Chapter 54 #2
His lips purse a little before he speaks. ‘Just thinking numbers,’ he replies. ‘I’m certain fifty thousand is a vast overestimate, but if my father has taken new knights from the barracks, as the guard said, the numbers could still be in the thousands.’
‘Fifty thousand or five thousand, it doesn’t really matter how many there are. It’s still a hell of a lot more than we’ve got here,’ I point out.
‘Yeah, but we’ve got me.’ Kyor’s reply causes something to corkscrew deep within me.
The knight called his bluff earlier, knowing he wouldn’t hurt her.
‘I wasn’t thinking about fighting them,’ Kyor explains.
‘I was thinking I’m their fucking crown prince.
Those three might have been corrupted by Mila, but I can’t believe they all have.
I only have to get half of them to turn, the way Uzra and his men have, and the rest of them will back down.
Having Uzra there will help too, I’m sure of it. He’s a living legend.’
It’s a good idea, but it’s a gamble. ‘And what happens if they don’t back down? Then what do we do?’
‘Your Majesty,’ Ylva says from the door. ‘Sorry to interrupt. It is Aulia of the Torailians. She wants to speak to you. To you and the princess.’
I groan. ‘That’s the last fucking thing I want,’ I snap, only to blush slightly. I’ve sworn in front of my grandfather before, but something about it feels wrong now. ‘Sorry.’ I grimace as I look at him.
‘Apology accepted,’ he replies. ‘But we should see what she has to say. The Torailians are formidable fighters. It would be foolish not to have them on our side.’
He’s absolutely right, as much as I hate to admit it. The Torailians could be an asset now.
Magnus nods to Ylva, who steps aside, allowing Aulia to enter.
‘We have heard that there are Morathkians at your border,’ she says without preamble. ‘Morathkians who are not loyal to the ways of Isthyr.’
‘There may be a slight issue at the pyrrhic,’ Magnus replies evasively.
‘We have heard they want a dagger. One the Child carries.’
Great. With their psychic powers, it’s not just Loch I can’t keep secrets from.
‘Possibly,’ Magnus answers, though Aulia’s clearly not buying his equivocation.
‘Can we not call me a child?’ I complain.
Aulia’s eyes gleam. ‘We will fight with you, Skakka. We will lay down our lives for you. Whatever you need. The Last Prophecy has long spoken—’
‘I told you, I would get to the prophecy,’ I say. ‘Right now, I have to deal with what is happening in the present.’
‘Every instant in the present leads us to the Great War,’ Aulia replies quietly. ‘It is already upon us, Skakka. Whether you accept that or not makes no difference to the battles ahead.’
The hair on the back of my neck rises, but I try my best to ignore it.
‘You have seen us fight,’ she continues. ‘You know we can be of aid to you. Especially when the invaders do not know of our presence here.’
There’s no denying she’s right. The Morathkians know Kyor is on this side and are likely to prepare accordingly. But the Torailians … there’s no way they could anticipate that.
‘I don’t want a fight,’ I whisper. ‘I don’t want any lives to be lost because of me.’
‘There will be a loss of life, Rose,’ Magnus replies. ‘But it will not be because of you. It will be because of their actions. If they choose to invade, they must face the consequences.’
He tries to meet my gaze, but I’m not thinking about Morathkian deaths. I’m thinking of the loss of Issen lives. My people. Fuck, they’re all my people. How the hell am I supposed to cope with this?
‘I need to rest,’ I say. ‘I need to sleep.’
‘You will not go to the illusion to give them the dagger?’ Magnus asks, hope filling his voice.
‘They can’t have the dagger, but I also can’t do nothing. I need to get my head straight. Work out what’s best.’
He nods sadly but doesn’t try to stop me when I turn to leave.
‘However you fight, we will be there for you, Skakka.’
I hate the title – it sounds less like a name and more like someone trying to cough up a lung – but still I nod. I have no wish to alienate her now. I’m barely ten feet down the corridor when Kyor catches my arm.
‘Thorn, I know what you’re thinking. Please, if you’re going to do this, at least do it with me by your side.’
I lift my hands, cupping his cheek, and run my thumb across his stubble. He’s gone days without shaving, and I like the roughness on the pad of my thumb.
‘You can’t come with me, Kyor.’
‘I have to.’
‘They will fight, my love. They will fight, and you will be forced to choose.’ My voice breaks around the words. ‘Forced to choose between defending me and killing your own men. I can’t ask you to do that.’
‘You’re not asking me to do that,’ he says stubbornly. ‘I’m choosing. Besides, if I’m there with Uzra and the other old knights, then maybe they will back down. Maybe they will answer to their prince.’
I don’t respond. How can I without it looking like I don’t believe him?
‘Rose. I will not let you face an army alone,’ he repeats.
‘I can’t stop you from coming,’ I say. ‘But you can’t stop me either.’
‘So what’s the plan?’ I turn around to find Benny and the others gathered behind him. ‘Can we get a meal before we go? I can’t fight on an empty stomach.’ Benny pats his flat stomach, but the joke doesn’t land as he truly looks like he does need a meal before he’d even consider swinging a sword.
‘You’re not great at fighting, full stop,’ Kyor snarks back. ‘You stay here.’
‘Nice try.’ Benny grins, but as he looks at me, the grin fades.
‘Kyor’s right, Benny,’ I respond. ‘Not about the fighting thing, obviously, but I need you here. You need to watch the pyrrhic. If the Morathkians breach the ravine, you have to get the Issen out of here, you understand? Protect them with your life. I know they’re not your people but—’
‘They’re yours,’ Caz finishes for me. ‘Your people and your blood. And that makes them our family. And we protect family.’
Tears blur my eyes, and as we stand there together, I’m struck by the urge to sweep out my arms and pull them all into me. Every one of them. But if we do that, it’ll feel like we’re saying goodbye. Like this is the end.
And I can’t do that right now. Instead, with one last glance at Kyor, I dip my chin.
‘Okay,’ I say. ‘It’s time to end this. One way or another.’