Page 82 of A Song of Air
His friend was silent a long moment, though Valerio felt his dark gaze heavy on the side of his face. “I see a camp.”
“Want to know whatIsee?” He paused. “I see soldiers. People that can make a difference in our war.”
A soft growl rumbled from the recesses of Uric’s chest. “They want nothing to do with us.”
“What if we convinced them?” He was sure his own doubts did not bleed into those words, even if the sinking feeling twisted somewhere deep inside him.
“We cannot.”
“What if wecan?”
There was no other choice, and Valerio refused to accept any other outcome. The fact was, they needed soldiers. Conquering Dana had been nothing more than luck, a small gift from Mana. But it was only the beginning. There was still so much more left to do. A single battle was all they’d won in years. They’d freed so many Fae from the confines of iron chains, yet they were not soldiers, fighters. They could be trained, yes, but the Fae lacked the numbers to wage war on the emperor. Something that was seeming more likely to occur.
The Emperor of Illyk would not stand idly by in silence as the Fae conquered his kingdoms. He would send soldiers by the horde.
And the Fae had to be prepared.
“Your task was to find the Elemental,” Uric reminded him. “We have found her. We should take her with us.”
He fought the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. Instead, he stepped closer to his friend, leaning forward. His hair slipped from the confines of their knot, kissing his cheeks. Uric inhaled sharply at Valerio’s proximity, his eyes widening, his throat bobbing as he swallowed.
Maybe it was due to the burning anger fierce in Valerio’s gaze. Maybe it was the threat of his magic, pulsing a terrible beat around them. Or maybe it was simply because he could taste Valerio’s breath on his lips.
It was a cruel thing to tease Uric with this nearness, knowing what lived within the Fae’s heart. But in his anger, Valerio did not care how cruel he had to be or to whom.
“I know very well what orders the king has given me,” he snarled, lip curling. “But I know my father. He wants us to find the Elementals quickly, because he’s relying on them, but he would reprimand me for not procuring soldiers for his cause.”
In any case, whatever he did was bound to be a sword with a double edge. If he merely took the Elemental and left, and the king discovered there was a whole camp of fighting Fae, he would rage against Valerio, punish him for his stupidity and not seizing an opportunity. If Valerio stayed and brought more Fae into their fold, the king would sneer down at him and lash out for not obeying orders.
There was no winning.
There was never any winning.
Sometimes Valerio felt things were much easier when he thought his father was dead. The guilt that swarmed his entire body as soon as he thought it was a consuming force. He should not think those treasonous things. Not when his father was the king of his people.
He’d not be bitter about how things turned out.
Instead, he would prove his own capability. He would prove he could do what his father thought him incapable of, even when he knew it would never be enough.
Uric’s jaw twitched as his teeth clamped tightly closed. He heaved a harsh breath through the nostrils and then took a steady step backwards, away from Valerio and his anger.
He ignored that guilt, too.
“But you are right.” Valerio straightened and smoothed his hands down his dark shirt. “The sooner we can convince them and leave, the better. I would not want the emperor’s soldiers finding us here.”
It seemed that no matter where they went, the soldiers discovered their whereabouts. At least, that had been the case before. Things were quiet, and the Seelie Prince did not trust they’d remain that way for long.
They needed to move. That much was for certain.
“I think it’s high time we spoke with Arlo Blackwood,” Valerio decided, staring at the largest tent in the center of the camp. The one that belonged to the half-Fae leader. He smiled then, feeling his magic whisper through the confines he kept it behind like a threat, a promise. “Let us hope, for his sake, he sees things our way.”
“Is my hospitality not up to your standards?”
The impetuous voice that greeted them as they walked through the flaps of the tent grated down Uric’s spine. An even greater irritation and offense was the absolute malice in those eyes paired with the curling, sarcastic smile as he stared upon the Seelie Prince.
Uric’s fingers itched to reach for his blade and cut out the halfling’s tongue for that disrespect. As it was, he was forced to control not only his temper, but his expressions as per his prince’s command. It took everything within him not to sneer at this peasant.
“Your hospitality is adequate,” Prince Valerio replied, his eyebrows raised and his smile in place.
