34. Allies

Chapter thirty-four

Allies

Han

I woke to someone pounding on the door.

I dragged myself from beneath the covers, glancing across the room at Yakov's bed. Empty and unmade—he must have left early that morning. Was it even morning? I glanced out the small window, but the sky was too gray to tell how late it was.

The knocking continued.

"I'm coming," I grumbled. I pulled on a fresh pair of pants and opened the door.

A young servant boy stood there. "Beg pardon, captain, but his majesty requests your presence in the camp. There's an army coming. Drakra."

Yixa na Chekke. At last. "I'll be there," I said, and the boy scampered off.

A short while later, I arrived at the edge of camp to greet our allies. I was the last to arrive; the other commanders already stood around the tsar and the prince. Tsar Borislav and his cousin wore grim looks.

I hadn't expected overwhelming joy, but the arrival of our allies should have been cause for some celebration, however small. At least from the tsar, if not from Prince Radomir.

"Your majesty. Your highness." I bowed. "Is something wrong?"

"We've had news from the capital," Radomir said. "Lord Ilya and Lady Heli have been arrested."

My heart skipped a beat. Mila. Was she safe? Had she been arrested? "And…their retinue?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

Borislav gave a small shake of his head. "Only the baron and baroness have been arrested," the tsar said. "Their household and retinue, to the best of our knowledge, remain free."

Radomir snorted. "‘Only.' Ilya alone knows enough to destroy this whole rebellion. If he can't withstand your brother's torture, we could be completely brought down."

My mind reeled. Mila was safe—as far as the tsar knew. But how accurate was his information? News could take days, even weeks to reach us here, so far from the capital. Even if she'd been safe when the baron and baroness were arrested, was she still safe now?

I should have made her stay. No matter what she said, no matter how much she hated me, I should have kept her safe at home. If she ever made it back to me, I was never letting her out of my sight again.

A trumpet blast cut through my thoughts as the Drakra retinue approached. Led by Yixa na Chekke and Xhela na Zanik, the group of women traveled on foot. I recognized a few of them as Drakra I had met during my time in the mountains.

They stopped in front of us, and the priestess spoke. "Greetings, Borislav Vyacheslavovich, Heir of the Sanctioned." She inclined her head respectfully, not enough to be considered a bow. Radomir scowled, but Borislav returned the gesture. Whether or not the prince agreed, the tsar seemed content to allow Yixa to consider him an equal.

"Greetings, Yixa na Chekke, voice of Xyxra. You are most welcome." He swept his arm out toward the castle. "Allow us to show you to your rooms. We've set aside an entire wing for you and your companions. Once you're settled, we can meet to discuss strategy."

She flicked a charcoal-colored hand in dismissal. "No need to see us settled. Our men can unpack for us, provided you have servants to show them where to go?"

"Of course. If you would prefer to meet together first, that can be arranged. Shall we go straight to the war room?"

"Lead the way, Tsar of Inzhria."

With the addition of the Drakra commanders, the enormous war room felt almost cramped. Yixa and the tsar sat at opposite ends of the long table, their seconds-in-command—Xhela for the priestess, and Radomir for the tsar—next to them. The commanders, me included, filled in the rest of the table, though the humans and Drakra sat apart from each other without prompting. Even when the full table made it necessary for Fyodor Yakovlevich and an ash-skinned Drakra commander to sit next to each other, they subtly shifted their chairs to allow for more distance.

I wasn't surprised. Our two races had been at odds long before the Spider Wars, and relations hadn't improved since the treaty. The fact that the Drakra army had made it to Sevken unmolested was a good sign, though. Perhaps we could learn to coexist.

Once the room quieted, Yixa spoke. "I understand you've made no offensive strikes since your ambassadors," she glanced at me, "reached my territory?"

"That is correct," the tsar said.

"Is there a reason for that?" Her tone bordered on contemptuous. "I wouldn't like to think that I brought my entire army across the country to sit around and wait to be attacked."

"We have the high ground." Radomir's tone matched hers. "Why sacrifice the defensible position of this castle to attack rashly?"

Borislav silenced the prince with a look. "While we were waiting for the details of this alliance to be determined, Lady, we chose to remain here to develop our strategy and allow our men time to rest."

Her lips formed a line. "A single battle and a cross-country march, and your men need time to rest? Are all humans so fragile, or only the males?"

Borislav stood, his eyes flashing. "You may bring necessary soldiers, Yixa na Chekke, but this alliance benefits you as much as it does us. If you wish to continue our friendship, you will not insult my decisions or my men again."

I fought back a groan. Yixa's poor impression of the tsar showed on her face. In the weeks we'd spent in the mountains, I'd learned that the Drakra considered men—of all races, not just their own—to be emotional and rash, ruled by their flesh. They valued logic and emotional control. If Borislav wished to continue the alliance, he would have to restrain his temper in front of the priestess and her people.

"Your majesty, if I may?" I asked. The tsar nodded permission as he sat down. "Lady, the tsar chose this spot, the ancestral seat of the Grand Duke, as his base of operations for a number of reasons, not the least being that it was a suitable place to remain while we waited for our allies to arrive. Abandoning Sevken—which he managed to take without bloodshed, due to the great loyalty the servants of the castle have toward him—would have been a risky decision while we were still limited in number. He was willing to risk being seen as weak while waiting, in order to ensure that when we did attack, it would be from the best possible position. Now that you're here, his patience has paid off, and we can attack without reservation."

Yixa na Chekke appeared to consider my words, staring at me as the room remained silent. Then she looked at Borislav.

"Your ambassador has the mind of a female, your majesty," she said, and I heard the compliment she intended. "All cool logic and consideration, with none of the heated desperation for honor that so many men have. You should ennoble him."

The tsar frowned at her. "Indeed." He gestured toward the large map in the center of the table. "I take it that you have an idea for our next offensive move?"

*****

The rest of the day was spent in talks with the Drakra, determining our next point of attack, what route we would take to get there, what order the companies were to travel in, and various sundry details. By the time they dismissed us, my eyes were swimming. I cast a longing glance down the hall toward my room, but there were orders to be given and plans to be made, so I dragged myself back out to the camp. The high priestess and the tsar had decided it was time to take the fight to Miroslav. We were headed to the capital.

The capital. I'd only be a matter of miles, possibly less, from my wife. It would be over, and I could take her home. We were close, so close to the end. Only a short time, and I could keep her safely chained to me for the rest of our lives.