"You keep saying that like it's bad."
"Because it is!" He grabbed my shoulders.
"If this goes wrong, you die."
"If we do a frontal assault, eighteen hundred will die." I met his eyes.
"I'll take my chances over theirs."
"I won't let you go alone."
"You have to. The army needs you at the gates. If you come with me, the whole thing fails."
"I can't lose you," he said, his voice breaking.
"Not after two hundred years. Six months isn't enough."
"We don't get more time," I pulled him close.
"We get what we get. And we make it count."
We held each other, both knowing this might be our last peaceful moment.
"If you die, I'm going to be so angry."
"Promise me something."
"Anything."
"Fight like hell. Cheat if you have to. But come back."
"I'll try."
"Not good enough."
"It's all
