13. Aries

13

ARIES

T he next few days are filled with bouts in the training ring, strategy sessions, and reviewing reports from the front lines. I don't even have a chance to corner my mother to ask her about the blight she's been fending off alone all this time. So far, no one else has reported signs of it, and I can only hope whatever threat it harbors is one that can wait—at least until after we deal with the orc army.

At night, Leo and I patrol the skies, checking the horde's progress through the mountains and looking for weak spots in their lines.

They're a hell of a lot closer than they were yesterday, Leo says when we finally spot their camp many miles from where it was last night.

Too close, I snarl back at him.

My mood has deteriorated these last few days, thanks to a grueling schedule and little time with Paige. She's gone nearly as long as I am each day, rising early and hurrying off alone to wander the grounds. At night, when we both return to bed, exhaustion is etched into her beautiful face. She won't offer details of her activities, and I've resisted the urge to pry. At least, the guilt and sorrow have lifted. In its place is an unyielding determination. A strength that's bone-deep and unmoving in the face of this war.

It's that strength I cling to now, especially as I note how much progress the horde has made into our lands.

They'll be in Misthaven by end of week, Leo says grimly.

I don't answer, but we both know what that means. The front lines we thought would hold them back have failed.

We fly onward, and soon enough, my fears are confirmed. The evidence of a bloody battle lies scattered in the small valley below. Even from way up here, I can see there are no survivors.

My stomach churns, and my dragon's belly burns with rage for the lives lost here today. I turn sharply, doubling back for the horde's camp.

Whoa, brother, what are you doing? Leo calls from behind me.

Soaring within range of the orc camp, I scan the ground for any scouts who might have spotted us already. But no one calls out as the rest of the camp sleeps.

It's time to fight with fire, I tell him.

He doesn't argue or even ask what I mean. We both know it's time to let them see what Astronia's royal dragons can do.

We torch six of their transport carts before they rally and begin firing back at us, screaming their outrage into the night.

They rally quickly.

Gunpowder laces the air as bullets whizz past dangerously close to our wings. Leo's close on my heels as we retreat, and I breathe a sigh once I know he's escaped unharmed. The damage we caused the orcs tonight isn't nearly enough to stop them, but hopefully, it'll slow them down.

We're out of time to train and prepare.

The enemy is nearly on our doorstep, and if we don't go out to meet it, we'll only delay the inevitable. Ready or not, the Astronian army must fight.

The next morning, I call a meeting in the council's chambers. My captains arrive first. Then Blossom and Mag. Leo escorts Paige and my mother from where they apparently had breakfast together. Bingo trails behind them all.

Paige comes up beside me, squeezing my hand.

I haven't told her about what happened last night. Partly out of a wish to spare her but mostly because there hasn't been time. I spent the night sending the appropriate requests to the council for permission to march with the army. Their approval has yet to arrive, but there's no time to waste while they play their stupid power games.

I'm moving forward with or without their response.

"Hey, you okay?" Paige asks quietly while everyone takes their seats.

"I'm fine," I assure her though the words are empty and we both know it.

She doesn't press for more, though, and I'm about to call the meeting to order when two more guests arrive. Myantha and Thorne pause in the doorway as every eye turns toward them. I tense as the two council members scan the faces present until they land on me.

"This is a closed meeting for the army," I tell them. "We're simply using the space."

"As is your right as general," Thorne says, managing to sound both deferential and dickish as he comes forward.

"And we're sitting in to observe," Myantha adds, pulling out a chair at the far end of the table. "As is our right as council."

My mother and Leo exchange a glance. Neither of them protests the intrusion though I know they want to.

"Does this mean you've made your decision?" I ask, hating the fact that those words must leave my mouth at all.

"The army is yours to command," Thorne says, irritation flashing in his eyes. "The decision to march lies with you."

His words are gracious enough on the surface, but I know better than to relax just yet. They wouldn't have come without an agenda.

