Page 44 of The Wolf Queen

I jerked my sword out of its scabbard and held it up high, blue fire flickering across the blade.

“The gods themselves have blessed me with a blade capable of cutting them down—the Sword of Destiny—and I will use it to lead the charge. We will stop these slavering beasts in their tracks and send the survivors yelping back to their master with a message. Grania will not fall to the Reavers.” Murmurs went around the crowd now, but not in dispute. Eyes shone and spines straightened as hands went to the hilts of swords. “They want to take everything we have, but we will give them nothing!”

The roar of hundreds of voices went through the house, rattling the windows and unsettling the servants, but I didn’t care. I pricked my palm with my knife, forcing the blood to flow as I wrapped it around the pommel of my sword. I had no idea if this would work and if it didn’t, I’d lose the faith of everyone here, something Weyland had talked to me about when he’d found me perched in the window seat late in the wee hours of the previous night.

“Can’t sleep?”he’d asked, slotting his body in behind mine, then pulling me back against him.

“What if it doesn’t work?” I whispered, barely able to make my fears audible. “What if I’m not—”

“You are.”

“But if I can’t—”

“You will.”

“You’re not listening to me.” I twisted around to face him, frowning furiously. “Weyland, I—”

“…am Darcy, wolf queen of my heart, and the most beautiful, ferocious girl I’ve ever seen. You led the battle at Snowmere. You fought like the devil at Ironhaven. This is nothing, by comparison. Don’t let the fall of the city take from you what you know is true.” His eyes held mine, the blue glowing in the darkness. “You were always going to lead us to victory. This is just the first step towards that.”

I foundit hard to believe in myself, so I clung to his belief, their belief as I strode into the cave. That song I’d heard when I claimed the sword, it got louder and louder in my ears, drowning out the soldiers’ chatter. The sound swelled as I stalked over to the closest cave wall, then grew unbearably loud as I slapped my hand down on the crystals. The points bit into the little cuts on my palm, forcing the blood to flow more freely, dripping down the wall onto the ground.

“Give me this,” I growled, more wolf than woman. “Give me this battle, dread queen. You want a fight, blood, death? Then get us to Bayard.”

The wall gave away suddenly, replaced instead by a swirling portal, just like Pepin had made.

“I did it…”

Selene smiled at my surprise.

“Good, now make it look like you knew it would happen all along. A good leader inspires confidence, rather than reminding the soldiers of the risks.”

I turned, eyes blazing, and strode past my mates and the Wolf Maidens in the cave, to where my grandfather and Crown Prince Bryson stood at the head of the assembled soldiers packed into the cellars, and on the stairs up to the kitchens.

“Through this door is a portal to the outskirts of Bayard. We’ll approach the northern road quietly, so that we have the element of surprise on our side. We anticipate that we’ll be there before they arrive. And when they do—”

“We’ll kill every one of those fuckers!” Higgins shouted, the rest of the men roaring in support.

This wasn’t the same as fighting at Aramoor. There, the steward and his men had all been united by the need to fight for their home. It wasn’t even like the battle at Ironhaven or at Snowmere, because those fighting had at least been united by the order of the king, the expectations of their families or just pure survival. Here, each group of men, even each man, had their own motivation, and somehow we needed to make them work together. I sucked in a deep breath and barked my orders. My voice echoed throughout the cavernous cellar and back into the crystal cave.

“Together,” I said to reinforce the original message. “The only way we’ll get through this is together. Look at the man next to you.” Part of me was surprised when they obeyed. “Strelan or Granian, it doesn’t matter. He’s the man you’ll have fighting by your side, protecting your back, ensuring we all get out of this alive. So memorise his face, see him for the ally he is, and then walk through the portal and towards the battlefield together.”

“A leader doesn’t wait to see his orders are followed,”Selene had told me.“He assumes that they will and that ensures compliance.”

So I did just that, grabbing my sword and walking through the cave and through the portal.

Chapter27

I knew that I was back in Strelae because I could smell the sweet scent of pine trees. The air felt softer on my skin somehow, like it was a caress. But any feelings of being glad to be home were shoved to one side as the Maidens all drew their swords. They flanked me as did my men as we all moved forward.

The tor was situated slightly north east of Bayard. From there, following the track towards the town it would take about ten minutes to reach the marketplace. But we weren’t there to wander the markets or find the best price for pies. We’d reasoned that the Reavers would be coming via the main north road, down from Strelae, so that was where we were headed.

But what if Callum had mastered the art of using the crystal portals? I’d asked that question of the others around the map, before we’d approached the men. What if we positioned ourselves by the north road, ready to intercept the enemy, only to have them come surging up behind us?

“I’ll take a contingent,” Axe had volunteered. “I have a horn that I can use to send up an alarm. While I’m doing that, I can make sure all those Granian knights in their tin cans actually do head to the road to fulfil their duty, just in case there are any ‘stragglers’ who’ve rethought their commitment to facing the Reavers.” Axe did that now, as I found a place in the undergrowth by the side of the road, accompanied by the Maidens, Dane, Weyland and Gael.

And Bryson.

He moved silently, sword drawn, perfectly alert, which surprised me. The prince didn’t say a word, for his entire focus was trained on the road. When we heard the sound of clopping hooves on the cobblestones, we all turned to look.

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