“Do you know if your sister, Trent, or anyone else, made it out of the Colosseum?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper. His brows drop, and his jaw ticks.
“I’ve heard nothing of their whereabouts. I have every one of my contacts out, looking for any sign of them. My sister is the highest priority, after I extracted you from the destruction that day.” He speaks as though it were not just yesterday. I rub the crease that has formed between my eyes. The pressure building within is beginning to ache so fierce, like the dam of emotionsis about to crumble. The intense feelings, like rapids, threaten to wreak havoc at any moment.
“You two… know each other?” I ask, looking between the friend of my past and the Fae, who is an enigma to me.
“Alaric and I met shortly after you left Lesa.” She rubs my back in gentle strokes and leans in close before continuing. “He explained why he needed to find you. I told him about the letter and your parents after he told me what you meant to the kingdom.”
“I’m no queen…” My voice trails off as I swing my legs from the bed and stand on unsteady feet. I steel my spine as I walk to the window. My gaze settles on the one thing that has calmed me since I was just a child. The moon shines brightly and full in the sky. A thrum in my chest pulses as I bask in its white glow. Magic spills through my body and pools at my fingertips I suck in a sharp inhale as I feel the emotions in the room. Wonder. Awe. Fear.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, letting my magic disappear back into my body. When I open them again and turn around, I look at the two Fae that stand before me, but I don’t really see them. I see Cano’s face, smell sulfur in the air, and feel the hate simmering in my blood like hot coals of a fire. Something needs to be done about him. About Demetrey and the evil that is being spewed into the kingdom. My Kingdom, because the fact is, king or not, I am the queen destined by birth to rule this land. Cano wanted to fight Dax in a duel for Ravendene, but now he has to deal with the consequences.
Me.
A scorned queen with the wrath and the magic of the entire royal line running through my blood. I’ve been wondering about what it would mean to rule a kingdom. Thinking I would have the backing of a king. Cano stole that future from me. He wants to ruleAldramani, but right now, I’m making the decision. I will fight for what is mine. I will fight for Dax, and I will get the revenge he was owed and that I am now demanding.
Rain begins to fall outside the window, droplets build and run down the glass, and thunder vibrates the pane as I turn back to face the moon. My voice is darker than I ever thought possible, “We will leave for Loema in the morning. There is someone there I need to speak with.”
Chapter eighteen
Everyone is still—the silencepainful. I grind my teeth, trying to bite back the emotion that threatens to erupt from me. The Fornax fire is on the verge of engulfing the entirety of the forest around us with its fury, if I let it. But I can’t let it. No matter how gutted I feel right now.
We all saw Dax fall in the battle, even as the crowd burst into a frenzy around us as Raelle ascended. The sight of everything happening at once plays out in my mind over and over again. My jaw begins to ache at the sheer power behind how I clench it. With the amount of smoke and shadows that fell as Raelle’s ethereal glow flickered out—none of us saw where she or Dax went. I refuse to believe that either of them perished. I refuse to believethiscouldbe their end. The end of the kingdom again, just as it was about to be rebuilt.
“They are alive. I won’t hear another word about anything other than how to find them!” I growl as I prowl back and forth through the trees at the base of the Soule Mountain range. We were forced to make the difficult decision to leave the wastelands once we realized that Cano had seemingly won the duel and the Demetrey regime, alongside the men I believed to be Ravendene loyal, began to flood in. Because Dax didn't want to wait for the backup to arrive, our own soldiers didn’t make it on time. Though, even if they did, it would be of no use. Not if Dax really did die... The rules of the duel are clear, the winner would be the ruling power of Ravendene, because that was the wager. And as it appears, Cano succeeded in claiming that title.
“Cousin,” Maki comes up behind me with Miles at his side, and grips my shoulder in a firm grasp, halting my pacing. I whirl on him. My temper taking over my body, I curl my hand into a fist and strike. “Fuck, you sure as hell aren’t the kid brother of Dax I remember sparring with. That’s one hell of a right hook.” He laughs as blood coats his teeth, but a sadness washes into his eyes as he keeps his gaze locked with mine and he spits in the dirt
“I’m sorry.” I grind out. I don’t want to hurt anyone else I have left. I reel in my emotions and blanket my face with a coldness, and as I do, I recognize it. Dax did the same thing the moment we lost our parents. The way he blocked out the pain to become someone else causes my brow to furrow. I don’t want to become someone else. It never did any good for Dax. Now look where it’s found him.
