by Isabo Kelly
“The enemy doesn’t know what I look like. They couldn’t send in a pretend me.”
“And your entire army does know?”
She frowned, and he knew he’d hit on a flaw in her thinking.
“Fine, they don’t all know me. But even if they’re suspicious of us, they’ll take us to Ulric, under guard, to confirm who we are.”
He wasn’t so sure they should count on that logic, but time was running out.
Unfortunately, and he hated to admit it, strategy wasn’t his strongest suit. That was Ulric’s talent. Althir’s magic worked better in face-to-face encounters. And Mina was no warrior, though she’d fought and killed before out of necessity. Taking her into the heart of the battle risked her life more than he thought he could tolerate.
But they couldn’t stay hidden in this building forever.
“Come dark, we take our chances on sneaking through the fights.” He pointed out a route. “We’ll stick to those streets that aren’t being used much.” They were all too narrow and strategically dangerous to both sides. “And yes—” he raised a hand before she could speak, “—we’ll stay together. Fight when we have to. I can’t see any other option than to just work our way through—at least not anything one or the other of us won’t object to.”
She snorted her agreement.
“So we’ll take the direct approach.” He shrugged. “A rare method for me, but it’s been known to work.”
“When do we start?”
“As soon as the sun sets, we make for your army. And hope we don’t get killed along the way.”
It wasn’t a great plan, he knew that. But he also knew neither she nor he would accept an option that put the other in specific danger. They’d make a run for it and hope for the best.
And if things turned against them…well, he did have one or two tricks up his sleeve. Another option Mina would object to, so this time he kept the backup plan to himself. For once, what she didn’t know might just save her life.
Chapter Seventeen
They took advantage of a lull in the fighting to make their move into the heart of the battle zone. Mina let Althir lead while she watched their backs. They slipped down the darkest, narrowest pathways they could find but still had to hide from small groups of minions loitering in buildings, watching for the next assault.
The Sinnale had fallen back just a little, so she and Althir were deep into the battle zone when they came across the first group of humans. The soldiers were huddled around a map, murmuring and occasionally pointing to nearby buildings.
Mina edged in front of Althir, knowing she would get a better reception than he would—even if they recognized him. But just as she was about to move out of the shadows, a volley of arrows arched overhead, coming from the Sinnale lines. Moments later, the streets filled with running Sinnale and minions, the clash of metal and screams. Mina cursed silently.
The fighting erupted all around them, turning their escape route into a melee of chaos. She and Althir stayed hidden, watching for an opening to move to another area of cover, still going in the direction they needed to go.
The sound of a much louder, closer clank of metal had Mina spinning around to see Althir fending off two minions who’d snuck up on them. Or at least on her. Althir looked in perfect control of the fight. He sliced through the two enemies quickly, with so little sound she could barely hear it over the rest of the battle. She faced the bulk of the conflict again and spotted an opening.
“Come on.” She reached back, grabbed his arm and tugged him forward. They crouched and ran, staying close to the buildings, then ducked into the next recessed doorway without being stopped by either human or minion.
Another line of humans marched up the road toward them, their numbers superior to the minions, but as they approached, a blast of magical fire melted the cobbles in a line in front of them.
“Fuck!” Mina couldn’t contain the curse. “Where are the Sorcerers?”
Althir tapped her shoulder and pointed to a building less than a block away. “There’s one up there. And another there, and there.” He pointed to flanking rooftops.
Mina watched in horror as the three Sorcerers launched deadly magical attack after attack, fire and bolts of lightning covering the street. Another volley of arrows arched overhead, toward the Sorcerers.
“We are not in a good spot right now,” she hissed.
“No, we’re not. Come on.”
He pulled her behind the building they’d been using for cover, on the Sinnale side of the fight but out of view of the soldiers in the streets, then hurried across the next road. The fighting was just as heavy there.
The sound of brick and mortar giving way startled another screech from Mina. She looked back to see a corner of the building they were hiding behind collapse.
Althir cursed this time as he searched the streets. He pointed through the smoke from a burning line of cobbles. “There’s a line of humans that way. If we can reach them, we’ll at least be on the right side of the battle.”
“If we can get through without getting killed,” she muttered.
“I offered other options,” he reminded her without looking back.
“None of them any better.” She took a breath. “At the next arrow volley, we run.”
He reached back for her free hand. She grabbed hold because she needed the contact. Her heart pounded so hard in her chest, it knocked against her ribs. This wasn’t her first fight. But it was the first time she’d tried to get through major battle lines from the wrong direction.
She hated being in the middle of these conflicts anyway. Each scream, each death, the scent of blood and burning things assaulting her nose, coating the back of her throat. She hated this war to the very depths of her soul. But never more than when she found herself in the middle of all the fighting.
Althir’s hand clenched tight around hers, and she looked up just as more arrows arched into the air. Even before the arrows peaked over their heads, Althir took off into the streets with her close on his heels.
Some of the arrows must have been shrapnel ones because the sounds of screams and shattering glass exploded behind them. Mina didn’t turn to look. She kept her head down and ran for the line of humans.
