Chapter 76
KALLIE
Rian plopped down in front of the fire, his head falling into his hands. "We lost so many—too many."
"Which is why we need to wait," Kallie said, sitting across from him. Graeson shifted beside her, his leg pressing against hers. "Reinforcements are coming."
Rian lifted his face from his palms, and a forest on fire blazed within his green eyes.
"So you keep saying, but my people are dying as we speak," he said, vitriol spilling into each word.
"Do you know how many we had to abandon? How many we could not carry back with us because we had no more open arms? How many we had to leave because it was already too late for them? Not just soldiers, Kalisandre, but women and children and elderly who were too close to the brink of death. Those who you see in this forest? They’re the lucky ones. They got out."
"You cannot save them all, Rian," Kallie said, her hands falling limp at her sides.
Graeson placed his palm on her lower back for support, as if he could see the weight of Rian’s words pressing down on her.
When Kallie, Graeson, and Moris had arrived, they had been too late to provide support during the battle.
If they had left sooner, if they hadn’t waited until nightfall to hide Graeson’s form, would they have been able to make a difference?
Would they have been able to save those who died tonight? Maybe some, but not all.
Still, the questions haunted her.
Once Rian had ensured the injured were seen by the healers, he had immediately wanted to return to the fight, despite everyone’s protests.
Kallie understood his desire to go back. But she, like the rest of them, knew returning would only be a fool’s errand. Rian was exhausted—they all were. If he went back now, he would be sealing his fate away, letting Death claim him, letting Sebastian win.
They had to wait for reinforcements. There was no other choice if they wanted to win.
Kallie rolled her hands into fists to keep them from trembling. "Terin and Ellie will arrive with the troops. And when they do, we will take back the capital. We’ll take back your kingdom. But until then, you need to rest."
Rian scoffed in disbelief. "You mean sit here and listen to the cries of the dying? Sit here and watch my kingdom, my home, burn to ash?"
"Like ours?" Graeson retorted under his breath.
Luckily, Rian didn’t hear him, his attention and anger fixed on Kallie.
"If that is what it takes to see tomorrow," she said, "to survive until we have the numbers, yes. That is precisely what you must do. You cannot rule a kingdom from the grave, Rian."
Rian stood, the movement sluggish as if it took all his energy to get up. He gave his back to them and looked at the fire, the flames casting eerie shadows across his features. "You say that as if there will be a kingdom to rule after tonight."
Rian turned on his heel and headed toward the provisional infirmary on the other side of the camp. Kallie leaned forward, about to go after him to talk some sense into him, but Graeson tugged on her hand.
"Let him go," he said.
"But—"
He shook his head. "You will not get through to him." He arched a brow. "Unless you wish to persuade him through other means. Is that your intention?"
Kallie gaped. "No, of course not!"
She would not use her power on her friends and allies—unless it meant saving their lives. Although Rian was clearly heated, she did not believe he would sneak into the city tonight. He could barely make it to where his friend Bax lay on the ground, nursing his wound.
"Then let him grieve," Graeson said.
Kallie hesitated. She had witnessed the cold interactions between Graeson and Rian.
During the entire conversation, Graeson was no more than a foot away from her.
At first, she had thought nothing of it since they had been fairly inseparable since the bond snapped into place.
But then she had heard him practically snarl when Rian had dismissed her suggestions.
Graeson’s protective nature aside, this was the first considerate statement he had made about Rian.
Kallie sank back to the ground with a sigh.
As the fire crackled, she rubbed a knot from her neck.
Her entire body was sore from the ride. As she observed the figures sleeping in the shadows of the woods, she realized just how tired she was.
Moris was already raked out beside one of the two tents they had borrowed from Menz.
He had volunteered to sleep outside to let a couple of the healers use it.
"Must you always be the voice of reason?" Kallie asked, nudging him in the side.
Graeson chuckled slightly, the sound a strange contrast against the soft groans of the wounded. "I told you I’m right quite often."
She folded her arms across her chest. "So tell me, Mr. Always-Right, where do you think they’re going?"
Graeson turned, spotting Myra and Laurince dipping into the woods, hand-in-hand. When he faced her, a sinful smile graced his lips. "It’s obvious, is it not?"
Kallie hummed in agreement. "I wonder when that happened."
Graeson shrugged. "I think with what they’ve been through the past few months together, getting close is nearly inevitable."
Although it was hard not to consider the impact of the bond, the past few months strengthened her relationship with Graeson in ways she hadn’t thought possible.
When she thought her fire was gone, Graeson had reignited it.
He had given her the time she needed to process her grief and had helped drag her out of it. Even when she had pushed him away.
Kallie was glad Myra found someone who seemed to do the same for her.
She didn’t know the details about Myra and Laurince’s relationship, but she saw the way Myra looked at him, and he, at her.
The two had been inseparable since Laurince had returned.
Myra fell easily for people, but this time seemed different.
"Would you have preferred if it was your former fiancé?" Graeson meant it as a joke, but there was still some bite in the last word.
Kallie rolled her eyes. "She can have them both. It is of no concern of mine who it is. All that matters is that she is safe and happy."
Graeson stood and held out a hand. "We should get some rest while we can."
Nodding, Kallie let him help her up. Then Graeson kicked dirt over the fire, extinguishing the flames. She wove her fingers between his and followed him to their tent.
As Graeson lifted the flap, Kallie paused. She tilted her toward the stars. She wasn’t sure if the gods were listening or if they were even on their side, but she sent a prayer to them either way.