Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
She was a foot shorter than him, but she put her hand on his shoulder like she had the height. “Are you hurt?”
He shook his head.
She brought him in for a hug and squeezed him tight. “You did great today.”
He held on to her, and after a long stretch of silence, he spoke. “You did too, Your Highness.”
She pulled away and looked him in the eye. “HeartHolme stands because my two sons defended her.”
“Your daughter, as well,” Ian added.
Her affection dropped, and she turned away, back to her role as queen. “Take the injured to the infirmary. Open the gates and burn Necrosis on the field. The battle has ended, but the night has only begun.”
Everyone got to work because there were no breaks under Queen Rolfe.
Ian walked up to me, the fatigue noticeable in his body by the way he dropped his shoulders, the way he’d left his sword on the ground. Blue eyes shifted back and forth as they looked into mine, as if he didn’t quite recognize me. “So, you did it.”
“My wife, actually.”
“Necrosis would have overrun HeartHolme if you hadn’t gotten here when you did.”
I gave a nod.
“Looks like your wife is a hero.”
“Don’t tell her that.” I gave a slight smile. “It’ll go straight to her head.”
The smile didn’t enter his lips, but it appeared in his eyes. “Mother will have to like her now.”
“She better,” I said. “How’s Elora?”
“She stayed in the city, so she’s safe.”
“Good.” I felt goddamn lucky that everyone I loved had survived the night.
“You know, she was worried that once the dragons could fly, Ivory would take them straight to Delacroix.”
“I’m aware of Elora’s paranoia. Looks like she’ll have to shut her goddamn mouth now.”
He cracked a smile.
That was when I pulled him for a bear hug, a hard embrace that we hardly ever shared.
He reciprocated immediately, as if he knew it was coming. “Thanks for having my back.”
“I always have your back, little brother. And your front.”
36
IVORY
The remaining forces of Necrosis retreated into the darkness, disappearing from the light of the bonfires. When I saw Storm swoop down beside us, I realized that Huntley was gone.
Pyre answered my unspoken question. He’s behind the wall.
Probably fighting the Necrosis that invaded the city. “My home would be gone if it weren’t for you guys.”
Pyre glided toward the field below, tilting his wings so he could make a gentle landing. I wouldn’t have wings if it weren’t for you. Once he was on the ground, he folded his wings. My wings are tired. I need to rest.
“You both deserve it. I’m sure they’ll have something good for you guys to eat.”
Do they have cow? It’s been a long time since I had cow.
I chuckled. “I’m sure we can arrange something.” I slid to the ground and looked at the scattered bodies of Necrosis. Some of them had died at the beginning of the battle by arrows, but the rest of them were charred by the dragons. I grabbed one and dragged it to the center of the field.
What are you doing?
“Making a pile so we can burn the bodies.”
Pyre and Storm did the same, grabbing a handful of corpses in their big jaws and claws and tossing them onto the pile.
“Why don’t you eat them?”
Pyre dropped another pile on top. They smell.
“Because they’re dead?”
No.
We gathered all the bodies into a pile in the center of the field. It was an impressive mound, but only a fraction of what had marched on the gate. Far more got away than perished, and something told me we would face Necrosis once again.
The gates to HeartHolme opened, and wagons guided by horses rolled onto the field.
Horse sounds pretty good.
“You aren’t eating a horse.”
Pretty much the same as a cow.
“No.” I gave his wing a gentle slap. “Horses are special to us.”
The wagons stopped far away, like the dragons were too terrifying to approach.
“Okay, let’s back up. I think they’re scared of you.”
Scared of us? Why?
I turned to look at Pyre and gave him an incredulous look. “Pyre, you’re a dragon that just defeated the most formidable enemy in these lands. You two are the single most powerful beings here right now.”
Pyre stared at me like he just didn’t get it.
I gave a sigh. “You’ll get your confidence back. Come on, let’s move away.” We backed farther away from the pile so the men could throw the corpses on top. They added Necrosis to our existing pile and made a new one for the Runes who had sacrificed their lives so HeartHolme could prevail. The pile of Necrosis didn’t bother me, but the big pile of Runes pulled at my heartstrings.
When the last corpse was thrown on top, the wagons pulled away.
“Baby?”
I pulled my eyes away from the pile of Runes and shifted them to Huntley. He was exactly as I’d last seen him, not a mark on him. The blade of his ax stuck out from behind his back slightly, and his armor didn’t have a scratch. His intense gaze was on me, the same look he’d worn when he’d taken me behind the rocks.