Page 196 of Tears for a Broken Sky
Relief swept through me like water.
“You jackass.” I leapt at him and wrapped him in a big (and manly) hug.
He winced at the contact but patted my back awkwardly. “I’m okay.”
“You’re hurt?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”
“What, I don’t get a hug?” Caelen drawled from behind.
He stepped out and gave me a nod.
I rolled my eyes. “I can give you a big ol’ kiss if you like.”
Lacey appeared beside him, her expression tighter than the others. Alert. Worried.
“Where’s Maddie?” Lacey asked me.
Before I could answer, Lia joined us from where we’d stalled. “Is there a problem here?”
Phoenix turned to her. “Are you Lia?”
She gave him a quick once-over, then looked to me. “These the other Shades?”
“Yeah,” I said. “My friends – Phoenix, Slade and Lacey.”
I glanced at Caelen. “And Caelen.”
The prince punched me in the side.
“Hey, I know you.” Lacey said to Lia. Lia looked away, pulling her hood tighter.
“I’ve been told I have a distinctive face.” She drawled. “We need to get moving. My contacts told me Ashton has already started an assault on the tower.”
“So what’s the plan?” Phoenix asked her, calm and direct.
“We have people inside trying to evacuate civilians,” Lia said. “We’ll use an old network of caverns that links to the tower’s basement. The goal is to launch a surprise attack on the monks before they can rally.”
“Okay,” Phoenix said. “What are our assets?”
Lia shot him a sideways glance. “Concerned I don’t know what I’m doing, fire mage?”
He didn’t flinch. “Just trying to see how we can help.”
“You can help by following instructions,” she said flatly. “This mission’s been in motion for a while.”
“Lia—”
“Phoenix,” she cut in, sharp. “Your job, now that you're here, is to fight like hell. That’s all I want from you.”
There was a beat of silence before Caelen spoke, voice quieter but cutting through.
“What about Elira? How do we extract her?”
Lia’s jaw tightened. “We’ve given her a way out.”
She looked at each of us, her eyes hard.
