Astraea - The Lost Crown - Book 1

Chapter 29

The few soldiers that remained in the courtyard were easily knocked unconscious by Halphus, the rebels, and the fleeing prisoners. The dwarf, Uriel, and Cyrus the triclops got their wish to raid the armoury and the group made quick work of loading three carriages with weapons and armour for all of them and the expected soldiers from across the country. The plan was to head to Eastern Osefield to meet with the troops at the warlock's old manor and prepare for the battle. Halphus led the way in the first carriage with Uriel, Cyrus and Merek. Followed by Alcor, with Lilith, Yvaine and Dreyana, and backed by Kolas in the last carriage, with Alastor, Rae and Sage. Too nervous to sit next to her with Kolas nearby, he sat on the bench across from Rae, leaving her next to the lycan whom he had learned to be her mentor.

"How'd you manage to find us?" Rae turned to Sage, her eyes shining curiously.

"Yvaine helped with planning most of it. She even had a layout of the castle memorized! So it was just a matter of finding a way to infiltrate through the drain systems and place the explosive on the right wall of where you all were being kept. That part was a bit tricky—" She chuckled and continued talking, but Alastor found his thoughts wandering elsewhere. He noticed how Rae would always listen intently, focussed on the person speaking. How her eyes would darken whenever she was pondering new information or thinking deeply. Or how she would fiddle with her hair, debating whether or not to leave it covering her ears or to tuck it behind them. Her mannerisms had become so familiar to him and yet there was so much he still didn't know about her. Like her favorite food, or her favorite pastimes, or even what her plans for the future looked like if she had any. He wondered if her plans for the future could involve him. He wanted to talk to her, but found she was still engrossed in her conversation with Sage. Seeing this made him sigh and he turned his head moodily to look out the window. What's wrong with me? Of course she's allowed to talk with someone she hasn't seen in awhile... I don't need to be her sole focus. Nevertheless, Alastor began to feel the bitter twinge of jealousy. He glanced at Rae and accidentally knocked her foot with his own, earning a polite but questioning glance from her. He smirked, pleased with the attention and received a pretty smile from her in return. His eyes fell to those lips and he recalled their kiss from two days ago. Has it really been that long? He had been wanting to kiss her again but hadn't found a moment to do so. There's no way I would've kissed her in the dungeon, and now we're getting ready to go off to battle... We'll survive this right..? His brows furrowed from the troubling thoughts. Rae seemed to notice his expression because she knocked his foot with hers and flashed him another smile. He wanted to hold her hand, but wasn't sure how Sage would take it, so he merely smiled in return. I'm sure we'll be okay. We've been through so much already, what's one more day? They continued the rest of the journey with brief chatter, till finally the carriages rolled to a stop near the abandoned Forelyn manner. The travelers exited and gathered to see that other carriages and equinn had already arrived, and were awaiting the head warlock's orders. Halphus undid the magic spell that had probably been preserving the old house for decades, and led everyone inside. Once gathered in the main hall around a massive dining table, Alastor was able to notice how large their numbers were. Not everyone could even fit inside the room, so the halls and the foyer were lined with anthripes and supporters. It seemed even more still were arriving outside and waiting for the call to battle. It's definitely an impressive number, but will it be enough to stop Lucian..? Alastor tried to shake off his growing worry and found a place around the table next to Rae. When everyone had settled, they glanced expectantly at Halphus, whom after a moment of hesitation, began to speak.

"I first want to thank you all for your commitment to this cause. Lucian's tyranny has gone on for far too long. It's time for his reign to end, and together we shall start a new age. An age of peace where anthripes and humans can coexist as equals," He paused briefly. "I will not fill your head with false promises that this will be a swift and easy battle— No, most likely it will be gruesome. A day where many lives may be lost... I am asking you all to put your lives on the line. If you cannot commit to that, now is your time to leave and continue living with the knowledge that you didn't fight for the right side of history, but if you choose to stay," No one moved. "We will fight as brothers and sisters in arms, and honour your names for centuries to come." The gathered soldiers around the room nodded silently, their eyes beaming with determination. Now, the human known as Alcor stepped up.