Chapter Twenty-seven
THEA
E very nerve ending in Thea’s body felt completely frayed as Wilder led her into the meeting.
She could still feel the imprint of him in her body, on her soul, so much that she kept stealing glances at him, wondering if this was some Warsword magic she’d yet to uncover.
Just glimpsing his handsome face, just the stroke of his thumb across the back of her hand set her alight again. She wasn’t nearly finished with him.
A smile quirked the corner of his mouth, his dimple showing, and she knew he could see every thought written plainly across her face. She didn’t care. She wanted him to know what he’d done to her, and exactly what awaited him when she finally got her hands on him.
As they entered the enormous tent, Thea spotted Anya first, at the end of the table.
Her sister’s wings were nowhere in sight, nor were her shadows.
But she looked just as cutthroat without them, with her harsh features and shaved head, her sharp gaze piercing them all.
The hesitancy and sadness from their conversation last night was gone.
‘About time…’ Anya said, her voice laced with innuendo and a note of amusement.
An unwelcome blush stained Thea’s cheeks as she accepted the chair Wilder offered her, sitting down and surveying the rest of the strange group gathered around the table, noting the knowing smirks on their faces.
Wilder was to her left, and Adrienne was sitting opposite them.
A young man – a teenager, really – with a mop of unruly dark curls and a lumpy woollen jumper was knitting in the corner, glancing up every now and then with the same bottle-green eyes as Dratos.
There were several rangers Thea didn’t recognise, but she guessed they were from Naarva, as was most of the camp.
On the back of a chair was Terrence, the hawk who’d played the role of emissary between Wilder and the Naarvian forces for some time. He was perched regally, his yellow eyes boring into Thea as though he were annoyed, as though he had somewhere better to be.
Then there was Dratos, his wings tucked neatly behind his back, his shadows dancing close by.
Thea couldn’t help but flinch at the sight of them.
For so long, she had seen both things as the epitome of evil, and yet here they were…
as much a part of Dratos as the hand that raised a pipe to his lips.
He caught her staring. ‘Something to say, would-be Warsword?’
Thea didn’t shy away. Instead, she met his gaze. ‘Can you hide them? If you want to? The shadows and wings, I mean?’
The green-eyed ranger blew a perfect ‘O’ of smoke from his lips. ‘And why would I want to do that? I hide my true nature for no one’s comfort.’
He seemed to wait for her to argue. But Thea simply shrugged. ‘Fair enough.’
‘Yes, yes.’ Anya rolled her eyes. ‘We all know how dark and mighty you are, “Dratos the Dawnless”. Now if you don’t mind, can we make some fucking plans for this war? There have been enough delays.’ The last she said with a pointed glance at Wilder.
The corner of his mouth tugged upward again, and Thea elbowed him, sitting up straighter.
But the mention of war had her mind churning.
Had it only been a matter of days ago that she’d been honoured in the floating domes of Vios as a defender of the realm?
Where she’d left Cal and Kipp in the middle of an arachne skirmish?
Wilder had assured her they were safe with Torj, but that didn’t make it right.
So much had happened, so much that she needed to talk to them about.
Everything had changed. Her world had been turned upside down, and she wanted them by her side.
Anya glanced at her, gaze full of understanding, as though she too couldn’t quite believe it. She offered Thea a tentative smile.
Thea returned it. There was a lifetime of secrets and experiences to share, but they would not get the luxury of time together, not with the midrealms in tatters around them, not with the fate stone hidden beneath Thea’s shirt.
And yet, Thea wanted to know her sister. She hoped that showed in her smile now.
Anya nodded, seeming to gather herself before she turned to the group and banged her cup on the table three times, glaring around at them all until the chatter died down.
‘Welcome, welcome, and all that shit,’ she said gruffly, waving her hands unceremoniously to them. ‘I hereby bring this war council to order. There is much to discuss.’
A war council . That was what the shadow-touched were calling this.
It was official, Thea realised with a start. She was sitting in on a war council with the enemy, or those who had once been her enemy. What did that make them now? Allies?
Anya’s gaze snapped to Dratos. ‘What news from Vios? Where did we leave things with that arachne, for starters?’
‘Dead,’ Dratos said bluntly. ‘The two Warswords took care of it. After a fashion.’ He glanced at Thea. ‘Your friends are unharmed. They got out with the Bear Slayer.’
Though he was merely confirming what Wilder had told her, Thea’s relief was immeasurable. She gave Dratos a grateful nod.
