Page 160 of Of Empires and Dust

“You use a needle like you use an axe.”

“And you bleed like a little bitch.”

Erdhardt let out a heavy sigh, pulled his hammer from his back, dropped it to the ground, and climbed into the trench.

“What are you doing?” Dahlen eyed him askance.

“Go and get those wounds taken care of. Anya is sleeping, but the man from Ölm should be in the bloodhouse. See him, then get some rest.” Unlike his usual opinions on naming things, Erdhardt had quite liked the name given to the converted inn where the majority of the injured were treated. So much blood had dripped onto the floorboards it had begun to look like paint.

“I’m fine.” Dahlen made to grab the shovel he’d lodged in the ground, but Erdhardt wrapped his fingers around the wooden shaft and ripped it from the earth.

“I didn’t ask if you were fine.” He thought back to a time when he had been an elder of the Glade, when he had spoken and others had listened – when he had been whole – and he brought that man forward. “In fact, I don’t remember asking you anything. Go and get your wounds seen to, then rest. These people need a leader, not a martyr. You’ll do nobody any good if those wounds get infected or if you’re too exhausted to swing a sword.”

“What about you? You’ve slept as little as I have, and those bones are a lot older.”

“These bones have lived through more pain than you could understand. They can take a bit more.” He rested a hand on Dahlen’s shoulder and lowered his voice. “A shouldered burden breaks a lonely man. You might be willing to die for them, but that’s not what they need. I’ll take over from here. We’re both off rotation tonight. Sleep. I’ll do the same once more wake to take my place, and I’ll see you for a drink in The Rusty Shell. Gods know we need one.” Erdhardt raised his voice. “The same goes for all of you who fought last night. Get seen to, and get some rest.”

“They don’t need you to die for them either, Erdhardt.”

Erdhardt patted Dahlen on the shoulder, then looked around him. “I already did. I’m just lingering a little longer.”

Chapter 37

Fear the Night

14thDay of the Blood Moon

Port of Ankar, southeast of Achyron’s Keep – Winter, Year 3081 After Doom

Dayne stoodatop the westernmost cliff that curled around Ankar’s port, dense black clouds blotting out the moon, the wind battering at his cloak and roaring in his ears. Below, the bay that provided the port safety from the harsh waves that plagued the rest of the coastline was filled with at least fifty ships. When they’d heard Loren was gathering a fleet, they’d had no choice but to act. They could have mobilised their own fleet from Skyfell or Lostwren, but this was quicker and, if done right, would make the Lorians and the traitors fear every shadow that moved in Achyron’s Keep.

“It’s time.” Alina approached from over Dayne’s left shoulder, Mera walking at her side. Both Rynvar and Audin moved behind their riders, dark talons clicking against rock,blue and gold eyes seeming to glow in the moonlight. Dayne was still in awe of the creatures. He’d never expected to lay eyes on a wyvern again for as long as he lived.

Mera ran her hand along Dayne’s right cheek, pulled her fingers into the back of his neck, and planted a kiss on his lips, then moved on to stand at the edge and look down at the ships below.

Dayne nodded to his sister – his queen – as she came to stand at his side.

Even as he looked at her then, the sunstone crown atop her head, her body covered in dark leather armour, the tattooed markings of a Wyndarii on her fingers and hands, Dayne couldn’t help but see the little girl he’d left behind all those years ago.

He could hear her voice so clearly.“That’ll be me one day. I’ll be a wyvern rider. Just like mother.”

“What are you thinking?” Alina asked, lifting her gaze from the water below.

“Just remembering.” He allowed his thoughts to linger on that memory for a moment longer, savouring it. That time was long gone, and there was no getting it back, but it didn’t mean he would ever let it go. “I know your answer already, but can I ask you one last time to reconsider? You’re the queen now, Alina. This rebellion holds fast because you are at its head. If anything were to happen…”

To Dayne’s surprise, Alina didn’t snap back at him. She simply shook her head softly. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking on what type of leader I want to be. And the answer I always come back to is that I want to be like our mother. I will never be the queen who sits on a throne while she sends others to die. Queen or no, I am the daughter of Ilya Ateres and I’m a Wyndarii. Fighting is in my blood.” The smile that followed was soft, and she gave Dayne a nudge. “Besides, I will not have the bards saythat Dayne Ateres haunted the Lorians’ dreams while his sister sat back and reaped the rewards.”

“We shall haunt them together then.” Dayne allowed himself a half-smile. He wanted to tell her how proud he was, how she was already everything their mother had been: strong, fierce, loyal, compassionate. But words spoken too often meant little, and now was not the time. “Have either of you seen Belina? She should have been here by now.”

“Perfect night for it.”

Dayne gave a start, then let out a sigh at the sight of Belina standing by the cliff’s edge a few feet away, her arms folded, bottom lip turned up. Over a decade together, and he still had absolutely no idea how the woman always managed to sneak up on him. “Were you waiting there for when I asked?”

She gave him a smile that said that had been precisely what she’d been doing and that she was delighted about it. She sauntered over to stand between him and Alina, tilting her head upwards and watching Rynvar with a cautious eye.

Rynvar’s nostrils flared, and he lifted himself taller, winged forelimbs spreading around Alina protectively. In the dark, the creature’s black and orange scales made him look almost unnatural, sections of his body blending with the night.

“He’s a very big dog,” Belina said as she handed Dayne a satchel that he slung over his shoulder. She looked down over the cliff once more. “You sure you still have it in you?”

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