Page 89 of Oath of War
‘Too much power—and no, it wasn’t my fault this time,’ I said, looking around in disbelief. ‘I guess I’ll have to wage war in a towel.’
‘As if,’ she said, passing me a vial. ‘Your colleagues sent a battle mage uniform, but you only get it after you drink that.’ I sniffed it suspiciously.
‘I sedate youonetime, and now you’re going to sniff everything I give you?’ she huffed, passing me a kirtle.
I chuckled, gulping the contents of the small bottle. ‘But youdidsedate me, so more fool me if I let you do it again, yes?’ I said, waiting for the effects to hit me.
Katja smirked, unpacking the rest of the dress, and I felt warmth spread through my body, chasing away the weakness.
‘This is good,’ I said, noticing a faint blush tinting my friend’s cheeks. ‘Better than anything we used in university.’ Katja was proud of her skills, and everybody who knew her said she was one mean herbalist.
‘Good. Now, let’s get you dressed. The riders are waiting to see their conduit.’
I was fastening the last button when a commotion outside caught my attention right before one of Orm’s riders rushed inside.
‘My lady, orders from the lord commander. The Lich King has made a move, and he said ... he said ...’ the man stuttered under my inspective stare. ‘He said, “tell my lady to stay sitting on her arse; I will handle this.”’
The rider bowed, bristling as I glared at him. Before I could answer, the tent flap opened, and Bryna, dressed in full black armour, walked inside.
‘Famous last words. What else did our illustrious commander say? “Hold my mead” maybe?’ she said, and I gestured to the rider to go away before my friend made any more snippy comments.
‘What’s going on?’ I asked when he disappeared.
Bryna shrugged. ‘The ground shifted, and all three rulers are blowing their trumpets, gathering their men. Something is crawling up from the devil’s bottom, and I’m sure we will soon see what,’ she said before raising an eyebrow. ‘I wasn’t sure what I would find here, so I came to stand by you. I’ve brought your little army.’
She opened the tent entrance, revealing a group of women. Some of the faces were familiar, acquaintances from Zalesie, while others were new, but all had the same stern expression on their faces.
‘Lady Annika, what can we do?’ asked one of the oldest.
I stood up, straightening my shoulders as I walked out of the tent.
‘I don’t know yet but let me find out. Did the commander send you here?’ I asked, suspecting Orm of trying to assign them to the rear, away from the fighting.
‘No, they came here for you,’ Katja answered, the rest of the women nodding their agreement. ‘Your dragon is in the air, and someone has to ensure you don’t do anything reckless ... my lady.’ She bowed, and I wanted to smack her upside the head for it.
‘All right, let me ask—’
The sounds of battle erupted in the distance, and dragon fire set the sky ablaze. ‘Fuck, he started without me,’ I muttered, grinding my teeth.
When I’d discussed our strategy with Orm, we both agreed I should sit on Vahin’s back, taking on the spectrae. I wasn’t sure how I could manage it now, on the ground with my invisible leech still attached to the source of my power.
Suddenly, a familiar pain shot through my chest.
‘Vahin, are you fighting the spectrae?’ I asked when the ghastly echo of another spear made me wince.
‘Yes, they are swarming, and we both know you can’t help right now.’
‘I bloody well can,’ I said.‘Why didn’t Orm bother to ask? Land and let me help.’
‘No, Little Flame, don’t forget that I can sense how you feel. You’re weak, and your magic is unstable. I can’t fight if I’m worrying about you; neither can Orm.’
Vahin’s thoughts were laced with pain, and I knew better than to argue with my dragon at a time like this. ‘At least tell me what’s happening on the ground?’
‘Reynard is leading the army. Dark fae mages, as well as your human kin, are preparing to open the passage through the mountains. Orm says that Talena’s mages can sense a significant source of death magic there, as well as traces of the magic used to create a portal. It could be the Lich King. If we can get there and kill whoever’s leading the monsters, we might have a chance.’
A roar shattered the sky, and the next time he spoke, he sounded utterly exhausted.
‘There are so many of them, Little Flame, so much more than we expected. We are outnumbered on the ground and in the air ... Take the females and find a place to hide. I’ll find you,but if I fall, don’t mourn me. My time with you was worth a thousand lives.’
