Page 56 of Ballad of Nightmares

Sam stared at the screen a moment, contemplating his next words.So do I, he decided on.

I know you were thinking about something Saturday, but I have an idea, Ana typed.

What’s the idea?

I thought maybe we could sneak into the Corvus cemetery, she typed.See what all the fuss is about.

There she is, Sam thought to himself. He spat his toothpaste into the sink and gave his teeth a final brush before responding.

Corvus cemetery only looks scary from the outside. What I have planned… you’ll love it. Trust me.

That’s the scariest thing, she said.I do.

“A horrible idea, really,” Sam muttered aloud.

“Talking to yourself again, Samarius?” Millie asked as she appeared in the doorway to his bath.

Sam frowned at her. “You’re here early.”

“Unfortunately,” she mumbled. “Hurry up. I have Rolfe bringing coffee and breakfast to the office.” She paused to yawn, and Sam noticed the mascara under her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“General Prei took the Spine last night.”

Sam stared at the back of her head as she walked away. “What?” He bolted after her, grabbing his robe from the back of the door as he did.

But Millie didn’t stop walking as she continued to explain. “I got a call at midnight from Damien. He said the Fire armies had come across the border and started raiding like they’ve been doing on their edges. He said the entire line was on fire.”

Sam’s fist tightened in on itself. “Have you spoken with any of ours in Firemoor?”

“None,” she said. “I can’t find them. According to Damien, he hasn’t heard from them in a few days either.”

The fact that he hadn’t heard from any of their people in Firemoor made Sam’s stomach flip.

Rolfe was already waiting for them in Sam’s office, breakfast that Sam knew he wouldn’t be touching on the desk. He was staring at a broadcast on the television, eyes wide and jaw clenched.

“It looks the same as it did five hundred years ago,” Rolfe said upon their entering.

Sam paused to stare at the screen, and he nearly lost his balance at the sight of the fires, the rubble on the ground, and the bodies covered in dust. He cursed under his breath. This was what his dream had been about. He’d heard them in his subconscious, deep within that shadow trapped in this forsaken form.

Sam punched the desk so hard that it left a perfect imprint of his knuckles behind.

“Where is Damien?” he asked.

“Helping those he can find,” Millie replied.

“Tell him to find them and get everyone home,” Sam snapped, walking around to the back of his desk.

“What?” Millie asked incredulously.

“I want our people home,” Sam said, finger digging into the top of the desk. “I want them home before Prei goes through those legions to cut them and see who heals. They can make it through our border shadows without a problem. I will not watch public torture.”

“Sam, we have no way—“

“Get them the fuck home,” he commanded in a growl that shook the room. He ran his hands through his hair as he began to pace, not looking to see if Millie was back on her phone or if Rolfe was watching him. “Prei will have Ironmyer in his grasp by the end of the year with their depleted military. Windmoor after. Bring our people home now.”

“And the humans dying in the ditches trying to outrun the army?” Millie asked.