Page 85 of Feathers and Thorns

He was back a few moments later with one of the washbasins and a couple of cloths.

He took his time cleaning her off, the cool water sending tingles across her overly sensitized skin. Once she was clean, he folded her dirty clothes, setting them aside, and passed her a fresh tunic from his own bag.

Her lip quirked upward.

“I like it when you wear my clothes,” he mumbled as he removed his trousers to clean the rest of himself.

Soren just smiled as she shrugged the black shirt over her head, enjoying the way it smelled like him.

Rook donned a fresh set of undergarments then joined her below the blanket, wrapping her up in his arms. Her face was pressed against his chest, and his head rested atop hers.

“Get some sleep, little bird.”

“Do you think anyone heard us?” she asked, slightly embarrassed.

“I hope they did.”

“What?” she asked, incredulous. “You’re the one who told me to keep quiet.”

“That’s just because I like telling you what to do.”

“Bastard,” she grumbled against his chest.

“Admit it, you love me,” he said before he could stop himself.

“I—”

“You don’t need to say it, Soren,” he cut her off. “I already know. Now, go to sleep.”

“Sweet dreams, Rook.”

“Sweet dreams, little bird.”

The training grounds were a cacophony of sound and movement. Now that everyone had been assigned to their battalions, things were moving a lot smoother. All groups continued to do thirty minutes of instruction in each other section to ensure they were well-rounded, and the second half of the day was dedicated to specialized training.

Jai had to admit that everyone seemed to be in decent spirits. It helped that more soldiers from the outlying provinces had started to arrive, along with some other civilians, ready to fight. The untrained went through a condensed version of the gauntlet and were sorted into their battalions like everyone else.

“Brisk morning,” King Elias observed as he joined Jai overlooking the main training area. Groups of soldiers marched and sparred in the empty field. The sound of metal clashing on metal rang out, breaking through the cool morning air. It was nearing the end of the autumn tide; winter would blanket these lands soon. If it weren’t for the constant physical exertion, the cold would have seeped deep into their bones days ago. Even so, Erick had requested Irefeld’s matriarchs to weave some heavier blankets, hats, and gloves to have on hand in case winter decided to rear its ugly head early. The last thing they needed was to lose able-bodied fighters to frostbite.

“Indeed,” Jai agreed. “Your men seem to be faring better.”

The king chuckled. “You should have witnessed them when we crossed the border. There was not a leaf nor branch unmarred by their stomach contents.”

Jai allowed himself a laugh at the Braexian’s expense. Braexmirth’s soldiers were used to living high up in the mountains where the air was thin, so coming to Stelonbriar had forced them down to ocean level. The result was high altitude de-acclimation syndrome. The Braexians just called it “the drop.”

“How many do we have?” the king asked, his gaze panning over the large expanse of farmland. Jai knew that he was, of course, referring to how many lives they would be risking in the coming weeks.

“Just over four thousand.”

“Will it be enough?” he asked.

“It will have to be.”

* * *

Enara waved off a cloud of smoke and shook her head at Baz. “Did you even listen to the instructions Ikei gave us?” She rolled her eyes and beckoned him to come closer so she could wipe the black residue off his face. The twins had taken all the group leaders aside to show them how to use the smoke bombs their brothers had delivered from Braexmirth. The small onyx orbs looked harmless, but when thrown with enough force, the chemical reaction of the powders inside caused a powerful explosion.

Baz looked at the twelve-inch-wide crater in the ground at his feet then gave Enara a sheepish look. “It was an honest mistake!”

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