The Edge (Book 5 of The Claiming Series)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Nearly half the drive home, Eli and I remain quiet. Lily, Eris, and Charlie, on the other hand, won't shut up. They toss around far too many what-ifs for me to be able to have a level-headed conversation with them. When I look at Eli, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight that his fingers are red and his knuckles white, I know he's in the same boat as me.

"What if they're waiting for us when we get back? Or the kingdom's already up in flames?" Eris says, her voice rattling.

"Don't say that," Lily says. "That'd be a pretty low move, don't you think?"

More than anything, I'd like to scream at them to just stop. I'm worried about Eli relapsing, and these improbable scenarios aren't helping.

But I'm so sick to my stomach that I can't muster up the energy to do it.

Instead, I reach over and place a hand over Eli's on the steering wheel.

He glances at me, his glazed-over appearance immediately shifting to warmth. "You did great," he says.

The others continue their louder-than-necessary conversation behind us.

I smile. "Thank you. I just don't think it did a lot of good."

Eli's gaze hardens. "I don't know how to get them to see reason. At this point, it's like you said. A matter of pride. As much as I don't want to throw our kingdom into war, I see now that we may have to. If this is the ruler Bayfell has, then she needs to be stopped."

"We can do it," I say.

"I hope so."

"No," I squeeze his hand. "We can do it. We have the resources to come out on top."

"We do have another problem, though," Eli says. "There are still people who don't want the monarchy in New Athens. Not as many as before, but there are still rebel groups who are out for our blood."

"You think they'll put it aside for a war outside the walls?"

"Let's hope so," he says.

******

Upon returning, we immediately jump into war preparations. Whether or not there will be a war is still up for debate, but Eli and I both want our kingdom to be on guard. After talking with the court, they agreed with us that the minute we let our defenses down, it could mean disaster.

Days turn into weeks, which then turn into two more months, and we still receive no indication from Bayfell that they're going to attack. Our scouts have been nearly as far as Bayfell itself, skirting the walls and surrounding areas in search of any indication of battle prep—nothing.

Still, we continue training new and experienced soldiers, having them plot out different strategies. Eli has also dispersed spies throughout the kingdom to listen for any signs of rebellion. All has been quiet, though, which makes me uneasy.

"You don't think they'd double-cross us, do you?" Eli says, looking up at me from across our office from his desk.

I snort. "You've seen those guys. They'd bend over backwards for you." I scribble my signature over a few more documents while Eli considers this.

When he doesn't respond, I glance back up. The sun is climbing higher in the sky as it approaches midday, casting sharp rays of summer light into the room. Eli's gazing out the window, watching something outside. Then his eyes round. "Mave. Mave. Come here. Mave..."