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‘It was.’

‘But I can’t say nothing —’

‘I wish that you would, Fendran.’ Drue stared him down.

The tension in the room grew taut, everyone wishing that they weren’t witnessing this private family discussion.

His eyes taking an empathetic sweep of the lounge, the older man sighed. ‘I just want what’s best for my family. For you all.’

Drue reached out and rested her hands on her father’s shoulders. ‘I know you do. But what point is there in us being here with him when the world is on fire? What is the point when there is nothing left? Ryland needs a world to grow up in. We’re going to give that to him. We have to.’

Fendran’s expression caved with defeat and Drue squeezed his shoulders before taking Ryland from Talemir.

‘Don’t be long,’ she told the winged Warsword, pulling him in for a kiss.

There was no missing the way Talemir dragged her body to his, deepening the kiss despite their son on Drue’s hip, despite the audience around them, including her father.

Dratos cleared his throat pointedly. ‘Alright, alright. Gods, you’re as bad as you were when you met. Get a fucking room.’

Drue laughed. ‘If the brink of war is no time for a kiss, I don’t know when is.’ With that, she left, taking a yawning Ryland with her.

Talemir stared after her for a moment, and Wilder recognised that expression. Disbelief at his own luck. Wilder had felt it many times himself.

‘When do we leave?’ Adrienne’s voice cut through the silence.

Talemir rubbed the back of his neck and faced the group. ‘Are all the units packed?’

There was a unified murmur of accord.

‘Then we leave in two hours.’

Wilder went to find his brother. Malik was in the stables, Dax curled up in the hay by his feet as the gentle giant braided Biscuit’s mane, the stallion already saddled.

‘You didn’t have to do that,’ Wilder said by way of greeting.

Malik didn’t turn around, but his fingers stilled mid-motion and Wilder knew his brother had heard him.

Leaning against the stall wall, Wilder raked his hair back from his face and sighed. ‘I miss fighting with you,’ he admitted. ‘Sometimes it felt like it was just you and me against the entire world…’

Malik continued braiding.

‘But right now,’ Wilder continued, ‘I’m grateful that you’ll be here, not in the thick of the battle… I’ve got enough to worry about with Thea out there in the madness.’

At that, Malik turned to him and gave him a hard look as if to say, She can handle herself just fine.

‘I know, I know,’ Wilder said, shaking his head before surveying his brother. Malik hadn’t changed in a long time. He was still the huge figure he’d always been, still that stoic, sturdy presence that put Wilder at ease.

Swallowing the lump forming in his throat, Wilder straightened. ‘I just came to say…’ Goodbye didn’t sound right; it was too final, too heavy. ‘I love you, brother,’ he said instead.

Mal’s face broke into a broad smile, and he offered Wilder Biscuit’s reins.

Wilder smiled back, blinking back stinging tears. ‘I’ll be seeing you.’

As he led his stallion from the stables, Dax followed, as if instructed by the gentle giant within. I guess part of Malik is coming with me, he mused. And he found that the thought gave him a small sense of comfort.

Wilder swore that when the war was done, he’d never travel by shadow magic again. Nothing could quell the queasiness in his gut as wind and darkness swept in around him and lifted him from solid ground.

He never thought he’d be glad for the biting cold of Aveum, but when he landed in the snow, he could have kissed the icy flakes in relief. Dratos left him there, shadows blooming in his wake as he spread his wings and headed back to Naarva to bring Torj next.