"Does that decision-making extend to whom I allow in my meetings?" I ask.

Thorne smiles. "It does. Though I wonder why you wouldn't want a witness to be present for a strategy session that could so easily be misquoted against you later."

"Who would—" I bite back a snarl as understanding dawns.

Esma.

Then again, it could just as easily be Thorne himself at this point.

I glance at Myantha, who meets my gaze steadily before offering a slight dip of her chin. I can only hope that gesture means she's a true ally here and not someone who would backstab me for my crown when the moment arrives.

"In that case, let's begin," I say, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand.

The sooner I win this war, the sooner I can regain my throne. First order as king—exile the traitorous council members.

With a furious nod at Leo, I step back as he pushes to his feet and points to the map in the center of the table.

"This map reflects the horde's updated location," Leo begins.

All eyes turn to the map and the carefully placed miniatures that represent the orcs.

"Wait. That's on this side of the mountain range," my mother says.

I nod. "Yes. They've broken through our lines and made it across the valley."

"They're dangerously close to Misthaven," Myantha says, concern lacing her words.

"Within a day's march," Leo says grimly. "Aries and I did what we could to slow them down."

"Whoa. Hang on. What did you do?" Paige asks.

"We torched some of their ammunition carts," I say without looking over at her.

"And I'm guessing, to do that, you had to get within range of their retaliation," she says flatly.

I glance over to see her glaring at me with arms crossed. Damn. I knew this was coming. "We were careful?—"

"Did you inform anyone that you were launching an air strike?" she presses.

The room is utterly silent.

"We had to slow them down to give us time to reach the village before they did," I tell her quietly.

She huffs but doesn't argue. I exhale, relieved it wasn't worse. Through the mate bond, I send silent reassurance. It's met with grudging acceptance, and I have to bite back a smile at that.

Finally, I look back at Leo just in time to see him smother a grin before he goes back to the map.

"As you can see," he says, "the horde is far too close to Misthaven, which is a valuable stronghold for us."

"Are there civilians in that village?" Blossom asks.

"Great question." Leo swings his gaze to Myantha and Thorne. "I think the council has been handling those matters until recently."

Thorne meets my brother's stare coldly. "Yes," he answers. "At last report, there are still civilians in Misthaven."

"You haven't evacuated?" Paige asks sharply.

Thorne turns to her, his assessing sweep meant as an obvious insult. "Not to my knowledge."

"Why not?" Paige demands.

Thorne clears his throat. "I'm not sure you're cleared for that kind of classified information."

I start to respond, but Paige cuts me off. "Last I checked, I was the only one of us who Aries actually invited to this meeting. So, you tell me who's cleared."

The silence from earlier is nothing compared to the stillness that follows her retort. Thorne's face flushes. It might have been funny watching him get put in his place by another, but considering he holds all the cards to my future, I don't laugh.

"Evacuating civilians or sending extra soldiers in to protect them would only signal to the horde that this location is significant to us. We can't afford for them to find our weapons cache."

"You prioritize weapons over your people's lives?" Paige doesn't wait for an answer before she adds, "We need to send word to evacuate the civilians. Now."

Her words elicit murmurings of agreement from the captains, and my chest swells with pride at the way she's so deftly taken charge.

Leo clears his throat. He gives Paige a slight nod, and she exhales before he goes on, "As much as it pains me to say this, Thorne's not completely wrong. The blacksmith in Misthaven is our most valuable forge. Nearly half our army's weapons are made there."

"Why aren't we already protecting it better if it's so important?" Paige asks.

Leo snorts. "Good question."

Again, he tosses a pointed look at Thorne and Myantha.

Thorne looks ready to explode, but Myantha answers calmly and almost friendly compared to Thorne's dismissal of my mate's questions. "The forge is a well-kept secret," Myantha tells her. "Our best strategy has always been to make sure no one else knows of its existence or its value to us."