‘The children in the ice dungeons were rescued without incident thanks to the Warswords’ help. They’re being cared for now in one of our quieter camps.’ He moved on quickly, however, and did not mince his next words. ‘There was a royal fatality.’
Thea’s initial relief transformed to dread, her mind instantly going to Princess Jasira. She shouldn’t have left her; she should have seen her to safety —
‘Who?’ Wilder asked.
Dratos grimaced. ‘The King of Aveum.’
Silence washed over the group.
‘Gods,’ Anya said at last, running her hands over her head. ‘Do we know the details?’
‘No… Only that in the skirmish in the ballroom he was injured, and he died later that night. Venom from the arachne, I’m told.’ Dratos refilled his pipe from a pouch at his hip. ‘It’ll make it that much harder for us to ally with any royal force now.’
‘It was always a long shot,’ Adrienne offered.
‘But to have a king die as a result of an attack like that…’ Anya shook her head. ‘Queen Reyna will see no reason now.’
Dratos lit his pipe. ‘You don’t know that.’
‘Don’t I?’ Anya raised a brow. ‘Was the rest of the capital affected? Were there further attacks beyond the domes?’
‘Not that we know of. And we still don’t know if the arachne was an intended strike or not.
These monsters have a tendency to creep through the Veil unchecked.
It could have been a misstep on Artos’ part, or part of a bigger plan.
Besides the exterior of the dome itself and the ballroom, the damage wasn’t significant.
’ Dratos chewed on his pipe thoughtfully.
‘Did you find out where the reapers’ lair is? ’
Thea’s head whipped to Anya in surprise.
‘That’s what we were doing in Vios,’ her sister explained. ‘Someone besides Artos himself knows where the main host is. We had planned to find them and interrogate them. Once we know where the lair is, we can attack. To slay the reapers is to slay their wraith kin. Kill the sire, kill the swarm.’
‘But you didn’t find that person?’
‘No.’
The realisation dawned coldly on Thea, dread yawning in the pit of her stomach. ‘Because of me? Because I tried to stop you in the ballroom?’
‘Because of a lot of things,’ Anya said. ‘It was a long shot, anyway. Artos’ empath abilities are astounding. It was unlikely that we would have discovered the location of the reapers’ lair in a single night.’
‘So, what now?’ Dratos asked.
‘We do the only thing we can do,’ Anya replied. ‘We try again.’
‘I have a question…’ Thea ventured, resting her palms flat on the table to keep from fidgeting beneath the scrutiny she was greeted with. ‘What have you heard about Wilder’s escape? And the fact that I disappeared with him? There must be speculation…?’
Dratos nodded. ‘Nothing solid. Some say you were taken hostage by the fallen Warsword, others say you had a change of heart after seeing your former mentor imprisoned. Others claim the Shadow of Death threw herself after the traitorous bastard to hunt him down all over again.’
The hair on Thea’s nape stood up and a rush of goosebumps washed over her.
‘Are the rulers leaning a particular way?’ Wilder asked beside her.
‘With the death of King Elkan, there hasn’t been much news from the domes beyond funeral preparations.’
‘Dratos,’ Anya said. ‘See to it that we start some whispers of our own. That the wraith slayer of Thezmarr is indeed on the hunt for the traitor.’
‘Consider it done,’ Dratos replied.
Adrienne cleared her throat and jutted her chin towards Terrence. ‘Who’s had word from the prince?’
‘That would be me.’ Dratos reached to ruffle Terrence’s feathers before handing over a scroll. ‘Everything is going to plan on his end – so far, at least.’
The youngster who was knitting what appeared to be a scarf looked up. ‘Will the weapon be ready —’
A shadow shot out from Dratos and clipped the boy around the back of the head.
‘Good gods, cousin, are you as thick as that fucking jumper?’ Dratos pinched the bridge of his nose.
Cousin , Thea noted, watching the exchange with piqued interest.
‘I was only asking,’ the boy said, rubbing the back of his head.
‘Well, don’t. We’ve got new blood here and we don’t know if she’s trustworthy yet.’
A flush crept up Thea’s neck. Strange, how the tides had turned and she was now the traitor in their midst.
The youngster frowned. ‘I thought she was Anya’s sister. She’s family, right?’
Something twinged in Thea’s chest at that. They had had only one real conversation, had exchanged a single smile… For all the blood they shared, Anya was a stranger to her. And Wren was farther away than ever.
Dratos rolled his eyes. ‘Must be nice in the rosy, simple world of Gus, huh? Why don’t you go knit your socks somewhere else?’