“No,” I said simply. “Teach me. Don’t hold back. He never did. I want to be prepared for next time.”

Izgath’s lips pressed into a thin line, a muscle feathering in his cheek. “He’s not around anymore, though.”

I merely shrugged. “He doesn’t have to be the one to do it. It is simply a fact of my existence as a female.”

Color drained from Izgath’s face, and his brows pinch as he adjusted his position. “Is that truly how you feel?”

A scoff slipped out unbidden. “Of course you don’t see it as a male. You’ve had an entirely different life experience from me. You were likely educated differently from me as well. At least in Stryi, male and female schooling was separate. I hardly saw my childhood counterparts outside of our brief interactions with other farm children during the harvest season. And here you are, a Vezető in the Demon Army, constantly surrounded by males. Tell me, Izgath, when was the last time you spoke to a female besides me?”

Silence stretched between us while he considered his answer. His hand remained on my arm, though it twitched slightly before he answered. “Outside of,” he cleared his throat, “a few intimate encounters I’ve had since I joined the army, very few. None of a deep or serious nature such as this outside of my mother.”

Jerking his hand off me, I scooted back. “And do you see me as beneath you because I have breasts and a womb?”

Izgath retreated, sitting back and draping his arms over his knees. “I don’t.” He paused as if he were rolling his next words around, considering if he wanted to release them. “I see a fearless female, who is risking everything. I see a female for whom the Weaver threaded a shitty path, trying to find her way along it in hopes of a different life. If anything, I am impressed by your tenacity. Sure, if you had approached us in this form, we would have rejected you for the reasons we were taught in school. But you have proven day in and day out just how deserving of it you are, that you are more than willing to keep up with every male here, despite not being one yourself, truly. Your magic is powerful, Assyria, and you have wielded it with intelligence. For the most part.” His lips twitched up into a wry grin.

I could only blink at him, stunned to silence. His soliloquy was unexpected. A male regarding me as an equal or as deserving of more was a foreign concept. I opened my mouth to say something, but no sound came out.

“If you want to learn to fight, I will teach you. After Dromak and Uzadaan are finished with you in the evenings, I’ll show you the real ways to take down a male. Fighting on the battlefield is different from fighting in self-defense. That way you won’t end up pretending to be someone else the next time you kill a male for touching you the wrong way.” The grin Izgath sported was nothing short of mischievous as he turned to his hands and knees and crawled toward the front of the tent.

Words still escaped me as he pushed through the flaps. Glancing around, he pulled it back slightly so I could see the sincerity etched into his face. “If you wish to remain here tonight, I will bring you dinner. I will take care of you, Assyria. You deserve it.”

And with that profession, he disappeared, leaving my head swimming with the sudden turn of events. I’d thought it was only a matter of time before Izgath revealed the truth to Jaku or the others. But his words, his actions spoke an entirely different story. Whether he could be trusted had yet to be seen. This entire conversation could have been a trap to get me to lower my guard before he delivered the killing blow. Perhaps he planned on betraying me in the end.

So why couldn’t I convince myself to believe that?

OceanofPDF.com

13

I’d left Hadvezér Trol at the front, taking the brunt of the Angel’s advance, along with over one hundred thousand males. Hadvezér Rapp had returned to Uzhhorod with me, along with the other half of the army, to await the new recruits that should add a third to our numbers. Rapp, along with all the Parancsok beneath us, had been enjoying their reprieve in the city, which was probably why all but my only friend looked displeased as I gathered them in Xannirin’s study to discuss the arrivals streaming in day after day.

Rapp was a Binder—ruthless, clever, and a touch crazed. But he was like a block of ice under pressure, which made him perfect for my second-in-command. We’d come up in the army together, both our burgundy eyes winning us attention and enemies immediately.

He stood by my side across the large planning table from the Parancsok, while Xannirin positioned himself at one head, boots propped up and chewing on pium leaves. A plate of them rested in the middle of the table for others to take to help with the change in altitude. The miracle plant grew in abundance around Uzhhorod and even into the Paks Desert to the north, and the thick, thorny bushes flourished in every available pot in the city as the people showed their support for their Kral. The leaves, once ground and mixed with water, formed a potion that stopped bleeding instantly, a literal lifesaver to what would be near-fatal blows that our innate healing ability could not compete with. Not only that, but they provided a much needed awakening, their minty flavor as invigorating as it was refreshing, especially after the multiple late nights I’d had with my cousin.

“Parancsok Olet,” I began, leveling my gaze at one of my officers, “how many have returned for you?”

“Only half, Halálhívó,” he reported, dipping his head. “Százados Jaku was sent furthest south to House Olmuth’s vidék. It will take him some time to return.”

Rapp’s charcoal stick flew across the page as he took notes. I went around the room, each of the officers providing updates on numbers, returnees, and those they had sent back out again. The Demon Realm was vast, and though Uzhhorod was centrally located, the terrain was rough, especially in and around the Skala Mountains. A map, secured at its four corners by ebony weights in the shape of skulls, displayed every inch of that topography.

Running my hand along its curves, we spoke of strategy, troop movements since we’d returned to the capital, possible choke points to feed the Angels to stop their advance, and any traps we could set ahead of time should we need to retreat quickly. I wasn’t one to let any stone go unturned, preparing for every possibility, no matter how small the probability.

“Right, that should do it until the remainder of the conscripts arrive,” I announced when every last question in my mind had been satisfied or shelved for later. The relief in the Parancsok’s faces was evident as they made for the door. A few snagged any leftover food from the meeting, no doubt to store away in the camp for later when they were faced with the typical gruel.

Rapp and Xannirin remained behind, and I waited until the last of the Parancsok had closed the door behind him before speaking again. “You need to whip up more propaganda, Xannirin. They’re bringing in great numbers, but it sounds like some of the Százados have noted the unrest in certain parts of the realm.”

My cousin rubbed a hand over his chin, nodding like he heard me but staring at the books hugging the wall opposite him with a faraway look in his eyes. “This is Kiira’s area of expertise.”

“Well, Kiira still hasn’t come to Gyor,” I grumbled. Xannirin and I had been occupied with quelling the unrest with the nobles, and despite repeated attempts to send messengers to fetch her, she’d refused every time.

Her absence was gnawing on my nerves.

“She’s busy at Varbad,” Rapp interjected. “I only saw her for a brief moment when I visited. She shooed me away with promises she was coming to see us all.”