Page 54 of The Curse of Gods (The Curse of Saints #3)

“Seven hells,” Will swore as he stared at Sitya.

Dawn had yet to arrive, and yet it was quickly approaching, the sky lightening into a soft gray that illuminated the city.

Even at a distance, it was unrecognizable.

Gaping holes marked the hillside where homes used to run together in a smear of red and pink and orange.

They descended toward the city, where pillars of smoke curled into the air near the heart of the town.

Just beyond, the citadel stood mighty and untouched.

Something dark adorned the battlements—flags, if he had to guess.

Kakos flags.

They hadn’t been able to see it when they’d made camp last night, their final stop before they entered the city. Dauphine had insisted on sending a scout ahead to take in the Kakos camp, and she was due back any moment.

If she’d survived.

Will hadn’t slept more than a handful of minutes, and though exhaustion should have been pressing in on him, he felt nothing but that tense, frenetic energy coursing through him.

He should have gone with the scout. But Aidon, it seemed, did not trust him to not do something drastic. He’d begged Will to see reason, to wait until they had confirmation so they could make an informed decision on how to proceed.

Will didn’t know how he’d agreed. Perhaps it was the hint of desperation in Aidon’s voice, the barely concealed plea that told him he truly thought this the best course of action.

For whatever reason, he’d stayed. But now the sun was beginning to rise, and Will could see the city, and he was so close to finding Aya, he could hardly breathe.

She had to be here. She had to be here.

His horse pranced nervously in place as he readied her, and Will patted a soothing hand to her neck, even as her ears pricked toward something he could not hear.

He stilled, listening.

There. Thundering hoofbeats sounded from across the hills. Dauphine’s scout was racing toward them.

“Five thousand,” the woman panted as she reached them. “Kakos has at least five thousand troops in the eastern hills.”

A tense silence filled their small camp. Even the wolves went still, as if they knew the next words would damn them all. It was Aidon who finally broke it.

“So we can’t infiltrate the camp,” he muttered.

Will could feel Desperation’s cool fingers lingering on his throat. One press, and it would steal his air.

So close. You’re so close.

“We can if I go alone,” Will reasoned. He could feel Aidon’s incredulous gaze on him, but he kept his fixed on the eastern hills, as if he could see Aya from here.

“You are not going alone,” Aidon argued. Akeeta loosed a growl, as if in agreement.

“I’m not going to sit here—”

“There were prisoner pens on the outer edge of the camp,” the scout cut in as she dismounted. “There was no one there that matched her description.”

But Will shook his head, his fingers snagging in his hair as he scrubbed a hand through it. That meant nothing. Even if the pens had been lit by torchlight, she wouldn’t have had time enough to truly search for Aya.

And then there was the matter of location.

“They’d keep her closer than that,” Will insisted.

“All the more reason you can’t go,” Liam interjected from where he stood with Azul. “You’ll get the both of you killed.”

“And that’s assuming she’s even there,” Dauphine added.

Desperation’s fingers dug into Will’s flesh as it tightened its grip.

Aya was here, he was sure of it.

“We should join the fight,” Aidon asserted. His throat bobbed as he met Will’s stare. “If they have her, they likely are keeping her close. The chaos of battle could be helpful as we break through the front lines.”

Will could see the reasoning, yet that grip on his throat tightened further, his lungs choking as he tried to breathe.

What if he chose wrong? What if he waited, and it cost him—cost Aya —everything?

If you die here, you’ll never reach her.

If you die here, you’ll fail her more than you already have.

Aidon was at his side in the next instant, his grip tight on Will’s shoulder as he ducked his head to hold his gaze.

“Breathe,” he commanded, his voice low. Will tried, gods did he try, but that frenetic energy had gone from coursing through his body to rushing to his chest, where it tightened and tightened despite the way Will gritted his teeth against it.

“I have to get to her,” he managed to spit out.

“And you will,” Aidon assured him. “If the Midlands retake Sitya, it puts Kakos on the defensive. It puts us in a better position to push through the front lines and reach her. And if word reaches Nyra that two members of the Dyminara helped her people take back their city, perhaps she’ll be more inclined to lend us troops as this war continues. ”

Will brushed Aidon’s hand from his shoulder. “I do not care about Nyra and her troops!”

“You should,” Aidon pressed, undeterred. “Because this war will continue, Will. And if we can do something today to help put an end to it sooner, we can save Aya’s life and thousands of others.”

He was right. Will knew he was right.

A frustrated noise burst from between Will’s clenched teeth, his eyes squeezing shut as he tried to lean into his instincts. He startled as a deafening boom echoed across the hills, whirling to see a new plume of smoke at the heart of Sitya stretching toward the sky.

The battle had resumed.

“Will,” Aidon pleaded.

I would’ve let the entire world burn for you.

He’d yelled those words at Aya once, had used them as proof that he was wrong for her. He’d meant it, though. He still meant it. He would strike the match and stand in the flames himself if it meant she got to walk away from this. If it meant for once, someone was putting her first.

Because Aya never would.

The realization dawned slowly, and then all at once.

Aya didn’t flee from fire. Ever.

Will stared at a new pillar of smoke. It burned black, like the worst sort of beacon. He swallowed and forced Desperation to free him from his grip as he faced his friends.

“You’re right,” he told Aidon, his voice firm and sure. “We should join the fight.”