Page 272 of Lady of Starfire

“The Eternal Necropolis is surrounded by seraphs,” Rayner reported, slumping onto the ground. The Ash Rider’s grey eyes were hardly moving, and even Callan knew his power was about tapped out.

“I should not have stayed away so long,” Nuri said, arms crossed where she leaned against a tree. “I would have been able to warn you.”

“No,” Scarlett said. “This is not your fault. This is… Well, it is no one’s fault. He’s had us running and running, scrambling to stay ahead of him. We should have seen this coming.”

Callan studied the Wraiths and the Fae scattered around him among the carnage of Scarlett and her power. She and the other World Walkers had left nothing of the enemy forces. He hadn’t been surprised to learn the magic she now possessed was called Chaos. It encompassed everything the High Queen was.

But she had come.

She had come for him.

After all they had been through together. After all the love and the hate. The pain and grief. She had still come for him.

Just like she had always promised.

“He is trying to do something with the mirror gate,” Scarlett said, chewing on some food someone had scrounged up for them. “I can feel him doing…something.” Her brow pinched in confusion, and Juliette took the opportunity to reach over and snatch a piece of meat. Scarlett nearly upended her entire plate trying to grab it back.

“Gods,” Azrael muttered. “There is plenty of food, and we can get more.”

Someone had gone to get Talwyn, and she was sitting close to Azrael, leaning against him. The former Fae Queen looked exhausted yet content, her cool jade eyes surveying them all. Callan had been told so much information in the last two hours, he was still trying to sift through it all. But more than any of that he was waiting for—

“Ezra,” Drake said, pushing to his feet when the guard appeared. He was as bloody as the rest of them, but he’d gone back to Baylorin to see what news he could find out about the state of the capital and Tava.

“The city itself is untouched,” Ezra said. “There were a small number of forces left behind to guard the castle, but…” His pale blue eyes went to Callan. “They took her with them. Balam refused to leave her behind.”

“Them?” Callan demanded.

“All the Maraans are with Alaric,” Ezra answered. “And Tava is with them.”

“Alaric just lost over half his forces,” Eliza said from where she sat on the ground next to Razik.

“Half of hisknownforces,” Cyrus said. “Where the hell has he been hiding all these flying fuckers?”

“Roderick had secret bases all over the mortal lands,” Nuri said. “Deep in the Xylon and Dresden Forests. More than that, they have an entire network of bases underground. But from what I have been told by Mordecai, what was done here today was more than half his forces.”

“Rydeon and Toreall are vulnerable right now if their Maraan Lord is at the Necropolis,” Briar said. “So is my Court. We could easily go in and take them back with their forces spread so thin now.”

“But none of that will matter if Alaric succeeds at whatever he’s trying to do,” Sorin countered. “None of that will matter if the Maraans still remain. We need to figure out how to kill them without losing the mortal kings.”

“What if that is the only way to stop them?” Nuri asked.

Everyone went silent.

“Shut up, Nuri,” Scarlett muttered. “That is not happening.”

“Someone had to say it,” Nuri shot back. “This could all end at this very moment. Kill the kings, and that’s three Maraans down in one clean sweep. Then there’s just Balam and Alaric left, but it will weaken Alaric too much to lose all the other Maraans and so many seraphs.”

“No,” Scarlett repeated.

“All options need to be discussed,” Nuri said. “Gods, I wish Cai were here. He understands that sometimes the only real option is sacrifice.”

“Do not speak to me of sacrifice,” Scarlett snarled.

“No, Sister,” Nuri sniped back, taking a step towards the queen. “Youdo not speak tomeof sacrifice after what I have been forced to do these last months while you have been learning fancy tricks across the sea.”

Sorin was holding onto Scarlett, and Cassius had grabbed the back of Nuri’s cloak as everyone held their breath to see if the two were going to continue this argument with fists and swords.

“For the love of Reselda,” Juliette sighed. “If I have to break up a fight between you two, I’m using deathstone to do it.”

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