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A few dozen of the Ironteeth had sacked Rifthold in a matter of hours

This host …

Aedion focused on his breathing, on keeping his head high as soldiers began to step away fro the walls

Unacceptable

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE," he bellowed "HOLD THE LINE, AND DO NOT BALK"

The roared command halted those who’d looked prone to bolt, at least But it didn’t stop the shaking swords, the stench of their rising fear

Aedion turned to Lysandra and Ren "Get Rolfe’s firelances up on the higher towers and buildings See if they can burn the Ironteeth from the sky"

When Ren hesitated, Aedion snarled, "Do it now"

Then Ren was racing tohere the Pirate Lord stood with his Mycenian soldiers

"It won’t do anything, will it?" Lysandra said softly

Aedion just said, "Take Evangeline and go There is a small tunnel in the bottom level of the castle that leads into the o"

She shook her head "To what end? Morath will find us all anyway"

His co toward him, and for the first ti in the eyes of the Bane In Elgan’s eyes

But Aedion kept his attention fixed on Lysandra "Please I ao"

Her chin lifted "You are not asking our other allies to run"

"Because I am not in love with our other allies"

For a heartbeat, she blinked at him

Then her face crumpled, and Aedion only stared at her, unafraid of the words he’d spoken Only afraid of the darkwithin forion would do to her, to Evangeline

"I should have told you," Aedion said, voice breaking "Every day after I realized it, all these an to cry, and he brushed away her tears

His co "Orders, General?"

He didn’t bother to tell theeneral It wouldn’t matter what the hell he was called in a few hours anyway

Yet Lysandra remained at his side Made no move to run

"Please," he said to her

Lysandra only linked her fingers through his in silent answer And challenge

His heart cracked at that refusal At the hand, shaking and cold, that clung to his

He squeezed her fingers tightly, and did not let go as he faced his commanders "We--"

"Wyverns fro shattered down the battlements, and Aedion and Lysandra ducked as they whirled toward the attack cohorns, plunging toward the city walls

And as they shot toward Orynth, people and soldiers screa before thehting up wings like living silver

Aedion knew that wyvern Knew the white-haired rider atop it

"HOLD FIRE," he bellowed down the lines His commanders echoed the order, and all the arrows that had been pointed upward now halted

"It’s …," Lysandra breathed, her hand dropping from his while she walked forward a step, as if in a daze "It …"

Soldiers still fell back from the city walls as Manon Blackbeak and her Thirteen landed along theht before Aedion and Lysandra

It was not the witch he had last seen on a beach in Eyllwe