Before us, the dragons circle, screaming their rage to the skies. The steps of thousands of soldiers striking the plain pound against my ears in time to the pounding of my heart. The night has passed. They have built ladders to pull us thin all along the wall, and they are ready to begin the true siege. They are mere miles away now, and the horses begin the trek through the knee-high marshes surrounding Videlia's plains, pulling their loads through the water, their snorts and whickers interspersed with the shouts of the men and the splash of water. There are two catapults left from the ten they brought, and they are nearly unusable if the way they list at an unhealthy angle is any indication.

My lips twitch. The ground dragons are now free, and they are forced to use horses and manpower to get the ladders and siege engines through the marshes. That makes me quite happy.

Heather is stable... but the outcome of her wound is still uncertain. If the silver made it into her brain... only time will tell if she will fully recover, or recover at all.

Flash is healed and determined to do his duty with the Ring of the King, even though I tried to prevent his leaving. It was a blow to see him pale and wan on the ground. It... made me realize just how much he's wiggled his way into my life. The cat may be the death of me if he dies.

David watches me. I nod.

He turns to the flag holder, who raises a large red flag with the pulley system to fly on top of the domed roof.

A flash of light comes from the edge of the clearing in the midst of the woods.

The men and horses slowly come to a stop, slapping the water and stabbing into the depths as if something bit them. Then the horses and men flail, their screams of anguish hurting my soul as they swing swords into the depths and climb over and through each other as they race for the shore. But Flash timed it right for the most deaths. A few had made it to the far shore, and hundreds, perhaps a thousand, were in the waters.

I made sure David knew the water around Videlia was not connected in any way to the water in Videlia. The Ring can not only create water but to change water... and Flash used it well.

Wolves howl in the trees, scenting the cats if the high-pitched yips of excitement are any indication. I hope Flash gets out safely.

I harden my heart against the sound of screaming as the acid water now burns into the flesh of hundreds of people and tens of horses. It makes my heart hurt to know I caused such pain by a Gift, but this will not be my only crime this day.

Such things are war, Roland. But we fight so the ones behind us remain to live another day.

I nod. Cynic is right. I will bloody my hands as often as needed to protect those in my pack.

Those who sacrificed for me to be here today will not be in vain.

Beast roils in my chest, as if he also knows I am planning on releasing him this day.

The odds are against us, especially without Nova.

When has that ever stopped us?

I growl low in my chest, agreement seeping through my pores and giving me a will to fight for the first time since… since blood. Since Death. I feel the pit of darkness growing inside me, begging me to use it, to let the numbness eclipse my soul and ease my sorrows. I almost give in... but now is not the time. Not yet.

"Zephora, how are the Were?" I ask.

"Stationed with your wolves to support the humans.”

“Berserk?”

“Fifteen are within the city walls and the rest are protecting our flank in case the dragons attack there or the humans manage to work their way past the waters behind us. The others are awaiting David’s command.”

"Anything else?"

General Brackenridge points, the scowl etching deep furrows into his brow. "The dragons?"

I smile. It's a show of elongated teeth. "Never fear, General. I have them. Just prepare the troops."

He looks over at me, then snaps off a smart salute.

He pauses before going down from the tower. "They need to hear from you, wolf."

I glance at him, unsure why they need me when they have him and David, but I nod.

He grabs a magespeaker from the corner of the tower. I hide a wince. He'd planned this. He doesn't smile, but something in his eyes says this is payback for avoiding him and David when they last asked me to speak to the soldiers.

I hold it to my lips, opening my mouth but unsure what to say. These men and women are fighting today because of me and a little girl. Because they chose to stand against injustice... even if it cost their lives.

Then say that, idiot. It's simple.

I shake my head, and Zephora snatches the speaker from my hands. "Listen up, you sorry assed rabble of rabbit excrement." She goes on to say a few other things strong enough to make a sailor blush. "Your Commander speaks.” All eyes turn to us along both sides of the wall and those on the ground three stories beneath us.

General Brackenridge stares at her with surprise in his. I think that's the most emotion I've ever seen on his stoney face. David rubs his beard, hiding a smile.

"Thanks," I say when she hands me the speaker back, my voice saccharine.

She smiles at me. If it also contains a hiss and elongated fangs, who am I to judge?

"With such a lovely introduction, what more does one say?"

