Chapter 21 #3
“I don’t have a plan yet,” I admitted, not moving from my place on the swing. “But Ashgate is located on the shore of the ocean—”
Prince Rha waved a dismissive hand. “Not true. We searched the shore and never found the city there.”
I smirked. “You didn’t find it, but I did. It’s on the stretch south from the virutu dragons cliffs, the place only accessible by a shadow tunnel. And even then, one can’t see the city from the desert because it’s in the cliff face below the desert floor.”
His brow furrowed, as the prince seemed to consider my words.
“I could maim and kill half of the city before they overpower me,” I explained.
“But those who took Elaine would see me coming and could hide her from me where I may never find her. Ashgate is bigger than one man can conquer. It spreads long, wide, and deep into the caves where I cannot fly. I need you to attack the beach and create distraction while I search for her.”
“Ashgate has been a stain on our kingdom for way too long,” the prince said slowly.
“I’m giving you the chance to end it. Erase that gods-damned place from existence,” I gritted through my teeth.
The prince took Dawn’s hand.
“Well, come inside then, General Timur. We’ll have to get the warriors ready and work out the details of the attack.”
“We don’t have much time,” I reminded him, impatience vibrating inside me with the urge to fly up, not inside. “Every minute we delay, Elaine is suffering.”
Dawn inhaled a shaky breath, clutching her throat with one hand.
“We’ll make it quick,” Prince Rha assured us both. “As a general, you surely know that rushing into a battle unprepared can be a sure way of losing it.”
“A former general,” I corrected in my head, but didn’t say it out loud.
Despite the impatience and worry that raked me, a tendril of anticipation pulsed inside me, like a faint echo of my old life filled with danger and glory. I found myself looking forward to planning and executing another battle, the most important battle in my life.
I lifted from the swing’s seat and flew low, following the prince and his woman through the tall open window into a small room.
Lit by candles in a standing candelabrum, the room looked cozy and inviting. A gemstone puzzle lay on a table, assembled into a half-finished shape of chest armor. A few scrolls stood in a tall basket nearby, next to a stack of books.
As I flew over the two neat piles of floor cushions arranged around the table, a black cat jumped out of one pile. With its belly wider than its head, the cat waddled toward the open window.
“This is the fattest cat I’ve ever seen,” I muttered under my breath.
“Hey, no fat-shaming,” Dawn laughed. “Zala is going to have kittens soon. Quite a few kittens, judging by the size of her belly.”
Her laughter startled me for a moment. Other than Elaine, I’d never heard anyone laugh before.
At yet another reminder of her, my heart squeezed with longing so strong, it nearly choked me.
I cleared my throat, swallowed hard, and followed them out into a spacious room with a long table and enough floor cushions for all of us to sit around it.
I hovered in the air, unwilling to break the protocol again by sitting down first in the presence of the prince.
A few weeks ago, I would’ve done whatever the fuck I wanted. Royal opinion was the least of my concerns. In fact, I would’ve probably welcomed the opportunity to show all kinds of disrespect to the only son of Queen Abeille after her army had disposed of me as promptly as they had.
Things had changed, however. I needed Prince Rha’s help. But there was more to it than that. I was looking forward to coordinating an attack once again, to being useful. I didn’t have to fake my respect. It was genuine, and it came from hope and gratitude.
“Please take a seat, General,” Prince Rha solved my dilemma by inviting me to a cushion with a flick of his wrist.
Servants entered, then left with the orders to summon Prince Rha’s top general and a few other officials he wished to consult. Someone brought in an armload of maps rolled around into thin wooden rails.
The prince rolled out the map of Alveari Kingdom on the table when the general arrived. The prince greeted her, then introduced us to each other, though the introduction was unnecessary.
General Oskura was a well-known warrior. I’d met her back when she was a lieutenant. She reminded me of Valeni, a fierce leader, just like her, who commanded respect from her warriors and instilled fear in her enemies.
She frowned, taking in my eyes, claws, and the rest of my unflattering appearance. Subconsciously maybe, but her hand moved to the handle of her curved sword at her hip.
“General Timur has come with a proposition for us,” the prince explained. “Please join us, General Oskura. We have much to discuss, and we’re short on time.”
