Page 105 of A Legacy of Wrath and Reckoning

“Not that I’m aware of,” Arioch said quietly. He stared at the map, a faraway look sweeping over his features.

The war began over a child that was lost. Sira’s and Arioch’s, Zylah suspected. But she didn’t want to upset Arioch further without knowing the truth. She thought of the bargain she’d made in Kerthen. The strange woman in the shop in Morren. “How does Pallia fit into all of this?”

“She adored her sisters. But I had very little interaction with her. She was alone when Ranon imprisoned me. I imagine things would have been tense between Sira and Imala afterwards.”

Forcing Pallia to pick a side. She wondered whether Arioch knew how the history books had portrayed his mate, how they’d tarnished her name.

“One thing I can tell you for certain: Ranon is using their magic. He wanted Sira for her power from the beginning, and when she wouldn’t offer up her secrets, he turned to the others,” Arioch added.

“So you’ve no idea what happened to Sira and Imala. Pallia. To any of them,” Nye said.

“None. Only that…” The Seraphim rested a hand over his heart. “Sira isn’t gone.”

You think it was Sira you bargained with?Holt asked, his eyes darting over Zylah’s face.

I did. Before. But something isn’t adding up.

“You don’t need the arrenium to get close to Ranon,” Arioch all but pleaded. “Don’t let him use the orb. You haven’t seen the half of what he’s capable of.”

“Without the arrenium, it’s a death sentence,” Nye said, waving a hand over the map at the mass of black spread before them all.

Holt pressed a hand to the parchment, his expression solemn. “It might be our only option.”

Chapter Fifty-Two

Justoveraweekuntil the blood moon, and still they had no arrenium. The Iyofari riders had yet to arrive, and the army’s numbers had taken a significant hit since the skirmishes had increased.

With the vanquicite in the palace successfully depleted, plans were underway to begin the arduous process of moving soldiers into position beneath Virian. The army had been divided into ranks, the few members of the Black Veil who remained assigned to either Nye’s or Arlan’s command, a third section reporting directly to Zack.

Zylah’s time had been occupied with helping the scouts move soldiers to the tunnels, partnering with Holt to reduce their risk of being tracked. Saphi had been assisting in the healers’ tent; even Rose had been helping out when Zylah had stopped by between ferrying soldiers, all of them working together towards their singular goal. The camp had never been so busy, soldiers coming and going with their units as directed.

They needed to be close to the palace before the blood moon, and only one section of the army had been instructed to travel by foot, the rest via the scouts Holt and Zylah joined. The tunnels weren’t exactly a desirable location to set up camp, but they were the safest place to stay for a week; the most logical choice to station the soldiers rather than have them march into the city and fight when they were sleep starved and exhausted.

The day had passed by in a blur, and Zylah had been grateful for the excuse to rest when Nye had asked her to share some of her foraging tips with a group of soldiers. Complaints about rations were common, and nothing affected morale more than the prospect of running out of food. Zylah had happily obliged the general’s request, despite the way her exhausted body protested the thought of anything but climbing into her bed and falling asleep. She was halfway through instructing a group of soldiers on how to grind down dewglove roots for stews when cheers and cries of elation cut through the camp.

Zylah paused her instruction, unspooled her threads to locate the source of the commotion. Arrenium. Lots of it. “We’ll continue this tomorrow,” she told the soldiers, excusing herself before evanescing across the camp to find Kej whooping and cheering at the pile of weapons at his feet. All arrenium, light hitting the mineral in a way that, for the first time, Zylah realised was a dark green rather than black, the surface like polished glass.

Holt stood between the two blacksmiths, his eyes finding hers the moment she arrived. A delirious grin broke out across Zylah’s face, but she was too tired to hide it. She didn’t need to; Holt’s smile was a mirror to her own.

They certainly took your deadline to heart, she told him.

Better late than never, he shot back.

They just handed it over?

Holt made his way over to her, leaving an exasperated Daizin to deal with Kej.A debt was owed. But I think Okwata convinced them. Ahrek too. They want to help make some modifications to the wings Okwata’s been working on for Arioch.

Zylah tilted her head back to look up at him, resting a hand over his heart and soaking in his warmth, his scent, his proximity heating her blood.To help? Just like that?The arrenium for their freedom, that tracked, but offering to help Arioch must have had some ulterior motive behind it.

They see it as an opportunity to learn something new, Holt said, his eyes dipping to her mouth and his fingers brushing her neck where he eased her braid over her shoulder. Her thighs squeezed together as the corner of his mouth tipped up in a knowing smile and he took a step closer, only for Kej’s antics with the arrenium to bring them both reluctantly back into the reality of the moment.

“So you just had this all sitting around the entire time?” the Fae asked, inspecting a dagger before sliding it into an empty sheath at his thigh. Soldiers had begun to gather around them, some of them sharing Kej’s elation, others looking quietly relieved.

“Kejin,” Daizin barked.

That got their friend’s attention. Kej glanced up at Daizin, an eyebrow raised. “What? You know sharp things excite me.” A muscle in Daizin’s jaw ticked, his shadows prising another dagger from Kej’s fingers.

Holt gave them both instructions for inventory and distribution, a portion of the pile disappearing before their eyes for the soldiers they’d already taken to the tunnels. Daizin must have called for Nye through whatever strange connection they shared, soldiers parting for the general, Zack at her side.

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