Page 184 of War Queen
“You will. It’s the last thing I’ll ask of you.”
He shook his head.
“I need you to do it.”
His eyes welled.
“Swear to me,” she said.
His breaths came uneven underneath his wrap.
“Swear to me, Soren. You’ll kill him.”
For a moment, she thought he might not.
“I swear,” he said finally.
Relief washed over her. It was done. Her heart filled with sadness—not for her death, but for what she was asking her friend to do.
“It’s okay if it hurts,” she told him. She was getting used to pain.
“You won’t feel a thing,” he whispered.
And she believed him. Soren could be trusted with how to end a life.
Chapter forty-five
Thesoundofmetaland horses hung in the air as the Mercian army readied to depart. They would march to Bahoul to join part of the Kharavian army, in line with their battle plans. Then the forces from Bahoul, with Mikael and Soren, would be ready to help Phillip drive Rael and Japheth south into the Canyonlands where Katya and the remaining Kharavian army would be waiting.
Norah felt uneasy; timing was critical. They couldn’t sustain a large army in Bahoul for long; moving too early could work against them. But not being positioned in time would leave them without a full force if they fell under attack. The question was—when to go?
Word had come from Osan, thanks to Phillip’s new alliance, that no more ships had sailed between Rael and Japheth—they weren’t moving more forces between the two kingdoms. But the Raelean army had sat just inside the Japheth border for weeks. So if they weren’t moving more of their army, what were they waiting for? That had been the question for some time. Soren suspected something wasn’t right and didn’t want to wait any longer. He wanted to move now, and Mikael agreed.
Norah would accompany them as far as Sandor, a Mercian stronghold just north of the Tribelands. Mikael had wanted Norah to stay in Mercia, but there was no way she’d stay in the safety of the North while everyone she loved marched to war. He reluctantly agreed she could join them as far as Sandor and then return to Mercia while he continued on to Bahoul.
The ride to Sandor was shorter than she’d expected. It took five days moving with the army, as planned, but time was in short supply, and it felt like barely a day. They didn’t talk about what had happened in the Wild. Norah had told Mikael they couldn’t break the tether, and they left it at that. She didn’t tell him about almost losing her memories again. It didn’t matter—it hadn’t worked anyway. And she wouldn’t let the end to come haunt him like it haunted her.
She wished Adrian was still with her. She could have talked to him. Soren had sent him back to Phillip before they left for the Wild. He’d have arrived by now. She hoped he was doing well. Of course he was doing well. He was tasked with helping Aleon build up their defenses and prepare Phillip’s army to drive Japheth and Rael to the Canyonlands. And he had been taught by the best.
They reached Sandor, and the gates of the stronghold opened. It was the first time she’d been to this fortress, or rather, the first time that she remembered. It was smaller than the castle of Mercia, and smaller than the stronghold in Bahoul, but it was surprisingly beautiful. There were trees all around and throughout, and a garden in the center. It was interestingto have something so serene in a place meant as a stronghold of war.
She found herself in the garden as Mikael and Soren worked through final plans with Caspian and sent messages to Phillip and Katya. She’d imagined things differently when she had thought about accompanying Mikael. She didn’t know what—just not sitting to herself. She wouldn’t complain; she’d take every moment she could get, just knowing Mikael was near.
Sorrow sat heavy in her heart. Each day took them closer to war, closer to Mikael’s fate. The sorrow grew to desperation as she watched everyone working toward the future that had been foretold—Mikael’s future. Everyone was so accepting. Had she become accepting too?
Soren had sworn he’d kill Lucien, no matter the cost. While she trusted him completely, trusted him to do everything in his power to save Mikael, not everything was within his power. She couldn’t rely on his promise.
Snow covered the ground. Norah sat on the bench in the middle of the evergreen gardens with quiet all around her. It was a deceiving peace. A flutter caught her eye, and she paused as a butterfly danced through the air. In the middle of winter—how beautifully strange.
It floated closer, dipping and rising around her, and she held out her hand. With a flit of its wings, it landed on her palm. She couldn’t help an amazed laugh. For a butterfly to land on her hand—
She stopped.
She’d been here before.
Her lip trembled as she looked at the butterfly, and the world stood still. Even the light froze.
She clenched her hand and crushed it.
