fidget with the ring that marked her loyalty to the Grigori. It was one all Nephilim wore. “I hope it’s not out of line for me to say, but I think you need me with you. If you’re going to engage the enemy yourself, I’d like to serve as your personal guard. The Fallen will be armed, and if you’ll forgive my saying so, sword work is not your strong suit.”
I sighed, both relieved she hadn’t come to say she was withdrawing her support, and irritated with myself for having been such a poor student. “I know, Margarita. You’ve been very patient with me. And Heaven knows I could use you by my side. But I’m worried about leaving Kae on his own.”
“You think he’ll desert?”
“No, not exactly. But Aeval called his blood once and controlled him completely. I think he’s beyond her influence now, but I can’t be sure. She was fully capable of controlling the Seraphim’s element from a distance.”
“Well, I have to be honest,” said Margarita, as if being blunt and forthright were ever difficult for her. “That woman gave me the chills. I don’t think I’d be much help in stopping her. But if you want my opinion, those Virtues will turn against your cousin faster than he can blink that lame eye if he so much as looks like he’s being swayed to her side. I think he’s done what he needed to do, and it’s up to them now to follow through.”
“I suppose you’re right.” I nodded. “All right. Be ready by dusk.”
Margarita pressed my arm with her firm grip and headed off to make her preparations.
Love fell into step with me once more as I headed toward our wing. “You know that isn’t why she wants to go with you.”
“What do you mean?”
Her voice fell to a whisper. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed it. She’s hot over Lively.”
I pushed her slightly in disbelief, as if she were one of my sisters and we were gossiping over a visiting duchess. “No, she is not . Really?” I gazed after Margarita as she disappeared down the corridor, her red ponytail swinging confidently, and glanced back at Love with my eyes wide.
“Your angelic innocence is really cute.” Love gave me a wink and headed off to her room.
There was one more person I needed to talk to before we departed, and he’d already left the manor. I steeled myself to deal with Kae’s moods and went down to the stables. Sitting on the bunk provided by Sarael’s staff after he’d refused to enter Pyr Amaravati, Kae looked up from making notes in a little leather-bound book.
I wasted no time on pleasantries. “I want to go over the plan once more before I leave. How many troops do we have all together?”
“Seven thousand,” he answered without hesitation, setting his book aside. “And Aeval has nearly four times that. I presume she’ll bring the bulk of it to bear on Aravoth, not because she needs them, but because she’s furious. Even so, as I said, I think we can hold them off at the Falls because of the terrain and the river conditions. With that in mind, I’m sending four thousand with you.”
“Four thousand?” I frowned. “You’ll be outnumbered almost ten to one.”
“And yet all we need to do is keep those ten from getting through a space meant for one.”
“A lot of angels are going to die.”
I knew his answer before he gave it. “Such is war, Cousin.”
From the road Kae and I had taken yesterday, our troops would head up into the mountains instead of following it straight on to Aravoth City. It was the same path by which I’d entered Aravoth six months ago fleeing the queen’s men, but there had only been three of us then, not a brigade of four thousand.
Rather than turning west toward the Summer Palace and the Queen’s Highway when we neared the base of the mountains, we would head east and descend near Lake Superna some seven leagues farther to connect with the old highway. Before the Firmament had annexed the Princedom of Raqia, this road had led all the way from Aravoth City
I sighed, both relieved she hadn’t come to say she was withdrawing her support, and irritated with myself for having been such a poor student. “I know, Margarita. You’ve been very patient with me. And Heaven knows I could use you by my side. But I’m worried about leaving Kae on his own.”
“You think he’ll desert?”
“No, not exactly. But Aeval called his blood once and controlled him completely. I think he’s beyond her influence now, but I can’t be sure. She was fully capable of controlling the Seraphim’s element from a distance.”
“Well, I have to be honest,” said Margarita, as if being blunt and forthright were ever difficult for her. “That woman gave me the chills. I don’t think I’d be much help in stopping her. But if you want my opinion, those Virtues will turn against your cousin faster than he can blink that lame eye if he so much as looks like he’s being swayed to her side. I think he’s done what he needed to do, and it’s up to them now to follow through.”
“I suppose you’re right.” I nodded. “All right. Be ready by dusk.”
Margarita pressed my arm with her firm grip and headed off to make her preparations.
Love fell into step with me once more as I headed toward our wing. “You know that isn’t why she wants to go with you.”
“What do you mean?”
Her voice fell to a whisper. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed it. She’s hot over Lively.”
I pushed her slightly in disbelief, as if she were one of my sisters and we were gossiping over a visiting duchess. “No, she is not . Really?” I gazed after Margarita as she disappeared down the corridor, her red ponytail swinging confidently, and glanced back at Love with my eyes wide.
“Your angelic innocence is really cute.” Love gave me a wink and headed off to her room.
There was one more person I needed to talk to before we departed, and he’d already left the manor. I steeled myself to deal with Kae’s moods and went down to the stables. Sitting on the bunk provided by Sarael’s staff after he’d refused to enter Pyr Amaravati, Kae looked up from making notes in a little leather-bound book.
I wasted no time on pleasantries. “I want to go over the plan once more before I leave. How many troops do we have all together?”
“Seven thousand,” he answered without hesitation, setting his book aside. “And Aeval has nearly four times that. I presume she’ll bring the bulk of it to bear on Aravoth, not because she needs them, but because she’s furious. Even so, as I said, I think we can hold them off at the Falls because of the terrain and the river conditions. With that in mind, I’m sending four thousand with you.”
“Four thousand?” I frowned. “You’ll be outnumbered almost ten to one.”
“And yet all we need to do is keep those ten from getting through a space meant for one.”
“A lot of angels are going to die.”
I knew his answer before he gave it. “Such is war, Cousin.”
From the road Kae and I had taken yesterday, our troops would head up into the mountains instead of following it straight on to Aravoth City. It was the same path by which I’d entered Aravoth six months ago fleeing the queen’s men, but there had only been three of us then, not a brigade of four thousand.
Rather than turning west toward the Summer Palace and the Queen’s Highway when we neared the base of the mountains, we would head east and descend near Lake Superna some seven leagues farther to connect with the old highway. Before the Firmament had annexed the Princedom of Raqia, this road had led all the way from Aravoth City
Similar Books
