Page 94 of An Honored Vow

“We were wrong,” Pirmiith said through a deep breath, waving a report in his hands.

I swallowed the rabbit Syrra had made and grabbed the parchment from him. “About what?”

“The next target is not one of the small villages,” Dynara answered for him, her face grave as she passed Pirmiith a goblet of water.

He stood to his full height, his long brown hair tied back into a half braid behind his head. “Damien has ships docking at the ports as we speak. He’s attacking Volcar.”

Syrra peered over my shoulder to read the note. “He may just be protecting it. It would be foolish to concentrate his entire army so far from the capital.”

He shook his head. “He brought ten thousand men with orders for all Mortals to hand over any Halflings in their service to the Crown.”

My throat went dry. “Volcar is the second largest city in the kingdom.” I turned to Vrail. “How many Halflings would you guess?”

“Thousands,” she answered without hesitation. Her leg started to bounce. “But those are only the Halflings with the papers to prove it. Volcar is the easiest place for the amber-blooded to hide. Mortals from every realm congregated there once Aemon established his rule. Elvish features are easier to pass for Mortal.”

Gwyn ripped her bread into tiny pieces. “Not when Damien orders his men to prick the palm of every resident—man, woman, and child.”

“He goes from raiding villages to an entire city?” I stood and started pacing in front of the hearth. The flames flared as my control slipped.

“It’s a trap.” Dynara crossed her arms. “He is trying to lure us out to battle at his convenience.”

Riven nodded. “Ten thousand men is not even a quarter of his army.”

“Dynara is right.” Syrra threw her napkin onto her plate. The news was enough to turn even her voracious appetite. “Damien wishes to lure us into a fight so he can observe our strengths before we come for his city.”

I cocked my jaw to the side. “He wants to see what kind of magic we have.”

“Exactly.”

“And kill the Halflings before you can turn them,” Riven added.

Fyrel’s face soured. “He’ll harvest their blood first.” She rubbed her arm where Damien’s men had prodded her for weeks.

Gerarda grabbed Elaran’s thigh protectively as if Damien’s soldiers were about to storm through the door. “He won’t care how many of his men die. He just wants to watch. To count how many Fae we have and give himself enough time to strategize how best to protect his city.”

Elaran wrapped her arm along the back of the chair they shared. “There will be no way to hide it. He could have hundreds of soldiers with magic eyes at this point. Anything we do we must expect him to see.”

Gerarda’s lip curled over her sharp teeth. “He’s using the Halflings as bait. And he will use this as an excuse to kill as many of us as he can.”

Nikolai dropped his fork. It clattered against the table. “Unless we do not answer the call.”

The entire room went silent. I didn’t know if they were more shocked by the suggestion or that it was Nikolai who had been the one to suggest it.

Riven’s mouth hung open. “You would have us sit here and do nothing while thousands of our kin are murdered.”

“If it means losing the advantage in the war, then perhaps it’s the best call.” Nikolai shrugged his shoulders. “Preventing their deaths only for Damien to keep control in the end damns us all.”

Riven shook his head. “You do not mean that. You have been by my side risking your life for the Halflings from the very start of this rebellion, and now you want to stand by while thousands more than we’ve ever saved are slaughtered?”

Nikolai’s mouth hardened. “Don’t judge me, Riventh. Not when I learned how to risk the lives of others to suit my needs fromyou.”

“Enough! This feud helps no one.” Vrail stood and flung her napkin between them like a flag.

I turned to her. “How many more Halflings are in the capital?”

Vrail froze. “Twice as many, at least.”

Riven’s frown deepened, and as he leaned back against the wall, he nodded to Syrra. “How long would we need to recuperate from battle before we could attack the capital?”

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