Page 92 of Feathers and Thorns

“Two days,” he choked out. His resolve was slipping, and tears welled in his eyes. “I have to tell them all we have two days until they are upon us.”

Adaryn didn’t ask questions. She just dried her hands and held him tightly until he replaced his anguish with the stoic mask of a king.

“Two years or two days, we will make the time worth while,” she said softly, running her fingers through the dark waves of his hair.

“I have to go,” he said, nuzzling the skin at her neck.

“I know,” she replied.

He took one last moment to drink her in. She smelled of grass and honeysuckle, and it comforted him. She felt like home. A home that he prayed to the Maker that they would eventually return to.

He pressed his lips to hers then walked out of the tent.

He allowed himself a breath as he approached the platform, the king and Erick by his side. He was unsure how he had ended up the leader of this war, maybe because he had the majority of the troops, but the responsibility of it all weighed heavily on his heart.

The crowd hushed, and he could see the false hope in their eyes. He wished he had good news for them. He wished he could send them all home to their families to rebuild in peace, but now was not the time for peace. War was upon them, and their days were numbered.

The words that came next broke his heart, but he had to say them; they had to know what was to come.

“We have been preparing these last few weeks to fight our enemies. I have watched over all of you as you learned new skills and accepted each other with open arms. I am happy to call you all brothers and sisters.” He paused to gather himself.

“As your section leaders have been made aware, we received correspondence from a resistance deep within Xian-Dao. You may not know this, but our melee weapons trainer, Baztien Greymark, his parents were part of this resistance. Now, many years later, they still come to our aid. They have informed us that Bao-Ren’s forces are on their way here this very moment. We were expecting the troops from Anistera to regroup at the end of the week, but our enemies will now be upon us the day after next.”

He waited for the uproar. He waited for shouts of discontent, for screams and cries of upset soldiers, complaints that their final days were to be taken from them. Instead, he was met with silent resolve. This was what they had been training for, and their response told him everything he needed to know. They were ready, and they would not go down without a fight.

He gave Duke Erick and King Elias a quick glance before moving on. “For those of you who wish to touch up on certain aspects of your training, speak to the section leaders, and they will accommodate you. Otherwise, I suggest you all take the next day and a half to rest and write to your loved ones. Eat and drink to your heart’s content and cherish those around you. Think not of the bloodshed to come but of love, and life, and family. May the Maker be with you all.”

The entire army cheered as he finished his speech. Their energy was palpable, and he couldn’t help but smile. His heart knew he might never see many of their faces again, but he took the moment to enjoy the comradery.

As he followed Erick toward the war tent, King Elias placed a large hand on his back and boomed, “Come on, lad; you look like you could use a drink.”

“You know what,” Jai replied. “I think you’re right.”

Soren untangled herself from Rook’s grasp and chugged water from the canteen on their nightstand. Her cheeks warmed as she looked at the oil lamp and stretched her sore body. She was naked, apart from Rook’s short-sleeved shirt, which hung to the middle of her thighs.

She padded over to her ruck and changed into her training gear, deciding to sweat off her hangover. Then she trudged across the burned ground and tried not to let the smell make her dry heave. She had grown accustomed to it, as they all had over the course of their training, but her resolve had been weakened from the previous evening’s libations. Her stomach did a little flip, and she took short breaths in through her mouth to avoid getting sick.

As she approached the training area, she noticed a few people hard at work. She guessed they, like her, had frayed nerves and couldn’t sleep.

A voice from behind startled her, and she nearly tripped over a nearby sparring dummy.

“Hey, lady. How did you sleep?” Enara looked like she had been out here for hours, a bead of sweat running down her temple.

“I didn’t,” Soren replied honestly.

“I figured,” Enara said, sighing. “Me, neither.”

“I’m guessing Baz is still out?” Soren asked.

Enara chuckled. “Yeah, but I don’t mind. I needed to clear my head.”

“Same,” Soren said. “I’ve missed you. I feel like we haven’t talked since training started.” She picked her fingernails as she continued, “I mean, I know I see you at mealtimes and stuff, but … I guess … I dunno. I miss just hanging out.”

Enara hugged her hard, and Soren could feel the heat radiating off her body. “I miss you, too, lady. How about this? Why don’t we train together this morning and have a girls-only afternoon?”

“Yeah,” Soren replied somberly. “I would like that.”

“Besides,” Enara went on, “you smell like the floorboards of a tavern. We gotta get the rest of that alcohol out of your system.”

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