10. Paige

10

PAIGE

E ven after Esma is gone, adrenaline still courses through me. It's true, I'm not a shifter, nor am I a citizen of this country. What right do I have to stand up to her? Every time I'm tempted to second-guess my behavior, I remember how the soldiers backed me up. I can't be sure, but I have the distinct feeling that I could have ordered them to haul her to the dungeon, and they would have done it.

I'm not sure how I feel about having that kind of authority.

Or loyalty.

I'm not sure I've done enough to earn it.

But there's no time to dwell on it. Not after the news Leo dropped on us during that meeting. The blight changes things, reminds us all how urgent it is that we face what's coming. What's already here.

Aries announces the soldiers should gather around for their new assignments. I look around as the men begin to form lines—almost as if they all know exactly where to go… except me.

When I move to get out of the way, Blossom catches my arm. "Hey, aren't you staying for this?"

"I don't know. Are we invited?"

Her brow arches. "You're the future queen, remember? This is your house. You're invited everywhere."

She has a point, but I hesitate. "I don't know."

Aries walks up, slipping his arm around my waist and talking low in my ear. "Blossom is right. You should stay. Let them see you stand beside me."

There's a depth in his gaze that goes far beyond a moment with his army. My heart squeezes at the meaning. "How can I say no to that?"

"You can't," Blossom says lightly. "Where do you want us?" she adds, motioning to her and Mag.

Aries instructs, them and they move to take their positions. When they're gone, I look at Aries. "You're not mad?"

"About what?"

"The way I spoke to Esma..."

He snorts. "Are you kidding? I've never been more proud."

"Really?"

"Really." He leans in and whispers, "And turned on."

I shudder as he presses a quick kiss to my neck. The signal coming through the bond is enough to make me feel exposed, standing in front of all these people and thinking about Aries naked.

He laughs like he knows exactly what I'm thinking. Then he takes my hand and leads me to the center of the arena before turning us to face the crowd.

Aries' voice is clear and confident as he addresses his men. There's no hint of the worry I felt from him earlier when Leo told us about the blight. Or the guns the orcs have. "I stand before you, having returned from a foreign world where I battled a great threat on behalf of its people. I also found my mate in that world. A powerful, kind, capable female with the power to conjure and create worlds at her fingertips, and has brought us both home to Astronia where we will now fight alongside you to battle the threat to our survival here."

My cheeks heat as everyone turns to stare at me. But I keep my head held high for Aries' sake. Blossom catches my eye and winks. I exhale, relaxing a bit as I focus on my friends.

"The orcs think we are weaker without a mated pair on the throne, but they are wrong," Aries goes on.

"They're doing a pretty good fucking job for being so wrong," someone mutters.

Everyone tenses as they wait to see what Aries will do with the outburst. But Aries nods. "They used the element of surprise and our own disorganization against us. But no more!"

His voice booms the last three words, and the crowd quiets.

"You are Astronia's strongest, bravest, deadliest defenders. I have seen their numbers and their weapons. We will beat them, I have no doubt of that. But we must unite. To remember who and what we're defending. We are Astronians. We do not give up, and we do not accept defeat. This land has belonged to us since the goddess entrusted it to our care. We will not fail her. We will not fail our people. I am Aries Nemos, son of dragons!"

He raises his sword, and the crowd cheers.

The energy is a buzzing along my skin, a taste on the air, and I breathe it in, inspired by the faces looking back at us with so much trust and loyalty. It's kind of incredible standing up here like this. My blood pumps with the surge of their enthusiasm.

When they quiet again, Aries explains the guns he saw. Siege weapons, he calls them. The men's expressions turn grim—and deadly. He doesn't mention that he knows they came from my world. I'm glad for that. It's smarter that we focus on the orcs and the threat at hand without bringing Constantine into it.

Still, my mind wanders as Aries talks.

Between the orc's arsenal and the blight slowly draining the land, it's going to take a hell of a lot more than battle axes and blades to win this war.

It's going to take magic.

I can't deny the thought that whispers through my mind. Or the fact that there's only one magic user standing in their midst. But I have no idea how to use what's in me against something like this. And I'm running out of time to learn.

Aries goes on to outline a grueling training schedule that will begin effective immediately. From now until we march for the front lines, everyone will be expected to train every spare moment. Despite the relentless expectation, I can't help but feel a little jealous that every warrior here already knows where they fit into the larger plan.

Even Mag and Blossom nod with matching expressions of anticipation like they can't wait to get started. I'm grateful they're here with us, but I also can't help worrying about how many of these faces will not make it home again when this is all over.

When the meeting ends, Aries squeezes my hand as the soldiers break off into groups. The ones in the fancier uniforms head for a small outbuilding nearby, Leo along with them. A few of the men in the group look back at Aries expectantly.

"How'd I do?" he asks me, ignoring them.

"You nailed it, Your Highness," I tease.

He smiles, his eyes sparking with an aliveness that wasn't there during our time in the library. "Thanks. I wasn't sure how they'd receive me back after the way the council rejected me."

"These men are not the council," I say. "It's pretty obvious they trust you and are willing to fight beside you."

He glances back at the men waiting on him. "I need to meet with the unit leaders. Do you want to come or…?"

