Praetorian Rising, стр. 77
A sharp, stabbing pain seared Vesyon's chest at the thought of Camille being forever trapped beneath the compound, a cavernous crypt without an exit. In his desperation to keep her alive and far removed from battle, he very well could have doomed her to death.
As the wind picked up speed and threw the western wind into their faces, Vesyon smelled the wretched stench of muddied fur, the heavy saltiness of filthy men, and something floral? "Do you smell that?"
"Amazingly, I do. The beast’s foul stench is unlike anything. Dear Ma'Nada, it's horrible," Phillip said, covering his nostrils with a gloved hand.
"No, not the Chimera. I smell something else," Vesyon said, the first pricks of panic jabbing into his Praetorian awareness. "They aren't alone, Phillip. The Equestrians brought something else I've never confronted before."
Phillip didn't respond as they saw the horror unfurl before their eyes. The warships of LeMarc's Royal Air Fleet dotted the moonlit sky like hovering vultures: dark and formidable.
The main decks of each ship were topped with a towering mast, giving the general resemblance of a typical seaworthy vessel—but these flying battle weapons were anything but ordinary. From bow to keel, the seven ships were lined with shimmering copper and hardened iron plating. Five rows of gun port windows boasted a display of massive cannons, and on either side of the rudder and vertical stabilizers were twin turbine engines propelling the massive ships forward. They cut through the air like a knife; absolutely nothing would be able to stop their forward propulsion.
The previous rainfall and melting snow left the ground mushy and slick with squelching mud piles and icy slush. It wasn't ideal fighting ground, but it didn't bother Vesyon nearly as much as the fact that they had such small numbers up against LeMarc's army.
"I see intruders on foot to the west, men!" Phillip called out, pointing his sword and readying his battalion.
"Do you think Camille will make it out in time?" Phillip said to Vesyon before they began their stealthy march forward, hunkering in the weed thickets for cover.
"She will," Vesyon said, gritting his teeth together.
Phillip tossed him a stern expression. "She better."
The closest ship's gun deck opened for battle then, and any remaining conversation was gobbled up by devastating blasts of cannon fire.
***
Pressing her shoulder blades against the stone wall at her back, Camille felt the chill seep through to the core of her body. Theo pulled away from the corner of the wall as Neeko slipped into the shadows, scouting ahead before they pursued the distant sounds of intrusion. His fingers tentatively brushed against hers in the dark surrounding. She could smell the fresh, woodsy scent of him, and see a hint of panic sift through the carefully constructed veneer of his expression.
"I need you to promise you'll follow my every move, Cam. No matter what. Do you understand?"
She bobbed her chin, keeping her eyes locked with his. It was almost impossible to see the sharp outline of his features, but she saw the glimmer of silvery light in his eyes and clung to it.
"Listen to me. Vesyon is a smart man, and my every cell is loyal to him, but this wasn't part of the plan, having you be involved. If I tell you to run, you run." His thumb traced an invisible line up along her cheekbone, each stroke sending a rolling wave of desire throughout her entire body. "I've said it before, and I'll repeat it: I'm not losing you this time."
For the first time since Camille had met Theo, she felt the immense vulnerability he harbored, the open heart and fierce loyalty of a man willing to do whatever it took to protect those he cared for.
"What does Ad Astra per Aspera mean?" Camille blurted out, not quite understanding why the words popped into her head. Theo seemed slightly taken aback as well, but his smile grew wide as he looked at her, his teeth a mere slip of white in the shadows.
Glancing over his shoulder down the hall, he looked for the sleek shape of Neeko before he turned back to Camille. "It's quite fitting for the moment, actually. It means 'to the stars through difficulties.' It was our guiding force before the rebellion began and became something of a battle call for us Praetorians and Rogues. For us heathens," he said with a sly smile. "It was a way of saying that nothing could stop us; that we would push through to the very end no matter the consequences."
Her eyes glittered with unshed tears, and her voice stuck in her throat. They had been the last words Peter said to her before she left Sierra Village. The intention of his meaning to her became incredibly clear and an overwhelming desire to smile as much as cry crashed into her. He'd been giving her permission to go, to find her true purpose with the words of their cause as his final gift to her. She may not have had a choice in the matter, but she wouldn't have chosen a different route to where she stood.
Glancing up into the gentle depths of Theo's azure stare, she knew that despite the pain of not remembering everything about the man, she wanted to know who he’d become. A single tear slipped down her cheek in a quick hot trail, and she swiped it away with a flick of a finger. "You won't lose me," she said with marked surety.
His hand slid around the back of her neck, and he jerked her to his mouth, bruising her lips with a quick, passionate kiss. He pulled back, but only slightly, their breaths mingling together as he held her face close to his. "I won't let anything happen to you, okay? Do you trust me?"
"Yes."
Neeko mewed, a soft noise meant to gain their attention that snapped