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“I wonder if Airalin’s been involved with the rebels this entire time, or since she found out you are with us,” Raúl asks as he taps his map with a quill.
“I wonder the same,” I say, folding my hands onto my lap. I have been bunching up the fabric of my dress, and it is starting to get wrinkles.
In fact, it is a thought that will not escape my mind. Airalin did swear revenge. Is she here to exact it now? I sigh, shoving my thoughts aside. No matter. I will never return to her, to that tower of hate and fear.
Raúl marks the map along the field. “If we had more time, we could have prepared better. We will need to rely on our strength and archers more now.”
He looks up at the room, pointing to the marks, explaining who he wants where. The vampires work together, figuring out where everyone will be as soon as the sky is dark enough. Raúl draws a tiny star, telling me that is where I will stay during the entire battle. I look at it and raise my eyebrows. It is right next to the castle wall, close enough to escape inside if needed.
A vampire runs in through the doors. “Rebels spotted at the edge of the forests,” he says to the crowd.
“Only hours left,” says Raúl. “Prepare yourselves.”
He stands up, and the vampires stream out of the room. I stay in my seat, my breathing heavy, as I compulsively twist the fabric of my dress. Raúl glances down at me, then kneels before me, taking my hands into his. “Penny,” he says. “You do not need to join us. This isn’t your fight.”
I clench my fists. “It is, though, Raúl. She’s there. She’s leading this. I can’t go back to that tower.”
Raúl gathers me in his arms and holds me. “You never have to.” His voice drops to a whisper. “Penny. I want you to know what you’re getting into. You’re going to have to watch friends die, unable to help.”
“I know. That part is not what I’m looking forward to, but I have the right to stand up for myself.” I gently push him away. “Go, you need to ready yourself.”
He kisses me before standing up. “For luck,” he says. “For the both of us.”
I touch my lips as he walks out the door, then gather the last of my courage and stand up. If I’m to go into battle, I must be prepared as well.
Heading to the armory, I marvel at the rows and rows of weapons, ranging from older staffs to newer battle axes. An entire section is devoted to armor fitted especially for women. I walk toward it and notice Helena is selecting armor of her own.
“Helena,” I say. “Do you need help?”
She grins at me and winks. “No. I’ve done this a thousand times. Do you need help, though? I can help you select armor.”
“I would like that.”
We spend the next bit of time selecting and putting on armor. The one she finds for me is one of the lightest types, but it still weighs me down. I lift my arms up and down, wondering how people mount horses with these.
Helena hands me a short sword. “Here,” she says. “This doesn’t require any training. Just swing it around at any vampires approaching you.”
I grasp the sword, feeling the weight of it, before backing up and swinging it to try it out. “I guess this is fine,” I say. In reality, I’d rather have no weapon. It is smart to bring one, though, just in case. While I’m testing it, I check my magic reserves. My storm is there, though tiny. Good. I’ll need magic for this.
She hands me a wooden stake tipped with silver, which I put in my pocket.
A bell rings and Helena looks up with a grimace. “It’s time.”
We head to the castle entrance, gathered there with other vampires, waiting for the sun to set.
Chapter Sixty-One
The trees are surrounded by silver dusting, and beneath them, I can see hundreds of red eyes staring our way. Dark shadows swirl around them, but they are too far for me to reach.
As soon as the sun disappears from the field, the vampires on both sides run out to meet each other. I step out, staying close to the castle. The vampire rebels are easy to distinguish. Their armor is ill-fitted and tarnished, their clothes ragged.
Grabbing a sliver of magic, I reach forward and grab as many vampire shadows as I can, pulling and pulling like I had in the garden. Screams fill the air as they tumble to the ground, cut short by the swords of Raúl’s vampires.
A strange part of me, deep inside, flows out, one that revels in bringing my enemies to their knees. These vampires had dared scare me in the tower as well as in the gardens.
My power wanes, and I stop using my magic, pausing to take a breath. I need to save some if Airalin comes for me. Raúl’s soldiers slice the vampire rebels on the ground to ribbons before my eyes.
I spot Helena in the distance and my mouth drops. Raúl wasn’t kidding when he called her vicious. In one fluid movement, she jumps on a vampire and wraps her arms around his neck, nails gouging out eyes and slicing skin.
