“You need to stay alive. That’s what you need to do. If you die—really die this time—it will demoralize them. Can’t you see what you mean to them?”
What you mean to me. That was what she was saying.
I reached for her hand but she pulled it away from me.
“Can’t you see what you mean to me?” I said softly. “I would rather be burnt to a crisp a thousand times before I saw one hair on your head get hurt.”
“I have a lot of hair,” she said. “You only have one life.”
I couldn’t help but smile. There was a question on my lips that I wanted to ask her, a question I hoped she would say yes to.
The Titans had their emperor back but they didn’t have an empress.
With her by my side, I was certain the Titans would be behind me even more than they were now. They would love her the same way I did.
A warrior empress.
But the battle tomorrow was happening tomorrow, and I didn’t know what was going to happen.
So, I decided not to ask the question now.
Afterward, maybe, if everything worked out.
“My death might destroy the Titans and their will to fight, this is true,” I said. “But your death—” And I cringed at just the suggestion of it. “—would be the death of me. If I lost the will to fight, so would they. I can’t allow you to go into battle with us tomorrow. I admire your fight and your spirit, but I won’t allow it.”
She bolted to her feet and knocked the dishcloth to the floor.
“Then what do you expect me to do?” she said. “Sit here, cook and clean, and wait to see if you’re still alive or not?”
She folded her arms and turned her head away from me. Even when she was angry, she was beautiful.
“No,” I said. “You can join the medical team in the hospital. Once we begin the attack, the injured will start coming in. You can work with the other doctors and nurses.”
I hoped it was enough. She would still be useful in the fight but she would not go anywhere near the front lines. Surely, she could see it was reasonable?
She pursed her lips and her jaw muscles tightened.
“Okay?” I said.
She shrugged her shoulders.
I crossed to her and wrapped my arms around her. I kissed her on the nape of the neck. I loved the sweet smell and taste of this woman.
“We’ll retake the palace,” I said. “And when we do, I’ll show the empire I’m still alive. They’ll fight with greater fervor than you can believe. The Changelings won’t stand a chance. But first, we must take the palace. And I can only do that if you’re somewhere safe.”
Hazel placed her hand on my arm and we rocked gently side to side.
“I love you, Hazel,” I said.
“I love you too, Fiath,” she said. “Lord Of A Thousand Suns.”
I blinked in surprise.
“Where did you learn that?” I said.
“From the guards assigned to me,” she said. “Which is another thing. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to have someone follow you everywhere you go?”
“You get used to it.”
“I’m not sure I want to get used to it.”
“You going to have to if you want to be with me.”
Thump!
We froze, pausing for a moment to peer at the wall. The paintings hopped half an inch before settling back down again.
“What was that?” Hazel said.
“I’m not sure,” I said.
But I had a serious sinking feeling in my stomach.
“Wait here,” I said.
I approached the door and found my honor guard blocking a messenger from entering. Upon seeing me, the boy dropped to his knees.
“A message, for you, Sire!” he said.
“Stand down,” I told my guards. “Let him pass. What is it, boy?”
The messenger wasn’t sure if he should stand in my presence or not.
“You can stand,” I said. “What’s the message?”
The boy got to his feet and kept his eyes down at all times.
“It’s the Changelings, uh, Sire,” the boy said. “They’re attacking us! They’ve found our base! We’re under attack!”
Thump!
The lamps danced on their strings and tapped against the craggy walls.
We hustled through the tunnels, and for once, the Titans were too busy to stop and bow to me. They nodded their heads politely and felt uncomfortable for not doing more, but it was enough.
They had better things to be getting on with.
They carried their weapons on their shoulders and marched to their designated defensive positions.
“What is it?” Hazel said. “What’s making that noise?”
“A powerful plasma blast, I should think,” I said. “The Changelings found us. Now they’ll be trying to get in.”
“Plasma drilling?” Hazel said. “Can they do that?”
“With enough time and pressure, plasma can drill through pretty much anything.”
How had they discovered us? I wondered. Had someone revealed our location? Had they found a track leading right to us?
Did it even matter?
No. They had found us. That was what mattered. And how we were going to deal with it.
This was not how it was supposed to happen. We needed to be safe until morning. Then, we would have attacked.
But the Changelings had other plans.
“Take cover!” a Titan bellowed.
He hurled himself to the floor. The wall ahead exploded as a bolt of plasma drilled through the dirt and stone. It was pure white and blinded me. I tossed up an arm to protect my eyes from the worst of it.
My honor guard formed a defensive wall around me as the plasma drill paused and alien shapes flooded through the hole.
Changelings.
They opened fire on us. The Titans made a defensive line and returned fire.
My honor guard turned to me.
“We must leave, Sire,” he said.
The honor guard wasn’t there for decoration. They were there to protect me at all costs. Even if it meant leaving these other Titans behind to fight.
It left a sour taste in my mouth to leave them, but they were right.
They led the way back down the tunnel and took another corner.
Thump!
Dirt dusted our
