I mulled over the different strategies we could utilize, considering the landscapes we faced. “We’ll split up then. Rapp will take a few battalions around the left hand side, and I will take a few more around the right. The mounted divisions can remain in the canyon, save for a few squads, as that many horses over that distance without water won’t serve anyone well. If the Angels try to advance around, push through what remains of their line with the horse soldiers and have them chase down any wayward groups.”

“What’s the communication plan? Over that distance, it will be difficult to coordinate if we need to reverse course or change direction,” Rapp asked, swirling his drink around. He drained the last of it just in time for the female to return with a pitcher and refill both Trol and Rapp’s ales.

Slightly sour yet refreshing water washed over my tongue as I considered Rapp’s question. Normally, we could spread over miles and maintain contact sheerly from the size of our army. But in this case, with groups broken up across landscapes and approaching from different angles, it would be trickier. “Ravens, as usual, though if we’re not sending enough messages back and forth one section could run out. So we need to send acknowledgement responses back. If we drift too far apart, we need to use the fire signals.”

“Would be nice if we had a few more mated pairs in the army. It was extremely useful when we entered the Angel Realm before,” Trol grunted. Only about a dozen mated male pairs remained after our huge losses during the plague and the advance—not nearly enough to cover an army of this size.

A rush of adrenaline flooded my veins and my grip tightened over the glass of water. Rapp glanced at me, and I speared him with a glare. We were not mentioning Assyria to Trol. Counting to ten, I tried to calm myself to prevent myself from shattering it. This whole mate situation was interfering with our battle plans. Especially when I couldn’t get mine out of my head.

I couldn’t deny that Trol had a point; having more sets of mates in the army would have been useful. I wasn’t willing to risk Assyria to make it happen. She would remain by my side throughout the endeavor, where I could protect and keep her safe from the Angels.

“Would be,” I groused, staring at the beads forming and falling over my hand. Then, clearing my throat, I changed the subject. “Stay the night and rest in a real bed with a real bath. Tomorrow, we can set out early. You can ride with the mounted battalions through the canyon ahead of us, and Rapp and I will oversee the flying of males and supplies up the ridge once we get closer to the front. No sense in hauling thousands of barrels up when we don’t have to.”

A haunted, exhausted look fell over his face, and then he nodded. Draining the rest of his second ale, he shoved the empty glass forward. It scraped along the table. “This is it. I feel it. Weaver has revealed this path for a reason, and with the new numbers, we’ll be unstoppable.”

“Aye, I believe it too,” I told him, finishing my water. If we were to rearrange ourselves yet again, it wouldn’t be wise to attempt it in the morning when everyone tried to move out at once. Better to relay the information tonight and work out any logistical changes while the pressure to move was off.

Rapp gulped his drink in a hurry, then I tossed some coins onto the table as we rose from our seats. “Let’s go coordinate our departure.”

An annoying, repetitive plunk greeted me as I approached the locked door to my room at the guesthouse. Frowning, I shoved the key into the door and opened it to find Assyria, dressed only in a slip, on her back, tossing a gold coin at the wall behind the bed.

“What are you doing?” I asked her.

She didn’t deign to look in my direction. “I am entertaining myself.”

I glanced at Grem and Zeec, both snoozing on either side of her. They seemed unbothered by her antics. Though with as much time as she spent with them, I assumed they were accustomed to it. Shutting the door, I entered the room and dropped a bag of apples I’d collected from a passing cart on the bed. “These are for you.”

She caught the coin again, then turned her head to look at me. Her dark hair fanned around her, unbound with a slight wave. “What is it?”

Grumbling, I passed her and began unbuckling my armor. “Why don’t you see for yourself?”

Blood thrummed in my ears as I waited for her reaction. A gasp fled her bow-shaped lips as she beheld a vibrant red apple. Zeec perked up at the sound, lifting his head and sniffing the air. When he realized the food wasn’t for him, he plopped back down with a huff.

“Apples are my favorite. Did you know that?” she said, head tilting ever so slightly and sending her damp hair cascading to the side.

I shrugged, trying to play off my gift to her like it was nothing. I did, in fact, know that apples were her favorite food. I also knew that she had wished on multiple occasions to have one to eat with her one-handedness. Although she had more use of her dominant hand thanks to her shoulder’s quick healing, she wasn’t able to lift it for eating yet.

“I thought roses were your favorite,” I said instead. The irony of how many I had tattooed on my body was not lost on me.

“Yes, but you can’t eat a rose,” she pointed out, a soft smile spreading from her lips to her eyes. “Thank you, Rokath.”

I shifted from foot to foot, fumbling with a strap on my shoulder. Her attention landed on it, and then she hopped over Grem and off the bed, striding toward me. On her tiptoes, she used her left hand to reach for it, barely managing to slip her slim fingers between the plates and pop the buckle. I caught the metal before it fell to the ground.

Assyria backed away, then took a bite out of the fruit. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she inhaled deeply, her munching filling the silence as I continued to work over my armor. Juice dribbled down her chin, then trickled down her throat and in between her breasts before she swiped it away.

“More entertaining than throwing a coin at the wall?” I asked her, returning my attention to where it should be—her face.

“Definitely.” She winked at me and then climbed onto the bed again. “I’m so bored, Rokath. Give me something to do. I’ve gotten good at spotting movement in the distance now. I need another challenge.”

She wasn’t wrong. She’d taken to it faster than I expected, and because of her keen eyes, we’d had a semblance of meat to eat at least twice since we entered the canyon.

“I want to keep learning to fight too. It made me feel so,” she paused, waving the apple as she searched for the right words, “powerful. In a way I hadn’t before. In a way I never thought I would, given my sex. It helped me deal with feeling vulnerable and like I would be at the mercy of any male who wanted to harm me.” Her eyes collided with mine with enough force that I ceased all movement. “I won’t try to join you on the battlefield. But at least help me learn how to fend off an attacker. I only had a month of training before, and that was in Vagach’s body. It’s different for me, well, as me.”

My brows dipped. “Have you tried fighting someone as you?”

Her cheeks flamed, and she tore a chunk out the apple to cover it. “Well, no.” She chewed for a moment. “I’ve just imagined fighting you so many times, and I never see a way to win.”

I laughed. A real, unrestrained laugh that slipped out before any conscious thought could stop it. Assyria’s answer was so unexpected and yet so very her. Those devious burgundy eyes widened at the sound and she swallowed quickly.

“Little imposter, there is no possible way for you to win against me. And that’s not because I’ve had centuries longer to train and hone my magic. It’s because of our size difference.” Finally, the last piece of metal rested among the others, and I was able to pull off my sweat-soaked tunic. The moment the air kissed my skin, I wanted to groan.