Chapter Thirty-Six
Passing through Kyrish so swiftly had reminded me of the way we’d breezed through Fallaine to get to the Ocrein Isles.
Kyrish was a coastal town, one that was closest to the Levast Isles—where the humans remained in complete and utter silence. In peace, I imagined.
So unlike what we were facing here on the continent.
“Callum and the navy are passing around the Levast Isles as we speak. They should be here in time—he hopes,” Caelia said, holding a small piece of parchment as she barged into the large tent.
A piece of parchment that had, obviously, come from the vial of a messenger corvid. The very thing we’d been waiting on all day.
It had been six days since Aurora had left and betrayed us all in one fell swoop.
Since then, the Valwain and the rest of the South had jumped into action, accomplishing much despite the tighter timeline. Even though Aurora had taken many of our plans, maps, and strategies, we still had the element of surprise on our side.
The North didn’t know when we would strike, only where.
Plus, at the time of Aurora’s betrayal, we hadn’t yet factored the navy into our plans.
The North only knew a fraction of the might that was about to rain down on them.
This time, we were not afraid.
“He hopes?” Quinn questioned, cocking her scarred eyebrow at the princess.
“I know my brother,” Caelia stared back at the general on the other side of the war table. “He’ll be there, and he’ll be right on time.”
Quinn nodded firmly, then turned her attention back to the table before her, which displayed a raised, textured map of the entire continent.
Our entire realm, laid out at our fingertips.
The entire Valwain was present, along with Matea, Caelia, and a couple of Quinn’s army captains.
We’d set up camp in Glaytred Forest earlier that day, after sailing from Kyrish to the sparse edges of the forest. We’d borrowed nearly every boat in the coastal town, promising to bring them back as soon as we could.
The plans Aurora had taken showed our route to be by foot on land, but after she’d left, we decided to stay undetected as we set foot in Northern territory for as long as we could.
Now instead of approaching Neokell from the south and sticking to the base of the mountains, we were approaching from the forest to the east.
Nearly everything was planned and plotted—there was only one loose end left.
A loose end I needed to tie up.
Allowing the rest of the Valwain to double check our army movements, I slipped out of the main tent and headed deeper into camp. We’d spread apart our set up that time, allowing for more space in between tents and such so that we’d be less likely to be seen if any Northerners flew overhead.
My boots crushed dry leaves underfoot as I walked through the darkness of night in the direction of Chess’s tent. Yet before I could make it there on my own, a frazzled Ezra came running straight toward me out of the dim night.
“Aviva!” He came to a stop before me and rested his hands on my shoulders. “Chess and I did it. We did it! Come on!”
“Lead the way,” I instructed, then we both broke out into a run.
A few moments later, we were dipping into Chess’s tent, where I finally paused long enough to gather my bearings.
I’d handed over the small piece of alychite to Chess shortly after returning from our scouting missions in the North, asking him to find me an antidote of some sort.
I didn’t care how weak or strong—anything helped.
He’d quickly recruited Ezra to the task, realizing that the knowledgeable fae could be a big help.
And he turned out to be right.
Inside the tent were half a dozen large tables, each scattered with different vials, beakers, small, controlled flames, and countless ingredients. It was, in all honesty, a mess—but Chess always seemed to know exactly where everything was amongst his space.
Upon noticing my presence, Chess held up a small bottle of elixir that appeared a murky, light gray color.
“We finished just in time, Viva!” he exclaimed. “We’d finalized the main ingredients earlier this week, but I wanted to make it a little more potent. It turns out that burdock root was just the thing we were looking for!”
“Chess, Ezra, you two are incredible,” I praised them.
The two males shared a proud look as I ducked deeper inside. Once I got near enough, Chess handed over the vial.
“We only had enough time and resources to make this one dose. If your predictions are right, then once we’re in and deep enough to be away from the wall, the rest of us shouldn’t need a dose, anyway,” Ezra explained.
And there it was.
A new weight settling onto my shoulders.
My duty was to somehow find a way to open up the wall for our people to get through. I was the one with the largest arsenal of zirilium at their fingertips—not to mention that with my wings, I was essentially the only fae who could blend in effectively.
