Page 76 of Songs of Retribution

He nodded. "I've lain awake thinking about your words and realizing what you said was true."

"What was that?"

"That if you failed, I'd spend my life wondering if we might have made a difference. I hope you can forgive my hesitation."

I could see the sincerity in his eyes, and I didn’t care about the past. He was here now when we desperately needed reinforcements. Everything was coming together. Elisa was right—we’d win. We had to. "Of course, Your Highness."

"Perhaps you'd introduce me to the Maharani."

"I'd be glad to. You'll likely want to speak with the Rey as well."

He jerked towards me. "The Rey?"

"The Alegre King."

"But…"

"Come." I gestured towards the tent we'd all just been meeting in. "I'll explain everything."

CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN

SAI

Lira was always beautiful,but sleeping she looked like a deva, like something beyond this world. Her pale hair blended in with the smooth surface of her skin. I gently brushed a thumb down her cheek, not wanting to wake her but desperately needing to touch her.

The last few days had been a scramble of integrating the Froh forces, working through plans and strategies, and moving through a camp of beings who hadn't been united in centuries. It all seemed so delicate, like a single wrong move could shatter everything.

For a breath of time, though, I could lie here beside my wife—my Atalla—the woman I loved so much it made my heart ache until it wanted to leave my chest. Part of me wanted to hide here with her, to refuse to leave the dim blue light that wrapped around her like a robe. I wished to breathe her essence in until I was drunk on it.

I wasn't a man to waver on faith often, but the last few weeks had shaken me. Surely Kali wouldn't bring us this far only to abandon us in our darkest moment. I couldn't believe that, yet it didn't ease the twist of anxiety in my gut.

Lira's eyes snapped open, and she clutched my arm that lay across her stomach. "Oh," she said.

LiraÁlainn? I asked, worry ringing through my voice.

She curled closer like she also wanted to stay there with me. It reminded me of the first night I'd met her, when we shared a tent and I struggled to not reach out and touch her. Now she lay in my arms, and it was the most right thing I'd ever experienced.

"Lennox spoke to me with magic," she said. "The Seelie will be here by the time the sun is fully up."

My breath left in a huff, flitting some strands of hair off her shoulders. I nestled against her, our limbs twining as we curled together like we both longed for an escape.

The elf army wouldn't make it in time. The Seelie weren't supposed to arrive for another day at least. They covered ground faster than should be possible. Then again, King Carrington had reached into the pits of hell to pull up any scrap of forbidden magic he could access to destroy us, so I shouldn't be surprised. My feelings didn't matter anyway. We had to stand and face our fate, regardless. I clenched my eyes shut and breathed in the floral sweetness of Lira.

Then I pulled away, stood, and dressed. The camp was already in motion, metal clattering and leaders shouting commands. Lira pulled on pants and a top and tied her hair back. She stepped up to me, grabbed my hand, and raised her face to mine. I found her mouth and kissed her like it might be our last, like I'd possibly never get to touch her again. In the end, having her even for a short time had made my life feel worth it.

But everything had rushed ahead so quickly. Goddess, I'd not even known Lira a year yet. When we'd met, I'd only worried about retrieving Shaan's zevar and locating the heart stones. War wasn't even a serious contemplation in my mind except some vague future idea. Now here we were, scarcely a few seasons later, and our entire world was at stake.

We left the tent and stepped towards the location where the leaders met. Already dozens of beings walked in that direction, and Lennox and Shaan stood curled into each other whispering. I wondered if they shared my thoughts that perhaps this was it, perhaps we wouldn't survive this and this brief burst of joy with our Atallas is all we'd get of this lifetime. I tightened my fingers around Lira's.

When we made it into the tent Luz slipped up beside me. "I wrote Neia."

"And?"

"They're close." The way they said it sent a sinking feeling in my chest. Close wasn't here. Close wouldn't add to our forces if the Seelie attacked today.

"Thank you," I said.

They clapped my arm, and I shifted to look at them. They'd donned an Alegre uniform—a knee-length navy coat that buttoned up the front with an ivory belt around the waist. "I've been thinking when we're done with all of this"—they gestured to the dozens of military leaders streaming by like war was nothing more than an annoying chore to complete and move on from—"I might live part-time in the Prasanna palace if the Maharani would allow it."

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