Page 77 of Fae Reckoning

“Thanks. So much better than naked steel that keeps wanting to slide toward your ass crack.” She grimaced. “Definitely not the most pleasant feeling, but better than no weapon at all. You have no idea how much I miss my own blades.”

“Oh, I totally understand the sentiment. Talisa had my weapons confiscated when I was sequestered for the Nuptialis Probatio farce.”

“We have to weapon up before we head to the palace. Any ideas?”

Thinking of Ivar’s ensorcelled, expanding weapons box, I said, “I just might.”

And though the urgency of the battle to come was back to squeezing me, I took the time to dress my beloved, pressing a kiss to each of her healing wounds as I did. When she insisted on doing the same for me, I couldn’t resist the indulgence, and I delighted in the final moments of intimacy we got to share before the battle began.

Far too soon, we walked at a hurried pace back to the cabin. But our fingers weaved together the entire way.

26.DEATH TO THE FALSE QUEEN! ALL HAIL THE DRAGON QUEEN!

ELOWYN

The cabin wasn’t yet visible behind the trees when I first sensed something had changed while Rush and I were gone. Einar’s massive legs came into view first, blocking much of the house and the clearing that surrounded it. We rounded his legs, then his tail, which was thicker than my entire body—and then I saw what was different. I couldn’t help but.

Our companions had taken my request to ready for the upcoming battle seriously. Of course, I would have been shocked if they hadn’t; it wasn’t as if they weren’t as aware of the magnitude of the threat against us. But not only were they bustling about, readying supplies, checking on each other and sharpening weapons, but they had company.

Lots and lots of company.

Where they might have found so many fae to ally with us in such short time, I had no idea. I stuttered to a stop. “What…?”

Rush’s step hadn’t even hitched in surprise. He’d continued past me until my hand, interlaced with his, tugged on him. He turned back toward me. “You alright? What is it?”

“What is it?” I repeated incredulously, apparently loudly enough that those on the other side of Einar’s legs and tail heard me. Immediately, they passed on news of our arrival, and soon anticipation buzzed along the clearing, into the woods on the other side of us. So many fae waited that the open space Einar left us wasn’t sufficient to accommodate them all.

Creatures and people of all shapes, sizes, and colors faced us. I recognized some of the types of fae from the stands of the arena when I’d fought in the Gladius Probatio. There were several hardened-looking fairies who were approximately the size of goblins, if not a tad smaller, whom I’d learned were callednumenits. And several of the smallest fairies I’d encountered yet in the Mirror World,parvnitslike Zafi—or MISOs—hovered in a tight-knit swarm near the numenits. Creatures with bodies resembling twigs and wings that looked like leaves in autumn flew beside the fairies.

There were foxes, cats, and snakes mingling with people who shared similar features: squinty eyes, pointy noses, and sharper-than-ordinary teeth; shrewdly conniving looks, twitchy noses and ears, and continuously tilting heads, as if they were hearing sounds the rest of us didn’t; some with slitted pupils and elongated necks. They were changelings, I guessed—feethles, sneakles, and whatever the snakechangelings were called; I still knew so little about the world I was fighting to rule—their creatures closer to the surface than usual thanks to the tension they must be feeling.

Other animals, which I suspected were magical creatures instead of their wild counterparts, gathered with them. I spotted a pair of pitch-black bears with long tails and vicious claws; three wolves with fur so silver it shone beneath the many lumoons; hogs with lethal-looking tusks; rabbits with fangs and three fluffy tails; a handful of turtles who were Saffron’s size and walked on their hind legs, their shells protecting them front and back and appearing armored; and myriad other furry, scaly, and clawed creatures I’d never seen before and had no name for. Many of them were probably changelings; others might have only the one form.

Many more, perhaps an entire dozen, of the giant ranucus were lined up beside Bertram, who stood beside Azariah, Bolt, and Ivar’s horse. Ivar’s steed stood more easily on his injured legs, suggesting Edsel had found the time to heal him while Rush and I were absent.

For the first time possibly in my entire life, I discovered myself speechless. I pulled Rush’s hand, drawing him closer. It was ridiculous to feel nervous and self-conscious at their presence, to concern myself with anything at all beyond taking down the false queen and living to see the next day. But every single set of their varied eyes were on me. And their looks … despite the fact that the new fae could scarcely be more different from each other, their expressions were similar: reverence, awe, and the scariest of them all—hope—as they regarded us.

No, notus. Their attention was fixed onme.

Gripping Rush’s hand harder, I was in the process of seeking out familiar faces—I’d just found Reed and Roan—when the pitter-patter of dragon-like feet rounded the demolished back of the cabin. Goblin after goblinafter goblinskidded into the corner of the clearing around the recovering fae captives, then piled up against each other when there wasn’t room for them all. There were dozens of them if not a hundred. Pru stood at their fore, her slim shoulders and back straight despite the heavy dragonling she cradled in her arms. Said dragonling got one glimpse of me, scrabbled out of her grip, and bounded without care over the fae laid out on the ground who couldn’t afford to take any more damage. When he pushed off of Lisbeth’s thighs, she wheezed, and Ivar shot to his feet from where he’d been sitting next to her.

“Careful where you step, you nasty little vermin, or I’ll throw you on a spit, roast you crispy, then eat you drizzled in a sweet, golden wine sauce,” he seethed.

I glowered at him. So did many of our new companions. Rush growled.

I didn’t realize Ivar had it in him, but he grimaced, contrite. “I’m still adjusting,” was all he offered by way of apology, but for the others it was enough.

Their attention returned to me as Saffron bounded off Bolt’s back, then a ranucu’s, and flung himself intomy arms as if he hadn’t seen me in a year, not a mere hour. I stumbled backward from the impact even though I’d been braced for it. Rush was there to steady me with a frown at the little dragon who forgot he was a growing boy who’d soon be too large for anyone to carry.

“Hi, my sweet boy,” I cooed, kissing the soft golden scales of his crown. It was habit, yes, but it was also to avoid the demand of so many fae. Saffron purred deep in his throat, a sound like a saw grinding through wood.

Sensing my discomfort, Rush wove his arm around my waist beneath Saffron’s tail and announced in a loud, clear voice: “Thank you all for coming, and so quickly. I assume you’re all here to join the fight against the false queen?”

A chorus of assortedayes, growls, snarls, hisses, neighs, croaks, and yips sounded in the affirmative.

“Then we thank you all the more. We fight as one in the light! We fall divided in the darkness!”

Those who could chorused the sentiment with a steadfastness that sent chills quaking through my body.

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