CHAPTER 1

SLADE

My courtyard is a hectic rush of soldiers.

I exit the castle, slightly out of breath from rushing around in preparation to leave. A couple guards come over to ask me questions, and then I turn my attention forward after they hurry away.

I count three dozen timberwings that stand between Brackhill's castle doors and the sloshing moat. The water reflects a spoiled moon, gone yellow like cream that sat out too long.

All the soldiers are in their fighting leathers and thick winter wear, while the timberwings are paired up and being strapped into their own armor of black leather and metal breastplates to protect their vulnerable chests.

The beasts are antsy, talons digging into the cobblestone, sharp eyes on the sky. The soldiers know the risks, but the animals know the energy, and every single one of them is sensing the nerves, the suspense, the bloodlust.

They always do, when it's time to go to war.

Beside me, chunks of black rock litter the ground like a heap of scattered coal from Queen Kaila's earlier arrival. The black obelisk is now ruined and splintered.

Crumbling. Just like my fucking patience.

I want to leave now. I've hurried to ready myself, to ready my Premiers and my Wrath, and I need to get going.

My mind keeps spinning, gut twisting with this new truth that Lu brought. That the bridge of Lemuria is unbroken. Remade. Connected to the fae realm.

How the fuck did they rebuild the bridge? How does Seventh Kingdom even exist?

When I flew over Seventh years ago, all that was left was a fissured and freezing land of white and gray. No people. No animals. No cities. Just emptiness within the clefts. The only thing that seemed to remain was a lingering echo from the magic that had pierced through it like a shattered mirror.

I remember the wrongness of that echo. It reminded me of the scent that loitered after burnt food had been tossed away. A lingering unpleasantness that didn't let up.

All that was left at the edge of the world was nothing. Nothing at all.

My father—The Breaker—broke that bridge hundreds of years ago, long before I was born. Powerful magic that made him the crown's greatest ally. Made him famous and wealthy.

And now, someone or something took that broken bridge and fixed it .

I don't know if my father is involved or even if he still lives. I don't know who ordered this invasion into Orea, and I don't know the state of the bridge itself.

But none of that matters. All that matters is her .

I now have a way to get to Auren. I've failed to open a rip, failed to fulfill my promise to find her, but now, there's hope.

My rotting heart aches more incessantly. Pulsing in tune with my adrenaline, except instead of a beat, it just thrums, go go go .

Go to the bridge. Go to Annwyn. Go to her.

My hand delves into my pocket, my fingers twisting around Auren's scrap of ribbon.

"I will find you. I will find you in that life. I fucking promise you that. But you have to go. Please, baby."

The memory of my cracked plea haunts me. So does the way she'd said my name. The way she'd looked at me, with pure devastation.

My heart throbs with pain that seems to emanate from two different sides. Left and right, up and down, inside and out.

I can't wait any longer.

Releasing the ribbon, my gaze searches the dark courtyard, the surrounding torches casting off an orange glow through the night. I see Ryatt organizing his handpicked Elites, the profile of his face lit up by the torch flame.

He's motioning toward a pair of timberwings, while a few Elites fix the straps of the harnesses. Between every pair of beasts are the reins of a carrying compartment, woven from thick leather and stiff rope. War panniers. Able to hold soldiers and weapons for the timberwings to carry between them as they fly.

Not the most comfortable way to travel. Also not the quickest since the beasts will be weighed down. But it's a tried-and-true method used for centuries during Orean battles.

Thirty-six riders on thirty-six timberwings—that's eighteen pairs. Per pair, that's five elite soldiers carried in the war panniers. That's one hundred twenty-six soldiers we can fly in with us to try to ready Ranhold for invasion.

One hundred twenty-six. Against thousands of fae.

But our plan is to head straight for Ranhold, to ready Fifth Kingdom's army, and for me to strike the fae with my magic. Meanwhile, our Elites and King Thold's will do everything possible to stop them from advancing.

Give Orea a chance , my brother begged me. So that's what I'm doing.

I reach Ryatt, and when he sees me, he dismisses the soldiers he was talking to.

"How much longer?" I ask as soon as we're alone, very aware of the impatience tingeing my tone.

