Iron Breakers: The Floodgates (Iron Breakers Book 3)

by Zaya Feli

  “Do you know when we'll be back in Frayne?” Jayce asked, sitting on Ren's other side.

  “We're stopping at Fort Teekan tonight. Evalyne says there'll be more supporters there. The Fraynean border should be just beyond.”

  “Ah, finally,” Jayce said with a sigh of relief. “Spending all this time in Skarlan is making my skin crawl.”

  “You and me both,” Ren said, letting Ilias help him back into his undershirt and jacket.

  Thanking them, Ren stood and made his way through the camp.

  Soldiers packed up. Tents came down and horses were tacked. Here and there, Ren spotted soldiers greeting friends who had joined them from Iskaal. The mood was high and infectious. This feeling of being on top of things, of not reeling to catch up, was entirely new and filled Ren with a bone-deep sense of ease he had missed. Soldiers greeted him with nods and salutes and Ren gave them each a smile and a nod in return.

  “Your royalness! Prince!”

  The strange greeting made Ren turn. A young man came towards him, waving a hand in the air. A narrow band of dark ink circled his wrist. It took Ren a moment to recognize him in daylight, but then he mirrored the young man's smile.

  “Sikyn, right?” Ren asked, letting him catch up before continuing to walk.

  The man nodded. “I wanted to thank you for what you did. During the storm.”

  Ren shook his head. “You don't have to thank me. I'm glad to see you're doing better.”

  Sikyn nodded. “My ribs still hurt. Your medic says it'll take a while to pass, but I'm glad I can ride. How's the sword for you?”

  “Oh, this?” Ren slid his fingers along the hilt of his Lowlandish sword. “It fits me well. It's a good blade.”

  Sikyn beamed, tilting his chin up. “It is, isn't it? Glad you can use it.”

  Ren blinked, raising an eyebrow. “Wait, it's yours?”

  “Uh-huh.” Sikyn nodded.

  “Won't you need it back?” Ren asked.

  Sikyn broke into a grin and shook his head. He reached up and brushed his hair back. “Nah, I won't be doing much fighting with fractured ribs and a bad knee. I'm gonna hang back and take care of the horses. I never was much of a fighter. Now I can say I gave the prince of Frayne the sword he used to cut down the asshole king.”

  Ren smiled. “If all goes to plan, Anik will be doing the cutting. I promised him that.”

  Sikyn was about to speak when a sharp voice interrupted.

  “Kid!”

  Ren and Sikyn looked up. A tall man approached, chestnut hair drawn back in a braid, sleeves rolled up to reveal dark, twisting patterns on both arms. His jaw was set and his eyes were as hard as his voice. “What are you doing with that snake?” He didn't slow down as he approached, but rounded on Ren, forcing him to take a step back. The man's voice was a growl. “Mind your own business, Fraynean.”

  Ren swallowed hard, attention on keeping his expression blank and his voice steady. “Relax. We were only talking.”

  “Get away from him,” the man hissed, grabbing Sikyn by the arm to pull him away from Ren.

  Sikyn winced and let out a yelp, wrapping an arm around his chest.

  “Watch it,” Ren said, holding out a hand. “He's hurt.”

  The taller man let go of Sikyn and stepped into Ren's space, but this time, he didn't settle for threats. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” he snarled, grabbing Ren by the collar and yanking him close.

  Ren gasped, reaching for his shoulder when the motion sent a jolt of pain down his arm.

  “I'd unhand the prince if I were you, Laskyn.”

  Anik's voice came from somewhere behind the taller man, hidden from Ren's view until he was released. Ren staggered back. Laskyn – the man Anik had mentioned. The one who'd been causing trouble.

  Anik stood a few paces away, a horse's reins in each hand and a deceptively calm expression on his face. Ren knew better, though. The tension in Anik's body was easy to see if you knew how to look.

  “So it's true.” Laskyn turned from Ren to Anik, crossing his arms over his chest. “Our fearless leader is fucking the prince of Frayne. Is he your little whore? Or are you his?”

  Ren looked around. A crowd was gathering. A portion of them were Skarlans, but most were Lowlanders. Here and there, Ren spotted the faces of the men he had travelled with for the last few weeks. The ones that caught his eye didn't look hostile, but most of the men and women surrounding them were unfamiliar to him and assessed the scene warily. Ren thought he saw the woman from the barracks, Ilona, with lines of concern etched onto her face.

