A Court of War and Sacrifice

41. The Truth of Her Demise

Azriel trailed Jorah to Cassian's tent. There were only a few hours left until dawn. The camp was already bustling with activity as the warriors prepared for another day of brutal fighting. Nesta stepped out of the tent just as they arrived.

"How is he?"Jorah asked.

"Alive and pissed," Nesta replied. She brushed in between them and walked away.

Jorah entered the tent with Azriel close behind. Cassian looked up. "Are you..." he began.

Jorah slapped him, her lower lip trembling. "Never do that again, you bastard." She hugged him tightly.

Cassian winced but hugged her back. "Believe me, I have no intentions of ever being in the Cauldron's line of fire ever again." He knit his brows. "You smell different."

Azriel inhaled deeply. Sure enough, Jorah's scent had changed. Mingled with her usual pine and snow scent was that of a Mating Bond. And atop that scent, was Devlon's.

"Who?" Cassian asked, his voice quiet.

"Devlon." Jorah met his gaze, waiting.

"Devlon is your mate?" She nodded. Cassian gritted his teeth. At last, he sighed. "I suppose he's a step up from Kallon."

Jorah smiled. "For all his flaws, Devlon is a good male. He respects me now and has since I killed Kallon. He's learning to respect others as well."

"Do you love him?"

Jorah frowned, an almost amused glint shining in her eyes. "There's a fine line between loathing and loving. Which side I fall on depends on the day. Today, yes. I love him. Tomorrow, I'll probably hate his guts."

"Does your father know?" Azriel asked.

"Father is amongst the dead," Jorah murmured. "He was caught in the Cauldron's blast."

"I'm sorry." Cassian squeezed her hand tightly. He stood and sheathed his swords. "The sun will be up soon. Let's get to work."

The three of them left the tent. They soon found the others gathered together atop one of the mesas overlooking the battlefield. Scavenger birds already circled above the corpse ridden ground.

Jorah went to Devlon's side at once. Cassian met the warlord's gaze. They watched each other briefly, before Cassian inclined his head. Devlon returned the gesture. Azriel reached Rhys.

"Koschei might have worked out our plan by now," Rhys said. "And we can likely expect to face greater numbers than before."

"We need a way to reach the Queens discreetly. There isn't time to carve through the battlefield," Feyre pointed out.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Az, can you use the shadows to hide us or carry us across the battlefield?" Feyre asked.

Lucien crossed his arms. "If we do that, why don't we just winnow to the Queens?"

"We can't abandon our warriors," Azriel answered. "And we need them to form a path to Koschei while the three of you face the Queens. If we winnow to them, we'll be facing them and their reinforcements alone."

Cassian nodded. "This plan costs time and lives, but it's our best shot."

Feyre offered no further protest. The sun poked above the horizon to the east, bathing the sky in crimson light. Boots crunched on loose gravel behind them. "I had spies watching Koschei's camp last night," Eris said as he joined them. "My father isn't there."