Page 28 of Lies That Blemish (The Ember War #3)

Valor

Kohen shook me awake after only three hours of sleep, and we had a quick breakfast together.

“Any new visions about my plan?” I asked as we prepared to leave the house and go meet Charlene and the others at Emberlane Park.

“No,” he said, sounding slightly terrified.

I nodded. “I think you’ve become too dependent on knowing the outcome. It’s paralyzed you from acting.”

He stilled at the front door and peered down at me. “Hmm, that was a wise observation for a fourteen-year-old.”

I rolled my eyes. “ Almost fifteen-year-old empresssss .” I let the word drag out to emphasize its importance.

Kohen smiled down at me, and I smiled back. I never had a brother, but I felt like if I did, it would be like this. When Kohen opened the door, I was surprised to see Liana standing next to Onyx and Zara. All three seemed to be deep in conversation, facing each other and peering into one another’s eyes.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Zara looked over at me. ‘Liana wants to be the one to fly you on the mission. She’s got more training, and if it goes wrong, she’s better suited to get you home safely.’ I could feel the hurt in her voice as she said, ‘And I agree. I’ll go to Imbria to be with Virtue so that I can protect her if need be.’

Liana dipped her head in respect as if saying she was agreeing with this plan. I liked her, and I wanted to bring my sister home, so I nodded. ‘Okay.’

Walking over to Zara, I hugged her neck, stroking the scales there. Being young sucked sometimes. People underestimated you and thought you couldn’t do stuff. But I knew my sister’s creature was a badass, and so I would defer to her lead since I knew Aisling would want me to.

Kohen nodded as if Onyx had told him everything and he was on board. Liana and Onyx had a special bond. I knew they spoke to each other and shared almost everything.

Zara gave me one last goodbye and then flew off into the morning sun as Kohen and I took the short flight to Emberlane Park. Liana was bigger than Zara and a smoother flier, too, so I didn’t have to struggle to hold on. She was fitted with a saddle, which we hadn’t had time to do for Zara yet. Peering at my sister’s well-worn saddle, I found myself missing her badly. Our world had changed so much in such a short time that I had no idea what the future would look like, even after we brought Aisling home. It felt like nothing would ever be the same again, but if I could at least get all of us together, then everything would be alright.

When we landed in Emberlane Park, I noticed Elaine leaning on her cane next to Tetra.

“Elaine!” I slipped off of Liana and ran to her, trying not to crush her when I hugged her. My throat tightened with emotion when she squeezed me back, and the scent of her coconut lavender shampoo washed over me. Elaine would always be like a mother to me and my sisters. Almost losing her nearly broke me.

“How did you get here?” I asked when we finally pulled away, and Tetra gave me a hug as well. It was weird to see Tetra without her cane. I still hadn’t fully processed my gift and its repercussions.

“Liana flew me in,” Elaine said as she stood next to Tetra. “If you are planning an Aisling and Victory rescue, I want to be a part of planning it.”

I nodded. “Then you will be.”

Admiral Caruso walked over with her creature beside her, a clipboard in her hand. There were deep bags under her eyes. She didn’t look like she’d slept at all. “The evacuation is going well. By sundown, everyone who has agreed to leave should be gone.” She looked at Kohen. “The Imbrians have been more than accommodating. Thank you.”

He nodded. “Of course. We don’t have much, but what we do have is yours.”

The admiral’s eyes grew misty. She cleared her throat and nodded. “The payload took all night, but my men are flying it in now.”

“Flying?” I asked.

She pointed to the sky, where I saw a blue griffin carrying a large box hanging from a rope in its claws.

“Lieutenant Colt will be going with you. Recently bonded to a Talanagi. He will be leading the mission since he’s the only one of you who is actually in the Fleet and has gone through military training.”

Ouch . Okay, that was true, though.

Colt landed, and then one by one, so did Charlene and the other newly bonded, fresh-out-of-the Wilds cadets.

Everyone looked at me as if expecting a speech, and I paled. I hadn’t prepared anything, and honestly, I had no idea what to say. That was my sister’s thing. I peered at Elaine in panic, and she nodded once.

Elaine cleared her throat. “Thank you all for answering the call in Amersea’s greatest time of need. Our empress and one of her heirs has been taken captive by Luska…”

The dozen or so people surrounding us growled their indignation.

“…but you are not yet trained, and this will be a dangerous mission, so I know Aisling would not want this to be forced upon you. If any of you feel that you do not want to participate, there is no shame in flying on to Imbria and helping the evacuation.”

No one said a word, and pride swelled in my chest.

Elaine nodded. “Very well, then. Here’s what I think you should do.”

Thirty minutes later, we had a solid plan. Elaine had two Luskin uniforms that were pulled off the dead bodies from our car attack. Two of the people in our group would wear them and fly ahead, tricking the initial spotters. We would trail behind with the payload, with Tetra protecting us, and drop it as close as we could to their base. Elaine emphasized that we weren’t actually trying to take out their base. We were trying to make the capital city think an all-out attack was happening and draw them east to give Kohen time to sneak into Luska from the west. If we did hit their base dead-on, great, but the object was to just get close while also staying safe.

Some in our group had discovered fire-throwing powers and wind control, and others didn’t know what they had. We were all bringing bolt shooters and hoping for the best in an air assault with the Luskin army.

Tetra wanted us to fly in close formation, as her shield power could only stretch so far. She’d ride with me on Liana.

By the time we’d run over the plan at least ten times and accounted for every possibility, it was lunchtime, and Kohen was ready to begin his journey to the Wilds. We would be leaving shortly after, with the aim of dropping the bomb at sundown. He decided to have Onyx fly him to the Wall, and then they would both go on foot through the Wilds, avoiding the skies, so he was leaving early.

I could tell he was nervous. He got quiet and kept fiddling with something at his waist. When it was time for him to head out, he called me over to talk privately.

“I’ve never done something big like this without seeing the outcome. If I die trying to rescue Aisling, I can think of no greater way to go.”

My heart twisted in my chest. It was the most romantic thing I’d ever heard.

I grasped his shoulders and looked him in the eye. “I have faith in you, Kohen. Bring my sisters home.” I pulled him in for a hug.

His arms wrapped around me, and he squeezed tightly before pulling away. Something about my words seemed to have an effect on him because he looked more confident. He nodded and slipped onto Onyx’s back.

“You make a great little empress,” he said.

“Little?” I scoffed with one hand on my hip, and he grinned, kicking off the ground and heading for the sky.

I never thought I would say it, but I loved a Badshah—not in the romantic way, but in the brotherly way. I mean, my sister technically married him, so he was my brother now, right? Something about Kohen Badshah and his unyielding loyalty to my sister’s happiness had won me over. He could do no wrong in my eyes at this point.

I turned and walked over to the small group of newly minted, untrained soldiers that I hoped were going to help save my sister’s life.

Stars have mercy on us.