Page 209 of War Queen
“I don’t know if she can.” Lucien swallowed. “I didn’t mean to hurt Norah. I didn’t think she’d sacrifice herself.”
“Because you don’t know her at all,” he snapped back.
Lucien nodded, accepting the guilt, accepting Adrian’s anger. “I don’t have much time, but I wanted you to know that I wish things could have been different between us. I like to think they could have been, if we’d have lived in a different world, in a different time.” He smiled sadly. “I don’t dare ask your forgiveness, but I do want to give you something.”
Lucien looked to his right, and Adrian followed his gaze to see Alexander walking toward them. He wore a warm smile.
Adrian trembled as his breath left him. “Is it really him?”
Lucien nodded.
“I don’t understand. You can link with the dead?”
Slowly, Lucien nodded again. “Something like that.”
But Adrian didn’t really care how. He stumbled toward Alexander, and his brother held his arms wide. He fell into them with a sob. Alexander’s arms came around him and embraced him tightly. Warmth from his body surrounded him. He was there.He was really there. Adrian clung to him.
He pulled back, blinking back his tears. “How are you here?”
But Alexander only smiled. Everything about him was as he remembered. His eyes, his face, his smile. He’d never gotten to see him one last time, to say goodbye. But now, he was here. And he could feel him—feel his warmth.
Adrian glanced back at Lucien. “Can he not speak?”
“I don’t have enough power to let him speak, but he wants you to know that he loves you.” His voice tightened in emotion. “He’s proud of you and the man you’ve become. He says our father’s proud.”
“I love you, Alec,” Adrian said through his tears. “I’ll hold everything you taught me. I’ll honor our father, and our family. I love you.”
Alexander clasped the side of his neck and gripped him tightly. He nodded. With a final smile, he faded.
“Our time’s come,” Lucien told him.
Adrian looked back at him.
“Goodbye, brother,” Lucien said softly, and Adrian’s mind faded into darkness.
He opened his eyes. Lucien still lay in front of him. But he was gone. Blood trailed from his nose and down his cheeks. Adrian leaned over the body of his brother and wept.
Soren and Mikael drove their mounts hard, with Calla close behind them. The girl had picked up a few more arrow quivers that lay with fallen archers on the field, but they didn’t need much now. They weren’t met with resistance. Most of the Raelean army had begun to flee. Soren was grateful. He wasn’t sure he could get another fight out of his body. He could barely hold his sword.
Mikael wasn’t faring well either. He’d broken the arrow off in his side, unable to pull it out. He still carried Salara in his arms. Soren feared they’d already lost her.No—he couldn’t think about that—it would break him.
Suddenly, their horses reared and skidded to a grinding halt as a woman appeared before them. She wore a cloak the color of burnt blood, with her long, dark curls loose down her front. She pulled back her hood.
Although Soren hadn’t seen her face the last time they’d met, he knew exactly who she was. “It’s the Blood King’s witch,” he called to Mikael. He pulled his sword, having to use all his strength now to wield it.
She turned her eyes on him. “That didn’t get you very far before, and it won’t get you far now.”
“Get out of our way,” Mikael snarled between his teeth.
“My king has sent me to help the North Queen.”
Soren snorted. “Your king is dead.”
The faintest of emotion flashed across her face. Surprise? No. Blood marked her forehead. She knew he was dead. It was pain. “I’ll still keep my promise,” she said.
A promise to kill Salara, more likely. Soren clutched his sword tighter, ready to take her head.
“Are you a healer?” Mikael demanded.
