“Stubborn physician,” Griz grumbled.
“He got lost,” Eben explained.
Griz cuffed him on the back of the head, then grinned sheepishly. “He might be right.”
“Drazhones,” I said, and embraced them both too, clapping their backs.
I stepped back, and Lia pelted them with questions. They were only t
wo more soldiers but to have them by her side meant everything to her.
A small crowd milled around, their curiosity piqued by the commotion—and probably the sight of a scarred giant like Griz and his well-armed sidekick.
Pauline walked over and stood beside me, eyeing them with interest. “Are they the soldiers I saw you with back in Terravin?” she asked.
“Yes, but they’re more than just soldiers. They’re family too,” I said. “My family. Blood kin of another kind.”
She brushed up close, her shoulder touching mine. “I want to meet them.”
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX
RAFE
The rest of us filed out of the tent too.
They all watched Lia embracing Griz and then Eben. I saw the joy on her face. She spoke Vendan with them, reverting to it as naturally as if it were her own language.
I was glad to see them too, but not in the same way Lia was. Griz was a formidable foe. With every day that passed with no sign of my requested troops, I was reminded that we needed every soldier we could get.
“Why did he call her queen?” Howland asked.
I looked at Lia. She wore a jacket made in the Meurasi style, the red scraps of her wedding dress slashing over her shoulder and across the front. The kavah was exposed. Bones swung from her hip.
Everyone needs hope, Rafe. I have to give it to them.
“It’s just a Vendan custom,” Tavish told him. He looked at me and shrugged.
“Yes, only a custom,” I agreed.
If Lia wanted to explain further, it was up to her.
I turned to go back in the tent, then stopped mid-step when I spotted Jeb walking toward me. Then Orrin. They both grinned and then I saw the general.
“Draeger,” I said.
“That’s right, Your Majesty. Your troops are here, as you ordered.”
I studied him, still wary. “All of the troops?”
He nodded. “All. With a load of ballistas—and everything else you asked for.”
* * *
The camp was silent. Dark, except for a few torches lit between tents. Sleep would be difficult tonight. Tensions were high, but rest was ordered. Necessary. I walked to the valley entrance where the torchlight didn’t reach. Only the moon weaving between fingers of clouds lit the meadow grass. Lia leaned against the rocky wall, staring into the valley.
“Company?” I asked.
She nodded.