Page 387 of Born of Blood and Ash

“And will come with weapons,” Rhaharadded, glancing at Attes and Kars. “Everyone needs toremember they have a nasty bite.”

My head jerked up in surprise.

“The ceeren’s teeth are sharp asdaggers and can take out chunks of flesh, scaled or not,” Saion explained,catching my stare before the vadentia couldanswer. “And I do mean all their teeth. They can also partially shift.So, even in their mortal forms, you’ll want to keep all body parts away fromtheir mouths.”

My lip curled. I didn’t remember seeing anything like thatwhen I was with them.

“Kolis has to know we have been in the Bonelands,but I want you to move our ships farther out either way, where the Primal mistwill cloak them,” Ash said to Theon, eyeing the map with a thoughtfulexpression. “Aren’t there caves along that shore?”

“There are,” Theon answered. “And beneath the Temple, too.”

“Perfect,” Ash mused. He, Attes,and the twins had been doing most of the strategizing. I was doing a lot oflistening. This wasn’t my wheelhouse, and I wasn’t familiar with the landscape.“Kolis will expect us to have backup, but I want our numbers hidden as much aspossible.”

“He’ll either attack before he arrives or…” Attes said. “He may hold off if he thinks attacking willjeopardize him getting The Star.” His lashes lifted. “But the moment herealizes you don’t have it, he will come hard.”

My stomach dipped, but I wasn’t worried about that nugget offear or embarrassed by it. Anyone with a head on their shoulders would feelthat upon hearing that the true Primal of Death would go all out. And fearwasn’t necessarily bad as long as one harnessed it wisely.

“We need an archery regiment in those caves.” Ash brushed ashorter strand of his hair back from his face. “I want them there, knowing themoment the ceeren shift, they should let loose withthe arrows, whether Kolis has arrived, attacked, or not.”

“Phanos’s ships will be carryinggods who don’t have fins,” Lailah pointed out. She had awakened sometime in themiddle of the night, looking the same except for the brand-new Primal eyes.“That’s why he’ll come into the bay.”

Attes glanced at Ash. A momentpassed, and Ash nodded for him to go ahead. “We want to stop as many of hisforces from getting on land as possible.” His gaze found Nektas.“You’ll be staying close to your Queen.”

I rolled my eyes.

“And King,” he continued. “But we want a quadrant of draken on those cliffs.”

“Can do.” Nektas drew his thumbover his chin. “When the ships are sighted, you want them lit up?”

“Yes,” Ash answered without hesitation.

I shifted in my seat, uneasy with the knowledge that thoseships would be packed like sardines and also that I wasn’t all thatuncomfortable with the plan. Considering what I was, I kind of felt like Ishould be.

Oh, well.

I removed my hand from my stomach and propped my elbows onthe table. “I doubt Kolis will put all his forces on those ships or in any onearea.”

“It would be really nice of him if he did.” Lailah sat back,twisting a braid between her fingers.

Attes smirked. “The Bonelands’ eastern mountains border Dalos,”he said, referencing the mountains that’d once been the prisons. “And I knowdamn well that…Kyn would’ve put regiments there.” He cleared his throat. “We’vehad eyes on the Bonelands’ side, but there was no wayto monitor movement into the mountains without being seen.”

“So, you think Kolis has regiments there already?” I asked.

“It’s what I would’ve instructed him to do.” He picked uphis glass. “So, Kyn would have told him the same if discussions of the Bonelands arose.”

“They did while I was there,” I said. “With that in mind, Ithink it’s safe to assume he may have shared strategy plans with him.”

Attes took a drink. “Kyn would’vemoved them through the mountains and into the Bonelandswhen the decision was made to meet there. And he would’ve done so on foot. Itwill be faster than attempting it on horseback.”

My gaze shot to Ash’s. “That means Kolis can be doing thatright now.”

“We have forces closer,” Ash reminded me. “Theon has beenstationed not too far from there.”

“Below the Temple is an open area, bordered by the cliffs onone side and the forest on the other.” Theon circled his finger over an area ofthe map near the Temple. “I would suggest,” he said with a heavy sigh,“creating a first line of defense by moving the forces already there to theeastern forest. They can be there in an hour. It’s dense and dark. Enough thatour soldiers would be hidden. A second line could be in the caves. The thirdline, near you and Sera. The trees are thickest there, so the strongest shouldbe up there.”

Ash’s jaw tightened. “And because of how dense the easternwoods are, Kolis’s regiments will also be well hidden as they move westward.Those in that first line will get hit the hardest and suffer the mostcasualties.”

Theon inhaled deeply. “I know, but they are the closest, andwe need to secure that open field to limit access to the Temple.”

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