Page 127 of Silver & Smoke
Torj bowed his head. ‘Same to you then. Now can I arm myself in peace?’
‘Be my guest, Bear Slayer. It’s the last moment of peace you’ll have in a while.’ The strategist left.
Torj had the sense that Kipp had wanted to say more, that he’d held himself back. If they survived the upcoming battle, Torj made a mental note to ask him, but for now...
He took the ring Darian had given him from his pocket, rolling the fine band of silver between his fingers. His mother’s ring. Not her wedding ring – gods, he would have tossed that in the depths of the sea the first chance he got. No, this was the ring she loved, the one that had been passed down through her family for generations.
Torj hadn’t been able to give it to Wren aboardTheFuries’ Will, for she’d still been wearing Darian’s ring. But now, in a moment of weakness, he allowed himself to imagine sliding the circle ofsilver over her finger in front of all their friends. He wished he could have given her what Thea had. A real wedding. A celebration.
Torj threaded the ring onto the chain with his strengthening potions. It was a dream that would never come to pass now, like so many others, and he told himself he had made his peace with that. He had been able to call herwife, if only for a little while.
With the ring against his heart, his fingers brushed over the web of scars there. It hadn’t been so long ago that he’d been convinced the old wounds were slowly killing him. And now here he was, dying from something else entirely. The irony wasn’t lost on him.
He reached with trembling hands for his armour. It was too soon to take the strengthening tonic. Far too soon. He would have to get his armour on without steady hands.
Torj worked methodically, tightening buckles with his teeth, bracing himself against the tent’s centre pole as he strapped on his greaves. He was already sweating, which didn’t bode well for leading Wren’s frontlines and obliterating the enemy.
‘Fuck’s sake,’ he muttered as he fumbled with his sword belt.
Suddenly, the weight lifted from his tingling hands, and he glanced up to find Wilder Hawthorne securing it around his waist.
‘The fuck are you doing?’ he snapped, trying to bat his friend’s hands away.
‘Not sure you’re in any state to pick a fight with me now, brother,’ Wilder replied, dodging his swipes and scooping up the breastplate from the end of the camp bed. ‘Besides, don’t you remember when we were shieldbearers? You’re the one who taught me how to fit armour.’
‘Well, I did a lousy job,’ Torj grunted. ‘Strap’s too loose there.’
Wilder laughed. ‘You won’t say that when you’re mid-swing of that giant hammer.’
‘I’ll let you know.’
‘You do that, old man.’ Wilder clapped him on his armoured shoulder. ‘I think you’re needed elsewhere now.’
With a wave of thanks, Torj was already striding for the exit and heading for the war tent.
There she is.His queen was at the head of the command table, a map of Dorinth spread out before her, her friends and council by her sides. Gone were her apron and dress; instead, Wren wore armour and her crown.
Elwren Embervale, his soul-bonded, hiseverything, was ready to fight.
He came to stand at her side, where he belonged. ‘What are your orders, my queen?’
CHAPTER 65
Wren
‘The measure of a queen lies not in avoiding errors, but in learning from them before they become elegies’
– Elwren Embervale’s notes and observations
‘FIRST, WE NEEDto focus on chokehold points,’ Wren heard herself say, her voice hard and unyielding. ‘We’re outnumbered, so we need to identify two or three entry points to this stronghold that can be defended by smaller numbers.’ She turned to Torj, Thea and Wilder. ‘You must have spotted these when Kipp, Cal and I lured the initial enemy force from the city. Where are they?’
Thea stepped forwards and used a series of pins to mark three positions on the map. ‘These spots here. It’s where the remaining partial walls and parapets create natural funnels we can exploit.’
Wren took a moment to consider. ‘I want a Warsword and Thezmarrian unit stationed at each one. What about long-range weaponry?’
‘I’ve got it covered,’ Cal interjected. There was no sign of the bandages that had been wrapped around his shoulder earlier. ‘The high ground gives us the advantage. I’ll have archers positionedon any remaining parapets so we can provide ample cover from above.’
‘Good,’ Kipp said at Wren’s side. ‘There’s limited time, but I’ve got our shieldbearers creating some simple traps for when the enemy infiltrates the stronghold. Which they will. Without Lucian or King Leiko’s manpower, we don’t have the numbers to defend it indefinitely.’
