Page 105 of Commanding Flame and Shield
“Arm?”
“Better,” I said again, granting a tentative smile. His shields were up in full force, and I knew not to pry too much. I flexed my fingers and stretched my arm out, and found it, gratefully, at peace.
“Good. We need to talk.” August’s voice went serious. My mind reached for his, only to find that incredible, infuriatingly impenetrable shield firmly locked into place. I wasn’t sure how he knew what I’d seen in Agamemnon’s mind, but it did, indeed, need to be discussed.
“I know,” I sighed, and sipped another gulp down.
“Good. Look, Ally. I know I’m the rookie and all, but last night...can you, uh, not walk into situations that will make my heart stop in my chest?”
I snorted, and then swallowed the laugh that followed. My power tapped at the barrier around his mind—a persistent psychic woodpecker—but that solid wall of August stayed firmly in place.
“I’m serious.” He chuckled despite himself.
“August...last night…”
“Sucked.”
The corners of my lips pulled up. “Last night sucked. Yes. But there wasn’t a single thread where you and Marcus walked away if I didn’t take the hit. It had to be me.”
He bowed his head forward, staring intently at his coffee. He wouldn’t have done anything differently in my shoes. I knew it to my core—August would have taken the blow himself over letting any of us take it.
“Last night—me enduring a bit of pain—it was worth it. Worth the outcome. Obviously, I wish we’d killed Adrastos and Agamemnon. But I knew going in that was unlikely, and we took out a good handful of their allies. That makes it a win.” I took a sip, holding August’s smoldering gaze. “Damn, you make a good cup of coffee. Look. At the very least, they’ll be grappling the next few days, which makes it the perfect time to dig into everything I pulled from those Renown. They know we’re coming for them now. It should make them play closer to the vest.”
He was quiet for a few moments, eyes never leaving my face. Finally, he lifted his chin a bit, looking down his nose at me.
“How close?”
“How close...what?”
“How close were we to not bringing you home?”
I winced. “I came home, August. And so did Marcus. That’s what matters in the end.” I flashed him a playful wink. “I’m harder to kill than you might think.”
August harrumphed and picked a fleck of lint off his black t-shirt. I couldn’t help but notice the way the cloth clung to him. The way the early morning light illuminated his eyes, bringing out the flecks of hazel. Later. There would be time for thoughts like that later. But there were more pressing needs.
“There’s something else, August.” His eyes snapped back to mine, lint forgotten. “Agamemnon. Adrastos. You’re their mark. You’re not a random prize—you're the entire goal.”
August blinked, and then his brows pulled together.
“I didn’t get a full reading before Agamemnon realized what I was and dropped me. But you’re their mark. He sensed it last night.” I set my coffee on the bedside table before scooting forward to rest a hand on his thigh. Those piercing emeralds tracked the movements. “August,” I breathed. “The healers are dropping, so at some point, humans and souls will be at the mercy oftheircontrol. They’ll chose who lives and dies. You are an integral part of that plan. Your strength—they mean to wield it to rule them. I didn’t see who betrayed us. Who told them who you are. But they know. And they want you. Badly. The threads...are a mess. I need a bit to sort them out.”
He was quiet for a moment, eyes narrowed. “Why? I’m not half of what you are. Not half of Aren.”
Without hesitation, I answered, “Maybe notyet. But you will be, August. You will be—more than I have ever been. The Great Commander will wield a call no soul will be able to avoid answering. That is what they want from you. To use that forced obedience to rule all clans.”
I projected my mind, not for control, but to show him. A gentle nudge, an invitation, and he answered immediately, opening for me. Commander of all armies, of all hierarchies, August at his strength, vivid and undeniable. The fall of the mortal world should they control him, and long battle ahead if he successfully avoided it. Many, many scenarios, all of which led to him walking across that dark, bloodied killing field toward the monsters we had just escaped.
He blanched, face going wan, and then blinked as I pulled my mind away from his. Somehow untangling our consciousness felt every bit as intimate as pulling limbs apart, and my heart lurched at the ache. The desire to stay connected.
“Ally, I…” His mind swam with denial, and slowly, so slowly, that default shield closed the gap to guard him. “I’m not…” I didn’t need access to his mind to know the fear of his inadequacy and cut him off.
“You are, August. And the sooner you embrace who you are, the sooner you can learn to wield it, and the sooner the threads will solidify, so I can figure out how in the hell to proceed with this mess. How to defend everything you love.”
“They’re going after—”
“Everyone. Yes. There is a thread for every person in your life. Everything, and everyone you care about enough to turn yourself over. To sacrifice yourself. Including me. Including your family. I can’t see which thread they’ll pull on, because there are too many decisions that remain unmade. Many are yours to make.”
“And all end at the battlefield.”
