Page 154 of The Call of Crimson
An unsettling sense of familiarity washes over me when I glimpse our attackers. They’re much larger than the average soldier, though not that much larger than Ayden or me. Their armor is an exact match to the three males that attacked Breyla, Nameah, and me when we retrieved Julian’s body.
Crimson eyes glow through the darkness, making it easy to distinguish them from the Prudian army.
If history is any indication, this will be a slaughter.
My sword clashes with the nearest male. I block just in time to avoid a fatal blow, then launch my own attack, one he easily deflects. We trade blows back and forth, both fighting for theupper hand, until I finally remember I have more than just a sword.
I let my Gift flow, willing it to freeze his arm mid-strike. To my horror, it doesn’t work. It slows his movement, but doesn’t stop them entirely. Still, it’s enough. I plunge my blade through his throat, severing his head.
I move on to the next, then the next, and the next.
My limbs grow heavy, exhaustion dragging at me. Finally, the attackers retreat, disappearing before my eyes. Much like before.
I’m not sure what time I arrived, but by the time the battle ends, it’s mid-morning.
“Aurelius,” Darian calls. “Join me.”
I follow him into his tent, dropping the borrowed sword at his feet before collapsing into a chair.
“Did Ayden send you?” he asks, handing me a mug of water.
I take a healthy gulp, then another, swallowing so quickly I almost miss the burn. Choking on the liquid, definitely not water, I clear my throat and wipe the spill from my chin.
“What? No, he didn’t.” I peer at the mug before setting it aside. “Do you have actual water?”
He throws a water skin at me, letting it hit my chest. “Then what are you doing here?”
“Truth be told, I don’t know. The last I knew, I was falling asleep in my bed. At the castle.” I pause. “Where exactly are we?”
“Darest, the closest town to the coast. It’s the heaviest hit in Prudia and nearly a day and a half’s ride from the castle.” His brow furrows. “So I’ll ask you again: how the hell did you find your way into my camp in the middle of an attack?”
“I. Don’t. Know,” I reiterate for his gnat-sized brain. “But I do know those soldiers.”
“You’ve come across them before?”
I nod. “They were behind the murder of Breyla’s second, Julian. They sent her his head in a velvet-lined box. When wewent to retrieve his body, they attacked us. Ended up killing a female Breyla had grown attached to in the process. Until recently, we had believed them to be connected to Ayden, actually.”
Darian scoffs. “That’s not really the prince’s style.”
“Oh really? Setting traps, dramatic flare, and leaving cryptic notes doesn’t sound like Ayden to you?”
He shrugs, taking a pull of the clear liquor. “You have me there. Tell me about this note.”
“It didn’t say much, just included a line from that prophecy Ayden showed us.The Queen of Shadows and Crimson Prince will fall.”
“Anything else?”
“One of them said ‘The prince sends his regards’just before they disappeared.”
Darian grunts, but says nothing more.
“I’m impressed, General.” I gulp down another drink of water. “Having fought those soldiers before, I know it is no easy task. I expected a total loss, but your army seems to have held its own.”
“You insult me, Prince.”
“That was not my intent. It was meant as praise, but I’m clearly out of practice.”
“It’s fine.” He waves me off. “It hasn’t always been that way. I’ve lost many good soldiers to this conflict. My predecessor even more. It is why Ayden fights and schemes so hard to protect what we have.” A hint of sadness slips through his tone. Perhaps even a bit of shame.
