Page 114 of A War of Three Kings

Her narrowed gaze drifts over the warriors, and several shrink under it.

“We will be taking detours to put enough distance between us and the royal forces that they will not notice our presence. It will be hard going, and we only have two days to do it before we must meet Lord Cyprien and the newly recruited fae at the portals near Wenchwick Hold. Then we have a day to ride at breakneck speed to get to the battlefield at the exact right time. If any of you believe you are not up to the job, raise your hand now.”

There is a fierce determination in the eyes of all the men and women gathered before us, and not a single one of them wavers.

“We ride for the North!” I call out. “We will allow no king to pillage our lands!”

“For the North!” they chant in response.

We ride at a dead gallop through the rolling meadows that surround Windkeep Stronghold and skirt near the rocky base of the Stony Mountains, where we are forced to slow our pace. Theearly autumn sun still has enough bite to bake down on us and make the thick layers of armor suffocatingly hot. Heat radiates off all the slate around us.

There is nothing to break the fierce wind that flicks dust and small stones in our eyes, and the uneven ground covered in small boulders and sliding gravel threatens to make our mounts lose their footing at the speeds we are forced to travel. A low mist that rolls off the mountain and coats the ground makes for an especially difficult ride, and my heart is constantly leaping and thrusting.

Caitlin calls for us to make camp long after the sun has gone down, not allowing us fires to cook our food in case we are discovered. I am not unpracticed in spending long hours in the saddle, but even my muscles ache. Fiery pain stretches up the insides of my thighs, my rear is completely numb and my lower back aches.

I find Caitlin stretched out on her bedroll, staring up into the kaleidoscope of stars above.

“One thing I could never get used to in the fae realm was looking up at the night sky and seeing the stars were all wrong,” I murmur as I sit beside her.

“There is something comforting in being able to see our constellations. It means I will always be able to find my way home.” Caitlin’s eyes flick to mine. “Are you sure you want to leave our realm behind for Aldrin? I can understand some of our father’s fears. We cannot reach you there. We cannot go to war for you if you are in another world entirely.”

I place a hand on her shoulder. “I have never been more sure of anything in my life. My destiny was always to leave my home, like yours is to stay and protect Appleshield. But I love Aldrin, and I love his people and his court. This is my calling. And you will be able to open the portals, Caitlin. Bit by bit, we areremoving the blocks on our power. When we succeed, you will be able to do it as easily as any other fae.”

“I will miss you,” she chokes out. “I will miss seeing you every day and having each other’s backs, even for the small things.”

I place a hand on her shoulder. “I will visit.”

Caitlin sits up sharply, then groans, throwing a hand to her lower back.

I pull a tub of druid-enchanted healing salve out of my satchel and unscrew the lid. “Are you sure you are not pushing yourself too hard? The babe must be so heavy now.”

Caitlin turns and gives me a hard look. I throw my hands up in the air.

“Okay, okay, I won’t question what you are capable of, but please let me help you. I know your muscles must be aching as much as mine.”

We enter the privacy of her cramped tent, and I apply the salve to her lower back, massaging it in, then she does the same for me, dissolving my aches. I made sure every one of our cavalry was gifted the salve so we would be fresh by the time we clash with the enemy, despite our ride.

We rise with the sun the next day and are forced through a bog with thick, squelching mud and insistent flies. The water is only a few inches deep and not lethal with the wrong footstep like the Deadman’s Marshes, but it slows us down with each sluggish pull of the horses’ hooves through it.

I sigh a breath of relief when we reach the thin woods beyond. We fly through them at a gallop, the wind in my hair as it streams out behind me, darting between thick trees and leaping over fallen logs. I never feel quite as alive as when I am riding at an insane pace through the woods like a wild thing.

We burst through the other side as the sun is setting, casting the sky in long streaks of pink and orange. Beneath the dying rays, a ring of moonstone portals glow with a white vibrancy,throwing spots of light across the stony landscape in a rainbow of colors. Thick mists roll out of the portals, and through them, high fae march into our realm.

My stomach tumbles at the sight. Then I recognize the thin black braids of a tall fae man, tied in a thong running down to his shoulder blades, his scalp shaved on the sides. Cyprien has arrived.

Many of the amassed fae turn sharply toward us as we cascade out of the trees like an assaulting force. Ripples of magic burst around them. Their commander barks out a few words and they calm immediately.

I trot my horse right up to Cyprien. “You actually did it!” I laugh, watching fae warrior after fae warrior steam into my realm.

“I made a promise, did I not?” He glances up at me, then back to the portals.

I slide down from my mount just as two embodiments of flames in humanoid form duck to pass under the top arch of the portal. They must be at least eight feet tall. “And fire sprites! Gods, Cyprien, I could kiss you.”

He cringes. “I would prefer it if you did not.”

Caitlin joins us as kelpies stream out of another portal in their half-horse, half-fae form, with pale blue skin scattered with scales and pelts of navy or bottle-green hair. I recognize Kai in their number and wave like a fool at him across the space.

The tree nymphs enter next, and a murmur goes up from the column of human cavalry behind me. I scan their ranks. Most faces are lit up in awe, and some in fear, but there is no hatred. We only selected soldiers who were comfortable fighting alongside the fae. Those who were the most open to Aldrin and his high fae army and their training of humans.

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