Page 128 of War Hour

“Together, your numbers far exceed his. He cannot force you to do anything any longer.”

When I reach the end of my shield, I pivot to see the two lines watching me with renewed fire in their eyes. Fire burning not in their fight against each other, but against their common enemy.

Turning to look for Drytas and the guard, I can see their masses moving down the hill toward us like a black wave crashing onto the green field. The two groups follow my gaze, landing on the sight of their true enemy.

Turning away from them, I wince as my brain splits, as if being cleaved by an ax. Using such a level of my power had been too much.

Worth it.

At least they would not go down blindly fighting. I would fight alongside them, but only against the real enemy.

“Lysta.” A voice sounds from behind me, an Untrialed emerging from the crowd.

My stomach tightens, my eyes well with unshed tears at the sound of it. Turning around, my eyes land on his, and I can’t stifle the whimper that escapes me.

Thoman.

Chapter 51

Overwhelmed by dizziness and exhaustion, I stumble forward, but Thoman rushes forward to catch me.

He smells like sweat and blood, and more unmentionable odors curdling my stomach. I cling to him anyway, wrapping my arms around him firmly as if at any moment he will disappear.

“You’re alive. Trials, Lysta. I thought you were dead.” His voice is thick with emotion as he squeezes me until it feels like I will bruise.

Hot tears stream from my eyes into my ears as I crane my head to look at him.

“I—I tried to stop him—Drytas,” pulling away from Thoman, I examine him. “It’s a long story, for another time if we get out of this alive.”

“Don’t say that,” Thoman says forcefully, gesturing to the combined legion behind him. “Look at what you’ve already done. You saved us.”

But I didn’t. Maybe I would have if we’d gotten to Valor sooner, before Drytas could assemble his army. Maybe if I hadn’t put so much faith in Evander, Drytas never would have escaped.

Giving Thoman my toughest look, I add, “Drytas has already taken too much from me. I don’t think I could stand it if I lost you, too.”

Did he know about Doireann?

Thoman frowns. He looks away, not meeting my gaze, before cursing under his breath. “I thought you knew—that maybe you’d seen her when you were in the grand hall—”

“It’s okay, Thoman. I know about Doireann.”

“Not Doireann.” A broken expression crosses his face, but he shakes his head, grabbing my hands in his. “Before we moved on to Truth, we made camp a few miles away. It was all the Untrialed, the guards, and even the higher ups.”

Thoman hesitates, reaching for me, but I yank out of his grip.

“Get to the point, Thoman.”

“Cenna was there.”

My ears ring as I try to focus on Thoman’s words. It’d been so many years now since she’d left—left me. Looking around, I spin, searching the crowd. Praying that she is among one fighter who stands with me and not one of the dead bodies that cover the ground.

“Lysta, she’s not here. Lysta!” Yanking my face to look at his, he makes me listen. “Cenna isn’t an Untrialed anymore—”

That’s right. She Trialed. Willingly. If she’d passed, she wouldn’t be down here with the Untrialed. “A guard?” I ask, shaking my head in disbelief. “If she was a guard, I would have seen her, Thoman.”

Thoman takes a deep breath before delivering the final blow.

“Lysta, Cenna is one of Drytas’s generals. She’s part of his counsel.”

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