The whole way back to her room Skylar was in a daze. The words of the Spirit, or goddess or whatever it was, still rang in her ears. That was it, a way out. The solution they were all striving for. The means to counter the Blighted Land's dark magic. She had no reservations; she knew it had to be done. But she hated the thought that she would have to hide something from Gawyn. There was no way she could tell him everything. He would try to stop her, and they wouldn't get another chance.
She was so consumed with her thoughts that she jumped when the door to her bedroom opened before she touched the handle.
"Sky!" Gawyn stopped short of bumping into her. His dark hair was messed up from sleeping. "Where have you been?"
Skylar raised her clenched hand and opened it slowly, showing a big, sparkling yellow gem. "I think I found a way to stop the Blighted Lands."
***
"Are you certain this will work?" Gawyn asked. They were again in the war room, and Skylar retold her encounter with the mysterious light force. The yellow gem was laid at the centre of the table, and everyone was eyeing it suspiciously.
"Certain? Not really. But we don't have any alternative, do we?" Skylar replied, crossing her arms.
"I do not like that we're betting on something so incalculable," the General sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"But Skylar is right," Colart said. "We don't have any other choice. And everything she said makes sense. If the Blighted Lands aim to drain our lands of magic, it is in the best interest of this being to help us stop them. If we lose, it loses too."
"So, how does it work?" Aurora asked, wrinkling her nose. "You just waved this thing in the air, and boom! The Blighted Lands retreat?"
"Well, not exactly. The gem is a kind of anchor, I think. It allows the Spirit to focus on channelling the power in one place."
"Huh, interesting," Aurora mused, looking at the stone.
"What about other noble houses?" Gawyn asked, turning to her.
She folded her hands on her round belly. "I haven't received any answer, as we suspected. They won't raise a finger to help us. They will just bid their time and see who will get out of this conflict as a winner. Then, they will undoubtedly show their support for the victors."
"So, we can only count on the army we have here," Gawyn said. He turned to Dun, who was standing stiffly at the door.
"What's the scouts' report? Do we have any numbers yet?"
"From what they managed to see, the army is indeed gathering there. Mostly infantry in dark armours. The last estimates were over two thousand. But the reinforcements are still incoming. And there are also... other things there...."
"What other things?" the General asked impatiently.
"Monsters, sir. We don't have a name for them all yet. Some were always assaulting our borders – Blood Vultures, Shadow Shifters, the Dark Crawlers. But the scouts also spotted some winged ones."
"That's just great," Gawyn sighed and looked back at Skylar. "How much time do you need to use this... power?"
"They must be on our land. We need to lure them in and hold them long enough to release the magic that is flowing under the surface."
"We'll need at least three battalions there," said Gawyn moving the figures on the table.
"But that's over half of our forces!" Skylar protested. "And the Queen is marching with her own four battalions. You will be severely outnumbered at the front!"
"Yes, but her army is a scraped force from different units. They are not disciplined or experienced soldiers. And they will be entering foreign territory so that we have an advantage." He turned to Colart. "We will discuss how to best use the terrain with the two battalions at our disposal."
"Are you sure that will be enough?" Skylar asked.
Gawyn smiled. "Elinora might be clever and cunning. But she is no match for me when it comes to battle strategy."
***
Skylar returned to the estate after checking up on all the wards surrounding it. She was tired and wished she could plop on the bed, but there were still many things to do. But before she got back to it, she wanted to check up on Zephyr. He couldn't fly because of his injured wings, and roaming the forest so close to the border while at a disadvantage was somewhat risky. They converted one of the unused storehouses for a nest. He was still cranky, though, as he wasn't used to staying in one place for so long.
But before Skylar reached the building, she heard a voice.
"You still haven't told them. Why?"
Skylar flinched. She still hadn't gotten used to hearing the Spirit's voice in her head. The gem not only allowed them to focus the power in one place but also enabled them to communicate easily at any time. But it still felt like an intrusion for Skylar.
"There is no need for them to know." She shrugged, muttering under her breath. She didn't want people to see her talking to herself.
"No? I would have thought your potential death is a pretty important detail."
Skylar gritted her teeth. "No, it's not. It won't change anything. Every one of us has a role to play in the upcoming battle. If they worry about me, they won't be able to focus on their tasks."
"I see. Are you not afraid then?"
Skylar stopped with her hand on the wooden door. "I am afraid. Very afraid. But I won't let fear stop me from what I must do." Before the Spirit replied, she pushed the door and entered the storehouse.
Zephyr perked up and looked at her, his tail wagging happily. But he wasn't alone. Gawyn stood next to him, brushing the golden fur with steady movements. He looked up at her with a raised brow.
"I didn't expect to see you here," he said.
Since she received the gem, there's been a strange distance between them. It was probably partially her fault; she was terrible at lying. And not telling the whole truth was far too similar to lying. So, she was avoiding him. It wasn't hard. They had so much to do for the upcoming confrontation that it was only natural they barely saw each other.
"I wanted to check up on Zephyr before I get to other things." She shrugged, walking up to them.
