Page 68 of A Trial of War
Neera’s gaze darted to Shaw and Zola. “Did you run from the bond because it was difficult or complex? No, you gave it time and space to flourish.”
Then, her eyes snapped to Daxton. “Did you track your mate across a continent and kill every obstacle in your path to find her because you could feel her pain as your own before the bond was ever sealed or spoken aloud?”
My eyes darted to my uncle. I could sense his magic rising, his jaw tightening as his fingers flexed into fists at his side. “You only just met the male.”
“Time doesn’t define the strength of a bond, Father.”
Daxton stood, clearing his throat to gain our attention. “We’re not here to discuss Neera’s mate bond, Magnus. We’re here to discuss our survival.”
Magnus rose, the scrape of his chair biting through the tension building in the room. “With all due respect, Daxton and Skylar, you do not have my support in this. I will not go. I refuse to grovel before a human princess who would sooner see us all butchered.”
Magnus’s words of disapproval rippled through the sandstone chamber. I felt his resistance through the pack bond. The tether was there, but it flickered. And from the look on Magnus’s face, I knew he felt it too.
“It’s not easy for me to—”
I held up my hand to stop him. “I’d rather you speak your truth, Uncle.”
If I decided to go, if I decided to accept an alliance, Magnus would follow me, but it would be difficult to sway Magnus’s heart to open and fully trust them.
Castor’s voice cut in next. “And what if Magnus is right, Daxton? What if this princess is using us—usingyou—to draw out her enemies? Do you think humans will ever see us as allies? Or are you too blind to see that they still call us monsters in their prayers?”
The murmur of agreement rippled through the room, a tide of unease rising.
Daxton’s temper flared bright in my chest. His fury became my fury. I had to force a breath through my teeth before I exploded with him.
“Enough,” I said, though the word came out more as flame than sound. Sparks curled off my palms as I pushed to my feet. The room fell silent, eyes tracking me as I turned from the council.
“Keep arguing if you must,” I said, my voice low. “But every moment you waste in this room, Minaeve’s forces grow in numbers. Arguing won’t save us.”
I didn’t wait for permission. Didn’t wait for the storm of voices that followed as Magnus cursed under his breathand Daxton called my name. I was already moving. The hallway swallowed the noise behind me.
The warmth of Crimson City hit me like a living thing as I stepped outside. The blistering heat of the sun burned through the early haze as the aroma of fresh spices and herbs from the market below filled my nostrils. The pulse of the city beat beneath my feet, alive and fierce, but I could still hear the ghosts of that meeting echoing in my ears.
If I were going to trust the human princess and meet with her, I needed to consult with the peacemaker of my pack.
The corridors narrowed as I descended into the lower levels of the stronghold, the sandstone walls bleeding into darker clay where the healers worked. My senses sharpened as I noticed a shift in the air around me, still warm but carrying the tang of something… different.
Then it hit me. All at once, the scent of ash and rot filled my senses, the unmistakable aroma of corrupted magic. My stomach dropped as I rounded the corner to the healers’ ward.
The heavy door to the infirmary stood open, light spilling out in uneven, trembling bursts as if the torches themselves were afraid to stay lit.
“Hold him—gods,hold him down!” one of the healers shouted.
I pushed through the doorway. Rhea was hauled from Talon’s side across the room. My friend lay bare on the cot, with his chest on full display, the dark markings growing, spreading across his chest like spider webs. It coiled under his skin, spreading from the wound at his shoulder down his arm.His body convulsed, his hands shifting, claws gouging deep ruts into the stone slab beneath him.
“Talon,” I breathed.
One of the healers glanced at me, eyes wide, sweat dripping down her temple. “He’s fighting it. The rot is anchoring deeper every time we try to pull it out. But if it continues to spread—”
“It won’t,” I said, finding Rhea’s stare. “I swear it won’t.”
Rhea was fighting back tears. “What will stop this, Skylar?”
My fire answered before I even called for it, slipping down my arms like liquid sunlight. The nearest healer stepped back, shielding her eyes as the glow flared bright enough to burn through shadows.
Talon’s eyes flickered open, his voice strained. “You… shouldn’t be here.”
“Yes, I should,” I shot back, moving to his side. “If I’d seen the arrow—”
