Page 90 of To Ashes and Dust
Damien and I walked through the training yard of The Outpost the following afternoon, the snow crunching beneath our boots. My mind had been occupied by my night spent with Kat in the hospital. Thankfully, the doctors had released her in the hours before the sun had risen, and Damien and I were able to get her home and settled. It was such a relief that she hadn’t suffered more than a concussion. She’d have to take it easy for a few weeks, but she was alive. She hadn’t been bitten.
Sadly, the sun had been rising when we’d made it home, so I’d only managed to take a nap.
Kat had known all this time.
I’d been nauseous since I learned, but despite the guilt, there was relief at the same time… I could talk to her about it, open up. There was no need to hide things from her anymore. She was there for me, would be there when I needed her most. I wished I’d told her sooner, and I hated that I couldn’t find the way to tell Damien.
Would it feel like this when I finally got the courage to tell him? Or would he be angry that I’d kept this from him? I’d tell him Monday, no matter what came up, no matter what threatened to interrupt us. I’d tell him the truth.
Monday, I would know if any new scar tissue had built up in my heart, whether things had remained stable... or worsened. Eris claimed she’d been helping me; maybe she’d somehow reversed some of the damage.
Regardless, after my appointment, I’d tell him. I’d tell him everything there was to tell, from the very beginning, so that we might face it head on together, no matter what end awaited me.
I wanted him at my side when I took my last breath.
The Outpost seemed livelier than usual, the yard full of warriors training with recruits, a mix of both men and women. Everyone had stepped up to help Thalia with training, which was a relief. I couldn’t ignore the curious eyes of the new recruits following me as we approached the building, some pairs pausing their training to watch.
I knew why they were watching me—I was with Damien. Did they know I was Moira’s reincarnation? Perhaps I should acknowledge them. I was mate to their lord, their… I still couldn’t acknowledge what it meant to be the mate of the King of the Immortals. I didn’t feel worthy of a title such as queen, and there hadn’t been any formal ceremony to name me as such. Was that something that happened? Did I just assume the title every time I was reincarnated?
Inhaling deeply, I offered them a soft smile and a nod as we passed. Some smiled back, dipping their head to us, some remained frozen in a curious state, silver eyes transfixed on me. While it was unsettling being the center of attention, it was a relief to see new faces, the first of hopefully many sent by the Kyrios to aid us.
“Lady Cas! Lord Damien!” The familiar voice caught me off guard, and I looked over to find Alec and Xander approaching us. My brows rose, surprised to see the Kyrioses of House Thiríon and House Stoicheion here. They were once warriors of The Order, and their experience would be a tremendous help, but would they fight as well?
“It’s nice to see you both again,” I greeted as they approached.
“Alec, I swear I’m going to knock your feet out from under you, if you call me that again. We’re not in a meeting,” Damien huffed, but I couldn’t miss the smirk threatening to curve the corners of his lips.
Alec simply laughed in response, and I bit back my smile, elbowing Damien. Damien gave me a wink.
“Looks like you guys are fitting in well,” Damien said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Honestly, I kind of missed this, but damn, am I out of shape,” Alec said, sweeping his brown curls from his face, the scars on his jaw a faint pink against his skin. “I’m probably too rusty to take on the Lord of Shadows. Care to go for a round, Damien?”
“I may just take you up on that offer.” Damien’s eyes shifted behind them. “I see we have some new faces.”
“It’s not nearly enough, but we managed to bring some new recruits today,” Xander said, a sheen of sweat painting his umber skin. How long had they been out here training?
I’d learned more of how The Order operated in the recent weeks. Training was treated as a full-time job for the warriors, done in shifts around their patrol schedule. They were paid a full wage that provided them with more than a comfortable life, medical benefits, paternity and maternity leave when they were expecting, and so much more. When Damien had told me of all The Order offered those who served, I’d felt such pride. Countless benefits were available to everyone who served in whatever capacity they could, and when a warrior fell, their mate never had to work another day in their life. They were given council and aid, allowed the time and space to grieve in their own way. It showed how much Damien cared for his warriors and anyone who aided in protecting the immortal race.
Tobias was a fool to think otherwise, and I was more than relieved to see him no longer serving on The Council. I wondered where he’d ended up, if he’d given Calista any trouble during the transition.
“How many have you brought?” Damien asked.
“Fifteen between both our houses today, but we’re expecting at least ten to twenty more tomorrow,” Alec said. “The other Kyrios are still working. Calista’s been settling into her new position nicely. She performed beautifully at yesterday’s meeting.”
I smiled, happy to hear how well Calista was being received.
My eyes drifted across the busy training yard, running the numbers through my head. Adding the new recruits to the current warriors and recruits, that made nearly sixty warriors. Less than forty of them were fully trained, and while the new recruits could work at a faster pace than I could, they’d need weeks, maybe months, to be able to defend themselves, let alone stand up against a horde of darklings. What if we encountered more creatures like we’d faced last night? We needed to share with everyone their weakness to flames. There were so few warriors to start with; we couldn’t risk losing anymore.
I remembered the numbers presented at The Council’s meeting. The immortal race was dwindling, the census barely breaking a thousand. Only a thousand... It was difficult to believe how an entire race that had existed for millennia was on the verge of... extinction.
My heart sank, and I quickly pulled my thoughts elsewhere, not wanting to imagine it.
That number included children, pregnant females, as well as immortals who didn’t harbor the talents or abilities for fighting darklings. Would we be able to gather enough to fight Melantha? Train them enough to stand a chance? We didn’t have enough time. We had to make every minute count.
“Can I help with training them in my spare time?” I asked, glancing up at Damien.
Xander and Alec’s brows rose, and they glanced between one another. “We’d be honored,” Xander said to Damien. “It would most definitely boost morale to have Moira’s reincarnation training with the recruits.”
