Page 78 of The War of Wings
“So, as I said last night, it is ultimately up to you whether you lend your forces to the cause. You can fortify your city walls, line them with watchmen and archers, and fill your harbors with warships. But this is now a war of wings, and death may come from the skies.”
Nelsen swallowed hard, his only answer a weak nod. Silence fell over the hall as the words settled. Throats bobbed. Fingers rung together. Blood drained from faces.
“I cannot guarantee victory against Malosym,” I started again, my voice measured. “I cannot guarantee safety or survival. But I can tell you I’d much rather hit him with all the power we can than sit in a castle praying to the Saints that death will come swiftly. Your prayers mean nothing. The Saints are listening, but they can’t do shit. Not against Malosym.” I took a steadying breath. “I understand your fear. Believe me when I say I know it well. But letting fear take over is a luxury we simply do not have anymore. So,” I repeated, “what is everyone able to offer?”
A barrage of shouts sounded from around the crowd. Cal’s hand squeezed mine under the table as I fought a smile.Finally, I had people willing to fight. I had a room full of leaders willing to stand behind me. They grew louder, and I could only catch snippets of their shouts.
“I have forty trebuchets!”
“I have fifty, and they’re of a far higher quality than any other kingdom!”
“I have a fleet of warships!”
“I have two separate fleets, and each ship is outfitted with ten cannons!”
“I have a specially trained brigade of assassins!”
“Mine have even more training!”
Miles’ chair pushed back from the table suddenly and he rose to his feet. “This is not a fucking dick measuring contest!” he bellowed, and the crowd quieted. He righted his leathers and took his seat once again. Gone was the starry-eyed Miles of last night. Lieutenant Langrave was back.
I nodded my thanks to him before looking back to the hall of leaders. “Lieutenant Landgrave is right. This is not a matter of mechoosingthe best supplier. If you have trebuchets, we need them. If you have cannons, we need them. If you have warships,we need them. Soldiers, civilians, anyone able-bodied. We need them. We need everything.”
It took over an hour for each leader to stand and list the assets they could provide. Tyrak hastily scribbled line after line, keeping track of who had what and how long it would take them to get supplies and soldiers here. I conferred with Nesan’s military leaders about the logistics of hosting such a large mass of people.
The inkpot ran low, the hall slowly emptied, and I had a fucking army.
I stared down at the small stack of parchment filled with line after line of script. Maybe I wouldn’t have Katia and Rhedros. But I had soldiers, ships, and steel.
“What a fucking miracle you are,” Cal murmured in my ear as the last leader filed out the doorway. “You’ve done it.”
But the feeling of victory was short-lived, squashed when two guards burst through the doorway, followed by…
“Nell?” I asked, shooting to my feet. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Her chest heaved, tears brimming on her lashes as she stared at me. “He attacked Taitha.”
Chapter 31
Petra
“How did you get here?”
Nell’s cheeks were red, her hair falling from her braid, as I ushered her to a seat in the meeting hall. Cal and Tyrak gathered close, their brows furrowed. “Sending word by ship was going to take too long,” she said between gasping breaths. “I did what I had to do.”
I looked her over, taking in the leathers that had been made for her before she’d decided to stay in Taitha with Whit. “Did you fly here?Alone?”
She pursed her lips, repeating herself. “I did what I had to do.”
“Fucking Saints, Nell,” I breathed, anxiety gripping my chest. “What happened?”
She swallowed hard, her eyes full of a fear I hadn’t seen in her before. “I… I’m not sure how to say this, so I’m just going to say it. The theory that the Occulti can take on any shape or form? Yeah, that’s true.”
The blood drained from my face. We already knew this, but Nell hadn’t been aware of what happened on our trip from Astran. “What are you saying?”
“There had to be a dozen drivas at one point. I don’t know how. It was clear they were nowhere near as strong as Katia’s, and we were able to take them down.” Oh, thank the fucking Saints. “But it wasn’t just drivas, Petra. The crack appeared right in the middle of the city and they came crawling out. And…” Her mouth opened and closed, her eyes on me but her mind back in Taitha. She took a deep breath, but it was shaky. “There were other things, othermonsters, in Taitha. I’ve never seen anything…” She trailed off, biting back a sob. “The kind of monsters you hear stories about as a child.”
I choked back the acid burning my throat. “Deaths?”