"So, they aren't targeting it on purpose then?" Blossom asks.

"No," Myantha says. "But once they realize what's there, I'm sure they'll waste no time either destroying it or taking it for their own."

"Orcs can't use our weapons," Thorne snorts. "Their arm span is way too short for our swords."

"Maybe not, but they can use the forge to make their own," I say.

Thorne looks pissed enough at my argument, but we both know I'm right.

"The fact is, if the horde takes Misthaven, we'll be in a tenuous position," Leo intervenes.

"And if we defeat them," Mag says, looking between Leo and myself. "Could it turn the tide in our favor?"

Leo and I share a look. "We'd have to decimate their forces and destroy their siege weapons," my brother says. "That's a lot to ask from one battle."

"I've done more with less," Mag says with a confident shrug.

Maybe it's his careless confidence or the reminder of our hunts together and the things we faced in those worlds, but an idea I've been toying with suddenly strikes me as possible.

I lean forward, focusing on the skilled fighters assembled before me. "The forge isn't the only significant location here. You're forgetting about the valley."

"What valley?" Mag asks.

"Here." Leo points to the section of flat green space just before the village.

"Why is a valley significant?" Mag asks, studying it shrewdly.

"Since this map was made, there have been multiple landslides in that area, shrinking the valley to a narrow passage. The orcs will be forced to slow down to pass through."

"A bottleneck," Mag says, slowly nodding.

"We could be waiting for them," Blossom says, eyes gleaming as she studies the map. "Ambush and trap them."

"Precisely." I glance from Mag and Blossom to Paige. "But we'll be dealing with their … siege weapons up close."

"I think I can help with that," Paige says.

I look over at her in pleasant surprise. "You've made progress on our birdhouse idea?"

But Thorne's voice slices through the tension like a blade. "Is this what we're reduced to?" His tone is sharp, laced with contempt. "Relying on outsiders and their… tricks to save a kingdom that has stood on its own for centuries?"

Paige's eyes narrow, and she steps forward, holding Thorne's gaze without a hint of hesitation. "My ‘tricks' have kept me and my friends alive through some pretty dark shit. You don't have to like it, but you will respect it."

Thorne's lip curls, but Paige doesn't back down. Instead, she holds his gaze steadily, her voice low and measured. "I've seen what happens when arrogance leads the charge. It gets people killed. So don't expect me to stand by and watch you throw away the lives of everyone in this kingdom because you can't admit when you're wrong."

For a moment, the tension between them crackles like a live wire. Thorne's gaze hardens, his jaw clenched. The room feels like it's holding its breath, waiting for one of them to break.

Finally, Thorne answers, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "I'll send a message to Misthaven for civilian evacuation. But make no mistake, girl—if this fails, if your magic can't help win this war, Aries' crown will be lost. And when that happens, there won't be a throne left for you to cozy up to."

Paige doesn't flinch. Her gaze remains locked on Thorne, and there's a quiet strength in her voice when she responds. "If we fail, it won't matter who sits on the throne. Astronia will fall. But if we succeed, it'll be because we all did our part. Even you."

Thorne's eyes flicker with something—maybe respect, maybe anger—before he turns away, dismissing the conversation with a sharp gesture. "Then we have our strategy," he says. "Let's hope you're not marching to your doom."

I wrap up the meeting with orders for each unit leader.

The room begins to stir as the others murmur amongst themselves, preparing to act on the plan. But the weight of Thorne's words lingers, a stark reminder that failure isn't just an option—it's the end.

I glance at Paige, who meets my eyes with a look that's all business. In this moment, I appreciate whatever inner strength she's found that allows her to stand so sure and firm in the face of doubt.

It's more than a royal skill she's mastered; it's exactly what I need to bolster my own belief. But the specter of Thorne's warning hangs over me like a shadow: If I lose this battle, I lose everything.

What good is a crown without a kingdom to serve?