Asena POV

I groaned, letting the full weight of a hangover settle over my entire body. Especially my head.

I turned over, trying to soothe the ache that built up in my wings after sleeping on the ground all night. I opened my eyes to a cloudy, dark sky and thanked whatever gods that were left for that minor miracle.

A body shifted next to me as Ret sprawled out on her stomach, drooling into the mud. She hadn't even cracked open an eyelid before she said, "That is the absolute last time I follow your dumbass."

"What're you talking about?"

She groaned loudly as she moved into a sitting position, cracking her neck from side to side, "You thought it might be a good idea to bet Lucas and Jasper we could out drink them."

I opened my mouth to speak, but she raised her hand to stop me, "You bet them our sleeping quarters in camp."

I mirrored her sitting position and began massaging the peak of my wing when she pointed to the two large brutes walking towards us. The rest of the camp still slept soundly in the early hours of the morning. We'd have to wake them soon, start trying to figure out exactly how the Illyrians and Seraphim were going to train together

Lucas was already chuckling as he toed my boot with his, "You both are lousy lightweights."

"I mean truly, it was like flapping my wings," Jasper chimed in, rustling his creamier wings for emphasis.

Then they each stuck out a hand, pulling us to our feet.

Ret swayed on her feet, "I'm gonna be sick."

Lucas took a step back and put his hands up, "Oh no you don't. Not today."

"Training starts today," Jasper said as he rubbed his hands together, a mischievous smile spread across his face.

As I stared at the other cynical smiles of my comrades, I knew today was going to be a really long day.

Azriel POV

It was already a really long day. As soon as I woke, Cassian and Rhysand were both accompanying my room.

"He doesn't snore. I thought you said he snored," Cassian said from beside me as he lounged against the pillows.

Rhysand was fixing his immaculate hair in the vanity mirror when he said, "He used to. Maybe he grew out of it."

I groaned and yanked the covers back. Thank the Cauldron I had decided to wear pants last night, not that these two imbeciles would've cared.

I moved towards the chest that was seated at the end of my elaborate bed. Everything in this castle was elaborate, but it still had a very strange feeling of… comfort.

I pulled out my fighting leathers and readied my weapons as Cassian and Rhysand continued their never ending debate about how long it would take for Nesta to rip off the head of one of the Seraphim.

"I still bet less than an hour."

Cassian shook his head, "No way. I'll give her at least a day."

"She won't be here until tomorrow, right?"

Cassian nodded, "Her legion is awaiting orders. I thought it best to train with the more levelheaded warriors first."

I scoffed from the bathroom doorway, donned in my best fighting leathers.

Cassian whistled at my fighting stance, "I bet that'll win over the General real quick."

I snarled half heartedly at him, not having the energy to care about the snide remarks anymore.

Rhysand chuckled, "The Seraphim have been training for hours already. We are to meet them at the camps."

I nodded as Rhysand stuck his hand out. I watched Cassian take his arm, readying himself for the essence of his power. Meanwhile, I had my own means of transport.

The shadows whispered in my ear, yearning for my attention. I felt their warm embrace as I succumbed to them.

Seconds later we appeared on the outskirts of the camp, the Safeguard as they called it.

Her scent hit me a moment later, reminding me of a rain drenched forest and snowcapped mountains. I shook my head, desperately wanting to get rid of it.

I thought of the daisy Elain had worn in her hair before we left. It fit so naturally tucked behind her ear. She was wearing a soft pink that day. One of my favorite colors on her.

"Move your feet!"

I closed my eyes at the sound of her voice ringing out over the camps.

I heard Cassian chuckle as he glanced my way. Rhysand sighed loudly and let the full brunt of his power show as we walked into their camps.

The three most powerful Illyrians in the lands.

The battles we raged to get where we were… it left a hole in each of us. I let the sound of my mother's screams resound in my head as they always did. We all still had demons to vanquish.

A distinctly male voice rang out over the camp, "Get out of the ring if you can't handle it!"

I felt Cassian tense next to me as he saw the male from dinner tossing a female out of the ring. Her wings balanced her before she slid backwards in the mud, still on her feet.

Rhysand stuck his arm out just as Cassian took a step towards the ring.

All around us, there were Seraphim and Illyrian crowding around the ring. I glanced around to see most of the other rings had been abandoned to focus on this one. This must be the part of the camp where the best was pinned against the best. The scent reeked of egotistical males and blood… so much blood.

I kept my eyes pinned on the male.

Lucas.

The male that had been dancing with… her.

And just as I thought of her, she appeared. She crossed her arms as she stepped into view, near the outside of the crowd. Her stark white hair was split into two distinct braids as they flowed into one down her back. Her rainbow colored wings seemed almost dull on this sunless day.

But it was her fighting leathers that made her truly stand out. The lightest grey that looked almost white. As I gazed at the near identical leathers the Illyrians wore, I noted that black lines ran along the seams of her leathers.