“We’ve rested long enough. Let’s get back to Loema. Hopefully, if we move quickly, we can send word to the soldiers to return there as well. We need to make a plan to retaliate, or at the veryleast prepare for what we know is going to come sooner rather than later.” Maki says this as he wipes the blood from his face with the fabric of his cloak.
“I’ll shift and warn those in Ravendene to get out or hunker down. Not to upset Cano until we figure out how to right things. Trent, if Dax is gone…” Miles’ words trail off as he looks me over. I know what he’s thinking. I will be the next in line. I will take over as the Lord.
“I haven't felt a power transfer! Dax is not dead! He can't be dead!” I bellow the words, my wings bursting to life at my back, and they bristle with the anger that radiates through me.
“Of course.” Miles recedes, pulling at his clothes, preparing to shift back into his wolf form, but I still see it in his eyes. I see what he’s not saying. Sometimes, when great power transfers, it takes time. Remembering how much time it took for Raelle to finally ascend, it makes sense now that I think about it. Her delayed ascension. It was because of the vast amount of power that was transferring to her. It would likely be the same for Dax.
Kait steps into me, wrapping her arms around my waist, and I drop my head to the top of hers as I pull her into my chest. My eyes flick up, and I meet Ambriel’s stare. An unreadable expression on her face before she drops her gaze to where she continues sharpening an onyx blade. I close my eyes, allowing myself a moment of comfort with my best friend. After our fight back at Loema and then what happened at the colosseum, it makes me think about how asinine it all was, and regret sinks into me. “I’m sorry for our fight.” She whispers into my chest, almost as though she senses the thoughts in my head, and when she tilts her head back, her scared face is damp with tears. I brush them away with my thumb as I cup her face.
“Nothingwill ever get between us, Kait. You know that. You’re my best friend.” She rolls her lips and nods.
“I know. It was the heightened emotions of my wolf… I need to shift more often so I can fight that. Which brings me to the decision I’ve come to.” Her eyes search mine. “I’m going with Miles. I want to help where I’m useful. I can help him warn our friends back in Ravendene. I can aid those who need it, and we will meet you all back in Loema. I agree with you, Trent. They can’t be gone.” She places her hand over my heart. “Use your strongest instinct, Trent. You have always been the one of us to follow your heart. Don't stop now when we are all calloused and cold. You will always be the fire that warms us. You will always be what brings us back together.”
Leaning down, I kiss her forehead, and when she pulls back, she gives me a tight smile before turning and walking into the dense trees, dropping her clothes as she does. Miles nods, then turns as well, and they both shift within moments, and only their echoing howls trail after them.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, and as I release it, I open them to find deep honey-gold eyes trained on me. Ambriel bites her lip before she turns again, making my lips purse with annoyance. She has been ignoring me since we left Loema. I know that it's about what happened in the kitchen. What Kait said before she left makes me steel my spine as I take a step toward her.
“Let’s go before they find us here.” Maki speaks up, halting my advance.
“Right,” I say, clearing my throat, and Ambriel stands, securing her cloak at her throat, looking between Maki and me.
“Sorry, I’m here to slow you guys down. She steps toward Maki, and he holds out his hand in offering, but she hesitates to take it.That is all I need. I don’t think, so I just do what Kait said and I follow my fucking heart, and my heart is saying I can’t risk pushing anyone away.. I take two steps and sweep her feet from beneath her. She yips loudly before latching onto my neck as I launch into the sky.
“There will be no slowing me down. Hold on, baby.” I smirk, and the gold of her eyes melts before she averts her gaze to Maki, who races to meet us in the sky. “Let’s go plan a murder,” I say darkly under my breath, but they hear it even over the wind above the trees.
When we land in Loema, chaos quickly erupts when Maki starts making orders. He’s whisked away within moments as he secures his borders. His need to ensure his people are kept safe at the highest of priorities. Ambriel and I head to the library, where we plan to meet Maki once he makes sure things are in line for his territory. Kait and Miles should be arriving in Ravendene by morning if they run through the night, and knowing them, that is exactly what they will do.
I slump down on the couch under one of the large windows in Maki’s extensive collection of books and other forms of history.My eyes slip closed as I take the moment of silence in the darkness that seems to be picking at my soul. Fuck, all of this sucks.
