Chapter 468 (1/2)

Chapter 468

Chapter 466: Words Almost Said

SETH MILVIEW

The couple hours after the Wraith’s arrival and Agrona’s e seemed like a fever dream Lauden Denoir, Sulla Drusus, and the others weren’t the last to succumb to our cursed runes, and there was just no way to come to ter in a cloud of their own destructive ic

Just as there was no way to co asked to pick up a weapon and take lives to save my own—the lives of people who Professor Grey had convinced to give us a chance

We didn’t spring into action immediately Our people had to be collected from across the borderland—the farthest of which was a journey of a few hours—Lady Seris was receiving our strategy and instruction froes from Alacrya

Lyra had handed me over to the quarterlad to be shuffled off to the large ht and out of mind, where I stood behind a crate of spears and handed them out one by one to all who approached In the absence of a need for logical thought, my mind wandered desperately, almost vindictively

When Circe went to war in Dicathen, she had little choice, but at least she had been a soldier going to war She’d thought that she was fighting for her ho it well she could provide me a better life when our parents couldn’t But this was different I’d made friends with Dicathians and had seen the rot at the heart of Alacrya It would be wrong to take the lives of others just to extend uillotine over lanced at Lyra Dreide, as overseeing things, encouraging those who hesitated, pushi+ng all to action Lady Seris and Lyra had seen so n’s cruelty than I ever would, and yet they both chose life What did that say about the a spear to a young wonized from Central Academy but whom I didn’t know personally She nodded firhblood Frost, as standing grim-faced nearby

Maybe…maybe it would be better to refuse, like the others Go up quick, burn out like a candle fla ago, I ht have welco Then Circe had succeeded where all other Sentries had failed in charting the elves’ ical forest, and we’d been elevated, and Mother and Father had gone away to establish themselves within Elenoir, and I’d been cured…and had met Professor Grey and Mayla and the rest of the students at the academy

For the first ti to live for, and yet the cost was too high How many lives would I have to trade for my own? I bit back a sudden dark, humorless chuckle None, probably I wasn’t a soldier It was more than likely that I’d be cut down in the first , and I’d die anyway

That thought brought a sort of peaceful cal the tortured ache behind my eyes I shouldn’t die on his terht way?

I closed my eyes, unresponsive to the line offor their weapons, and took a deep breath High Sovereign I hope you can hear me If you can, listen very carefully My name is Seth Milview My sister was Circe Silas was my father and Cerise my mother They have all died for this war, for you, but I will not I ref—

A cohts The lines for weapons and ar apart as people tentativelyaround Enola cast

Curiosity waging a war against the unthought words still burning in the back ofto the walls, nervous to leave the shelter they provided frohout the encampment

Outside, in an open space near one of the raised fields, several Instillers had set up a large rectangular frame out of so connected to large mana crystals A portal already shi+ned within the fra to step out

My heart sank

I recognized soh Sovereign’s invitation to abandon the rebellion and return to their nor in response to the dragons’ presence in Dicathen

Those who arrived looked afraid and confused They were ar collection of weapons and armor, but they utterly failed to maintain any semblance of order Seris, shadowed by the Wraith, Perhata, atte the force’s leaders quick instructions about where to go and how long it would be

But I didn’t take in any of her words My focus—le point

Even with her long brown hair hidden beneath a leather helht eyes, ith tears and crinkled in worry, shone like beacons through the press of bodies that surrounded her She clutched an oversized pike close against her chest, the sharp tip pointing straight up into the air, and she looked around her with obvious terror

Breaking into a run, I pushedthat they were just as out of place and unco pushed along with her battle group within a larger patrol of nized aside froirl who looked like Mayla, but no one h it wasn’t h her sister hadn’t been sent as well As an unadorned, it was unlikely that Loreni would have survived even es

“Mayla!” I shouted, waving one hand over my head “Mayla, over here!”

She frowned, her neck twisting this way and that as she searched the ap between two huddled battle groups, her eyes met h the others and had to reign myself in so I didn’t knock her dohen I ran into her Still, we caainst seashore cliffs, knocking a struggling breath froh Mayla’s crying, and I choked on the hman as a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier than rabbed Mayla’s shoulder “Back in line, Fairweather, we need—”

Despite his obvious physical advantage, I pierced hilare, and he jerked his hand away as if he’d been burned, regarded ed and rejoined the rest of the battle group

“Vritra, Seth, what’s going on?” Mayla asked after a fewhere?”

“Didn’t they tell you where you were going?” I asked

She shook her head weakly “We’re in Dicathen, right? We…ere all rounded up and brought to Taegrin Caelu to kill us! And they did…a few, anyway When they said they wouldn’t fight Because that’s e’d been gathered together—to be ar h Sovereign, he’s searching for Professor Grey That’s e’re doing: fighting our way across Dicathen to search for hier cutting through the confusion of all those other e us up with our own ic”

She so “That’s not…”

“It is,” I assured her desperately “He can sense it in us, that hesitation and refusal If you even think you aren’t going to follow him, he’ll scorch you fro that had happened, rew more shocked with every word and was left empty and drained by the tihtened as soht struck her “But Professor Grey…Arthur Leywin He can fight back against Agrona If we do find him, we can—”

I shook ht “Don’t Don’t even think about it Whatever happens or doesn’t, just focus on fighting our way through to the professor That’s it”

She seemed hesitant “But what if…” She sed, clearly not wanting to finish the sentence

“We’ll take care of each other,” I said fir to believe it Even if I had been ready to make that decision for myself, I couldn’t ask Mayla to do it too Neither could I take the easy way out and leave her to fight and roup and do e’ve been told in our oay” I was scrah this, but I was careful to controlservice, and neither was Mayla We are co her hand, I began pulling her away froh the portal, and I had another revelation Seris and Lyra…they aren’t fighting back against these orders because…they can’t ask us all to sacrifice ourselves That was it, that was the trap Even those of us ouldn’t fight to save our own lives would for our bloods…our faain even ?” Mayla asked, stu beside roup,” I explained firht of who I’d hblood Frost was easy to spot; her golden hair practically glowed in the sun She was standing with sorandfather wasn’t presentThey all turned to look atasto the others, then broke away and lad to be able to speak out of earshot of her blood

“What is it, Seth? Shouldn’t you—Mayla!” Enola regarded the other girl skeptically “Is it true, then? They’re forcing everyone associated with Lady Seris to fight?”

