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‘Are we done here?’ Audra said sharply.

The lighthearted moment passed all too quickly, and Thea suddenly felt restless herself. ‘What now, then?’ she asked.

Drue rose from her chair. ‘Now, we introduce you to our armies.’

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

WILDER

Wilder had vastly underestimated Talemir and Drue’s preparations. It was hard to believe that just outside the main university walls lay a camp like this: an army of shadow-touched folk who bore the evidence of Talemir’s discipline in the neat lines of their tents and the condition of their weapons. Judging by the ruts in the earth and the rhythm of the place, Talemir’s men – and women, Wilder noted – had been here for some time.

‘How’s that armour feel?’ Tal asked, with a nod at the boiled leather breastplate he’d given Wilder that morning.

‘Fine,’ Wilder replied. ‘Better than my last set.’

Talemir baulked. ‘You were still wearing that? It was a pile of shit to begin with.’

‘I know. Managed to slay as many monsters as you though,’ Wilder quipped.

Tal snorted. ‘If you say so, Apprentice.’

Wilder felt Thea’s eyes on him during this exchange, as though she were drinking in their camaraderie, her expression subtly pleased.

It made him smile, for a time.

As Talemir led Wilder and Thea between the tents, there was no missing the suspicious glances shot their way. Wilder wondered how many knew or recognised him as the wayward apprentice who had abandoned their Shadow Prince long ago.

‘Don’t take it personally,’ Talemir said, spotting where Wilder’s attention had strayed. ‘They don’t trust outsiders – usually with good reason. It’s why I wanted everyone gathered here first, to build some semblance of trust between our leaders and units.’

‘Seems like a tall order,’ Thea ventured, with a sceptical scan of the campground. All around, shadow-touched folk were watching their every move, some making a point to grasp their weapons, their bodies poised in readiness, as though Wilder and Thea meant to attack their beloved leader right in front of them.

‘We’re all going to lead units of our own,’ Talemir continued, as though they weren’t facing a significant hurdle. ‘I can’t lead them from every flank. Thea, Drue reserved a special unit for you. On the north-east side of camp, you’ll find them waiting for you.’

Thea raised a brow. ‘Consider me intrigued, Shadow Prince.’

Wilder watched her go with a pang of regret. It had only been a matter of days since their reunion, and already this war was robbing them of their limited time together. He felt the urgency in the very marrow of his bones, and could almost hear the grains of sand falling through the hourglass. Fate. Destiny. Despair. All entwined.

‘Wilder?’ Talemir’s voice wrenched him back into the present.

‘What?’

‘I was saying that we’ll need to take the new recruits through the basic drills, the same as the ones we did in Naarva all those years ago.’

‘Are any of them born fighters?’ he asked, scanning those who were bold enough to meet his gaze.

Talemir sighed. ‘Some. We’ve got civilians who heard about Drue and Adrienne and became rangers after Ciraun fell. There are a handful who were once soldiers. But most were commoners who fell victim to the wraiths in the same way I did, same as Dratos and Gus… Their advantage is their magic. We just need to give them an edge with a blade.’

‘I’ve made warriors out of less,’ Wilder said.

Talemir scoffed. ‘Recently? Because to me it looks like the Furies gifted you a ready-made storm-wielding Warsword.’

Wilder followed his former mentor’s gaze across the sea of canvas tents to the north-east corner, where Thea stood at the head of an all-women force with Drue. She was magnificent. Her braid caught in the wind, dancing behind her as she held out her blade and demonstrated a number of manoeuvres he’d taught her. Only she’d tweaked them. They were no longer just his techniques, but moves she had perfected to suit her own unique fighting style and her own strengths. She whirled and parried against an imaginary opponent, thrusting her sword, blocking would-be blows and delivering swift justice with a precise slash of her steel.

A round of applause echoed across the camp as she finished her demonstration with a flourish.

‘I’m not sure you’ll win as many hearts so easily,’ Talemir said with a note of amusement.

‘We’ll get there,’ Wilder replied. ‘I managed to win her heart, after all.’