He hesitates, clearly willing to let me join him if I want to. But I shake my head. "I'm going to see where else I can be of use."

"Okay." He brushes a thumb down my cheek. "I'll find you when I'm done."

I watch him walk off to join his men, who all shake his hand and clap him on the back in warm greetings. It warms my heart to watch him with his people.

Finally, I turn back to look for the others and see Mag and Blossom standing among a group of soldiers. They're each being given swords and ushered toward the other fighters who are breaking into partners for sparring.

Turning away, I scan for other familiar faces. I haven't seen the gnomes in hours now and can only hope they're not getting into trouble wherever they are. Bingo is nowhere in sight.

On my own, I walk out of the training area and head for the path back to the gardens. The clang of weapons rings out behind me, and it only makes me more determined to work on my skills.

They have their weapons training; I have mine.

Except that I have no idea where to begin.

The only thing I know about my magic is that it can re-create what was once destroyed. How that can possibly help fight a war is beyond me.

I rub a hand down my face and kick a rock. It rolls until it bumps the trunk of a tree just off the path that is clearly dying a slow death—and looks to be just about there.

Hmm.

I walk up and stand before the ancient tree, its twisted branches hanging limp like the last breath was sucked out of it centuries ago. The bark is cracked and brittle, flaking off in patches. If my magic can do anything, I want to believe it can bring life back to something that's already lost its fight. If I can restore this tree, maybe I can heal the land too. Maybe even help in the war somehow.

I crouch down and press my fingers against the rough bark, feeling the dryness, the absence of life.

"I can do this," I whisper, trying to convince myself.

Closing my eyes, I concentrate, pushing my magic out, letting it feel its way through the dead wood, down to the roots, into every inch of what the tree used to be. I picture it alive again, its branches heavy with leaves, reaching high toward the sky. I can almost hear the rustling of wind through its restored leaves. I imagine it pulling water from the soil, thriving again.

But something cracks.

My eyes snap open just in time to see one of the larger branches splinter off and crash to the ground with a hollow thud.

"Ugh," I groan, stepping back.

The tree looks even worse now—if that's possible. Still lifeless, and now, missing a limb. Frustration burns in my chest. This isn't how it's supposed to go. Maybe I'm not ready for something this big. Maybe I'm rushing things?—

"Focus," I mutter, forcing myself to try again. "You've got this."

This time, I reach deeper, calling on more of the magic inside me. I feel it pulsing through my veins, stronger now. I push it into the tree, demanding it respond. Come on, come back to life , I urge it. For a moment, I feel something shift, like the tree is starting to listen. I pour more magic into it, my heart racing as the wood begins to respond, the fibers realigning.

Then the ground starts to rumble.

Slowly, the tree begins to move—but not in the way I imagined. The bark ripples, almost like it's alive, then starts to crack. Thin, green tendrils sprout—not from the branches but from the roots. I stumble back as the dead trunk groans and bends unnaturally, like it's trying to free itself from the ground.

I take a step back.

Then another.

The roots, long dormant, now writhe like snakes, slithering across the garden floor. I watch, horrified, as the tree twists into something grotesque, its roots creeping outward, tangling through the dirt.

"Stop!" I throw my hands up, trying to pull back the magic, but it's too late. The transformation is already complete.

The tree—if you can even call it a tree anymore—stands crooked and deformed. Its once-majestic trunk has become a gnarled mass of twisted wood, the roots sprawling out like some kind of creeping weed.

I stare, heart pounding.

This is not what I meant to do.

Swallowing hard, I step closer to the mess I've made. The tree isn't dead anymore, but it's not alive in any meaningful way either. It's something else. Something wrong. More like a shadow of life contorted into a shape that shouldn't exist.

I kneel, running my hand over one of the twisted roots. How can I use this against the orcs? How can I heal the land with magic that does... this?

I stand, brushing dirt from my hands, staring at the warped tree.

Turning away, frustration boils inside me. Maybe my magic isn't as useful as I thought. Or maybe it's just me. Either way, this mess won't help anyone.

"Hey," a voice says behind me so close that I let out a shriek as I whirl.

Aries offers a lopsided smile. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

I scowl. "It's fine. I was just… Never mind."

"Just practicing destroying our enemies?" he asks easily.

The easy way he phrases it has me scrunching my face. "Not quite. That tree isn't going to be battling in our name anytime soon."

"I wasn't talking about the tree."

"What are you…?"

His brow lifts as he nods at the wooden shards near my foot. "What did my childhood birdhouse ever do to you?"

Some of the wood is painted in bright blues and reds. Beyond that, it's no longer recognizable. Shit. I hadn't even noticed it among the mass of branches. "You built that thing?"

"Gave it to my mother for her birthday when I was ten."

"You're kidding. Oh crap, your mom is going to hate me."

He takes one look at my horrified expression and laughs. "Relax. She'll understand—and that's if she even notices it's gone."

He's probably right, but I'm not about to find out. I don't answer him, instead putting all my energy into sending my magic out to the pieces of wood lying in the grass at my feet. My magic is already coursing through me, on its way to recreate the birdhouse, when I say, "How about we don't give her that chance?"

"I have a better idea," he says, stepping closer. "Why don't we talk about what it would take to make birdhouses out of our enemies?"