  “What's your real problem?” Anik asked, ignoring Laskyn's mockery. He handed the reins to someone in the crowd. His dark stallion tossed its head nervously. “Why don't you share with the group what kind of thorn's really digging into your ass?” Anik's voice was hard, his shoulders squared.

  Ren took hold of Sikyn's arm, making the young man turn. “Get out of here,” Ren said, nodding towards the crowd.

  Sikyn lingered, hesitating, but then seemed to decide that listening to Ren might be a good idea. He slipped away.

  Laskyn spat on the ground, taking a few steps closer to Anik. “I'm not sure I want to follow a man who spreads his legs for snakes. I was glad to hear you had survived, but now I'm starting to think death would have been better than this humiliation of your blood. This isn't what you promised us.”

  Ren stared between Laskyn and Anik, breath caught in his throat.

  Laskyn raised his voice, “Anik Horsetamer carved the mark of the oathbreaker onto his skin so he could forsake his own family and fuck a snake.”

  “Are you going to stand there and insult me all day?” Anik asked, taking another step forward. “You think fucking a prince makes me weak,” he continued, reaching for his belt. He slipped off his sword and let the weapon fall onto the grass, “Why don't you do something about it?” He spread his arms. “Let's settle this.”

  Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Laskyn reached for his own belt, tugging off his sword. His back bulged with muscle when he rolled his shoulders.

  The knot in Ren's stomach tightened. He knew Anik's capabilities against Skarlan and Fraynean soldiers, but he had never seen him fight another Lowlander, especially not one of Laskyn's stature. He didn't think they would fight to the death, but one lucky punch could still do enough damage to leave a man bedridden for days, maybe weeks. They couldn't afford to lose Anik to injury now, so close to the final battle. If Anik couldn't control the Lowlanders, no one could. Ren's heart began to race. He took an involuntary step towards the two men, but Anik's eyes snapped to him and the steel in his gaze made Ren stop.

  “Get out of here, Ren.”

  “Anik-”

  “Go.” Anik pulled his shirt over his head, discarding it on the grass. No shirt meant no handholds, but it also exposed the plane of his back to the people watching. The Skarlans stayed quiet, but a mutter rolled through the assembled Lowlanders. If they found out that it was Fraynean guards who had striped Anik's back, they might not settle for a fistfight.

  Ren backed into the crowd, but stayed near the front where he could watch Anik and Laskyn. The men circled each other inside the arena created by the onlookers.

  A disturbance in the crowd made Ren turn his head. Skarlan soldiers pushed through the crowd and Ren spotted Kana leading the way, followed by Evalyne.

  Ren caught her attention with a gesture and shook his head. Slowly, Evalyne took her hand off her sword hilt. This was necessary. Ren knew Anik had seen it coming, but that didn't make it any less nerve-wracking.

  Anik rolled his head from side to side, the muscles along his ribs forming shadows when they tensed. Where Laskyn was built like a bear, broad, heavy and powerful, Anik was like the lions chained in Aleria's dungeons: lean, body tight and balanced with muscle. Ren couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine at the sight.

  Without hesitation, Laskyn leapt forward.

  Ren flinched. There was so much force behind the swing of Laskyn'
s fist that it could have cracked the skull of a boar. Ren knew a strike like that should have meant Laskyn needed a second to regain his balance, and he could see that Anik counted on it, too, ducking to the side and aiming for Laskyn's exposed ribs, but Laskyn was faster than Ren thought possible, blocking Anik's attack and trying to elbow him in the face.

  Ren hissed, watching Anik leap out of range. “Be careful,” Ren murmured under his breath.

  Anik was the first to move this time, ducking low to land a hit against Laskyn's gut. What followed was a series of strikes and blocks nearly too fast for Ren to follow.

  Ren didn't miss the good hits Anik landed against exposed parts of Laskyn's body, but Laskyn ended Anik's streak with a jab to the face that sent Anik staggering backwards.

  Ren clenched his jaw when Anik spat blood onto the grass and straightened. Anik felt his jaw with a hand and grinned, blood streaking his teeth. Then he was back on Laskyn like a dog defending its last bone.