The gryphon jumped excitedly and rushed at her, poking her with his big head and demanding affection. Skylar smiled and hugged his thick neck, burying her face in soft feathers. "How have you been, big boy?"
"He's still grumpy," Gawyn scoffed, putting away the brush.
"You would be grumpy too if they closed you in a storehouse," Sky replied with a smirk.
"Probably. That's why I want you to ride Zephyr into the battle."
"What?" Skylar froze mid scratch, and the gryphon protested with a low disappointed shriek. "But we can't get him into a fight. He's hurt! And he can't fly."
"Well, try to tell him that." Gawyn rolled his eyes.
In response, Zephyr perked up and shrieked menacingly, clawing at the ground.
"All right, all right." Sky raised her hand placatingly. "You are still a fearsome beast. I get it. But," she turned to Gawyn, "he's yours. You should be the one who rides him."
"You are as much family to him as I am. I..." he paused as if looking for the right words. "I can't be there for you. I will feel better if I know there is someone with you to have your back if things go south."
"But what about you?" Skylar protested. "Who is going to have your back?"
Gawyn sighed and gently took her hands. "I'll be perfectly fine. I'm the General. The battlefield is where I feel most at home. But you..."
"You don't think I can do this?" she asked, trying not to sound bitter, as old fears of being patronised raised inside her again.
"I know you can. But I also know you're not telling me something, though I don't know why."
Skylar lowered her eyes and turned away, but he cupped her chin and made her look back at him.
"I trust you, Sky," he said calmly. "Do you trust me?"
"I do..." she whispered, feeling tears stinging her eyes. "I trust you with my life. There are just some things I can't tell you."
"It's all right," Gawyn said, caressing her cheek with his thumb. "I'm sure you have your reasons. But please, take Zephyr with you. He will protect you, no matter what. Promise me?"
"I promise."
"Good girl." He kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly.
***
It was the night before the battle, and Skylar couldn't sleep. She was sitting on the bed, hugging her knees close to her chest, just like when she was a little girl. It was probably her last night. She had no idea what would happen during the battle. The Spirit seemed to be confident it could counter the Blighted Lands' army, but there were so many things that could go wrong. The Dark Ones would have to enter their territory, and the soldiers must hold them for a while before Skylar could launch the magic. Not to mention that Gawyn would have to face the Queen's army severely outnumbered his forces.
She looked down at her husband's calm, handsome face. She gently brushed the stray hair from his forehead, and his eyelids snapped open.
"Can't sleep?" he whispered.
She shook her head.
He sighed, sat up, arm around her, and pressed her tightly to his chest. "It will be all right. It's perfectly natural to be nervous."
Skylar rested her head in the crook of his neck and inhaled his scent. "I wish the sun would never rise," she whispered. "I wish this night were eternal and we could stay like that forever, just the two of us."
"Wouldn't that be something," he said, and she could sense a smirk forming on his lips. "But I bet you would die from boredom after two hours."
"No, I wouldn't." She scoffed, but the smile quickly died on her lips, and she tightened her arms around him. "What if I never see you again? What if..."
"Shhhh," he put a gentle finger on her lips. "Don't say that. I'll come back to you. I promise. And after everything is over, we will get back to Evergreen. Wouldn't that be nice?"
"Yes, I'd like that," she replied, feeling the tears falling down her cheeks.
"Just don't do anything stupid, all right?"
"I won't. I promise," Skylar lied.
"Good. You and I are going to be just fine." Gawyn moved to kiss the tears off her face.
And Skylar let him comfort her. She let herself get lost in his kisses, his touch, and the warmth of his body.
For the last time.
***
It quickly turned out the night was not eternal, and the dawn came as inevitably as always. Even though only the first shy rays of the sun were brightening the horizon, the Shawcross estate was bustling with activity. The garrison soldiers were readying to march out to join the rest of the army already stationed in their designated positions.
Skylar checked the buckles on Zephyr's harness for the hundredth time already. The truth was, there was nothing more to do. They were all ready to move out.
"Sky?" Colart came to her, leading his horse, who was shuffling its hooves and glaring nervously at the gryphon. "Are you ready? It's time to march."
"Yes, I'm ready," she replied, although her voice shook a bit. "Just one last thing."
She marched to the other side of the courtyard, where Gawyn inspected his soldiers.
"General," she called and saluted. They wore their army uniforms over the chain mails, so the protocol seemed in order.
"At ease, Lieutenant," he said, his face serious but his grey eyes sparkling when he looked at her.
"We'll be marching out now..."
"May the fortune be in your favour," he said stiffly.
"And yours... oh, protocol be damned," Skylar groaned. She rushed at him, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him. She felt Gawyn stiffen a bit in surprise, but after a second, his strong arms closed tightly around her, and he kissed her back. Their outrageous breach of etiquette resulted in loud whistles and cheers from gathered soldiers, but at that very moment, none of them cared. They broke the kiss and leaned their foreheads together.
"Stay safe," Skylar whispered.
"You too," Gawyn replied, stroking her face. "Go, my beautiful goddess. Give them hell."
She smiled and let him go. "I will."
Skylar turned on her heel and marched toward her soldiers.
She didn't look back.