It was also closer than the Earth Estate by days, and since we didn’t know what the Lady of Earth was doing, her treacherous ways only somewhat uncovered, we didn’t want to travel there.
At least, not yet.
We had lost so many people. Although, thankfully, no one new along the way. People had died at the hands of The Gray’s forces, and there was nothing I could do about it. Spirit Wielding didn’t bring them back to life. That was the one main thing I couldn’t do, the forbidden thing that I promised myself I would never do. After all, I had watched my parents die, had seen their souls float away into wherever the hereafter was. I was never going to bring anyone back. The Spirit Wielders had forbidden it. I understood that I would only be delaying the inevitable, twisting fate and becoming far worse than The Gray ever was.
It had been two weeks since the battle and our defeat. We were healing and consoling those we could. There wasn’t much we could do outside of that, and it hurt me deep down in my soul.
“Lyric?” Easton asked from the doorway. I turned from the window where I had been staring outside and pulled myself out of my thoughts.
I hadn’t had too much time to myself since we had arrived, nor had I had any time to be alone with Easton. We had both led this charge, trying to do whatever we could while planning for the inevitable.
Strong hands slid around my waist, and I rested my head on his chest, just for an instant before pulling away.
I saw uncertainty in his eyes when I looked at him. I tried to smile, but I knew he likely knew it wasn’t real.
“We’re starting the meeting.”
“I figured, I’m on my way.”
“I’d say you could rest a bit more, but we both know you don’t sleep any more than I do.”
“I wish that wasn’t the case. Let’s get this over with.”
“They’re just going to keep yelling about the same gripes over and over. Every plan we make gets thrown out the window with each of the Gray’s movements.”
He was right, but I was trying really hard not to think about that.
Over the past two weeks, we had waited for The Gray, had fought in small skirmishes, and not just the primary battle that had taken so many. Only we weren’t getting anywhere with any of it. The Gray was hiding in the Shadow realm, and we had to find a way to lure him out.
That’s what today’s meeting was about.
“I love you,” I whispered.
Easton blinked as if startled by my words. He leaned down, brushed a kiss on my lips, and then squeezed my shoulders.
“I love you, too, Priestess.”
“So, let’s figure out how to save the world.”
“Again,” he said, winking. He looked almost like the man I had met at the Fire and Earth border all those months ago.
It almost seemed trivial now what that wink and smirk did to me.
Because despite that, it now felt as if there was no hope.
And that was something I needed to push from my mind.
When we made our way to the war room, I realized the fighting had already begun.
Teagan and his father were at each other’s throats, yelling about something or another, and I knew it was something they needed to get out of their system. They were grieving the Lady of Fire, and there was nothing we could do about it.
But it was exhausting.
They seemed to notice that we were standing in the doorway and, thankfully, stopped bickering for a second.
“Any updates?” Easton asked, and Justise shook his head. He sat near the back of the room, his stump bandaged and what remained of his arm in a sling. Ridley had done what he could to heal the scarred flesh, but no one could regrow a limb, not even with magic.
Justise was now a Wielder with one arm. Not the first. But as the blacksmith of the people, one who was the most talented weapons maker anyone had ever seen, I knew it likely hurt him more than just the physical pain. He would figure it out, though.
We all would.
I had to keep that thread of optimism alive because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t last long.
“There was another attack on one of our camps,” Rhodes said, his hair messier than I’d ever seen it. It appeared as if he’d run his hands through it over and over again. His silver eyes looked dull, and I saw lines of strain at the sides of his mouth and bracketing his eyes.
We had all aged over the past months, but I didn’t think Rhodes had slept since we arrived at the Fire Estate.
I only slept the little I did because I was so exhausted after the meetings, and fighting, and healing of each day. I could barely keep my eyes open. Honestly, if I didn’t fall asleep next to Easton, his warm body near mine as he told me I would be okay even if neither of us believed it, I didn’t think I would go to sleep at all.
“Any casualties?” Easton asked, and I could hear the anger and fear in his tone. Even though he sounded so crisp, so cold and calculating, that I wasn’t sure the others would be able to hear what I did.
Maybe it was because I could feel him inside my soul, the bond that neither of us knew what to do with pulsating.
“Four,” Luken gritted out. “All Danes that couldn’t fight against the onslaught of power.”
I closed my eyes, let out a breath, and sent a prayer up to the sky, hoping that whoever might be listening could send us some help.
Only I didn’t think that would happen. I was the foretold savior, after all.
“We need to go to him,” I said, and everyone looked at me.
“To the Shadow realm?” Easton asked.
“You know we do. The Gray won’t come out. Why would he? He doesn’t have to. He has so many people on his side that he’s either brainwashed or who think they’re disenfranchised and agreed to fight us. And some believe the lies and think that it’s still Obscurité versus the Lumière.”
“And what about those who went to his side?” Teagan asked, his voice stern.
“They did that because there was no hope,” Wyn said, and I saw Easton flinch, but nobody said anything for a moment.
“Because of Lore?” Easton asked. “Or because of me?”
“Stop it,” I snapped. Everyone looked at me. “Lore used the crystals and stole people’s Wielding. Innocents died because of him. Not because of you.”
“You know that’s not the case,” Easton said, his voice so low that it sent shivers down my spine, but everybody else heard him anyway.
“We don’t know what’s coming. Nobody does,” Wyn said, her voice slow. “So, I guess we need to go to the Shadow realm.”
I looked at her and let out a long breath. “It’s the only way to get him to fight on our terms. He’s not going to come out here, and his people won’t stop while he’s their leader, even if some of them might know who’s pulling the strings.”
“That is the worry, isn’t it?” Luken said, frowning as he scratched Braelynn behind her ears. She purred, and my heart broke just a little more.
“It doesn’t matter. Because the Obscurité members who went over to The Gray’s side left because they thought they had no choice. But that’s not on us. At least, not completely.” Wyn raised her chin.
Easton shook his head. “You say that, but I don’t know if I quite believe it. We’re all at fault here. But we don’t have time to keep flagellating each other. It’s time to figure out exactly how we’re going to get our armies to the Shadow realm.”