Page 126 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

The cold wind whipped at Lea’s braided hair, stinging her cheeks and turning them a rosy pink. It would be hot once the sun fully rose, but right now she was grateful for Gray’s warmth.

They’d found a few precious hours of rest, wrapped in each other’s arms, before Vincent had knocked on their door with news: scouts had identified royal soldiers approaching from the North, splitting into two units to encircle the Torres Mountains and Bearswillow, just as Ezra had said. They would arrive by midday.

It’s what they’d hoped for, thank the gods. Janelle had identified the least risky place to battle, and they’d counted on Ezra’s reports of Alaric’s plans to make that decision.

The rebel army would gather in the expanse of field on a tall hill just outside the town square. Once the fighting began, there would be no time for those on the other side of the Torres mountains to join the fight. On three sides of the field were dense woods. It would be challenging for a large group of soldiers to travel through them, and they certainly wouldn’t be able to do so undetected. Alaric’s forces would have no choice but to enter through the town square where the rebels would have the higher ground.

"It’s taking too long," Lea whispered, her words flying into the wind.

"It takes time to get into place," Gray said calmly, though his eyes remained locked on the landscape before them. "They’ll be there soon."

Lea exhaled a slow breath. "We should have seen something by now," she said. Her skin warmed, and as she shuffled her feet, Lea felt the crunch of charred earth from the black flames dancing around her legs.

"There." Gray turned Lea’s head east with a gentle tug of her braid where a puff of smoke rose from a faraway hill. The sign they had agreed on.

Sagging back against Gray, Lea closed her eyes. "Thank the gods." Thomas and Emma had made it to Lea's house. It had been the perfect location. It was far away from where the battle would occur, almost on the opposite side of the village. There would be no reason for soldiers to come anywhere near it.

As she waited for a second puff of smoke to indicate that Emma had taken the potion and was tethering herself to the earth, shadows and smoke began to dot the town below them. Lea counted them off in her head, waiting for the final number: thirty-eight. Thirty-eight sets of eyes, in place and ready for Lea to use to find Alaric.

Because theyhadto find Alaric. Several rebels had started to show signs of the Lonely Death in the early morning hours, including Emma and Janelle. A pain as sharp as a shard of glass slid into her heart, and tears pricked her eyes.

"Wewillkill Alaric, Little Flower. And you’ll save them all." Gray’s voice was sad, thick and gravelly.

"Do you promise?" Lea asked, continuing to look toward the village as their soldiers assembled. She didn’t need to look at Gray to see the truth, that he couldn’t promise her such a thing—it was in the hands of the gods now. But still, she needed to hear the words, even if just to calm her pounding heart enough to allow her to think.

The sun pulled free of the horizon with a rush of day magic, rising into the sky and bathing the valley within the Torres in a shade of red that looked eerily like blood. It made Lea’s magic revolt, her primary magic banging around in her chest, begging to be released.

"Not yet," Gray said, sensing her unease. "You have the seeds?"

Lea put her hand in her pocket where she had tied a small satchel of moonflower seeds into her fitted fighting leathers. Seven hid in the heel of her left boot, and several more were enclosed in the locket of her sword, which was strapped to her back. "I have them."

A final puff of smoke from her house appeared. Emma had taken the potion.

"That’s our sign." Gray leaned his forehead against the back of Lea’s head for just a moment, breathing her in. "If something happens to me—"

"It won’t," Lea interrupted. "It can’t." Her voice broke. She couldn’t discuss it. Couldn’t bear to think about it,

"I know. But just in case, if something happens to me, plant the moonflowers as fast as you can. Try to grow them before the bond brings you beyond the veil with me. You can save everyone, Lea. Even yourself." He turned her around. "It has been the privilege of my life to love you, Little Flower. If death separates us today, I will wait for you, however long it takes. I love you. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. It doesn’t matter where I’m loving you from."

Lea could only nod, her throat too full of sobs to risk speaking and allowing them to escape.

Gray bent down and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth before taking her lips fully, kissing her slowly as if memorizing every curve and line of her mouth.

"I love you, too," Lea choked out, trying to push down the anxiety hammering against her ribs. It felt too much like goodbye. "But we arenotdying today." Opening the crack in the floor of her chest a little wider, Lea stepped back. Shadows and flames drifted from her body, wrapping around her like a shield. She wouldn’t let fear paralyze her. Not today. Not when so many people were counting on her. It was time for anger, for revenge for the things Alaric had done to her, and to Gray, and the entire kingdom. It was time to follow the darkness inside her, and unleash it.

"Alaric wants to come after us?" Lea stood up taller. "Let him." Black flames rose in an arc around her as she began to tunnel deeper into the fiery black pit beneath the floor in her chest. "I am the Queen of Flames and Shadows. I will scorch this whole damn earth, if that is what it takes. I will turn it into ash so thick, it will block out every ray of sunlight, until all that remains in this world is darkness. No one but Alaric will be going beyond the veil today. Not if I can help it."

Chapter 82

Lea

Thesunwasscorching,far warmer now than it had been when it had just begun to peek out through the mountains. Sweat dripped down the back of Lea‘s neck, trickling between her shoulder blades and causing a shiver to run down her spine as she stood hand in hand with Gray in the middle of the open field, their army behind them, waiting. Their intel from Vincent’s scouts had told them that Alaric’s army would arrive by midday, but once again, he appeared to be playing games.

Alaric's army stood just on the border of the village as they had been for hours, standing still as statues. A standoff. But Gray would not back down, refused to bring the battle to them. With so many sick, they needed the advantage of higher ground and refused to stray from their plan.

It was nearing six in the evening, based on the position of the hot summer sun. Gray had long ago instructed the rebels in the field to retreat to the shade and rest. Luckily, no one with the Lonely Death had started hallucinating, but the black sores on their bodies continued to spread, crossing backs and trailing down arms. A few had wounds on their tongues and the roofs of their mouths, and one unlucky soldier had begun to bleed from his eyes.

Lea had done what she could to help them, but everyone knew it was futile. She held the cure in her pocket, but the seeds were useless without Alaric’s blood.

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