The Rise of Fortune and Fury (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 5)

That her powers will manifest so she can make a true difference in my fight.

That she can help me defeat Kymaris, because she has a stake of retribution in all of this.

Reaching out, I touch her shoulder. It’s an acceptance of her decision, and her scowl turns into a smile. My heart flushes warmly when she brings her hand up, and it briefly comes to rest on top of mine. Zora is finally getting used to human touch and affection.

After lunch, we finish our last-minute packing. Rainey goes to the gym with me so I can grab some throwing knives for my thigh holsters. It’s a private moment we both need together.

She quietly watches me gather the knives and then peruse some of my other weapons. I’ll obviously have my whip, but I’m feeling the pressure to load up with more. I don’t consider any of the guns Zaid and Boral purchased as I don’t know how to use them.

With a sigh, I turn away from the cabinets.

I freeze in place when I take in Rainey, who has tears streaming down her face.

“Oh no,” I drawl with sympathy, rushing to take her in my arms. “No, no, no. Don’t cry. I’m going to be fine.”

“I know,” she croaks as she squeezes me tight and nods her head. “I know.”

“I swear.”

“I know.”

Both of us ignore the blatant lies we’re offering the other. Instead, we just hug each other tightly.

Our goodbyes.

* * *

It’s almost one when we meet up with Titus, Deandra, and Rebsha at a preset point deep in the woods north of Fish Lake. We’re eleven hours out from when the ritual will supposedly start—if Amell was telling the truth—but we have a lot of work to do to get ready.

Between the Light Fae Rebsha was able to muster, the Brevalians who did indeed agree to fight with us, and the handful of light and dark daemons who like the Earth realm just the way it is, we had close to a hundred willing to lay down their lives if necessary.

Unfortunately, it probably wasn’t enough. We suspect Kymaris is not going to come to the ritual with just the power of the Blood Stone. It would be needed to tear the veil down, not protect the ritual. We assume Kymaris will show up with hundreds of daemons and Dark Fae also willing to lay their lives down in support of her.

Since her army is heavy on daemons who don’t possess magic and are frailer than fae and annihilators, we hope that fact will make the difference. She had a hard time collecting her original Fallen Dark Fae, so we’re banking on the same for those descended from the originals.

We hope beyond hope we are at least evenly matched given the quality of our warriors, even if they have more in quantity.

It’s a lot to depend on hope, but it is all we have.

Because we hiked into our arranged meeting spot, which was still a mile through thick woods to the ritual spot, there wasn’t really anywhere to get comfortable. I sit on the ground with my back against a thick tree, nervously twining my fingers. Boral lounges on the pine-needled floor as if he frequently hangs out in the woods, and Zaid paces nervously nearby. My eyes keep cutting to the core group of strategists and warriors who are ironing out and making any last revisions to the game plan.

Deandra is admittedly magnificent in battle armor that actually still looks feminine. Her black hair is in a high ponytail on top of her head, and she looks both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. She has reiterated on more than one occasion that Pyke is hers to take care of.

Rebsha is similarly dressed, but his look is far from feminine. His muscles are on full display, and the genial advisor to Queen Nimeyah is gone—replaced by a warrior.

Titus is in dark leather pants and a sleeveless leather vest, with an array of weapons attached. Carrick and Maddox are more modern, dressed in all-black fatigues and long-sleeved shirts, their sturdy combat boots making them both look badass.

Even though she won’t actively participate, Zora stands with them, listening intently as they go over their strategies. She’s wearing a pair of comfortable workout clothes in black, same as me.

She has her hair in a braid, also same as me, but because hers almost glows at night since it’s so white, she has a black knit cap on to dampen it.

The rest of the forces are scattered deeper in the woods, managed for the moment by the leaders of the two Brevalian tribes. Caiden has the annihilators set up and ready to go. Myles is with Titus’ wife, Priya, who will bring him closer when it’s time to set his drone into the air.