WE HIT KERAK'S SADDLE HARD, and both of us yelped. Bruised hips all round, I thought, wincing. Thick smoke swirled around us, and the stench of burnt flesh made me gag. Rumal had a firm grip on the leather strap that held Kassie and I together, keeping us from going anywhere for the moment. Kerak dropped to the spot that Loi had shielded, the only un-burnt ground for miles.'Hurry, Cat!' Alek yelled from Loushka's back as I struggled with the knot on the strap. 'Loi needs me!''Coming, coming,' I muttered and then with Rumal's help, got the right end, and with a firm yank I tumbled off Kerak. 'OUCH.'Ugh, I always forgot how tall they were. Why not add some more bruises to the mix, my rational voice thought snidely. I scrambled to my feet and ran for Loushka, using my energy to aid the spring to her saddle. As soon as my ass hit the leather seat, we were off. I ended up flattened against the saddle.'Alright, Cat?' Loushka could sense my fumbling and sounded amused.'Meh, I'll do.
'THE PLAN IS EAT BREAKFAST, then join the Lieutenants, Ellie, Yakov, and the others at the Council Chambers. Ellie is going to make the official announcement, and with her siblings assistance, call on our past allies for support.'Cat stared at him with the fork paused halfway to her mouth. 'Allies? What for?''Some to provide protection for the castle and Elion itself. Others to join us in the march.' Alek flashed her a smile and began to eat, not paying attention to the food. This meeting was the first step officially forward, and he was anxious to get on with the plans.'How many are marching South with us?'Cat put the fork down, her food untouched. He pointed at the plate. 'Eat first and then I'll explain. Oh, and Ellie wants you to wear that over your training clothes.' He indicated the garment. 'It'll look appropriate when we greet the allies.'MEET WITH THE ALLIES? AND Elena's siblings? My stomach twisted with nerves at the thought of this meeting. The Lieutenants had ne
AFTER THE MEETING WE WALKED to the training rooms. I felt drained, overwhelmed at the importance of everything that until now, hadn't seemed quite so real. Rashid asked us all to step into the Lieutenants' office, and Ignatius pulled a seat out at the table for me. I felt Alek's annoyance and winked at him when we sat, hoping to lighten the mood.The air seemed tense. Yakov paced behind Elena's seat as I shrugged out of the robe and laid it on the table. Confused, I asked, 'Is something wrong? I thought it went well, they all agreed.'Everyone looked to Elena, who regarded me with an almost cold expression, eyes flat. 'It went well. We didn't expect all the allies to uphold the treaty, but they did.' She paused then stared higher, over our heads as she said, 'We brought you in here to discuss-'PATEL CLEARED HIS THROAT WHEN she paused again and stood. 'There is the possibility of one of you girls, or Alek for that matter, being captured by Jenviet. We are marching into her domain,
THE HOUR WENT FAST, AWFULLY fast. Time seemed to fly while I ached to slow it down. Before I knew it, the rest of the day had gone and I sat in an armchair, looking out over the courtyard.Alek lay sleeping in the bed, but Audi kept me company. The night was still and only the guards on duty moved outside, quietly going about their rounds. As much as I knew my body needed it, sleep refused to come. Everything that had happened today kept ticking over in my head.By the time we'd finished training, Elena had reached more allies. Joining us, in a week's time, was the elvan warrior ranks from Hotoreth, and the Draoths of Nalauth. The Lieutenants and men were impressed as both realms were known for their elite forces. Feeling my legs stiffen with the cold creeping in, I stood, intending to try and get some sleep, then stopped at the hum in the air. Loi's awake, I realized. Grabbing my cloak, I slipped out of the room.THE TINY CREAK OF A door made Loi spin, tense and ready. Cat stood
WHILE I DRESSED IN THE wardrobe, a flash of citrine energy snapped through the walls.'Whoa!' Alek yelped in surprise from the other room. 'Did you see that?'Staggering out of the dressing room as I wrestled my way into a top, I found him standing there with a bemused expression.'Yeah, I did. Looks like Kassie and Rumal had some fun.'Alek shook his head and laughed. 'I know they told us that's what happens, but it's the first time I've seen it.''Me too, I guess we've slept through the others.' It was a strange sensation. Not like the normal energy we linked with. It just emitted a strong sense of joy. I yawned, already feeling the lack of sleep.'How late were you up?' Alek's eyes narrowed suspiciously at me.I wrinkled my nose at him and gave a non-committal shrug. 'Late-ish.'He'd been asleep when I got back and hadn't woken until I finished in the shower. Feeling a chill in the air I went to get a wrap cardigan from the wardrobe then squeaked in surprise when I found him
THE CHAIN-MAIL HAD BEEN turned into a high-necked tunic with full-length sleeves that finished with a loop that fitted snug around my middle fingers, and for my legs fitted pants. I had a minor concern though. 'Ormbel, how exactly do I get these off?'Focused on holding pieces of the crimson leather against my upper arm, Ormbel looked at me, his hazel eyes wide and vacant. Then he processed my question.'There's a seam down the back. The mail is charmed to open when you tug on it from the right angle, so it won't open in battle. I'll show you once I'm done.'He wasn't a bad looking guy, with a slim build and shoulder length brown hair, but the sense of self-importance that he exuded wasn't so attractive. I watched as he held a piece of leather around my upper arm, and then melded it into the mail.'Wow, cool! What'll that do?' It looked just like plated armour and the edges of the leather smoothed into the mail. My elbows stayed as bare mail so I had more than sufficient movement a
THE PRINCESS GRIPPED THE PILLAR, a gasp escaping her lips when Larvaste swung the axe at Alek, who threw himself out of the arc and countered the strike. They connected with a loud clang, but Ignatius barely noticed; his whole being focused on how close Catherine willingly stood. The armour hugged her curves, and the brilliant red of her hair contrasted sharply with the grey mail as it lay in a plait over her shoulder. Those striking green eyes were wide as she watched the Prince battle, and that plump bottom lip quivered when she sucked a breath in at another loud clash.His arm was close enough to innocuously brush past her breast. When that thought penetrated his desire ridden brain, he snapped out of it and stepped to the side, putting an appropriate amount of space between them.She didn't appear to have noticed his momentary lapse in judgment and a surreptitious glance revealed no one else had either. Breathing a sigh of relief, he refocused on the men sparring.I HELD THE P
THE MEETING CONTINUED LATE INTO the evening. When Elena and Yakov bade the group goodnight, she led the way to her quarters. Yakov took a seat at the low table. 'What do we still have to plan and do?'A sharp twinge of pain made Elena close her eyes for a moment and rub a thumb firmly over her temple to dispel the headache. Opening her eyes, she found Yakov regarding her with a tender expression and he stood, embracing her. 'Not long, Ellie, then this craziness will be over. For good.'She allowed him to guide her to a seat and watched as he made a fresh pot of tea. The fragrant leaf swirled in the cup of steaming water, and the first crisp, sweet taste had the tension in her back and neck melting away.'Thank you,' she smiled gratefully at him. 'Now, left to organize is any capable, gifted metal workers. We need them here tomorrow to finish the armour for the Cavalry and Guard. Oh, and Rashid will likely want members of the Guard fetched from various areas.'Yakov began noting the