Page 86 of Crown of Iron
With a laugh that matches the bursting, giddy bubbles inside me, I lean back and go weightless. I watch the clouds roll against the orange and pink sky and revel in the river's tranquility.
I've never been so close to having everything I want. Some may consider my life far from ideal; promised to marry one and desiring another, but this is perfection in my extraordinary circumstances. Micah has taught me that there’s no black and white. I finally understand the hues of gray, and I've never seen a more gorgeous shade. I'm right where I'm meant to be.
Hands slide down the outsides of my arms, and I tilt my head back, meeting Kyron's smiling face. He leans down, presses his lips to mine, and whispers, “Good morning.”
I right myself and wrap my arms around his neck. “A very good morning.”
Tucking a strand of wet hair behind my ear, he says, “We have to get going. I have some preparations to finish before leaving for Stigian tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“No one told you?”
I shake my head. “I've only spoken with Ulric and Leif, and both of them had more to say about you than the mission.” Kyron lifts a brow, and I clarify, saying, “They were worried about you.”
He runs his hands down my sides and chuckles. “That gave you joy.”
I pucker my lips to hide my smile. “You don't have to read my emotions. I'm happy to tell you how I feel. They may have mentioned that you seemed a little down in my absence.”
“So you're saying you delight in my pain?”
I stand on my tiptoes, and pressing my body to his, I whisper againsthis ear, “I find all sorts of delights with you, General LeFur.”
He growls and guides my legs around him. “What the hell. It's my prerogative to make them wait.”
“You're pulling rank?”
“Fuck yes, I am,” he says, and his lips collide with mine.
Thirty
Ishove the last pin in my hair, securing the bun to the back of my head, and release a long breath. My reflection stares back at me, fierce in her black armor with her chin held high. No crown on my head could make me feel as powerful as I do now. Tonight will be my first act as a leader who will rule and fight to the death for what is right. I'm laying claim to what I want and will stop at nothing to get it.
I exit my room just as Greer steps into the hallway. She wears her new protective armor, without the fire element. As always, she’s strapped an assortment of blades to her body, with two secured to her back and several down her thigh. With my single sword swaying from my hip, I appear vastly underprepared compared to her.
She sweeps her gaze over me and reaches for a small dagger strapped to her boot.
“I have my sword,” I say, clenching the hilt.
“I know, but one more won't hurt.”
“Of course it won't.” I slide the sheathed blade inside my boot.
We exit the barracks to find a sea of ebony. Hundreds of soldiers move toward the training field. Every single one of them has made a choice. They do not have to march into battle to save my father. Kyron offered them a reprieve, telling them he would not hold it against them if they chose notto risk their life for another. So it was by their own volition that they came to their general.
Greer and I push our way to the front of the crowd, and she leaves my side to stand next to an elevated platform with Terro and Ulric. Terro jerks his head to the side, motioning me to stand next to him, but I hold my place with the lower-ranking soldiers. I know where I belong, and I've yet to earn the right to face those who battle with me tonight as a leader.
Murmurs come from the far end of the gathered soldiers, and some take a step back as a menacing figure walks toward the platform. Kyron doesn’t wear the new uniform but the leather and steel of a Stigian warrior. It’s his disguise to get us into the prison.
Leif flanks the general and slides in with the other officers. I'm surprised to see him geared up like the rest of us. As my future husband, Micah has ordered him to stay far away from the battlegrounds. He must remain protected if I'm to bear an heir to my crown. But like so many other things this day, he is refusing to fall in line.
Kyron takes the platform and sweeps his gaze over the soldiers at his command. The metal capping his shoulders and covering his chest makes them look broader, threatening, terrifying. Matched with his Stigian eyes, he looks every bit the role he must play. He’s a superior warrior who will stop at nothing to take my kingdom and siphon the dormant power of those I swear to protect.
Kyron lifts a hand, and the crowd falls silent. “For too many days, we have fought on the defensive, protecting the lives of every Lucent and shedding our blood on our own land. But tonight, we will spill the blood of our enemy on Stigian soil!”
The soldiers beat their chests and release ominous cries; their tongues hanging from their mouths.
“Tonight, we have chosen to bring back one of our own!” Kyron shouts over the noise.