  Ren realised with a chill that neither man was going to accept the other's superior strength. They'd fight until they could no longer stand or until one of them was out cold. Ren swore under his breath.

  A hand around Ren's arm made him flinch. Ren tore his eyes from the fight and met Valkon's concerned gaze.

  “If they drive each other into the ground, it won't solve anything,” Valkon said, head lowered to speak into Ren's ear.

  “What can we do?” Ren asked.

  “Nothing,” Valkon said darkly. “Anik needs to handle this on his own.”

  Ren bit his lip. It was frustrating to watch. Laskyn drove Anik backwards around the ring. Ren could tell Anik was looking for weak spots. One solid hit could end the fight before it could turn bad, but Laskyn didn’t give Anik many chances. Around them, the crowd was deathly silent.

  Another lightning-fast exchange of kicks and punches left Ren's entire body tense. Then Anik shifted his weight, leaned back, and swung his leg out and up in a kick to the side of Laskyn's head. Laskyn staggered and fell to his knees, scrambling and clearly disoriented. This was Anik's chance.

  Anik rounded on him, aiming a second kick at Laskyn's chest.

  Laskyn was faster. He stopped Anik's heel with the palm of his hand and pulled. Ren could hear all the air leave Anik's lungs when he landed on his back. Laskyn tugged Anik forward like he weighed nothing, leaning over him and pressing down with all his weight.

  Ren's heart sank. Despite his nervousness, he hadn't actually thought Laskyn might win the fight. He couldn't. There was too much at stake.

  Laskyn's fist collided with Anik's cheek, making Ren's stomach clench. He wanted to run forward, grab Laskyn, and pry him off Anik. Valkon closed his hand around Ren's arm as if he had read his thoughts.

  Laskyn's second punch rattled Anik's jaw. Anik twisted under him, but was pinned by Laskyn's body. Anik leaned his head back and parted his lips. Ren expected Anik to admit his defeat. Instead, he sent a large glob of blood and spit at Laskyn's face.

  Laskyn reeled, releasing Anik with one hand to wipe his eyes.

  Anik's punch came with Laskyn blind and distracted. Laskyn raised his hands to defend himself, but it was too late. Anik rolled them, shifting his balance, and elbowed Laskyn in the temple with so much strength that Ren could see the muscles of his arm bunching.

  Laskyn dropped like a downed boar, chest heaving. His eyes were closed and his mouth open.

  Anik rose, steady. His chest was streaked with dirt. Blood dripped from his lip, a cut split his eyebrow, and an angry bruise was already forming across his cheekbone, but his gaze was fierce as ever when he raked it over the faces of the men and women gathered to watch. “I'll fuck the prince of Frayne from here to Aleria and if any of you have any doubts about my ability to lead while doing so, I'll gladly repeat this performance.” He spat on the ground, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “You'll take orders from me or get the fuck out of my camp. None of you will touch the prince or the princess or any of their men.”

  The crowd was silent. They didn't cheer. Instead, they bowed their heads and crossed their fists in silent assent, then began to scatter. Ren saw relief and happiness on the faces of the Lowlanders he knew, shock and surprise in the looks the Skarlan soldiers shot each other.

  Ren felt it as if his lungs could suddenly expand again. He spotted Sikyn and a few of the Lowlanders from the prison. They grinned. Ren found that he was smiling, too. The smile didn't fade when he met Anik's eyes, and although Anik didn't mirror his expression, Ren saw pride in his eyes.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “You didn't think to tell everybody you're not actually fucking me?” Ren asked. He stood with Anik by the horses, waiting for the rest of the soldiers to fall into formation. The bruise on Anik's face looked worse than before, but two small stitches had stopped the blood flowing from his forehead, thanks to Jayce.

  “No, but I am kissing you, and I don't think Laskyn cares about that distinction,” Anik said, handing Ren the reins of his gelding.

  Despite the crowd, Ren reached up and ran his fingers along the line of Anik's jaw, where another bruise was forming. “Present tense?” he asked, smirking. “Does that mean it wasn't just the one?” They stood toe to toe. Ren was even more keenly aware of Anik's size now, how much broader Anik's shoulders were than his own, the inches of difference between their heights.

  “Two,” Anik corrected.

