Page 48 of Songs of Retribution

SAI

I consideredthe thrush's note in my hand and ran my thumb over the curling signature before releasing it and letting it turn into glittering dust over my horse’s shoulder. Rain clattered in the tree limbs and soaked the hundreds of troops we traveled with. Lira lay warm on my chest, but even the comfort of her presence didn't soothe my frayed nerves.

If anything, it added stress. I hated her coming on this trip. She was still recovering and she held Carrington’s mark. She’d be a target for the Seelie soldiers. If they killed her, the link of that magic would return to Carrington. I imagined they had orders to capture her at the least. She joined us because we needed all the magic Kali had seen fit to bestow us with to achieve this. As much as I hated her being in harm’s way, she was right that this wasn’t just about us anymore.

My body ached from the multiple injuries I attempted and failed to ignore. I readjusted on the horse, trying to find a more comfortable position, but my side burned and my shoulder ached.

Lira slipped her hand out and covered mine. The touch of her bare skin on mine sent a flood of calm through me, and I slid my fingers through hers before she could pull away.

The captain at the lead raised his fist, signaling everyone to stop. Taking advantage of the break, I snapped my hand out for another thrush and wrote a quick reply to Luz.

Hold your position. The Seelie only have a small portion of their troops with them currently. We want the Alegre to remain a surprise.The quill gilded between my fingers as I rolled it, considering what else to add. Then I pressed it down, adding another line.I miss you. -Sai.

I missed our entire group. Even Elisa had remained back at the palace. I'd never faced something like this without at least one member of my team, Neia usually. She was with Orman, and we still hadn't had word from them which was disheartening. If they didn't manage an alliance soon, it would be too late. Not knowing how Orman’s reception with the elves had gone added to the worries curling through me. I’d once not understood how Orman had given up everything for the woman he loved. He’d shared the story with me once when we were both several cups deep into drinks and the fire burned low. Now that I’d met Lira, I understood. There was no cost I wouldn’t pay to protect her.

The air seemed to buzz with the tension of war, like the energy from the soldiers seeped out of them, crackling in the air.

At the moment, the thing I missed about the team was having others to call me out when they disagreed. I was used to leading and deciding but also to having others challenge me. The only one who'd pushed back with me in the last weeks was… My thoughts stuttered to a stop.Lennox.

My gaze darted to him where he held the reins of his horse in gloved hands and waited next to Shaan, leaning in towards my brother in quiet conversation. A bad feeling crept down my spine. Lennox had pushed back against me in the way I needed this entire time and I didn’t listen to him. Old habits clung like smoke after an evening in front of a fire. I'd let the hatred I possessed for Lennox after he betrayed Shaan linger until it glared so brightly it blinded me. He'd done nothing but keep his word, protect Elisa, stand by my brother, and love Lira since.

The force of that realization slammed into me. Lira shivered, and I slid against her to share my warmth. I urged our horse closer to Lennox's and parted my lips to speak. An echo of whistles rang out, snagging our attention. Arrows flew down on us through the trees like a hailstorm. A moment of shock rippled through the group, then the party erupted with movement.

Lennox reacted first, his eyes paling as he used wind to knock the arrows aside. Lira hummed, her magic swirling around me, raising hairs on my arms as she redoubled her brother's actions.

"Forward," the captain yelled at the head.

Our ability to surprise the Seelie troops was lost. I didn't understand how they'd found us out. As I pulled Lira tighter, our troops marching forward in a rhythmic beat, a thought came to me.

Glamour.

They likely spied on us with someone who wore glamour. Why hadn't I thought of that? Why hadn't Lennox? Anger burned in my gut, but I pushed it away. I had to stop choosing hatred with him as the first reaction every time. He wasn’t the actual enemy, and I was a fool for not realizing it sooner.

We trundled up a hill and at the top, the Seelie troops stretched before us in a clearing. At the back, hundreds of fairies in pressed coats sat atop kelpies. In the front, thousands of what I had to guess were humans stood.

Horror choked my next inhale of breath. Carrington recruited humans to act as a shield between our forces and theirs. We'd have to plow through helpless humans to reach their actual troops. He hadn't even had time to train them. They could do nothing under the weight of Prasanna soldiers who possessed years of training and magic.

Lennox seemed to realize this the same time I did. He gaped, his eyes scanning the endless rows of humans, some who trembled at our approach.

Cowards! They must have used glamour to cover the humans from our scouts, making us think we only approached a hundred fairy soldiers, not thousands of helpless humans.

I could just make out the faces in the front row. Some were young, still soft with youth. They couldn't be older than Veena—my sister who Mother would never allow to leave the palace during this time of strife. These people were desperate, and Carrington abused them.

Anger twisted through me, shadows spooling from me, but I didn't have time to reflect as the Seelie soldiers lifted cannon shaped weapons onto their shoulders and fired.

Magic sparkled in the air, glistening, its trace becoming apparent. I jerked back on our horse so hard it bucked, startled, and I had to squeeze my thighs into the creature as Lira clutched its mane to keep us from sliding off.

Lennox sent more wind to disperse whatever attack they lobbed our way, but his magic glittered and sizzled away against the falling shrapnel, confirming my suspicion.

"Retreat," I yelled. "Retreat!"

The captain offered a sharp nod and echoed the same message.

I knew the trace of that magic. It had recently been embedded in my shoulder.Amentium. And this time it wasn't in darts but in a fine powder that fell towards the earth at an alarming speed.

We scrambled back, soldiers and horses trundling down the muddy hill, some falling. The humans with the Seelie yelled in victory.

Some of our soldiers didn't make it far enough away in time. They breathed in the dust and fell to the ground, writhing and trembling.

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