The female next to her leaned towards her slightly, whispering.

Ret.

As if she suddenly realized I was there, her eyes met mine.

I watched her body tense, her hand clenching her bicep where she still held them crossed over her chest.

"I can handle it, Commander!"

I turned my gaze towards the female that was thrown out of the ring. Mud plastered her grey leathers as she fought to regain her footing and get back in the ring.

Lucas scoffed at her then glanced back towards his General. I shifted my gaze to her once more just as she gave a terse nod of her head.

The male turned back towards the female and motioned with his hand to enter the ring.

The female lifted her chin as she stepped back into the ring. Lucas met her first step with a vicious punch to the jaw.

I heard Cassian suck in breath as he took another step.

Rhysand whispered to him in a strained voice, "You do not interfere."

The command fell onto the both of us as we turned our stare back towards the ring.

It was a strange sight to behold. A female in the ring, yes but a female being beaten mercilessly. It was common for the males to be treated like this. Hell, we had all endured something similar to this. But not a female.

The female rubbed at the side of her chin, passing her General a glance before she went into an unbalanced cycle of punches and kicks. Her anger showed clear through as she bared her teeth at Lucas.

She swiped for his left side and he quickly sidestepped. She turned and kicked for his other side and he simply turned out of the way.

He chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest and waited. With a cry of outrage, the female lunged for him, rallying every bit of anger she felt. She was about to deliver a nasty punch to his chest when Lucas grabbed her wrist right before she made contact.

She looked down at her pinned wrist and realized her mistake too late. Lucas smiled at her, showing his elongated canines.

He twisted her wrist, sending her off balanced then yanked her towards him, driving his knee deep into her stomach.

I heard the ribs crack as she went down, a disgruntled cry escaping her.

He leaned over her and said loud enough for us all to hear, "Get out of my ring." Then kicked her hard in the side.

The Illyrians whispered to one another as Lucas stepped aside for his General. I hadn't even seen her move as she came into the ring.

"Get up."

Even Rhysand tensed as Asena grabbed the female by her shirt and lifted her straight off her feet.

"I know what you're thinking, Cassian and the answer is no." He whispered from between us. This wasn't our camp. We couldn't interfere with her training. No matter how satanic it was.

We all watched as Asena tossed the female back into the mud.

But she didn't stop there.

The female landed hard, crying out in pain. With two powerful flaps, Asena slammed into the mud beside her.

"Get up." She said again, a snarl slipping past her exposed teeth.

The female shook her head, trying to crawl away from her.

"I said get up!"

The Seraphim didn't seem phased by what was happening. They simply looked on without an ounce of sympathy for the female.

Then Asena knelt in the ground next to her, balancing on the balls of her feet.

"Stand."

The female looked at her General, tears flowing freely from her eyes. She glared at her with every ounce of hate and anger she had in her.

Then she placed one palm in the squelching mud. Then another.

Somewhere in the crowd, another female voice yelled, "Get up!"

A male voice from beside me took a step forward, "Stand!"

The female pushed, her arms shaking with the effort. Then all around us, the Seraphim joined in. Even Rhys seemed surprised when a few Illyrians started to chant alongside them.

And she stood.

On shaking legs and labored breathing, her arm cradling her side, she stood. She lifted her chin at her General and tightened her wings around her.

Asena didn't seem the slightest bit impressed as she said, "Get back in the ring."

Then she turned on her heel and walked away. Ret filing in beside her as they walked out of the camp towards a tent on the other side.

"I believe that's our cue," Rhys said as he started walking towards the tent.

The camp alone was massive. There were multiple buildings surrounding the main arena. Illyrians and Seraphim alike moved in and out of the buildings, some carrying in weapons and others carrying them out.

"That's the armory. We've been stocking it up as much as possible, but we thoroughly appreciate you bringing in your best artists."

I looked beside Cassian to see Jasper matching his pace, much to Cassian's demise.

Rhysand nodded his head towards the Seraphim Commander and said, "I think they will work quite well with the Seraphim welders."

Jasper nodded his head, positioning his hands behind his back, "They are already at work with a new weapon that could help us turn the tide of the war before it started."

"Jasper! Hounding our guests already?" Drakon said from the opening of the tent.

Jasper seemed to be biting back whatever retort he had thought of. Rhysand however, chuckled at the thought. It earned him a confused glance from Jasper.

As we entered the tent, we did not expect the grand extravagance of an entire home within. The floor was cushioned with a plush carpet as Mor and Feyre already lounged on a deep seated couch with wine in their hand. Amren occupied a deep green seat across from them as she took in the intricate design of the tapestry hanging by the far end of the wall. In front of it was a large table that had multiple books and maps spread out on top of it. Ret was already seated at a chair while Asena leaned over the table, focusing solely on the map in front of her. Her long braid fell in front of her and she quickly flipped it back over her shoulder.

