Page 55 of The Broken Prince

SEVENTEEN

IAN

I smoothed out the scroll and weighed down the edges to read the letter Huntley sent. “Atticus is awake, and Ivory is okay. Her neck will be forever scarred by the siege, and I ask that you not stare when you see her.” I read it out loud for my mother to hear. “Based on what Harlow has described to me, these are the same beings we spotted in the east. The leader came to Delacroix in search of me—but he found Ivory instead.” I paused to read, the weight of the situation suddenly heavy. “He grabbed her by the neck and produced fire, fire that charred her flesh as she dangled there. The only reason she got away was because the vampire intervened. He raised his sword and fought five of them at once so Ivory and Harlow could escape. Then his brothers joined him and effectively saved Delacroix. I’ve spoken to Aurelias in private, and as offensive as his words were, they were also true—that our kingdom would have fallen if he hadn’t been there to save it.” I stopped to look at my mother, who kept her composure but looked ill at the same time. “His brothers have returned to their lands to ask for the armies to come to our defense. It’s not a short journey, so we may not get an answer for a long time. I’ll prepare the Kingdoms for the defense because we have no way to march into their lands and attack with the mountains barring—” I stopped when General Macabre entered the room, dressed in his armor and weapons because he’d been reinstated to his position. If our chances of survival weren’t so dire, I’d be angrier at the sight of him.

He hesitated before he approached, keeping a distance between us and avoiding my gaze.

I started over so he could hear the full letter, and then I continued. “There’s no way to march into their lands and with the mountain barring our path. Our only option is to be ready for the second battle. There’s no doubt we’ll need to embrace the vampires if we have any hope of surviving this war. I’ve accepted Aurelias as an ally and trust his pledge to our cause. I’ll send orders when I have them.” I finished the letter then removed the weights so the scroll would tighten into a roll once more.

None of us spoke. Not for seconds. Not even minutes.

My mother rested her arms over the back of one of the chairs at the dining table. “This is grave news, indeed.”

“Our dragons are useless,” I said quietly. “You can’t fight fire with fire.”

“Unless we use them in a different way,” Mother said.

General Macabre looked out the window. “We’re preparing the battlefield for war. Hidden trenches primed for collapse. Barbed arrows. We would normally use fire as well, but I realize that’s not an option.”

“That’s not enough…” I said it to myself more than the others.

“Then what are your orders, m’lord?” He still wouldn’t look at me.

“We need to identify their weakness. If we don’t, we’re fucked.”

“And how do you suggest we do that—”

“I’ll need to return to their lands and figure it out.”

“Ian,” Mother said. “They’ll be expecting you now.”

I turned to my mother. “You heard what Huntley said. They can produce fire at will. We have no chance. Maybe if we had more soldiers, but I have no idea how big their army is. If we’re outnumbered, I need to know that too.”

“And what will we do if we are?” General Macabre asked.

“Flee.” I stared at the table as I said it, as I felt the anguish of surrender.

Mother hesitated, horrified by what I’d said. “Flee?”

I nodded.

“These are our lands, Ian,” Mother said. “They belong to us and no one else—”

“Mother.” She was the strongest person I knew, but sheer will wouldn’t win this war. “Did you not hear what Huntley said? If the vampires hadn’t been there, Delacroix would have fallen. You know what that means? It means men don’t stand a chance against these demons. It’s not a fair fight, and instead of sending everyone to their deaths, we flee. There’s no shame in that.”

“And go where?” she demanded.

“I don’t know, but the world is a big place—”

“We’ll travel to someone else’s lands and become slaves,” she snapped. “That’s what will happen, Ian. You would do that to your own people?”

I closed my eyes in anguish. “What other option do we have?”

“We fight.”

Now I snapped. “We can’t fight these things. Do you not understand?”

She flinched at my hostility. “The vampires may come—”

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