“Amala Fingray.”
“Am I your king, Amala?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Lord is the title for Endrick, and all others are too grand for me now.”
“My king, then.”
I smiled and handed her the second cup of hot cider. “Amala Fingray, until further notice, you are commander of this cavalry. Join me outside and we will discuss strategy for the coming attack.” Then I looked up at the others. “The fire outside is warm and the cider is tasty, for I found it in the cellar of the former master of Woodcourt. Join me, or don’t, but this is the moment when you will decide where your loyalties are. If you come to the fire, then you come to your king.”
Then I turned and walked out with Amala on my heels, her head tall with pride but taking in deep breaths as she contemplated the weight of the assignment I had just given her. Once outside, we stoked the fire with more wood, and then we waited.
And waited. Amala had another cup of cider while I began to feel nauseous enough to worry I might lose what I’d already swallowed. If no one came, I would present to the Alliance my army of one.
“Do you want to discuss strategy?” she asked.
“How are your skills with weapons?” If she had any at all. Amala didn’t move like a warrior.
Amala patted the sword at her side. “My mother gave this to me before we left, and I’ve practiced with it at every opportunity since. But I’m good with horses, and I was told that they needed every fighter they could get, since so many of ours were lost in the battle at King’s Lake.”
Many more would be lost in the battles that were coming, if Amala Fingray represented the totality of my cavalry.
“May we join you at the fire … my king?”
I looked up to see three men walking out from the stables. These had been some of the last to follow their former commander into the stables earlier that evening, so it was no surprise to see they were the first to emerge. But it was a great relief.
I poured cups for each of them and placed one in each man’s hands as he bowed to me and found a place around the fire.
Within five minutes, another eight soldiers had joined us. Before I had their cups filled, another ten were outside. That was followed by the majority of the riders, each of whom greeted me as their king, gave me a respectful bow, then found a place around the fire.
“What is the strategy, my king?” Edgar called. “We are here to kill Lord Endrick, are we not?”
“No,” I said, and this was the test. If I was going to lose them again, this was where it would happen and I would not win their attention a second time. “There is only one person who can kill Lord Endrick, and that is the Infidante.”
“I told you all, and you wouldn’t listen,” Reese, the former commander of the cavalry, said, walking out of the stables. “His marriage to Harlyn Mindall is a fraud. He is in love with Kestra Dallisor.”
I poured another cup of cider but held it in my hands. “You’re correct. Harlyn and I are not married. She told you that to get you this far, but I am telling you the truth now. Whether you remain here depends on your ability to trust what I am about to say: Not one of us anywhere within the land of Antora has the ability to kill Lord Endrick. Only the Infidante can do it. So we can help her succeed, or we can get in her way. There are no other choices, and the consequences of failure are severe.”
“We came to help her,” Reese said, stepping into the circle near the fire. “But my question for you is, what happens after Endrick is dead? Who will sit on the Scarlet Throne?”
“The Scarlet Throne belongs to the Halderians,” I said, looking Reese directly in the eye. “No one else can be allowed to have it after Endrick is dead.” Then I offered him the cup of cider.
He stared at me for a long moment, then finally nodded as if satisfied with my answers. Reese took the cup and raised it in the air. “A toast to my king and yours! May the coming battle be full of glory!”
A cheer followed, but it was quickly muffled when Gabe rode up, out of breath and with a torn sleeve near his shoulder. Beneath it was a deep scratch.
“Harlyn is gone; they took her,” he said.
“Who?”
“The Dominion. We’ve got to get her back.” Gabe’s wide-eyed expression was full of panic. “Kestra and Joth were there too, on their way to the palace.”
I turned to Amala. “I’m afraid that I must ask you to cede leadership for now.” She nodded, and I said to Reese. “Commander, prepare your riders and horses to leave within the hour. I will notify the others gathered here that the time has come. Tonight will mark the end of Lord Endrick and the Dominion.” Then I glanced up at Gabe. “And we will get Harlyn back. Go wake Tenger.”
Less than an hour later, I sat astride my horse at the front of a long line of Alliance soldiers. To my right were one hundred soldiers of the Halderian cavalry. At my left were about twice the number of Coracks, with Tenger at my side. Directly behind me were five hundred Reddengrad soldiers, some on horseback and some on foot. Behind them all were a thousand Brillian soldiers, determined to have their revenge against Lord Endrick. They had been working day and night in hopes of finding a defense against Joth’s powers. I hoped they were ready.
And not one of us would be of any use if Kestra failed tonight. I hoped she knew what she was doing.
Lord Endrick’s palace was the highest on the hills of Highwyn, situated so that it had an easy view of the city and of the surrounding land of Antora. Woodcourt was only a little lower, and as Joth and I came closer, we saw signs of activity from below. The Alliance was on the move.
“They expect to join us in the battle,” I said to him.
“They’re of no use to us.” Joth was still staring at our road ahead. “We must stay with our plan.”
“Our plan involved Darrow.” I glanced back once more, as I had done already a thousand other times. “Where is he? Do you suppose—”
“He will come if he is able to.” Joth’s tone was cooler than usual, which hardly made me feel better. “We’re better off without him anyway. Are you ready?”
I put my hand on the Olden Blade. “Ready.”
As we had seen from our upper-floor lookout deeper within the city, Endrick’s palace was surrounded by what I assumed was his entire Ironheart army. If Simon’s sister was still alive, then she would be in there, somewhere. Thousands of soldiers stood at attention, heavily armed, and fully aware that to fail here would mean an instant death sentence. Endrick had control of the hearts of every single person here.
He’d once controlled mine. I knew how they must have felt, compelled to obey, terrified that a single wrong move might prompt a squeeze on the heart, or worse.
“Promise me that the half-lives will not kill them all,” I said.
“Only those who get in your way.” Joth offered me his hand, and I took it. His flesh was warmer than before. He squeezed on my fingers, then asked, “Do you feel the magic in me?”
“I do.”
“As I feel yours. I will do my part from out here, but once you are inside, if there is anything you need, I will sacrifice my safety for yours, and if necessary to protect you, I will sacrifice everyone out here. You are the priority now.”