As they approached, several broke off from the line to face them, swords raised. She tugged Althir a little then moved around in front of him, releasing his hand. When she was close enough for them to hear her over the other noises, she shouted, “Friendly! Sinnale spy. I need to get to the council.”
The soldiers didn’t lower their weapons, but they didn’t attack either when she and Althir stopped in front of them. They looked between her and Althir for what felt an inordinately long moment.
“He’s the traitor that turned himself in to the council,” one woman said, her voice harsh. “What’s he doing free?”
Mina patted her pack. “We had an assignment from the council. Retrieved something to put an end to the—”
Her sentence was cut off as minions roared up behind them and her people had to break off the conversation to defend themselves. Althir faced the minions too, sweeping them aside with an awesome ease. Mina managed to drive the one minion who turned on her back, and he fell to Althir’s sword.
Not far away, more minions pointed toward them, heading in their direction. The soldiers around her were too occupied to see the reinforcements coming.
“Althir!” She moved to his side to face the newest threat. To her surprise, he handed her the sword he’d been using, slipped his bow over his head and started firing arrows into the approaching group. Half a dozen minions fell before the rest took cover.
He continued to fire until his quiver was empty. In the end, more than a dozen minions lay in the streets, bleeding or dying from Althir’s arrows.
He replaced the bow across his back and, without even looking down at her, held his hand out for the sword. She passed it to him as they returned to the other Sinnale. The woman who’d recognized Althir stared at him
with wide eyes.
A man Mina vaguely recognized from the council’s meeting hall motioned them to follow. “Word’s been left with the regiment commanders about two spies coming from enemy territory. I’ll take you to my commander. If she can verify who you are, we’ll see you get to the right side of the fighting.”
Althir walked beside her without comment. His face was set in hard lines, his expression impossible to read. As they passed through the soldiers that had stopped them initially, she noticed all the stares he drew and wondered if he was bothered by those looks or if he even noticed. Given the fact that he’d just singlehandedly leveled a small contingent of minion soldiers, she thought her people should show him a little more consideration.
They jogged two blocks closer to what had been the border to Noman’s Land, and their guide led them into a small building with a gaping hole in one side. At the center of the damaged room stood another group of Sinnale bent over a table with yet another map of the city.
Mina and Althir’s guide approached a tall woman at the center of the discussion and murmured something to her Mina couldn’t hear.
Mina looked closely at the woman. She also looked vaguely familiar. A face she’d seen in and out of the council’s meeting hall. But still no one Mina knew well, unfortunately.
The commander’s gaze jumped between them before she motioned Mina closer. “Mina Dawnswealth. I knew your brother once upon a time. I was very sorry for his loss.”
Mina swallowed and nodded. The comment hit a still painful wound that kept her from speaking.
“You have his eyes. And I’ve seen you at the council’s meeting hall.”
Relief made Mina’s shoulders sag just a bit.
The commander glanced back at Althir, and Mina felt a new wave of tension.
“Althir,” the woman greeted as if they knew each other.
“Commander Reginaldson.” He gave a slight bow. “You seem to be doing well here.” He gestured at the half-collapsed building.
She barked out a sharp laugh. “We’re fortifying our position in what used to be Sorcerer territory, so, yes, we are doing well. Thank you for noticing.”
Her response brought an answering chuckle from Althir.
“Samuel Brightarrow said to look out for you. Didn’t say why, but I assume you’re helping and not hindering our efforts?” She didn’t bother to hide the suspicion in her tone.
“Helping, Commander, I assure you. And if you have a way we can get back to the council as quickly as possible, we might be able to help sooner rather than later.”
She gestured two soldiers forward from the opposite side of the damaged room. “Take them to the rear lines.” To Mina and Althir, she said, “You’ll have to make your own way through Noman’s Land. We can’t spare even two soldiers for long enough to get you all the way home. Good luck.”
With that she turned back to the map and those standing around the table. Mina and Althir were led out the hole in the building’s façade and taken to the rear of the Sinnale army.
Seeing how far forward her people were holding the line sent a rush of pride through Mina. They would win this war, drive the Sorcerers out and take back their city.
At the edge of what had been Noman’s Land, their escorts left them and returned to the fighting.
“You know the way back from here?” Althir asked as they trotted down the dark streets.
“I do.”
Beyond the light and noise of the battle, Noman’s Land felt like a black, still wasteland. Mina slowed to a walk when the quiet and shadow closed in, making her feel she’d finally reached safety. They wouldn’t be safe, not really, until they crossed into Sinnale territory. But they wouldn’t run into any minion patrols here tonight.
Althir must have felt a similar sense of relief because he stopped walking altogether and pulled her into a tight hug. The gesture startled her so much she stood stock still for two heartbeats before wrapping her arms around his waist.
“See,” she murmured as she pressed her face against his chest. “You didn’t need to sacrifice yourself to get me to safety.”
“Not yet,” he murmured.