  Ren raised an eyebrow. “In Llyne? That was me kissing you. Doesn't count.”

  Before Ren could react, Anik leaned in and caught Ren's lips in a kiss. It was brief, but full of promise in a way that made Ren's breath hitch. He stood there staring like a lovestruck fool until a chuckle from Anik made him remember himself.

  “Grab the saddle – I'll give you a boost,” Anik said, gesturing for Ren to turn around.

  “Were you this confident with the youths of the Lowlands?” Ren asked over his shoulder, letting Anik help him into the saddle so he wouldn't have to use his injured shoulder.

  “No,” Anik said, but didn't elaborate, mounting his own horse.

  Ren steered his gelding towards the front, waiting for Anik to speak again, but he didn't. “Well, I'm glad you still have all your teeth after the fight. I'm not sure I would have kissed you if you'd had both your front teeth knocked out,” he said in an effort to distract himself from how much he felt like a virginal youth.

  Anik huffed and rolled his eyes.

  “So, did you find a name for him?” Ren asked, nodding at the dark stallion.

  “His name is Sakai. It means 'prince,'” Anik said, casting a sidelong glance at Ren.

  Ren studied Anik's profile. He was certain there was a hidden meaning there, but Anik's expression gave nothing away. Ren smiled anyway.

  * * *

  They rode for a day to reach Fort Teekan.

  Rafya had sent a bird ahead to inform the ruler of their arrival, and they were ushered inside during the dead of night. Once they crossed into Frayne, they'd no longer be able to hide their movements, but getting this far undetected counted for something.

  Sleeping in a real bed was exactly what Ren's shoulder needed, and despite the blood he had lost on the way out of Iskaal, he felt well-rested. Jayce deemed the wound still free of infection and healing nicely, and Ren spent the morning on an open balcony, drinking wolfsblood tea with Anik at his side. They watched able men and women stream through the gates, boosting their number to over two thousand.

  Cainon had rejoined them, riding in with an empty satchel and kneeling before Ren in the courtyard, respectfully declaring that he had spread Thais' ashes in a sunlit clearing across the border. With an aching heart, Ren bid him rise and embraced him like a friend. Cainon's return reminded Ren of the pain he tried so desperately to bury, but it also brought a sense of relief.

  They left Fort Teekan at nightfall with four new wagons, a full load of supplies, and an army over twice the size of the one Evalyne had originally brought them. To Ren's surprise, a small number were Fr
ayneans from across the border. Rafya told him they had joined upon hearing Ren's name, but Ren hadn't believed it until he saw the way the soldiers in white and gold greeted him when he rode past.

  “You're the queen's son,” Anik said, reining his horse closer to Ren's and patting him on the knee. “They wouldn't be here if what they'd heard was that you'd been cowering and hiding.”

  “If they've heard of me, so has Halvard.”

  They all knew it. They still made efforts to conceal their tracks and move out of sight, following the border north to denser woodland, but with an army as large as theirs, it was impossible to stay undetected. There were more villages and settlements in central Frayne than there had been in Skarlan, and despite the cover and the rugged terrain, they spotted scouts on distant hills more than once.

  Tension in the camp increased and Evalyne posted three times the number of guards at night and double during the day. So far, they had gotten no word from the capital and seen none of Halvard's soldiers, but being on guard was preferable to being woken in the night by an army of four thousand raining arrows on them.

  Come nightfall on the third day after crossing the border, Ren sat beside Evalyne in her tent with Anik, Valkon, Cainon, Rafya, and Kana in the dim light of lit torches. Ilias moved around Ren like a pale shadow. They had made camp late and Jayce had other patients, so he had trusted Ilias with the task of cleaning and rebandaging Ren's wound. Evalyne had suggested they postpone the meeting until Ilias was finished, but they were all tired from the day's march and Ren wasn't bothered by his own display of skin. After six days, the arrow wound was healing nicely and aching less.

  “I got word from my contacts that Nathair has reached Aleria. He's combining his forces with Halvard's,” Evalyne said. She sat on Ren's left, cradling a cup of tea between her hands.

  “He's drawing his men back to the capital in preparation for a fight,” Rafya said. He sighed and leaned back, placing his feet on the table. “If we engage him at the gates to the city, they'll outnumber us almost two to one.”