Ryatt is in full commander leathers, his expression stoic and professional. "I'm still waiting on six more Elites, and the smith should be bringing up the weapons within the next hour. The kitchens are readying the ration packs as well, and King Thold is also preparing—"

A growl scrapes up my throat. "This is taking too long."

He gives me a look of exasperation. "I'm going as fast as I can. I'm trying to get everyone ready for you to leave at first light, but preparation takes time."

"I don't have time," I say, harsher than I mean to. I know my brother is working his ass off to get us everything we need, but even their quickest is too damn slow.

With an impatient glance around the courtyard again, I see how far off we still are from leaving. Some timberwings haven't even been fitted with their saddles yet.

go go go go go

I can't resist this push anymore.

"I'm going ahead."

Ryatt's brows lift in surprise, just as Lu and Judd walk up to join us.

"You're leaving right now?" Lu asks as she stops beside me. There's no missing the tired circles under her eyes.

"I can't wait. I need to move. I can't stand still a fucking second longer."

"I'll go with you," she immediately offers, but I shake my head. She might be too stubborn to admit it, but she needs a few hours of rest before she gets back on a timberwing again. It's been barely five hours since she got here and told us about the fae attacking Highbell.

"No," I tell her. "Go get a few hours of sleep and then leave with the rest of the contingent."

"But—"

"That's an order, Talula."

She scowls at me. "Don't pull that shit with me." Her tone is sharp, but I don't miss the flash of relief in her eyes. She really does need some fucking sleep.

When she looks over and sees that Judd's grinning, she slams her forearm into his stomach, making an oof escape him.

"Hey!" he complains. "I wasn't the one to call you by your whole name! Why'd you hit me?"

"Because of that dumb smile on your face."

"My smile's not dumb," he defends as he rubs his stomach.

Rolling her eyes, she looks back to me. "One of us should go with you."

"You'd only slow me down," I reply. "Argo is the fastest timberwing. If I can travel on my own, I can get to Ranhold quickly without having to wait on anyone. Since Ryatt is staying behind to command the army here, that means I'll need you and Judd to lead the Elites and help King Thold with his group too. They haven't traveled through Fifth often. You two know the quickest path and how to handle the elements. So does Digby." When she still looks dubious, I add, "Besides, you'll only be half a day behind me."

"And once you reach Ranhold?" she asks.

"I'll tell the new King Fulke about the threat and make sure he readies his army. Then I'll drop as much magic as I can against the fae. After that, I'm heading straight for the bridge."

I can see that Lu still doesn't like the idea of me going alone, but she bites back whatever argument she might have. That's how I know how exhausted she really is.

"I'll see you at Ranhold," I tell her. "Now get some sleep, Captain."

"Fine," she relents before turning to Ryatt. "Make sure someone sends for me when it's nearly time to depart."

Judd opens his mouth, but without even looking at him, she points at his face and tells Ryatt, " Not him."

Judd grins again.

Ryatt smirks, shaking his head. "Don't worry, I'll send for you."

Lu nods and then looks back at me. "Be careful," she says, dark brown eyes solemn.

"I will be."

As she walks off, I see her stop and talk to Digby before heading inside. I glance at Judd. "Go let King Thold's guards know to alert him that I'll be flying ahead."

"Will do." He gives me a salute. "See you in the shitty snow kingdom. Next time, let's try to have a war on one of the warmer continents, yeah?"

"Sure," I say dryly.

As I watch Judd lope away, an abrupt pain in my chest makes me grimace, and I press my fingers over my heart. Ryatt's attention narrows on me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I quickly reply, dropping my hand.

"Slade…"

"I just need to go, Ryatt."

His lips press together in a hard line, but he nods. "Okay. I'll get them moving as quickly as possible so they're right behind you."

"I know you will."

My brother walks with me as I head for Argo. He's easily spotted amongst the other beasts because he's larger, and he currently has his bark-colored wings shoved out and his face twisted in a snarl. He's playing a game of dominance, ensuring he has a twenty-foot radius surrounding him, and snapping at any of the other timberwings who dare set even a single talon too close. Still, he's a lot friendlier now than he used to be before he nearly died.

"Territorial beast," I mutter as I stroke him on the side.

He blinks at me unrepentantly. Then he turns his head, and his demeanor changes instantly. Snarl gone, tense form going lax.