But he spoke so quietly she wasn’t entirely sure she heard him right. She wanted to ask what he meant, then decided they’d have time for that later. “Apparently your notoriety served you well too. You knew the commander?”
“She was one of the soldiers allowed to question me when I started handing your people information.”
“Lucky.”
“Probably not. I’d bet the council scattered the commanders who would recognize me all along the lines just in case we managed to do what we did. She knew who you were too.”
Actually, she’d known Mina’s brother, but since Mina didn’t want to talk about her brother, she kept silent.
“Your family name is Dawnswealth,” he said into her hair. “I’ve heard of them. Renowned for their chocolate and pastry.”
She smiled but didn’t look up for fear he’d see the wetness filling her eyes. “Yes we were.”
“Many Sinnale have names related to their profession. Why Dawnswealth for chocolatiers?”
A few tears leaked over her cheeks as she grinned wider, thinking of the old family story. “Years and years ago, one of my ancestors invented a truffle so spectacular it sold out before dawn every time she made it. One of the old nicknames for chocolate was king’s gold, so…”
“Gold…wealth. Dawnswealth.” He chuckled. “I like it.”
She hugged him tighter and soaked in his heat, glad for the moment of peace, grateful he’d brought up a pleasant memory of her family to counter all the death, madness and heartache of the last few days.
They remained quiet for several long minutes, then he pulled back and lifted her chin so she was staring at him. She assumed he wanted to say something so waited for him to speak first. Instead, he just stared down at her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked after the silence stretched her nerves too tight.
“When we get back… I don’t know what the council intends for me once we return. I’ll probably go back into my luxurious little cage until they’ve cleared my release with the king and queen.”
“But you’ve done what you promised. Why wouldn’t they simply release you?”
“They still have to open the vessel.”
She frowned, her brow lowering as she considered how that could have anything to do with Althir. Then she remembered what he’d said about getting through the magic to the List. “You think they’ll make you… Against your will?”
“Not against my will.” He raised a hand to her cheek, running his fingers across her cheekbone as his gaze roamed her face.
“You planned from the beginning to use your own blood to open this? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“What would you have said? You assumed Ulric would sacrifice so much, risk his own life. Why are you surprised I’d be willing to do the same?”
“Ulric’s been…” She cut herself off when she realized her previous arguments no longer applied now that she knew what Althir’s motives had been from the beginning.
“I wouldn’t have believed you were serious before,” she admitted. “That’s the only reason I thought of your brother. It never occurred to me the man I assumed you were would bleed to help my people.”
“Which is why I didn’t bother to tell you.” His lips closed over hers gently, but before she could fully take in his kiss, he raised his head again. “I want you to know now because…because I’ll have to open the vessel immediately. That List is my only hope of getting out of the cage. So…”
His lips compressed into a line before he finally said in a rush, “I didn’t want you to think I’d just disappeared and forgot you existed. I…I won’t ever forget you, Mina. I just needed to tell you that. Before we get back.”
His admission stabbed into her heart, surprising her with the combination of pain and bittersweet joy. “Are you saying goodbye to me already, Althir?”
She waited so long for his answer she finally decided she wouldn’t get one and started to pull out of his embrace. He jerked her close again, his muscles bunching.
“Not yet,” he said. “No goodbyes yet.”
And then his mouth was on hers, hard and demanding.
Chapter Eighteen
Althir’s kiss was the kind of kiss that overwhelmed instantly and swept Mina in before she could begin to think. The heat and passion, the edge of desperation, called to her own growing sense of loss. She pushed him against the nearest wall and splayed her body across his, leaving no room between them.
The elf-fire rose immediately, and all the fear, tension and horror of the past days fed the call, turning her need into a living, breathing beast too hungry to be denied.
Althir shifted the pack on her back, stripping it down her arms and tossing it over one of his own shoulders. Then his arms were around her again. She gasped when he turned her so her back was to the wall, but she didn’t stop kissing him. Running her hands over his chest, his shoulders, up into his hair to hold his head close.
His tension was her tension, the flex of hard muscles a complement to her soft curves, the darkness around them a blanket of comfort that only made each caress, nip and kiss more intense. His lips on her throat started a shiver down her spine. His hand closing over her breast made her arch into his touch, grinding her hips against his erection.
The speed, the angry insistence of her need, might have scared her if she wasn’t more worried about letting him go. If knowing this was goodbye wasn’t so devastating.
Part of her wondered when all this had happened. When had she gone from hating him to wanting him so desperately? When had that hate turned into feelings she couldn’t begin to face because she knew her heart couldn’t take them? That part of her still wanted to hate him—for making her feel anything but anger again, for forcing these emotions on her. She wanted to blame him, the elf-fire, the war…
That edge of confusion and blame only added to the fire raging through her, making her touch rough. She wanted him in her control, all hers for a few hours more. She demanded his complete focus with every caress, every kiss. She sucked at the skin where his throat and shoulder met, then bit down, and he groaned, grinding against her hard enough that the wall scraped her back. She didn’t care. She wanted that reaction from him, she needed him to be as out of control as she felt.