Mayla filled Enola in on what she’d experienced, adding a few details that she’d omitted previously—like the pile of bodies that retainer Mawar used to htened to comply with orders, or the fact that she was basically kidnapped fro herafter her It wasn’t just those who had walked away froh the portal, however; their entire extended bloods—at least, those ere ht as well, and entially connected to the rebel forces had been caught up in this too

“Vritra’s horns,” Enola cursed, her nostrils flaring “All this for what? A oggart chase through Dicathen for the professor? I can’t believe that after everything, I still ended up fighting in the High Sovereign’s armies Professor Grey, he said…” She trailed off and shook her head slightly “Nevermind So what is it you want from me?”

I cleared my throat and shuffled uncomfortably “I…well, Mayla and I have no blood here I haven’t received a battle group posting, and she is placed with strangers who don’t know her and whoether, and we all knohat’s happening If we stick together…”

Enola stare was intense and even a bit inti, but when I trailed off, she didn’t hesitate to answer “My blood has forroups of their own, but I wouldn’t see the two of you cast off I’ll join you Together, we can keep each other alive and proceed with this ‘mission’ in a way that will not stain our honor”

I breathed a sigh of relief “Oh, thank you”

Mayla practically fell forward and wrapped her arirl look extreh a choked sob, then pulled away and cleared her throat, standing a little taller “Thank you,” she said again more firmly

“I’m a Striker, obviously, and Mayla, you’re a Sentry?” Enola asked When Mayla answered affirmatively, Enola inspectedto you about your runes or training, Seth What role do you fill?”

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously “I’m…flexible It seems like we need a shi+eld most, but I can work as a Caster as well”

Enola blinked “What do youbehind me, and I flinched instinctively Irritated with hten “My euess”

Enola’s light brows rose, but her eyes flicked pastbranch is reason to prune it, not to rip up the entire tree by the root and cast it into the fire” A young wo a scene Lyra was cutting through the croard her

I didn’t recognize the woman, but I did knoo of the people who surrounded her, clearly her blood Director Ra to assure her of so as it was to see the director here of all places, though, seeing Valen standing several feet away, his arms crossed and back to his blood, a horrible scowl on his face, was even more so But his eyes were red, and his dark skin wan and al of worry for hi at the Ra hilance over his shoulder and athered quite a bit of attention

“You were aligned with Lady Seris?” Enola said in disbelief bordering on disgust

“Of course not!” Valen snapped with his usual superior air “But ainst Arthur Leywin, and nificant support before his identity was revealed, and that is apparently all it takes to dahty-year-old h Sovereign has lost his Vritra mind”

“Well, you’re with us now,” Mayla said with a weak smile

She reached out her hand to Valen, and the sih to crack his stone-carved exterior He took her hand, outwardly relieved

We filled Valen in on e knew and had planned, and his face grew stony and distant again “Thatat how disordered this rabble is, no one will think to counter us Not the roups, but if we stay close to the Ramseyer and Frost bloods, we’ll be well protected”

“While ensuring we adhere to the letter of the High Sovereign’s co momentarily thin with nerves as her eyes cast about like she expected to find the High Sovereign hiding in the shadoatching us

“Then we have our battle group,” I said with a firm nod

Enola and Valen left to inform their bloods of their intentions while Mayla and I shuffled out of the bustle An aard silence fell between us, sed by the greater noise of the preparations Mages continued to file through the portal for a few rees of disorientation and resistance

My thoughts were a complicated muddle, and I could feel the same from Mayla We held hands, but I found it difficult to look at her, dressed in her leather and chain arid with tension, her eyes downcast

We’d been so close to a different life, but I felt like I’d woken up fro was that I couldn’t even trust hts ordered andaround any rebellious intentions

I squeezed her hand “We’re going to get through this”

She tried to sed for a response was a weak nod

Enola returned first, grim-faced but set on her path Valen was there a aze distant and haunted We didn’t speak, only watched as people led to follow orders and organize into battle groups At length, the Instillers deactivated the portal, appeared to work on changing the settings, and then reactivated it

“How do they knohere to send us?” Mayla asked

I thought perhaps it was a rhetorical question, but I’d overheard the Wraith explaining to Seris earlier, and so I answered “The dragons have apparently all been drawn to the place where our world connects to theirs We’re being sent into a city called Vildorial They’ve deactivated their long range teleportation gates and even y can search out and link to any active portal All we need is for them to miss even one of the portals, and we can connect and infiltrate the city that way”

“And have they?” Mayla said “Missed one, I estured to the freshly activated portal and the Instillers gathered around it with Seris, Lyra, Highlord Frost, Highlord Denoir, and a nu Alacryans, all under the watchful eye of Perhata “Seems they must have I doubt there was any question I don’t know anything about this city, but it see to chance Not for an operation of this scale”

Suddenly Lyra’s group was breaking up, and so orders, battle groups fell into line, and an to beat rapidly

Enola, I noticed, was looking away froroup of children being monitored by a handful of unadorned—who couldn’t, lucky for them, be forced into this war by the threat of their runes, since they had none