Page 62 of Wings of Ice and Steel

‘Then I think I’ll keep you all night.’ Nieve’s eyes creased as she gave Ariadnne a dazzling smile. Her eyes reflected the light from the flickering candle in the corner of the room, making her ethereally beautiful. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Ariadnne next to her, tilting her face to meet Ariadnne’s gaze. ‘I’ll make every minute count,’ she promised.

Ariadnne didn’t need to hear another word, instead she stopped Nieve’s mouth with another kiss, this one deeper and hungrier than the last.

Pine and snow filled her nostrils, Nieve’s sweet, heady scent.

A shiver rippled through her as she reached to undo the buttons of Nieve’s shirt, her mouth finding Nieve’s neck. She kissed the snow-smooth skin there, nipping and teasing. Nieve moaned beneath her touch, the sound reverberating through Ariadnne’s body.

Nieve would be her undoing.

Releasing the last button, Ariadnne ripped the shirt free to expose Nieve’s pale skin. She traced her fingers down the side of her jaw, then down her neck and across her collar bone, loving the way Nieve arched towards her.

‘Ariadnne…’ Nieve started but was stopped by another kiss.

‘We have all night,’ Ariadnne murmured, ‘no need to rush.’

A high-pitched bellow ripped through the quiet of the barracks. Ariadnne pulled away with a frown, her heart pounding. Someone was sounding the call to arms.

Twenty-eight

Ariadnne

Ariadnne fastened the buttons of the vest Nieve hurriedly lent her and kept her head down as they threaded through the crowd. The temporary chaos was a blessing, allowing them to slip unnoticed through the press of bodies. With any luck, Ariadnne could use it to slip away and back to her wing before anyone noticed she was missing.

Still, the timing couldn’t possibly have been worse.

Knights poured from the barracks into the training yard, many in various stages of undress, wiping sleep from their eyes as they assembled ready to receive orders. In the centre of the yard Prontus, the acid-spitter, stood, his green hide dull with exhaustion as he recovered from what must have been a long flight.

Keeping to the edge, Ariadnne followed Nieve in the direction of the wall—they were hoping she could slip into its deep shadows and escape. Nieve glanced over her shoulder, her hand brushing Ariadnne’s with a promise that they would get another opportunity to finish what they started. Ariadnne prayed to Dianea that was true.

As they passed behind Prontus’ hindquarters, Ariadnne’s sensitive ears overheard his handler speaking to several captains, pale and trembling.

‘Mordai in the Miradael mountains, wiping through undefended settlements. I passed them on the way back from the northern coast. Lord Tritell has commissioned a brace of companies to defend the coastal settlements in case they make it over the mountains.’

Mordai. Ariadnne paled. Dark fae that belonged only in nightmares. Illustrations depicted them as grotesque, hulking beasts, twisted with shadow, their gaping maws filled with dripping, stiletto teeth. What remained of their kind following the ancient Varax wars lingered in the vast deadlands of the South. They had no place in Eradiata. Certainly not in her mate’s homeland.

Would the Guild help Miradael?

Could the mountain folk even afford them?

‘Wait.’ Ariadnne grabbed Nieve’s arm, pulling her to a stop. ‘Mordai. In Miradael.’

Nieve evidently hadn’t heard Prontus’ handler over the din as her face paled. She cursed as a group of knights rushed by, almost knocking them over.

‘Mordai? In the mountains? Impossible…’ Nieve’s fists clenched.

‘Not impossible,’ Ariadnne rushed. ‘Prontus saw them.’

‘Then my people don’t stand a chance.’

Fear and grief washed through their bond and Ariadnne’s heart broke. People Nieve knew were under attack. She might have lost her family, but there must be others who meant something to her.

Even if the Council did decide to help, it would take time for that aid to be organised. By the time firedrakes had flown that far, there might not be anyone left to save. They weren’t as fast as she was.

Watching Nieve’s drawn face, Ariadnne swallowed her nerves. She knew what she needed to do.

‘Wait here.’ She didn’t give Nieve a chance to object as she gently but firmly pushed her towards the crowd.

‘What are you doing?’ Nieve hissed, but Ariadnne ducked away, sprinting towards the clear space at the far end of the yard.