Chapter 91 Rohak
Chapter Ninety-One
Rohak
Ipocketed the communication stone, grimacing as the rune that allowed Torin and me to speak dulled.
There were maybe three uses left on it before it faded completely.
While I wanted to be in constant communication with the God of Earth and Fire, especially with the news of Solace’s movement in the north, we needed to save it for dire circumstances.
And I was thoroughly convinced we would be there sooner rather than later.
The lack of movement from the west had me completely on edge; I barked orders at Sol and Lex, causing more than a few raised eyebrows and side-eyed glances.
“Faylinn, have the women and children been moved?” I grunted, my boots slapping against the hastily repaired courtyard stones.
Vespera was a ghost town. What was once a bustling area full of vendors and students, soldiers and families, was eerily still. Gone was the idle chatter and resounding laughs. In its place, the wind whistled around the buildings, only adding to the foreboding that tickled the base of my skull.
“Yes, Rohak. They’re in the basement of the administration building as well as the hidden hallway beneath the manor. I’ve warded both areas. No one will get to them.” Her voice was steady if not a little exasperated, but I only saw concerned concentration in her expression.
“Good,” I grunted. Though the situation was anything but good.
If Samyr—or gods forbid, Solace—swept through here, the women and children might be safe for a while, but it was only a matter of time before they needed to leave the protected areas for water or food. They’d be killed—or worse—instantly.
Mages and their Vessels, as well as a few unAwakened cadets that were proficient with a blade, were stationed in even intervals throughout the city, constantly on watch for anything that seemed abnormal. I sent a small contingent outside of the gates—including Sol—to watch for an incoming attack.
So far, the plains and hills outside the grey walls of Vespera were just as silent as the city within.
This place felt like a tomb, waiting for the bodies to be interred.
My steps increased, Faylinn jogging to keep pace, as we bounded up the Academy’s stairs. Pride washed over me and down the Bond to Faylinn as we entered, a slight shudder the only outward sign of her discomfort.
How far she’s come.
“Ben, Asha,” I barked as soon as we were in hearing distance. The Life Bonded pair turned from their conversation with a few younger Mages, all scurrying to other places once they saw the thunderous look on my face.
Asha still held some of the softness from her pregnancy, and I was shocked that she stood here with Ben, dressed for battle. Her fire-red hair was braided away from her face, falling down her back in natural waves, and exposed a fierce expression that almost dared me to question her appearance.
Faylinn beat me to it.
“Asha, shouldn’t you be with Fia?” The question was said with only concern and love, but Asha bristled anyway.
“Just because I’m a mother now doesn’t mean I can’t fight. I am perfectly capable and need to—” she bit out caustically, but Faylinn simply held her hands up in a placating gesture. I noticed a few fresh runes inked on her palms and the sides of her fingers, and wondered their purpose.
“I never meant to insinuate otherwise, Asha. I am perfectly fine with wherever you feel most comfortable or needed.”
Asha’s expression softened slightly as she gave Faylinn a brief nod of thanks.
“I’m not,” Ben grumbled quietly. I couldn’t help but empathize with him—I wanted nothing more than for Faylinn to stay safe and constantly battled against the urge to tie her down somewhere far away from any danger.
The women ignored the towering Earth Mage, but I shot him what I hoped was a look of solidarity.
“News from Torin?” Ben asked, effectively changing the subject and bringing the feeling of impending doom back with a vengeance.
I quickly updated the Bonded pair on the situation, watching as their expressions progressively turned grimmer.
“Fuck,” Ben whispered, combing a large hand through his hair.
“That seems to be the word of the day,” Faylinn said offhandedly, causing Asha to snort in mirth. Faylinn shot her a small smile that quickly disappeared.
“He told us to stay here?” Asha asked, and I nodded once.
“You disagree with it,” Ben said, not even needing to ask the question.
“We took the greater numbers and more powerful Mages, thinking this is where they would attack first. Our navy will be decimated. Alvor will be destroyed. Then Torin rides forward with less than a thousand soldiers while we sit here with nearly double that number, including Life Bonded Mages and the only dual power wielder. It seems . . .” I trailed off, scrubbing a hand down the scruff on my face.
“Foolish,” Faylinn finished for me. I grunted in reply.
“So, what do we do, then?” Ben asked.
All around us, soldiers and unAwakened cadets rushed about, making last-minute preparations for a battle I wasn’t even sure would happen here. The sound was both overwhelming and grounding at the same time.
“We get ready to move. Not all of us, but the vast majority of our numbers. I want to be prepared to leave as soon as Torin says the word,” I stated. Ben nodded once.
“Who do you want here, and who is to come with us?”
“Sol will stay here to guide our defenses. I want you and Asha, Lex and Ilyas, as well as half of the Life Bonded Mages to pack and prepare.” I said nothing about Faylinn, not wanting that argument right now.
If—and when—my force left Vespera to aid Torin, it would be without her.
I would not put her in harm’s way, not intentionally, and where we would travel would be the most dangerous place in Elyria.
No, she would stay here and keep hidden. Keep safe. So I could focus on the battle I would have to command.
Ben and Asha expressed agreement before politely excusing themselves, speaking to a few other Mages and Vessels as they went, likely preparing them to leave.
I watched with a detached stoicism, my mind already eleven steps ahead, predicting the battle we would inevitably join shortly.
A hand brushed tenderly against my arm, softly jarring me from my thoughts. I pulled my gaze downward to see my Bonded looking at me with a mixture of reverence and . . . was that heat I saw in her gaze?
I cocked my head at her, feeling down the Bond for what she was feeling.
“You need to relax for a moment, Rohak,” Faylinn practically whispered, her hand coasting up and down my arm. Her touch caused sparks to jolt along my skin, my cock slowly springing to life in my pants.
“Faylinn . . . I love you, but is now really the time?” I couldn’t believe I was going to turn away my woman when she clearly wanted me. But this was war, and danger could spring upon us at any moment.
“Yes,” she said with utter conviction. “You forget I lived through Isrun, Rohak. I never got to tell my father I loved him, and I refuse to make that mistake again. Yes, this is battle. Yes, we will be thrust into unfathomably dangerous situations, but I need to hold you close first. Need you to know how you make me feel, how much I love you, before any of that begins. I cannot go into a life-or-death situation without knowing one last time how your skin feels against my own.”
My heart pounded and features softened as I saw the seriousness in her gaze, felt the despair and longing down the Bond.
I took her slender hand in my own and pulled her up the stairs toward my office. If connection is what she craved before all of this went to utter shit, connection I would give her.
Especially since I would leave her here once the call came. She would hate me in that moment, but perhaps she could focus on this—on the ardent way in which I loved her—instead.