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“And why aren’t we going on the offensive?” Drazen challenged. “We could use the advantage of the Iron Realm – the impenetrable mountains – to enter the Night Realm and slaughter them during the winter when they won’t expect us to come.”
“If Desmond has taught them how to move through space, what’s to stop them from bypassing them altogether?” Zuriel added.
Fuck, he had a point.
My heart beat a staccato rhythm, breath catching in my chest at the idea of Kazimir popping into existence in front of me when I least expected it.
“I won’t let that happen to you,”Ruslan spoke mind-to-mind.
“But what if it does?”
Panic clawed up my throat as unbidden images of that possibility played out in my head.
Ruslan knew better than to placate me.“Then we will fight him off. You are powerful enough to destroy him with a single thought. Just because he caught you off guard last time doesn’t mean he will again. You’ve been training so hard, and I have no doubt that you will end his miserable existence the next time we meet him on the battlefield.”
Side arguments had broken out while we conversed mentally, and Ruslan growled a sharp command to silence the room. “The forces will remain in the Iron Realm until we know what the Night Fae’s next move will be. Going on the offensive could lead us right into a trap. It’s better to be ready to react than to make the wrong move.”
“But that’s what happened last time, and we were ambushed,” Drazen argued, looking to his commanders for support. They nodded their agreement.
I tuned out the volley of new arguments, not knowing enough about battle tactics or strategy to add much else. These males were all educated in the art of war, though only Zuriel, Xorrek, and Gozzak had real battle experience. Liliana remained intently focused, and I wondered where she had left Endre. Ruslan had tasked her with ensuring Endre remained within the lines Ruslan had carved with his acceptance into the Iron Realm. Catching her eye, I jerked my thumb over my shoulder, hoping she understood I wanted to talk when the council concluded. She nodded, then returned her attention to a heated argument between Drazen, Zuriel, and Ruslan.
“... and spies will hopefully give us more insight into their plans,” Drazen finished.
“Fine,” Ruslan agreed. “Rares, while you’re figuring out how to allow non-Mages to use spells to move, give some thought to how our spies can communicate more effectively, like we do with Katrina now.”
“Yes, My Emperor,” he responded immediately, admonished and ego bruised.
He probably didn’t like that Desmond figured out something instead of him.
After an update on our numbers and training, we were dismissed, some choosing to linger in smaller groups to discuss specifics, while others hurried from the room, on to their next task. I hooked my arm through Liliana’s and we entered the quieter halls of the citadel. I waved at Ruslan over my shoulder, letting him know we’d talk later.
“Where is Endre?” I asked my friend as we strolled toward the tower that held our apartments.
“In my room,” she grumbled, glancing over her shoulder to see if Drazen was following. He and Ruslan watched us disappear into the spiral stairwell, and our bond saddened with the distance. Once we were out of earshot of the Dragons, she whispered, “I haven’t gotten off since we’ve been back. I’m so horny I could die.”
I snorted a laugh, squeezing her arm in reassurance. “You won’t die from lack of sex. What’s stopping you?”
“Babysitting Endre. How am I supposed to sneak off with Drazen if I have to constantly keep an eye on him?”
“Don’t you want Endre?” I questioned.
“It’s complicated. As much as he said on the battlefield, my heart still hurts. I don’t want this to be some sort of trick, you know? We fuck, I say something I shouldn’t, he runs back to Kazimir.”
Using my empath magic, I felt the depth of her confusion, mistrust, and hurt. But mixed in with it was love and lust, and with the mix of emotions swirling inside her, I couldn’t blame her for keeping both males at arm’s length.
“Ruslan doesn’t trust him either.”
“I know. Which only makes me feel guilty about not trusting him too. I mean, I do to some extent. I just can’t let myself be vulnerable like that with him. Not now.” Her words faded from existence, leaving the stairwell silent except for the light pad of our feet against the stone.
I understood her sentiment. Not when war was out there and there was no certainty of who would be left standing at the end of it.
We reached the landing that held our apartments, and I guided her into the one Ruslan and I kept at the citadel. The sentries nodded to us as we slipped past, and a fire was already roaring in the hearth.
Snagging my favorite blanket from the pile beside the fire, I wrapped it around myself and settled on the closest couch, snuggling into its warmth. I leaned my temple against the back of it, waiting for Liliana to settle across from me.
“I know I said this last year, but we need to escape this dreadful cold and spend time on the beaches of the Day Realm,” Liliana laughed, tucking her feet up under her after kicking off her boots.
“If we win this war, next year we will,” I promised, grinning widely. I wanted to explore the far flung parts of the continent more than anything, but other priorities pressed in from all sides, nearly making me explode with anxiety.
