Chapter Nineteen
Ice encased Dracon. Or, it would be more accurate to say ice encased the walls surrounding the dark kingdom. The black gates rose before the Belaen army, spanning the length of the pass between two mountains. Fog swirled through the valley as Etta nudged Vérité forward. The cobbled-together army of Bela waited behind her.
They’d never been in battle. For most of their lives, they hadn’t even been able to use their magic. Now, she was asking them to wield it like a weapon.
Etta let her hand drift to the sword hanging at her waist, getting more comfort from that than the power in her blood. She’d spent more of her life practicing with sword or pole than with magic. It would always center her. The weight of the blade. The memories of it slicing through her enemies.
“How a
