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“I’ve been at this all day,” I growl to him. “Time to accept they won’t start.”
Jack sprawls out across from me, legs crossed, hands behind his head. He could make a prison cell look comfortable. “What about all that stuff you were going on about this morning? How Florendel’s the last freehold. We’ve got the most soldiers and weapons and on and on and on.”
My nostrils flare. I have never gone on and on and on in my entire life. But it’s true. Spring not only has its own military, but our civilians have learned the way of steel since birth. Many of them have volunteered to fight. We’re also housing all the members of the Queen’s Army who deserted to the Green Rule before returning to our side. Not to mention the stores of weapons we have here that could be invaluable to our allies in the other realms.
But if I can’t get these airships operational, that means we’ll have to leave tonight on foot, taking the mountain pass. Our soldiers will be far more exhausted from the march, and we won’t be able to transport as many weapons.
But we’ll make it, even if we have to crawl.
There’s the clatter of armor from outside the ship, then the urgent call of my name: “Ezryn!”
Jack and I exchange a look, then we both move, rushing out of the engine room and to the deck.
Tilla’s bronze armor glints in the torchlight down below. “A scout’s returned. You’re needed in the Hall of Vernalion. Immediately.”
Within minutes, Jack and I are off the ship and on Tilla’s heels as we dash into the main hall of Keep Hammergarden.
The hall is lined with armored guards. In the middle stands the scout. Mozi, once a deserter of the Queen’s Army, helped me find my path in the Ribs when I traveled with Delphia and Eleanor. Now the young scout is filthy, covered in soot, with pebbles in his hair. His cheeks are flushed, breathing rapid.
“Mozi! What have you to report?” I call.
My stomach drops when I see the agony in his eyes. “It’s the mountain pass, Your Highness. There’s been a rockslide. From Spring to the Briar, it’s impassable.”
I want to take a step back. Ball my hands into fists. But I stay perfectly still. “That can’t be.”
“Sira’s goblin miners…they weren’t careful. There was an explosion in one of the caves that set off a chain reaction.” Mozi’s voice cracks. “There’s no way through the mountains.”
Everyone’s staring at me. Mozi. The guards. Tilla. Even Jack, with that damned unsettling smirk. All waiting for me to give orders.
We told Kel we’d meet him in four days. Marching through Summer would take us into the Suadela Sands. Too long. We wouldn’t make it in time. There are other mountain passes that lead closer to Winter, but that would add days to the journey…
Rosalina is counting on me. The other realms are counting on Spring. If we’re not there…
A whoosh of air rips through the hall as the double doors push inward. All eyes turn to the figure standing at the entranceway. A giant shadow given form drifts toward me. The guards immediately draw their weapons. Mozi staggers closer to me. Jack leans forward inquisitively.
The shadow’s figure becomes more visible: a massive man, head covered by a hood, with a dark cape snapping behind him. He carries an enormous sack over his shoulder. The material within clinks as he walks. His heavy boots echo off the floor as if they belong here.
And they do.
The shadow reaches the middle of the hall, then drops his hood, revealing two curled, sharp horns, red eyes, and the face of my brother.
The guards whisper his name. “Kairyn. Kairyn has returned.”
“Lower your weapons,” I order.
They obey, but tension roils through the room. Jack crosses his arms and looks Kairyn up and down gratuitously. “My, my. This new world certainly produces a strange assortment of creatures.”
I don’t draw my weapon, but I hold my hand at the ready to materialize the Hammer of Hope. Last we knew, Kairyn’s will had been stripped away and made Sira’s. And previously, he’d told me he would never return to Keep Hammergarden for the shame of it. So what brings him here unless he is an assassin sent by Sira?
Kairyn sighs and looks from one side of guards to the other. “What?” he says dryly. “Were you expecting someone taller?”
My fingers flex, but I don’t call upon the token yet.
Kairyn’s red gaze turns to me. “Good. You’re actually here. I was counting on Tilla to keep my head attached to my shoulders, but you’re preferable.”
I stretch my fingers again…then drop my hand. Beneath my helm, a smile breaks across my face. “Kairyn. You’re you.”
He shrugs. “As me as I can be. The leader of the underfae negotiated for my release.” Only the slight downturn in the corner of his mouth reveals any discomfort. “He wanted me to stay with them. To be one of them.” A heavy clink echoes through the chamber as Kairyn drops his sack. “But I stole from them instead.”