Oskura moved her shoulders, as if trying to shrug off the unease of my presence.
“General Timur?” She squinted, giving me a closer look, then tilted her head in recognition. “It’s good to see you again,” she said, taking her seat across from me at the table. “It’s good to see you alive.”
Within minutes, I had a plan and an army.
While we waited for the royal lieutenants to assemble Prince Rha’s warriors, the prince rolled up the maps with the location of Ashgate that I’d marked on them. General Oskura got up and walked around the table to my side, then stopped awkwardly next to me.
“How are you…um, doing, General?” she asked, clearly unused to expressing concern and unsure how to do it now.
“I’m well, thank you,” I said politely, and for once, it was actually true. The absence of pain felt almost like a bliss I could only sense through Elaine before.
“I heard of your dismissal, but not much since. Many claimed you had died.” She remained true to herself, somber and direct.
I lifted a corner of my mouth in a half-smile. “Well, I’m very much alive, as you can see.”
“That is a relief.” She nodded briefly.
She stood in front of me while I continued to sit on the cushions. Gesturing at my legs, I felt the need to explain.
“My apologies, General Oskura, but my condition prevents me from walking or even standing. Please don’t take it as an insult or a sign of disrespect.”
Her eyes widened. “Your apology isn’t necessary, but if you can’t walk, how will you participate in our attack?”
“I’ll fly.” I rose to my knees and unfurled my wings.
Oskura gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. The shock and wonder on her face gave her the unguarded expression of a woman much younger and far more impressionable than the seasoned, battle-hardened general that she normally was.
“How marvelous,” she exhaled, sliding her gaze along my entire wingspan.
Dawn stepped between us, her eyes pleading.
“I can’t come with you, General Timur, and not just because Rha wouldn’t let me. I don’t want to get in the way or slow you down. But I need to know…I need to.” She raised her eyes to mine, fearlessly meeting my red, glowing gaze. “Promise me you’ll bring my friend back.”
“If that’s the last thing I’ll do in my life,” I vowed, standing on my knees in front of her, which made us almost the same height.
I came to Ashgate cold, disillusioned, and bitter, determined to make enough gold to isolate myself from the world for the rest of my life.
I was ready to use and exploit it to get to my goal.
But I was not prepared for Elaine to enter my life, the woman with soft smiles, a passionate heart, and the fierce will to survive that rivaled my own.
“Elaine gave me a new purpose in life, “ I said to her yellow-haired friend. “A good, noble purpose that made me proud to be alive again. Her happiness is my life’s mission. She…” I paused, trying to find the words that would accurately describe my woman and what she meant to me. “Elaine is my light, my warmth, everything that’s good in this world. She is my…salvation.”
Dawn released a long breath, tears glistening on her light eyelashes.
“Thank you,” she exhaled, then threw herself against my chest and wrapped her slender arms around my neck unexpectedly.
Stunned by the gesture, I spread my arms wide at first, then gingerly wrapped my left arm around her, returning the hug. I kept my claws away from her, so as not to scare or repulse her.
Dawn was taller than Elaine. Her scent was different.
But the feel of a human woman against my body made the memories of Elaine rush into my mind.
Intense longing flooded me, and I released Dawn quickly, afraid I might crush her or worse—break into tears in front of her, the prince, and his general.
“I will bring Elaine back,” I promised Dawn. “Because I no longer know how to go on without her.”
All this time, since the moment I’d first seen her on the balcony with the prince, Dawn and Prince Rha had been attached to each other by his tendrils.
Yet I didn’t notice any trace of decline in Prince Rha’s mental abilities.
During the discussion of our plan of attack, his mind remained as sharp as ever.
Dawn gave the prince a goodbye kiss and stepped away from him, and he finally retrieved his tendrils.
Instead of leaving her leilathas, however, the tendrils split in the middle, then separated.
Half of their lengths retreated into the prince’s arms and back.
The other half…elegantly curved into the golden rosettes on Dawn’s leilatha harness.
Elaine’s friend was a human, just like Elaine. Yet she seemed to have her very own tendrils now, like the fae.