I gritted my teeth against the bond that fought to rise to the surface. It took every ounce of my concentration to reject it, going as far as to hating the entire essence of it. Of her.

She didn't spare us a glance as Jasper strode over towards them, taking his seat next to Ret. Lucas joined them a moment later, stepping towards Asena and whispering a few terse words into her ear. Asena simply waved her hand and he found his seat next to Jasper a moment later.

Miryam pushed a steaming hot mug into my hand before depositing one for Rhysand and Cassian as well.

I sipped from it gingerly and noted with satisfaction that it had alcohol mixed in with the cinnamon.

Rhysand hummed, "You always knew how to get on my good side, Miryam."

Feyre laughed as Rhys sat on the arm of her chair, crossing an ankle over his knee.

Drakon chuckled and said, "How do you think she won my heart?"

"Lots and lots of alcohol," Miryam winked. A soft smile spread across my face at the memory of their love story.

No laughter came from the other side of the room as they continued to pour over the maps. Drakon noticed and cleared his throat to address the room.

"We are having trouble pulling our spies out."

Asena scoffed at her brother from the table.

"What kind of trouble?" Cassian pushed as he stood next to Amren's seat.

"We haven't heard from them in days," Jasper said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What's your check in time?" I asked, setting the mug down on the small table beside Mor. I didn't meet her eyes as she watched me cross my arms over my chest.

"Three. Then five, then one. It's been four since they were supposed to check in."

I nodded, "Cut your losses. They're done."

They all whipped their heads towards me. Even Asena narrowed her eyes at me as I flared my wings slightly.

"You won't hear from them because they're either dead or about to be dead. Take what information you have and plan with that."

Her eyes widened and she pushed off the table, opening her mouth to say something, but Drakon stopped her with a hand raised.

"Cassian, how do you feel about the current field?"

Cassian walked over to the map and took one look then pointed, "This will be our best advantage. It's wide enough to hold a good portion of both our armies without giving away the sheer size."

Lucas was already shaking his head as he said, "There is another option just west of there. It has a smaller canyon that would allow us to fight head on without being overwhelmed from above."

Cassian rubbed at his chin, looking at where Lucas pointed, "You run the risk of the soldiers on the front taking the brunt of their army."

"Not if we use the tunnels."

Cassian lifted his hooded gaze towards the male who looked at Ret with a smile lining his lips.

Ret leaned forward with a pencil and started drawing, "There are underground tunnels here… here… and here. All leading to and from their camps."

I took a step forward to see the three lines she connected underneath the canyon. "Do your spies know of this?"

I glanced at Asena, some part of me wanting to hear her voice even if it made me nauseous.

Ret answered for her, "No, we weren't sure how far we'd get with them, so we kept it under radar."

Cassian glanced towards Rhys who had moved to stand beside him, just as Feyre and Mor did the same.

Mor traced the lines up towards the mountain and tapped, "What if you kept going? Could you get within their camps?"

Lucas and Jasper leaned forward then glanced towards each other. Miryam answered for them, "We could, but we'd be risking a great deal. If they had the slightest indication of what we were doing, they could follow the tunnels all the way back towards the canyon."

"What if you planned it that way then flooded the tunnels?" Amren chimed in from her chair, sipping at her wine.

Asena pushed off the table and crossed her arms, glancing at Ret who shrugged her shoulders.

"It's something to consider." Her voice was strangely deep. Even Cassian spared me a glance at the sound of her voice.

"Are your soldiers ready?" He asked her.

She nodded, "They will be when the time comes. The foundlings are showing to be more troublesome."

"Maybe you need to rethink your tactics," Cassian said strongly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I've had better response with the Illyrians by—"

She scoffed then said, "And yet here we are, fighting your Illyrians."

Each person in the room tensed as the two Generals stared each other down.

I snarled at her and said through clenched teeth, "And when you called for aid, we answered. The Illyrians."

Her withering gaze moved towards me, the muscle in her jaw feathering as she clenched her teeth together.

Amren muttered from her chair, "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Mor had the audacity to giggle as she leaned forward over the maps, "We should scout the canyons and the tunnels tomorrow. To see where the best fit for both of our armies is."

I kept my eyes on Asena as her eyes moved from mine down towards my lips then back up again. Her breathing intensified as I traced the curve of her throat with my own gaze.

"Let's reconvene after lunch then," Miryam said as she rounded the table to make way towards her mate.

"I hope you have something extravagant planned, Drakon. My army eats like they've never been fed," Rhysand joked as he clasped hands with Feyre and made to follow them out.

Cassian turned towards me as my stomach churned with nausea at what exactly I was doing. I smoothed my face to disgust, waiting for her to react.

She didn't.

She simply blinked then turned back towards the maps, leaning back over them. I turned on my heel as I felt Cassian brush past me.

I followed my brother out of the tent, wanting nothing more than to put as much distance as possible between me and this… female.