Set Fire to my Atmosphere

Chapter 6

"We march North at sundown, meet up with the Bane there," Aedion said to his cousin, Galan Ashryver. "Then we move forward to Morath and attack."

"Isn't it smarter to just stay here, wait for their army to come to us instead of risking a sneak attack?" Galan crossed his arms. "Homefield advantage?"

"Skull's Bay is hardly a home. If we can make it there before they can make it here, we would have the advantage. We can launch an invasion on Morath, we need to use the element of surprise against Erawan."

To rattle the stars, is what Aedion thought Aelin would say.

"Okay, I'll go inform the others," And he left the room.

Aedion looked down on the map of Erilea, wondering if his cousin was walking the same lands as him right now.

"Aedion," He jerked at the sound of his cousin's voice. Lysandra, he thought. Not Aelin.

"What," He didn't even have to try and will his face into the boredom.

"Don't you think this is too easy?" She asked.

So she was eavesdropping.

Aedion didn't answer.

She went on to say, "It's been five months, and while we've been rallying our forces, training, and growing stronger. Erawan probably has five times the army strength. All of our little encounters were probably just an appetizer before the feast. I don't think we can take on Morath without Aelin," Little encounters were an understatement, they had fought many times since the day on the beach.

"We can't just wait for her. She gave me one job, to fight the war, and for months we've been sitting on out luxury couches sipping wine while she's in pain. So believe me when I say, I've thought it all out, and it's time we do something."

Lysandra nodded. "For Aelin," She said, lingering for a moment then walking out the door.

"General, we have a problem," Ansel said bursting through the door. Aedion placed the note back on his desk and ran outside, Ansel on his heels.

"Holy gods," Aedion muttered looking out into the horizon.

"Who are they?" Ansel asked.

"Ilken. Go get alarm the others. Now!" Aedion yelled at the Queen of the Wastes who was already sprinting through the field to the encampments behind the inn.

The armies that were in the tents a few seconds ago started pouring out from the encampments, ready for bloodshed.

Aedion sheathed the sword of Orynth as he charged forward.

Someone who looked like the leader flew above Aedion's head. He went for his arrow, but before he could he was shot from the back.

"He's mine!" The beast yelled, and everyone backed away, running towards someone else. "The Wyrdkeys, General. Hand them over or we will obliterate your friends."

Aedion snarled but he couldn't do anything as he was in excruciating pain.

"I don't have them."

The leader chuckled, "Who does then?"

"I won't tell you even over my dead body."

The ilken landed in front of Aedion as itsaid, "What about the Queen of Terrasen's dead body?"

Aedion's face contorted, eyes wide, hands on his stomach trying to staunch the bleeding as he hit the grass, "Where is she?" He rasped.

"I'll trade you," The ilken said before he turned around and struck his sword through a soldier charging from behind. It quickly turned back to Aedion.

Rowan, Rowan would find her. He would. So Aedion made his choice and spat, "No," at the feet of the Ilken before the world went black.

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The battle lasted for two hours. Lysandra sat bloodied on the bench in the healers tent. She didn't know how to fight, so she went to the back of the lines telling everyone, "I'll get the back." She knew Aelin would want to fight on the front lines but she also knew she had to be alive, for Aelin.

So she sat with an injury that could've been avoided if she had the skills that any ordinary soldier had. A cut from the neck to forearm by the sword of an Ilken.

"Someone get the healer!" Ilias yelled before entering the tent with-

With Aedion.

"What happened?!" Lysandra yelled.

"Your cousin took an arrow to the back," Lysandra's eyes went wide before she started into a sprint to find the healer who went to fetch water from the inn.

"The General needs tending too, now," She hastily said.

"I'll be on my way, your Majesty." Lysandra nodded and sprinted off to the tent again, the cut on her arm now forgotten.

"Aedion," She looked around the tent, he was now laying on the bed. She took her bloodied hands to his and wrapped them around. "You're okay, you'll wake up, you're going to be okay," She frantically said, her voice wavering with tears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Is he okay?" Lysandra asked the healer who was now standing up from next to Aedion.

"Yes, Your Majesty, the General just needs rest now," and with that she was gone.

Lysandra waited a few moments before closing the tent flaps and shifting into her brunette, green eyed former self. She stalked over to Aedion and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"You're okay," she breathed. "You're okay." She squeezed his hand before shifting back into Aelin and walking out the tent, to ready her forces to march to Morath.