“If you’re meaning they won’t stand and fight—”

“Don’t get all Geallian pride on me.” Blair held up a hand for peace. “What they need is to hear from you, to get revved. They need their St. Crispin’s Day speech.”

“What’s this?”

Blair arched her brows at Cian. “Guess you missed Henry V when you mowed through Cian’s library.”

“There were a lot of books, after all.”

“It’s about stirring them up,” Glenna explained. “About getting them ready to fight, even die. Reminding them why they’re here, inspiring them.”

“I’m to do all of that?”

“No one else would have the same impact.” Cian closed the water bag. “You’re the queen, and while the rest of us might be generals, in a manner of speaking, you’re the one they look to.”

“I wouldn’t know what to say.”

“You’ll think of something. While you are, Larkin and I will get your troops together. Add a little Braveheart to Henry,” he said to Blair. “Get her on horseback.”

“Excellent.” Blair headed off to get Cian’s horse.

“What did this Henry say?” Moira wondered.

“What they needed to hear.” Glenna gave Moira’s hand a squeeze. “So will you.”

Chapter 20

“I don’t have a thing in my head.”

“It’s not going to come from there. Or not only from there.” Glenna handed Moira her circlet. “Head and heart, remember? Listen to both and whatever you say, it’ll be the right thing.”

“Then I wish you’d say it instead. Foolish to be afraid of speaking to them,” Moira said with a weak smile. “And not as afraid to die with them.”

“Put this on.” Blair held out Moira’s cloak. “Good visual, the cloak billowing in the wind. And speak up, kiddo. You have to project to the ones in the peanut gallery.”

“I’ll ask you what that means later.” Moira took one huffing breath, then mounted the stallion. “Here we go then.”

She walked the horse forward, then her heart gave a hard thud. There were her people, more than a thousand strong, standing with the valley at their backs. Even as the sun dipped lower in the sky, it glinted off sword and shield and lance. It washed over their faces, those who had come here, ready to give their lives.

And her head understood the words in her heart.

“People of Geall!”

They cheered as she trotted her horse in front of their lines. Even those already wounded called out her name.

“People of Geall, I am Moira, warrior queen. I am your sister; I am your servant. We have come to this time and this place by order of the gods, and so, to serve the gods. I know not all of your faces, all of your names, but you are mine, every man and woman here.”

The wind caught at her cloak as she looked into those faces. “Tonight, when the sun sets, I ask you to fight, to stand this bitter ground that has already tasted our blood this day. I ask this of you, but you don’t fight for me. You don’t fight for the queen of Geall.”

“We fight for Moira, the queen!” someone shouted. And again, her name rose up above the wind in cheers and chants.

“No, you don’t fight for me! You don’t fight for the gods. You don’t fight for Geall, not this night. You don’t fight for yourselves, or even your children. Not for your husbands, your wives. Your mothers and fathers.”

They quieted as she continued to ride the lines, looking into those faces, meeting those eyes, “It’s not for them you come here to this bitter valley, knowing your blood may spill on its ground. It’s for all humankind you come here. For all humankind you stand here. You are the chosen. You are the blessed. All the worlds and every heart that beats in them is your heart now, your world now. We, the chosen, are one world, one heart, one purpose.”

Her cloak snapped in the wind as the stallion pranced, and the dying sun glinted on the gold of her crown, the steel of her sword. “We will not fail this night. We cannot fail this night. For when one of us falls, there will be another to lift the sword, the lance, to fight with stake and fist the pestilence that threatens humanity and all it is. And if that next of us should fall, there will come another and another, and still more for we are the world here, and the enemy has never known the like of us.”

Her eyes were like hell-smoke in a face illuminated with passion. Her voice soared over the air so the words rang out, strong and clear.

“Here, on this ground, we will drive them down even past hell.” She continued to shout over the cheers that rippled and rose from the men and women like a wave. “We will not yield this night, we will not fail this night, but will stand and triumph this night. You are the heart they can never have. You are the breath and the light they will never know again. This night, they will sing of this Samhain, sing of The Battle of Silence, in every generation that comes after. They will sit by their fires and speak of the glory of what we do here. This night. The sun sets.”

She drew her sword, pointed west where the sun had begun to bleed red. “Come the dark, we’ll raise sword and heart and mind against them. And as the gods witness this, I swear it, we will raise the sun.”

She sent fire rippling down the blade of her sword, and shooting into the sky.

“Not too shabby,” Blair managed as the troops erupted with shouts and cheers. “Your girl’s got a way with words.”

“She’s... brilliant.” Cian kept his eyes on her. “How can they stand against that much light?”

“She spoke the truth,” Hoyt stated. “They’ve never seen the likes of us.”

The squadron leaders split the troops so they began to move into position. Moira rode back, dismounted.

“It’s time,” she said and held out her hands.

The six formed a circle to forge that final bond. Then released each other.

“See you on the flip side.” Blair flashed a gleaming smile. “Go get ’em, cowboy.” She leaped on her dragon, then shot skyward.

Larkin swung onto his own. “Last one to the pub when this is done buys the round.” He flew up, and away from Blair.

“Blessed be. And let’s kick ass.” With Hoyt, Glenna started toward their posts, but she’d seen the look that had passed between the brothers. “What’s going on with Cian? Don’t lie this close to what might be bloody death.”