Page 50 of A Heart of Crimson Flames
I leaned into Grae until my jacket brushed his sleeve, a little silent acknowledgment. Verena didn’t know all he’d endured as Nero’s only child. No one did. Although with the Silver Wolf King’s recent behavior, I was certain people would believe him if he spoke truthfully about his childhood. What Nero had done to Grae’s mother... what he would do to so many more—
“We move out tomorrow, then,” Verena said wistfully, pulling me from my haunted thoughts. “We’ll get to the foothills of the Stormcrest Ranges and regroup there.” She moved her carved wolf paperweight to the map of Aotreas in front of her. “It will be too far from the capital to raise the alarm and give us some time to rest and gain our strength before the final push to Highwick.” She glanced up at me, her blue eyes narrowing. “Your friends will be able to make it in time?”
“They are already moving northward,” Mina signed, stepping up to my side. She had been staying in extra close contact with the Songkeepers during their stay at the temple of knowledge, but now that they were on the move again, their communications would become less frequent. “Three days from the full moon, they know to be ready.”
“I think we have them take the front gate,” I said, looking between Grae and Verena for their agreement. “Have their dragon torch the eastern wing, flush them out, and take down any marksmen on the rooftops, while we enter from the western side.” I looked at Mina. “Let’s just make sure that dragon doesn’t destroy the palace with us still inside, okay?” She nodded.
Verena let out a groan, grimacing at me. “Can such a beast really be so controlled? One lash of its tail and it might topple a tower upon us or cave in a wall.”
“So long as it stays to the east and us the west, we shall be safe,” I insisted. “The only Wolves being crushed by crumbling walls will be fleeing Silver Wolves.”
“All the better, then,” Grae added, supporting my claims.
Verena rubbed her thumb contemplatively across her bottom lip. “So much could go wrong,” she said. “If one piece of the puzzle doesn’t perfectly align, your entire plan may crumble.”
“That’s the nature of battle. It is a sound plan,” Grae cut in, seemingly growing an inch in anger.
I put a hand on his forearm. I could handle the criticism; we needed every plan to be fully scrutinized. “We have three alternate plans of attack should something go amiss,” I said confidently.“Our biggest concern is making sure all our soldiers know them forward and backward.” When the tension in Verena’s face didn’t ease, I added, “I get it: this isn’t the way Wolves battle. This is a siege. We corner them from all sides in the middle of the night, we block every exit, we split up the force of their army into smaller, controllable factions, and then we end them.
“I know this is different—it’s different for all of us. But it’s the way we win.”
She held my gaze for a long moment before nodding. “In only a handful of days, we’ll know if your plans were sound.”
“Thank you,” I said, softening my harsh tone, making sure all the rest of her pack heard me as well. “For fighting beside Olmdere.”
“It is I who should be thanking you, Queen Marriel,” Verena said, rising to stand. “You may very well be able to close off your borders, unaware of a world beyond your golden trees. Your court may survive the reign of Nero, but mine won’t.” She looked around to her advisers, adjusting her ill-fitting crown. “Together, we shall prevail.” She waved a hand to her head councilor.
“Ready the troops—we leave tomorrow when the moon rises.”
Sadie
WE’D SET UP CAMP A GOOD TEN-MINUTE WALK AWAY FROM THEwagon. Clearly Navin didn’t want anyone seeing or hearing me in a controlled state. And while I relished his protectiveness, I needed him to put his concerns to the side. We only had a few more weeks to practice this magic before we had to be ready, and yet Navin insisted we only practice in a tent far from the others.
Calling it a tent felt as much of a misnomer as calling Galen den’ Mora a wagon, for inside it was so much more. A lush carpet covered the tarping, soft upon my bare feet. A leather-bound chest served as a low table holding a copper tray of dripping candles. And in the center of the room sat a bed. The interlocking posts that created the frame were rudimentary but easy to disassemble. And the bedroll and blankets that covered it seemed just as plush and comfortable as in any home. It was a magical feat that such a cozy space could be created out of the single cart of supplies that we hauled through the forest.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked, eyeing Navin as he tied shut the flaps to our tent, double-checking each of the knots.
“Unless you want to abandon this ludicrous plan?” he asked again.
I gave him a flat look. “Controlling Wolves in battle seems a far safer plan than hunting monsters,” I said for what felt like the hundredth time. “You saw how well the encounter with the visturong went. We can’t let the balance of this war be tipped by a sneeze. We have Haestas and soon we will have control of Wolves and that will be all we need.”
Navin huffed, rubbing his eyes. “I don’t like this.”
“You’ve made that abundantly clear. So let Ora do it. Not everything has to fall on you.” I moved to push past him, and he grabbed my elbow, smoothing his thumb across my skin. I bit my lip as I looked down at where he touched me.
“When it comes to you, Sadie, I don’t trust anyone else,” he murmured. “Only me.”
I sighed, sliding my hand up his chest and up to cradle his face. “Only you.”
Navin released me and reached for his lastar propped against the bed frame. He perched on the bed and began tuning the instrument. I started undressing, not wanting to tear up my clothes just for the practice. I set my knives belt and weapons on the dresser, slowly unbuttoning my trousers.
“You have to resist me like our enemies would,” Navin said as he plucked the strings. “If it gets too much, shift and I’ll stop.”
I nodded, letting my clothes pool on the floor and shifting straight away. I knew if I stayed there naked for too long, we wouldn’t get any practice done.
Navin rolled his shoulders, his eyes narrowing at me as I stood across the cabin in my furs.
“Ready?”