The entirety of the battle relied on my ability to be quick on my feet, use my zirilium wisely, and not get caught.
“Thank you,” I said, looking up from the elixir vial. “Thank you both. I’m sure it’ll work great.”
Chess beamed at that, but quickly seemed to remember something else.
“I almost forgot to give this to you,” he said, fishing a second vial out of his pocket—that one with a darker liquid in it—and handing it to me.
Though when he handed it to me, I realized he was handing me more than just the ink-like substance I’d used in the North before.
He’d also slipped the now slightly dirty cloth out of his pocket, holding it against the vial as he placed both items in my palm. The same cloth that held the small piece of alychite—the material fitting in the palm of my hand as he gave it back to me.
“Just in case.” He nodded.
To anybody else—even Ezra—it looked like he’d just been handing me a second vial.
But what I held in my hand now was much more than that.
“Just in case,” I repeated, tucking both of the vials and the shard away into one of my own pockets.
The dark gray leathers I wore were form fitting, though I’d also managed to snag one of Caelia’s black chain-mail tops, which I’d slipped on over my leather tunic.
All of my sun and moon stones had been charged, the gloves adorning my hands.
Even my hair was braided tightly down my back, courtesy of Teagan.
I was, more or less, ready for what was to come.
Or at least, I was as ready as I could be.
As I wished Ezra and Chess the best before slipping out of the tent, I tucked the vial into a small pocket against my ribs.
Ezra had insisted on playing a part in the battle that time around, so Chess had offered him a spot with his trokavs.
Ezra didn’t possess zirilium, but he could still be an extra pair of hands and eyes wherever needed—not to mention his vast knowledge.
The male had gladly accepted the task, though if you looked at him long enough, you could see the anxiety etched into his features.
Margo had gone to stay with Nan and Pops—they’d been the only fae left that Byn, Teagan, and I felt comfortable enough around to leave the young female with. Byn and Teagan knew the Ashfords from years of them serving as nobles, but to me, they were family.
They’d been more than happy to help us, and once Nan answered the door with residual paint on her trousers and baked goods in hand, she had quickly won Margo over.
Now, I walked through the forest aimlessly. We’d already eaten dinner, and though I knew I should be doing my best to rest before the battle looming over us, I couldn’t find it in me to sit still.
Who would I face on the battlefield this time?
And what would this cost us?
Questions such as these bounced around in my mind as I started walking faster and faster until I broke into an all-out run. I couldn’t fly for risk of exposing our position.
So I ran.
I ran until my lungs burned, until my muscles cramped, until the effort it took to keep moving outweighed the voices trying to rule my every thought.
I was so focused on putting my own foot in front of the other that I didn’t hear the sound of paws running toward me until Atlas nearly knocked me over.
Having to force myself to an abrupt stop in order to not run directly into him, I yelled out a strong, “Hey!”
“Don’t blame him, my love, I asked him to,” Byn called out as the duo came to a stop before me, then he slid down from his Titan Wolf’s back.
“How long have you been following me?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips and trying to act like I wasn’t gulping air down.
“Long enough,” he replied, stepping forward and gently taking hold of my chin, tilting my face up towards his.
“Why?” My voice grew quieter as the weight on my shoulders began to feel suffocating once again now that I was stagnant.
“Well, you might’ve blown our cover if you ran any farther,” Byn said, nodding toward where up ahead the forest became much thinner—something I hadn’t even noticed.
It might’ve been over before it’d even begun, and it all would’ve been my fault.
My lungs tightened at the thought.
“Plus, I can feel it too, you know,” Byn said, meeting my eyes. “The pressure you’re feeling. The anxiety, the fear, the terror. It feels like the sky is pressing down on you, right? That’s how I felt before the Battle of Shadows. And you know who grounded me then?”
I peered up at him, worried that if I tried to speak, my voice would break.
“You did,” Byn answered for me, then leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine.
“You did, because you’re the strongest, most capable fae I’ve ever met.
You’re intelligent, and quick-thinking, and you trust your instincts—which never seem to steer you wrong.
And if anybody can kick this battle off positively and in our favor, it’s you, Avi. ”
I bit my lip to keep it from quivering as I listened to him speak.