Crown of Iron (Book 1 of the Crown Trilogy)

Forty-Eight

Everyone speeds up their pace, and low murmurings erupt at the front of the line. The mountain is giving way, and the relief washes through me, and just as quickly vanishes. We are getting our first glance at tonight's battleground.

I step out of the mountain's shade and my breath hitches, trapping sea salted air in my lungs. Even from a distance, it is easy to make out the sleek, symmetrical buildings made of glass and steel. They tower well above the massive wall protecting them. Beams of multi-colored lights shoot toward the clouds, reminding me of each of the Statera's gifts—fire, ice, water, earth and so on. The Stigian capital is the most magnificent city I've ever seen.

The unit commanders corral their troops, and Kyron's voice cuts my wonderment short. "We move swiftly toward the wall and keep your eyes on the guards perched on top. The southeast gate faces the sea." He points to the crashing waves in the distance. "We have the chance of them spotting us before we reach it. No matter what, listen to your commanders and don't let up on the gate. Tear it down." Kyron holds Greer, Ulirc, and Terro's gazes for a moment, and his three closest friends each give a curt nod before lowering their helmets.

Dropping the visor of my protective headgear, I follow our soldiers through the open land in a tight formation. The closer we get to the wall, the more details I can make out. The Stigian didn't construct it of the crude river rocks like the one in Lucent. It's smooth metal that would be impossible to climb. The only way in is through one of the handful of gated entries stretched along the wall.

The Stigian must feel safe inside. Their impressive wall surrounds them and waves crashing against the rocks beyond the dunes drown out the sounds of a threat. They have a strong army and a ruthless queen. Unlike my people, they know peace in their city. These people don't fear that Lucent's will set their fields on fire or harm their children. They don't fret about hundreds of soldiers attacking their city and war reaching their homes. Tonight, that will change.

A flash of heat whips across my face and barked orders fill the night. A warm hand grips mine and presses me to the sleek wall. A small group of our soldiers—all Ignitas—blast the gate with their fire, while the rest of us wait in the shadows. The Cyffreds behind us hold out their arms, ready for orders to charge forward and unleash their flames when ordered. The rest of us wait with bated breath to see if the Stigian will open the gate and send out warriors to assess what's going on.

Bile rises in my throat as a shower of frozen daggers slice down on the Ignitas from above. The attack is enough to knock a few of them from their feet, but they recover, protected by their armor. A few soldiers in the shadows take aim at the Stigian on the wall, slamming them with gusts of wind and using the water from the ocean to knock them back.

Kyron pulls a small hourglass from his pocket. Five minutes is all we have to make this work and hope the warriors who don't fear our forces stupidly open their city to us. Anything beyond that will be enough time for the Stigian to assemble regiments, and we will fall back.

Kyron flips the hourglass for a third time, and the Stigian remain fighting us from the safety of their wall. They continue to rain down their elemental powers, but they have little effect on the armor. If they haven't opened the gates by now, I question if they ever will.

I open my mouth to tell Kyron I don't think it's going to work when metal meshes against metal. The red-hot gate rises.

Without a second thought, I grip Kyron's hand and rush forward, but halt at the sight that greets us. Hundreds of Stigian Khiros stand in formation, their powers on full display. They couldn't have rallied their forces so quickly; we made sure of it.

"It's an ambush. Fall back," yells one of our soldiers.

"What? No!" I scream, panic-stricken. This is our only chance; the gate is open.

The Stigian sprint forward, clashing with the Lucent army. Screams and clanking metal blend in a battle's symphony as heat swelters around us. The Cyffreds fight back with their flames; on equal ground for the first time.

"Shadow," I gasp, weaving with Kyron through the colliding bodies.

The first tendril of his gift leaves his fingertips, and I yank it forward, covering us as we draw closer to the entrance. A body rams into me and jars my grasp from Kyron. I slam to the ground as boots beat the dirt, kicking up plumes of dust. I cough and scramble to regain my footing, fretting I'm moments away from the soldiers trampling me to death.

Fingers curl into the back of my uniform and yank, hoisting me to my feet. Kyron grabs my hand, and we slither in along the edge of the gateway, past the warring bodies.

Inside the city, Stigian warriors line the street, waiting for their turn to join the battle. None of them wear a worried expression. In fact, they look eager to join the fight. They were created for moments like this, to rush into battle and win.

We travel along the warrior formation and around a corner, where more Khiros wait. They are endless. I tuck my lips between my teeth, fighting the urge to ask Kyron if he thinks our soldiers will be all right. This was a possibility, one I considered as we walked through the mountain. All I can do is pray the Statera delivers as many of us as possible this terrible night.

My emotions overwhelm me and my control of Kyron's power wanes. He pulls the leather face covering of his uniform over his jaw and yanks me in front of him. Without warning, he rips the helmet from my head, tossing it behind us. Holing my hands behind my back, he steers me through the street as his prisoner.

A Stigian snarls as we pass, hissing, "Kill the Lucent traitor," and spits at my feet.

Let them hate who I am; it doesn't matter. I am proud to call Lucent my home and nothing they say or do to me will change that.

Kyron holds firm, discreetly maneuvering me further away from the hostile warriors. He pries open the door of a single-story marble building and pushes me inside. Three Stigian guards stand tall in their dark uniforms, their eyes trained on us. We don't slow walking past them.

We did it; we're inside the prison.

"Where are you going, warrior?" asks a guard.

I stiffen against Kyron's chest, and he answers, "I found this Lucent roaming the streets. I'm containing her until she can be brought before the queen."

"Orders were to kill on sight," says a slender woman with a bald head. She pulls a dagger from her belt and steps toward us.

Kyron releases my hands and pushes me. "Run!"

I stumble forward, watching him over my shoulder. He unleashes his fire, setting the woman alight. I stand stunned in place, my mouth agape, and stomach turning. As one warrior dowses her with water, the other, a man with stark-white hair, sends a bolt of electricity through Kyron's chest. The general falls to his knees, convulsing and clenching his stomach. I split my attention between Kyron and calling the powers around me with the Eporri.

As Kyron scrambles to his feet, catching his breath, I take hold of the Electro's gift and turn it on him. He shakes, smoke billowing from the contact point, and slumps to the ground.

The door to the prison shutters, and Kyron scurries across the room and throws his body against it. His gaze burns into mine, and he gasps, "I'll hold them off. Now fucking go, Raelle!"

It takes every ounceof my willpower to turn away from him, leaving him to fend for himself, but Ido. I bound through the doorway and descend into the belly of the prison.