Page 73 of Hearts on Fire

“If you do anything at all, it has to be now, while the king’s men are drunk on wine and yesterday’s victory. If you wait, they’ll sober up. The king will replenish their ranks after the losses of the last battle. You’ll miss your chance. Remember, my people can’t fly. They can’t meet the king’s army in the open without risking being slaughtered by the king’s dragons from the sky. You have to give them every advantage there is.”

“How long will it take them to make it to the Bozyr Peak castle on foot?” Elex asked.

“Hours. They’ll be there by noon if they head out now. They stand a much better chance in an indoor fight, as they’d be fighting men, not dragons, in the castle’s rooms.”

“They’d never make it inside,” I sighed. “They’d be slaughtered at the castle walls.”

Elex rubbed his jaw. “I control the magic of the Bozyr Peak. If I get inside, I can open all its gates, drop down the bridges, and blast the shutters out of the windows. All at once.”

Hope bloomed in my chest. Maybe it could be done? I thought about the crumbling part of the inner castle wall I’d used to get out to practice my arrow shooting skills.

“If you fly me over the outer wall, I’ll help you sneak in through a side door by the kitchen.”

“No, I don’t want you to get involved,” Elex declined quickly.

“I’m very much involved already, don’t you think?”

He shook his head adamantly. “I want you to stay away from the castle, Amber, in a safe place.”

I tilted my head, asking sweetly, “And whatsafe placewould that be, darling? Tell me. How safe do you think I’d be anywhere away from you? Whom would you trust to keep me safe more than yourself?”

“Amber,” he groaned, because he knew I was right. There was no better place for me than at his side.

Hugging me with both arms from behind, he buried his face in my shoulder. I felt the turmoil raging inside him. His need to keep me close fought with his fear of putting me in harm's way. But I felt the same way about him. I needed to be where he was.

Placing my hands over his, I laced our fingers together. “I’ll stay out of your way, promise. And I’ll take care of myself. I’ll keep out of danger. I won’t rush into a battle. You won’t have to worry about me.”

I kept feeding him promises like candies. He knew I wasn’t facing the risk of death if I didn’t keep them, but I hoped hearing them assuaged his worries anyway.

With a deep breath in, he loosened his tight grip around me a little.

“Here is what we’ll do,” Elex sounded firm and determined, taking charge. “We’ll attack today. King Edkhar will lose his crown, but he’ll keep his life. As will his bride. Until their son is born, they’ll be held as guests at the Bozyr Peak if they cooperate, or as prisoners if they don’t. You…” He cupped my face with one hand. “You will come with me to the castle walls, but will stay out of the castle until it’s safe to come in. Do you understand? The fight will take place inside.”

I nodded.

He caressed the side of my face, staring into my eyes intently. “You’ll hide in the same spot where you used to shoot your arrows. This battle will take place on the ground, not in the air. That section of the castle’s wall is inaccessible by land, there'll be no action there. It’ll be the safest. Stay there, out of sight, until I come for you.”

The intensity of his focus and concern zapped through me, making my spine stiffen and my chest tighten, but I nodded again, managing a reassuring smile.

“I’ll be fine,” I said, and repeated, “you don’t have to worry about me.”

God knew he’d have plenty of things to worry about today without me adding to that.

Bending his leg, Voron hung his arm over his knee. “Having the former king and his wife as guests at your castle is a bad idea. They’ll plot against you, and sooner or later, they will strike.”

“Then, I’ll kill them both,” Elex said simply. “If they try to hurt me or mine, I’ll retaliate without mercy.”

I was against murder, but it was safe to assume that even if defeated, King Edkhar wouldn’t accept the part of a house guest in his own castle that easily. He’d need to be watched closely.

“As you wish,” the sky fae conceded. “If that’s the moral ground that makes you comfortable enough to accept overthrowing the king, so be it.”

“Either way, we’re getting ahead of ourselves,” Elex said. “Neither the castle nor the crown are mine yet.”

With his arm around my middle, he got up. Caught in his grip, I hung like a rag doll with my feet dangling above the ground.

“Um… Darling. I know you’d like to schlep me around like your favorite teddy bear. But could you please trust me to walk on my own two feet?”

“Sorry, my spark.” He set me on the ground.