David coughs. Tim and Jace grin from right below the tower, about a story down.

I turn serious, edging my voice with power, as I learned long ago in my youth. "What makes a warrior?" I ask, a smile turning my lips as I remember asking this exact same question when training the warriors of Videlia what feels like a lifetime ago.

A man along the wall answers me. "HEART!" he shouts, and I nod at Leo, who is a man of small stature but much heart.

Jace and Tim salute me as I meet their gazes from where they stand with archers and those who man the balistea along the wall.

"Heart. The numbers, the advantage, and the odds belong to our enemy. But today, we will win. Do you know why?" I pause, letting the silence linger for a heartbeat. "We will win because of a simple fact. We come together: man, animal and beast, as one. We have the same beating heart within our chests. We all carry our pain and sorrows etched on our very souls. We all seek a world where compassion reigns and peace infolds us in her gentle embrace."

The people along the wall are silent as the breeze wafts across the palisade, teasing fur on the cats and wolves and weaving through the hair of the men and women staring at me with hope in their eyes and yearning on their faces.

"A young girl was almost burned in your city, Videlia. But you, against all odds, rose from the depths of fear and stood. Stood even when you knew you might fall. For in your souls there is an Allfather given yearning for what is right. For good to prevail. A hope for a future where all children of all creed and nation may come together under one joy and sing of the people who stood along this very wall and fought with blood and guile to give them a place where war and slavery and death plagued them no more!" I shout, and the soldiers thump their spears on the ground, the sound reaching high in the heavens to where the dragons circle. I hope they give me time to finish this daggum speech.

I raise my hand, and the sounds cease. "Today, we fight for a dream. Together, we are stronger. Together, we shall bring peace to this city and beyond. Together, we fight for what is right and hope for a better tomorrow beyond the blood we pay today. Together, we live and die as one people of one heart beating with one desire." I pause, looking around and meeting as many eyes as I can. "FOR FREEDOM!"

The men and women all along the walls beat their spears and their boots into a rhythm, chanting:

"Freedom. Freedom. Freedom."

I smile, handing the speaker back to General Brackenridge.

His steely grey eyes pin me in place, the scowl back on his face. "If you can pull a speech like that outta your ass, I have hope we can pull a win from the same place."

Zephora chokes behind me as I frown.

General Brackenridge salutes me and descends the tower to yell at the soldiers milling around on the ground as the chant ends and the final preparations begin. Some race around in a frenzy like ants, others lean against walls with straight faces or sharpen blades and check arrows, and others still are embraced in the arms of loved ones who have stayed behind to fight together.

Five dragons break off from those circling above. They let me finish my speech after all. The dragons streamline their bodies from miles above and their throats glow with fire. Zephora flinches beside me, but I remain steady.

Wait... wait. I can see the eyes of the dragons, their glowing eyes in sapphire, gold, and red are slit like a snake.

Beast roars inside as I release him, snapping up a wall of snaking tendrils. Cold seeps into my soul, but I ignore it as the dragons try to avoid the wall I put before them… but it is much too late.

They choke on their own flames with screeches and frantic wingbeats. Some bathe the wall in flames, but it doesn't give quarter, even as I feel the flames beating against my soul.

Screams in both my mind and soul erupt as they ram into my wall. They go limp, and although I’m tempted to steal their souls, I instead let the physical reach of Beast send them plummeting to their deaths.

A mighty roar comes from the thousands along the wall as the dragons crash into the ground right outside the wall with the crunch and snap of large trees bending and breaking.

I drop to a knee, sweat dripping down my nose as the sound of gauntlets pounding into shields and the stomp of a multitude of boots meets with the wails of cats and the howl of wolves.

"Freedom. Freedom. Freedom."

It’s a call to battle. It’s a cry of war. It’s a warning and a promise.

We may die this day. But many will go with us. For we fight for more than power and fame. We fight with heart for a purpose beyond this world or any other.

The army pauses across the way.

Not only have they lost many to the acid, they have five broken dragons due to some unknown magic and are facing a wall with a prepared number of trained soldiers. This was not the easy victory they had expected, and I can almost scent their unease from here.

I take deep breaths as General Brackenridge watches his people with his usual scowl and shouts to a runner about more arrows along the southern flank.

But there is a curve to his lips and a proud set to his chin.

Live or die, today we fight.