Page 87 of Crown of Iron
Feet stomp and fists pound over hearts to a swift beat. The soldiers chant the words of an old prayer, turning it into their battle cry.
Guide us with your light.
We move with your wind,
find strength from your earth.
We flow with your waters,
and attack with the force of lightning.
Burn bright in us, Statera.
Our enemy will fall cold at our feet.
We fight for our land.
We die for our freedom.
May Lucent prevail, may Lucent prevail.
The army parades toward the wagons and horses, ready for the battle ahead.
Leif falls into step with me, and I look him up and down, saying, “Micah would kill you if he knew you were coming.”
“That would make two of us. Besides, I'm assigned to a different mission with Wel and a handful of new soldiers. We won't be near the battle.”
“You care to tell me what you’ll be doing?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Let's just hope I'm not needed tonight.”
We reach my horse, where a stablehand waits to give me the reins.
“Hey, Elle.” I look back at my best friend. “Please be careful.”
The worry in his hazel eyes is like a knife to the heart. We don't know a world without the other in it, and I pray we never will. I put my arms around his neck and squeeze. “You're not getting out of marrying me this easily.”
He chuckles and buries his face in my neck. “I love you.”
“I love you too. I'll see you soon.”
He nods and lets me go. “May the Statera bring you safely home, Your Grace.”
“May the Statera protect you and your secret mission, Captain Stone.”
I climb onto my horse, take one final look at my best friend, and merge with the soldiers heading for Stigian.
We ride for hours before Kyron pulls the reins on his horse and raises his fist. “Primary unit, we dismount here,” he calls to the army behind him.
I slide down from the saddle, and my teeth clank together when my feet hit the stone ground. Placing my hands on my hips, I stare up at the enormous snow-capped mountain hovering over me. Since crossing the Stigian border, the land transformed into a flat, treeless wasteland void of all wildlife.
“Why would anyone want to be here?” I mumble while a member of the secondary unit ushers my horse away to the safe zone.
All the stories I grew up hearing of Stigian are nothing more than lies. Despite seeing the map of the capital and all the impressive structures, this land is desolate. Are the people who abandon Lucent for this place so desperate for something different they happily resort to this? I can't imagine trudging on and believing this land will give way to something better.
“We will march through the mountain pass in twos,” Kyron says.
The soldiers pair up and move between the narrow split in the center of the mountain. I slide into the formation and a hand curls around my bicep, pulling me back.
