execute King Ithaca and put a new king in power—one who agrees to be our ally.
The other option is either watch the Empire Colonies be defeated and join their ranks, or the Barbarians agree to an alliance and they all come for us. ”
Hawk’s eyes furiously flicked back and forth as he considered the strategy on the board.
“The Southern Isles are naturally protected from the sea by cliffs. We have a much better advantage holding ground here than sailing to the east. And we’re also just not ready for such an unpredictable battle—especially without our dragons. ”
“I would normally agree with you completely,” I said.
“But this is the only time we’re going to have the element of surprise.
This is the only time the Barbarians aren’t going to know we’re coming.
The Barbarians will deny King Ithaca’s proposition, and battle will ensue.
We may not be allies with King Ithaca, but we’re allies of the Empire Colonies.
They will fight with us until we defeat the enemy. ”
“Or until the enemy defeats us both…”
“Then one of us will stay behind and prepare for the second battle. We’ll take half our forces now and leave behind the other half. Prepare the armor for the dragons, so if I fail, then you’ll be ready for them on the second go—”
“If I fail?” he asked. “You aren’t going, Lily. I’m General Rothschild of the Southern Isles, and I will go to battle for my kingdom. You stay with the kingdom and prepare for the second wave if we’re defeated.”
“I will not send my men into battle if I’m not alongside them.
” My father would never do that. Every man of the Southern Isles was called to defend their kingdom—whether they were a commoner or a king.
In war, everyone was equal. “I’m not asking you to stay to protect you.
I’m asking you to stay because you’re the last living Rothschild. ”
“Then we switch. I go and you stay.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I have the command of the dead and the power of a god,” I said simply.
“If anyone is going to battle, it’s me. I will raise monsters from the sea and capsize their boats.
I will show them the might of the Death Queen.
I wish you could accompany me in this, I really do. But we have to separate…just in case.”
He took several breaths as he stared me down, the look of surrender coming into his gaze. “What about the Brigandine Empire?”
“Even if I asked them to set sail this very moment, they would never make it in time. I’ve asked them to search for the platinum. Hopefully they make progress with that while we handle this.”
He stared at me for a while before he eventually gave a nod. “I will prepare the fleet to launch. You can depart in a few hours. But I doubt Zehemoth will let you go without his protection. I understand you have powers that no mortal possesses, but being fused with a dragon wouldn’t hurt.”
“Under no circumstances will I allow him to come, so there’s no reason to fuse.” Zehemoth would be aware of every emotion I possessed, and it would be impossible to hide the love in my heart for a man none could see.
“I know Father insisted on our waiting, but this is an exception.”
“You’ve seen me with the blade, Hawk. I can’t be more powerful than I already am.”
His mouth twitched like he wanted to say more, but he chose to swallow the words instead.
“Please be careful. I’ve wanted to be King of the Southern Isles ever since I was a boy—but not in the event that you’re dead.
I would much rather watch you rule our kingdom for centuries than live in a world where you don’t exist, Sunieth. ”
It was the single sweetest thing my brother had said to me.
The closest to an I love you I’d ever received.
The words caught me off guard so violently that all I could do was stare at him as I tried to find the words to mirror the sentiment.
“Watching Dad fall and leading a kingdom at war with assholes who want us all dead has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.
But it’s brought us closer together, and that means the world to me. ”
I met with Mom and told her everything about to transpire.
She paced the living room with her arms across her chest, the features of her face sunken because she’d been dropping weight with every passing day, the stress eating the mass from her body.
Her face was pale, like we lived in a world blanketed in snow with no daylight.
“Our lives were perfect for so long, and then this happens…and I haven’t been able to draw a full breath once.
” She finally came to a stop before me. “Are you sure this is the right move, Lily?”
“No,” I said honestly. “But we either wait for two kingdoms to come for us or try to reduce it to one. Standing by and watching our ally get conquered seems like the wrong move to me—and the cowardly one.”
“King Ithaca is a damn snake.”
“But his people are good. If we come to their aid and succeed, whoever leads the Empire Colonies next will be forever loyal to us. I’m sure they despise King Ithaca as much as we do. He’s a greedy pig who needs to be gutted for bacon.”
Her eyes were turned out the window, the sunlight hitting her face at the perfect angle to show all the unease deep in her eyes. She was normally calm and collected, while Dad was the one who got hotheaded and temperamental. It was clear she was lost without him. “I wish your father were here.”
The pain in her voice made me cringe. “I know…me too.”
“I wish I could ask for his advice, but Khazmuda has had very little success communicating with him. The moments where he’s somewhat conscious are brief, literally seconds.”
“I wish more than anything he were here with us.” He always knew what to do. He was a natural leader for our kingdom and our family. He taught me everything he knew, but I realized I’d only attained just a whisper of his knowledge.
She started to pace again, her hand sliding through her dark hair more than once even though it was out of her face.
She came to a sudden stop again, looking out the window once more.
“Your father and I used to talk about how great a queen you would make. He would tell me stories of your sparring matches. Would tell me how proud he was of you every time you would defeat him at chess. Tell me how smart you are. If you believe this is the right move, then I’m sure it is. ”
Somehow her confidence made me doubt myself even more. I wasn’t sure if I deserved such blind faith, not when I had her life and everyone else’s in my hands. “Hawk is going to stay here in case I don’t return. He’ll prepare for the next wave of battle…if it comes.”
A burst of sadness appeared on her face before she moved into me, wrapping her arms around me tightly and holding me close. She cradled me into her like a child, supporting me like I was still that little girl scared of the monsters under her bed.
It’d been a long time since she’d held me like that, since I’d needed to be held like that.
After a long embrace, she pulled away to regard me.
“Remember that your father is always with you. Every time you grip the hilt of your blade. Every time you sail on a galleon. Every time you stare down your enemy across the battlefield. You’re more like him than he is himself sometimes.
If you’re ever scared, if you ever second-guess yourself, just remember that. ”