Page 69 of Oath of War
She still didn’t want me around her, and the small gesture hurt more than a knife to the chest.
‘Thank you so much for accepting my invitation,’ Reynard started. ‘For the first time since the Necromancer’s War, all heads of the Lowland Kingdom coalition have gathered in one place. I am especially grateful to Empress Talena and her mage, Valaram. Your proficiency with portal spells is unmatched.’ For the first time since I’d met her, I saw a genuine smile on Talena’s face.
‘So, you have us all,’ the dwarven king said. ‘What now?’
Reynard grimaced. ‘Now we go to war.’ A few people began talking about fortifying the border, but he silenced them with a raise of his hand. ‘I’m afraid that will get us nowhere. The Lich King will only kill and raise the bodies of the fallen. Recently, mycommander undertook a dangerous reconnaissance mission to discover what’s happening on the border.’
He looked around the room to ensure he had everyone’s attention. ‘He found Roan Fortress annihilated. Apart from a single wounded dragon and his rider trapped in a warded alcove, everyone who lived there—humans and dragons alike—was slaughtered.’ The silence in the room was deafening. ‘Now ask yourself, if that can happen to a fortress full of dragons, what chances do we have?’
A buzzing hive of raised voices assaulted my ears. Discussions and arguments flew above my head, but all I could do was stare at Ani as she sat in her chair, her face drawn and worried.
‘What killed them? What kind of monster is strong enough to kill so many dragons?’ shouted Mlot, hammering his fist on the table to make himself heard over the bickering. ‘Silence! Or I will split your japing heads. What killed the dragons, King Reynard?’
He was looking at the king, but I answered. ‘Spectrae. Some perished from fighting other monsters, but most were drained of their life force by the soul-sucking wraiths.’
‘We no longer have mages who can fight those phantoms. What do you expect us to do? No one can fight the spectrae,’ cried a man at the end of the table, and I recognised Duke Tarvati, the fool who kept opposing Reynard during the rebellion and who now realised how defenceless his lands were.
‘I can,’ Annika said quietly, before raising her head. The room grew dark as the aether flowed out of Ani in a wave, silencing everyone while the empress and prince turned towards Annika with interest. My Nivale stood slowly, looking at the gathered group.
‘I can fight the spectrae. But this meeting isn’t about me or them. I will ride my dragon to clear the skies for you, but what willyoudo?’
‘A challenge! What answer can we give our conduit mage?’ Reynard leapt from his chair, his gaze sliding from one leader to another, but they only lowered their heads. ‘I know what my response is. The entire army of Dagome, more than twenty thousand men and horses, is already marching towards the border.’
‘Even if you’ve managed to conjure an army out of thin air, what makes you think you can succeed where others have failed?’ Talena asked. ‘You want my army, but who will lead the allied forces? You?’
Instead of responding in kind, Reynard only bowed his head slightly. ‘I am happy for you or your brother to lead as Supreme Commander if you can kill the Lich King.’
She was unconvinced. ‘If it’s even possible to kill him.’
‘Well, now’s the time to find out,’ he replied. ‘Cahyon has found a way to exist without the magic of Katrass sustaining him. How long will we last when he brings the war to our doorsteps?’
‘How do you know this?’ the empress asked suspiciously.
‘Alaric,’ I said. ‘He eviscerated Ihrain to get the information, and as we speak, he is heading to Katrass to prevent it from happening.’
‘Is he planning to kill his father?’ Talena asked sharply, interest flashing in her eyes.
‘Yes,’ I answered. We hadn’t planned it, but something in her eyes convinced me the white lie might tip the scales in our favour.
Talena turned to the people observing our exchange with mixed expressions. ‘Dark Mother chose her champion and maybe saved that wrenched fae for a reason,’ she announced. ‘I will honour her will. Care’etavos Empire will march with Dagome, and you, King Reynard, will lead us. As for the rest ofyou, I advise you to join. Those who stay behind will forever be alone in their time of need.’
After a moment, Reynard asked, ‘Will everyone agree to renew the coalition?’
I watched as each leader nodded their head in agreement. The new king of Dagome had gotten his army. While I didn’t feel the happiness the agreement should have brought, the weight on my shoulders eased slightly.
‘Then it is settled,’ Reynard said. ‘Get your men ready. We march tomorrow. We may be too late to save Zalesie, but I won’t let any other town share its fate.’
My head snapped to look at Annika and my blood ran cold at her suddenly pale face.
‘Fuck,’ I cursed, rushing towards her just as a massive wave of aether pushed me back. ‘Annika, no. Look at me, Nivale.’ I trudged towards her, but her gaze was locked on Reynard.
‘Zalesie? What happened to Zalesie?’
Something in my brother’s face must have given away the fate of her hometown because her power burst outwards, bending all to the table except the fae and mages quick enough to set up shields. Glass and debris rained down as Annika bolted.
I ran after her, hoping my Anchor would help contain her raging power. Ani was fast, and I didn’t realise where we were headed until she suddenly burst into the open space of the gardens. She sank to her knees, raising her tear-streaked face to the sky, and wailed.
‘Vahin!’
