Trynne beamed at him as she tugged open the door. With one hand on the hilt of Firebos, Drew marched ahead of her and was greeted by a thrum of cheers from the Oath Maidens assembled in the yard below. An even louder cheer sounded when she appeared behind him.

King Drew marched down the steps of the battlement wall and entered the throng of warriors who gathered around him eagerly. Haley from Dundrennan stood near the front, taller than many of the others. She’d be helpful in securing assistance from the garrison. Maciel, the thief’s daughter. Gillian of Passey. Brooke was grinning as if she were ready to rush an army all by herself. The group of them gathered together, anxious to see the king up close.

“Stand at arms!” Captain Staeli roared, his command breaking the spell of adoration.

At his command, all the women separated into even rows and columns, legs spread in a martial stance, one hand behind their backs, their faces at attention.

Staeli walked slowly and deliberately, pausing to gaze sternly at the girls who had not fully stifled their excitement.

“My lord,” Staeli said with a sniff, bowing before the king, “I present to you the Oath Maidens of Averanche. All have been trained and will serve you faithfully. There is not a one of them whom I wouldn’t trust your life with, my lord king. They will fight to the last. Every single one of them.”

King Drew nodded his head at the little speech. He began to stride in front of the first row of warriors. “Last night, I was driven from the palace of Kingfountain by treachery,” he said. “My wife and daughter, I presume, have made it to the sanctuary of Our Lady. I know not for certain. I have no Espion to give me reports. I have none of my knights or captains. You,” he said, pausing in his walk and gazing at them, “are all that I have. We go to battle, my friends. I will not relinquish this crown willingly. Our enemy has magic in his words. He has persuaded many to bend the knee and serve him. He has replaced kings with men of his choosing. But our most dangerous foes are his Wizrs, who scheme and plot and murder. They do not know us or our customs very well. And they do not know that our people will not be ruled by a stranger.”