I look over to see the little girl, Wynn, skipping up to him. Her sister is right behind her, both of them out of their Second Kingdom religious gray robes and instead wearing colorful dresses.

Wynn tosses her arms around Argo's neck as soon as she reaches him. He bends his head around her in what I think is a timberwing's rendition of a hug, nuzzling into her curly black hair.

When she pulls away, she looks up at me. "Does he have to go to war?" she asks, her big brown eyes teary.

I can't help but feel guilt at her sad tone.

"I'll keep him safe."

She sniffs, and her older sister, Shea, places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Wynn just wanted to say goodbye. She became very attached to Argo while she healed him during our trip here."

Flicking my gaze up to Argo as he nuzzles against her, I smile. "He's obviously become quite attached to her as well."

When I hear Wynn's sad sniff again, I crouch down in front of her and meet her eyes. "Argo has let me be his rider for a very long time," I tell her. "He loves flying, and he's very fast. He's going to be just fine."

"He got hurt with you before," she reminds me, honest accusation in her young face.

Shea's fingers tense. "Wynnie," she reprimands.

I shake my head. "No, your sister is right. He did get hurt with me." I glance back at Wynn. "I give you my word that if things become too dangerous, I will send Argo back." I hold out my hand. "Deal?"

The girl takes my hand and shakes. "Deal."

"Good," I say. "And I also wanted to personally thank you again for healing Rissa."

She squirms a bit, like she's feeling shy. "You're welcome."

Rising back to my feet, I look to Shea. "You've received everything you need?"

"More than. Thank you, Your Majesty," she tells me before looking down at her sister. "Come on, Wynnie, time to go. The king is very busy."

Wynn looks at me. "You'll really make sure he isn't hurt again?"

"I promise."

"Okay," she says with a nod. Then she hugs Argo one more time, and the two sisters walk away, hand in hand.

I glance over at Ryatt, and my brother nods, already knowing what I'm thinking. "Don't worry, Isalee and Warken are making sure they're well taken care of. And don't tell him I told you, but Osrik bought them their own house in the city. A nice one, right on the river. He doesn't want the girl to know it was from him though."

"Doesn't surprise me."

"You know him," Ryatt says. "Os never wants people to know if he's done something nice."

"If he heard you say the word nice in the same sentence as his name, he'd punch you in the gut."

Ryatt smirks. "Probably."

Turning, I start checking over Argo's buckles one more time, ensuring my pack is secured. Then I swing myself up onto the saddle and glance down at my brother. I can see the nervousness in his expression, even though he hides it well. Everyone is nervous. After centuries of fae being gone from this world, this isn't a threat Orea ever expected to face again.

"Keep Argo and yourself safe," he tells me, tone going quieter so no one else around will hear.

"I will. And I'll take out as many of them as I can before I head for the bridge."

"I know you will. Fight fire with fire, and fight fae with fae," he says with a small smirk before his expression grows serious again. "Orea definitely has a chance with you on our side."

"Not just me. Orea has a chance because of you ."

He swallows hard, and guilt hits me again, because I can see how much my words mean to him. I should've been saying these things sooner. Should've given him this position a long time ago. I was so used to being his older brother and protecting him, that I stopped him from being able to step into the role of a protector too.

"Send word as soon as you get to Ranhold."

"I will," I reply.

If we need to mobilize Fourth's army, he'll be ready.

There are so many other unsaid things between us, but there's no time. Instead, we share a drawn-out look, and then I give him a nod. "Lead well, Commander."

He bows at the waist. "I'll protect Fourth with my life."

That's what I'm afraid of.

"You'll find Auren and our mother," he says, not an inch of doubt in his voice, because he knows I won't settle for anything else. "Be careful," he murmurs.

"You too, brother."

My grip tightens on the reins, and my chest tugs with both emotion and pain.

But the pull to get to Auren tugs harder.

go go go go

With one last nod to Ryatt, I nudge Argo with my heel, and he lifts us into the night sky. The other timberwings on the ground screech at our departure, envious that we're on the move.

My pulse jumps—leaps—because finally , I'm on my way. Finally, I'm heading toward her. And although pain throbs in my chest and I can feel my veins pulsing with poison, I ignore it. Because I'm going to her, and nothing, not even this rotting fucking heart in my chest, is going to stop me.