Chapter 91

Raven

I woke up with cold sweat stuck to my forehead. For a moment, the room swirled, and finally, everything came back into focus. Glancing at the side of the bed, Kael never came back that night. Instead, Orion lay there, his eyes open, staring unblinkingly at me with a confused expression. At least he was here. I carried him, cuddling him in my arms. Did he just wake up? Weren't babies supposed to cry or something? I shook the thoughts out of my head. Orion—my Orion—was perfectly fine. He made little delighted noises as I rocked him back and forth.

The open window cast warm glows of light on my skin. It was dawn. I tried not to think about my dreams as I stepped out of the bed, placed Orion into the crib, and entered the bathroom. I turned on the water, but all I could see was a land of ash and blood on the streets. My gut clenched. I splashed the cold water on my face, clearing my thoughts. I wondered what was more disturbing: the field of fallen heroes or Darian rising. I supposed they went hand in hand.

It was a day to finalize battle plans and get our acts together before Viper struck.

Everyone I passed in the hallways was doing something: transporting weaponry to the barracks, calling out encouragements to one another. Through the picture windows, I could see the field alive with men training, more rigorously than before. But where was Kael? I needed to talk to him.

I was at the doorway and sighted Jonah, training with Vance. The fight broke off as I approached, both of them drenched with sweat.

Vance muttered something about getting water and disappeared.

I watched him leave.

"He's dealing with it in his own way," Jonah said, his voice quiet.

I nodded; I understood. It was a different kind of pain to see the person you love and know that there was no hope. "I thought you were supposed to be resting," I asked Jonah, not wanting to dwell on that topic.

"No one is resting, Luna," he said with a measured look. "The Alpha made it clear that we'll be needing everybody."

"I'm sorry we couldn't get your family," I said, touching his arm lightly. "He betrayed us, maybe, but looking at him now, all I could see was a kid who didn't have a choice."

Jonah stood upright, swinging a sword in his arms. "It's okay," he said. "This is my punishment."

But I doubted he believed it, and I didn't believe that someone should be punished that way. Before I could say anything else, Councillor Merrick arrived. He was dressed in the same half-clothes as yesterday. He crossed the field briskly, like he was half-floating. He gave a nod at Jonah, who disappeared back into his training.

"Lord Thalion is back, Luna," he said, once the two of us were alone.

My father was back. I was supposed to feel elated, but instead, I couldn't shake off the feeling of premonition as Merrick led me back into the stronghold. We seemed to move faster. He brought me upstairs to one of the meeting rooms.

I saw Kael first, seated across the table, leaning back on the chair, his legs crossed, a cup of coffee next to him. He smiled as I came in, but I could see the tiredness in his eyes. Even his hair wasn't spared. All my efforts to make it slick back were undone. It rose in a tuft over his forehead, probably due to a sleepless night of running his hands through it.

Then I caught sight of my father. He paced near the window, his bad knee giving him a slight limp. He looked older than when I last saw him. I thought I even saw additional streaks of grey in his hair. He wore a black coat that bore the rune of the Nyxhowl pack over his chest.

"Raven," he stopped walking, turning around to face me. I went over to him and hugged him tightly.

Merrick walked in and closed the door behind him. It was just the four of us.

"How was your trip, Father?" I asked, pulling back from him. His eyes were grim. "I only pray there was better luck here. How have you been doing? Is Orion...?" He trailed off, searching my face for answers.

"Orion is fine," I gave him a brief smile.

"Thank the goddess," Thalion breathed in relief.

"We infiltrated the order, got him and Vance out, but it was such a close shave," I added, giving him the shortest version of what had happened since his trip to the moon pack.

"Please, Thalion," Kael spoke, gesturing toward one of the seats. We sat down. I noticed the maps sprawled on the table that hadn't been tidied up.

"Is Orion really fine? I mean, the order didn't do anything to him?" Merrick asked, leaning forward across the table.

"The doctor confirmed that Orion was fine," I said firmly, well aware of Kael's gaze on me.

But the doctor had also looked at me like I was missing an important piece. I didn't say that, though. We had enough to deal with already.

"I spent days in the moon pack, a virtuous lot," Thalion began, the lines on his face drawn into a displeased frown.

"Santiago Luca would not as much as hear me out. He has convinced himself that the Obsidian Spire had brought destruction upon themselves, and he would not be a part of it."

Kael laughed, actually laughed, but his shoulders shook in anger. "I hope I will be here to see it when the Viper finishes with us and goes for these disbelieving fools. It would be worth the look on their faces."

"Kael, don't talk like that," I said sharply, but he only shrugged and nodded for Thalion to continue speaking.

He finally sat down to listen when I called him a coward and told him that Darian will rise, and he'll be after them all.

"I tried my best," Thalion sighed, his eyes flickering past all of us. "But all I got was a promise that he would think of it."

"Let's hope he will then," Merrick clasped his hands together. "And by the goddess, I hope he would come to the right decision."

"I won't place much hope in the moon pack if I were you," Thalion remarked, standing up.

I looked at Kael, wondering what we were going to do next. Eria's marriage was our last card, one I despised using.

Kael gave me a nod and stood up. "We will fight, men. We are the Obsidian Spire, and that is what we do. With or without allies."

A sudden rumble shook the room, a deep vibration that made the maps on the table flutter like frightened birds. The cup of coffee spilled. Merrick's eyes went wild in disbelief...and fear. I exchanged a quick glance with Kael and Thalion.

This, I thought, was way sooner than I expected.

Before we could react, the sharp crack of thunder burst through the sky. I jolted up to my feet. I was numbly aware of the rest of the men rushing forward as we all hurried toward the window.

Outside, the air had darkened unnaturally fast. The men training looked like toys on the ground. They dropped their weapons, perhaps in fear, looking up as the blue dawn was turning into a sickening shade of green, swirling clouds rolling low and heavy over the horizon, coming from the east. My stomach twisted.

"You know what else is on the east?" Kael yelled, dragging me back from the window. I hadn't realized I said that out loud.

"The ritual grounds," he spat.

This was no ordinary storm. It was demonic magic, just like the nightmare that had haunted me earlier. I fought the urge to vomit as ominous flashes of green light cut through the spiraling clouds. Kael was already heading for the door. The men outside were tense, their faces pale as they looked skyward.

“Kael!” Thalion’s voice cracked, pointing toward the outer walls of the stronghold in the distance. A terrible fissure had split through its top spire, a jagged scar spreading like a wound. The earth seemed to quiver beneath our feet, as though the very foundation of the Obsidian Spire was breaking apart.

Kael’s jaw clenched with determination, but I saw the flicker of dread in his eyes. “Get everyone outside! Now!” he barked, his voice cutting through the howl of the wind, jerking us into action.

Councillor Merrick was out, yelling at the men still in the stronghold. People scrambled outside. It was pure chaos.

Orion, I thought, running out of the room. I raced all the way to my room and threw the door open, my heart pounding in my chest.

This was no storm, and I knew it. Lysander's words echoed in my head like a dark prophecy. Orion's cries filled the air. I grabbed him and ran down the stairs.

Darian was awake, and I had a sick feeling about who performed the ritual.

Viper wasn't going into battle without allies either.