Page 52 of Clash of Kingdoms
“I would never let anything happen to you.”
“I’m not worried about me,” I whispered. “I’m worried about my family…my kingdom…and everyone I love.”
When we stepped into the great room, it was clear everyone else had felt it too.
My father was dressed in his heaviest armor, sleek and black, with jagged grooves in places to catch his enemies’ swords. Uncle Ian was dressed the same way, both of them prepared to fight on the front lines rather than hide behind their armies.
I was scared for Atticus, but I didn’t say it.
My mother wore a hard stare, but I knew her well enough to know she was as scared as I was.
Kingsnake and Cobra were there with their wives. Fang was around Kingsnake’s shoulders.
A guard ran into the room with a scroll in hand. “King Rolfe, one of the dragons from the north just landed. The rider has a message.”
My father snatched the scroll out of his hand and forced it open. His eyes shifted back and forth as he quickly read through it. “It’s Atticus. The army of demons has emerged from the land between us. They’re near the outpost, and the demons are twenty leagues south.”
“They’re dead center between us,” Uncle Ian said.
My father let the parchment bounce back into its roll before he handed it to my mother, knowing she would want to read it herself. “General Macabre, prepare our men for war.”
General Macabre skipped the polite nod and the bow and immediately dashed off to execute his orders.
This was really happening.
Aurelias placed his hand on my shoulder, aware of every surge of terror that gripped me.
My father looked at his brother. “If we don’t ride out to meet them, Atticus and the others will be slaughtered.”
Uncle Ian gave a slight nod in agreement. “Then we lead our army into battle—side by side.”
I wanted to cry. Burst into tears on the spot. But I had to be strong, be strong the way my father taught me to be.
“We’ll have the riders carry their boulders to the battlefield,” my father said. “They’ll have to carry them over a greater distance, but that plan can’t change. Fire is useless against these beings, and we can’t let the dragons land and be swarmed and killed.” He turned to my mother, and a long stare ensued, in front of everyone. “I will leave an army behind to protect HeartHolme in case we fall. The gate is strong, and the fortress is unbreachable. You can defeat a bigger army with its fortifications. Emerge victorious—and then flee. Sail across the sea far away from here.”
My mother listened to all of this with a straight face, but her labored breaths betrayed her…and the shine in her eyes. After a long pause, she forced a nod.
“Give them hell, baby. And don’t surrender.” My father turned to Aurelias and the other vampires. “Aurelias, protect my family. And the others, protect my kingdom.” He turned away without saying goodbye, not to me, not to his own mother, not even to his wife…because it was too hard to say what he didn’t want to admit.
He walked out—and I feared that was the last time I would ever see my father.
That was the moment I burst into tears.
Aurelias immediately cocooned me into a hug, covering me with his arms to shield me from the eyes in the room. Avice cried as well, holding on to Lila. “I’m sorry.” As if he didn’t know what else to say, he repeated it. “I’m sorry.”
I pulled away. “Please go with him.”
He looked down at me, his face hard.
“Please protect my father.”
“I came here to protect you?—”
“Aurelias. My father speaks like he knows he’s going to die…he’s never done that before. I know what we’re up against because I’ve seen it with my own eyes. If my father falls, so does the army…and then HeartHolme. I know you’re just one man, and one man can’t possibly make a difference, but I know you can make a difference.”
He stared at me, his eyes shifting back and forth between mine.
“She’s right.” Kingsnake appeared. “They’ll take down the king first to demoralize the army and then destroy them in a quick takedown. If we want to protect the army, we must protect the king.”