I snap out of my daydream at the panic in Terro’s voice. He tilts his chin up, urging me to look at the sky. My chest constricts and bile rises in my throat. At least a dozen massive birds swarm over a particular location. One at a time, they swoop down and then shoot back into the sky. It’s like they have found a carcass to scavenge from. Except, it’s not a body they’re pecking away at. It’s Stigian.
War was a given, but I’d hoped we had time. I should have known better. If I were planning to raid a kingdom, there would be no better time than when its leader was nowhere to be found.
Raelle eases Nortus so close next to Samson that her leg brushes mine. I tear my gaze from the sky and meet her eyes. The future I was just planning with her teeters on a knife’s edge. We fall into destruction or Pliris rises to its true purpose in the five kingdoms. The outcome is far from determined.
She curls her fingers around the front of my tunic and pulls me to her. Our lips brush as she says, “No matter what happens, you come back to me. Do you understand, Kyron LeFur?”
“Only if you make me the same promise, Raelle Mansi.”
“I’ll come back to you.”
“Always. I’ll always come back to you.”
Her lips meet mine in a desperate kiss, and I match her fervor. I fully intend to keep my promise, but if it’s ripped away from me, I need her to know how much I love her. How I will always love her even in death.
“I love you,” I whisper for good measure.
“I love you, Kyron.”
No sooner do we pull apart and Greer moves to my other side. “At your command, Your Majesties.”
Ulric and Terro line up next to Greer and Raelle. Ashavee, in her animal form, looks around the legs of Ulric’s horse and tips her head, a subtle gesture of submission.
“Spare no one who means us harm. If they want a war, we’ll bring their end to each and every one of them,” I say.
Terro nods in agreement. “May the Statera burn bright in every Plirian this night.”
Ulric pumps his fist in the air and shouts, “We fight for our land! We die for our freedom!”
I’m not the only one who recognizes the words from Lucent’s battle cry. As one, we finish the final line to include our entire kingdom.
“May Pliris prevail, may Pliris prevail.”
We charge toward the capital, with all eyes focused on the battle ahead. My heart races like the hooves of our horses. Adrenaline pumps through my veins. The fire and shadows flowing through every cell of my body consumes me, ready to enact vengeance.
We race through the small canyon in the mountains that surround Stigian. Horseshoes kick up dust and clank against stone. Every sound echoes off the high rocks, setting my nerves on edge. I spur Samson on, eager to return to the open and get my first glance of the city in days.
The canyon gives way to the barren land that sits outside Stigian’s wall. My heart plummets to my stomach, and I pull on Samson’s reins, bringing us all to a stop. The wall is demolished with holes blasted into the thick stone. Spirals of smoke spin toward the sky, dulling the pinks and purples normally shading the clouds just before dusk. The magnificent buildings that loomed over the city are in shambles. That is all except one. The sanctuary still stands untouched. The Allaji would never destroy the holy place and risk the wrath of the Statera. But the rest of Pliris’ capital is gone.
“We have to get inside the sanctuary. If there is a chance that anyone is alive, that’s where we will find them,” Raelle says, gaze locked on the horrific scene before us
I can’t find my voice. It is lodged in my chest, blocked by the anger and sadness raging inside me. It’s one thing to face soldiers on the battlefield, and another to attack innocent people going about their day in a busy city. This was a coward’s tactic that no doubt took hundreds of lives. It’s unforgivable.
“Agreed,” I manage in a raspy tone. “Everyone stay together. There’s no reason to add to the dead if we can help it.”
Self-preservation wants me to turn us around and keep safe those I still have with me, but duty urges me forward. I lead us into the open mouth of the beast, prepared to take the risk of it swallowing all of us whole.
Thirty-One
RAELLE
Every time I’ve passed through Stigian’s walls I’ve been astonished at how grand the city was with its sleek architecture, the scientific advancements, the lights, and the loud fashion. Even the single-mindedness of the reason for my first venture here to save my father couldn’t overshadow how utterly amazing it was. Stigian is unlike any place I’ve ever been, and now, it’s ruins of what it once was.
The shadows of the buildings are like decrepit skeletons against the dark velvet sky. Small storefronts stand open to the elements with smashed windows and ajar doors. The air is thick with smoke, and ash drifts down on us like snow. Bodies, there are so many bodies littering the streets, torn to shreds by the sharp teeth and deadly talons of our enemy. I can’t help but strain through the veil of night to study each mutilated body. All the while, I selfishly pray to the Statera that none of them belong to my family. I’m desperate to find them, to know for sure that they have survived this devastation. Yet I don’t give into my panic, knowing it will do nothing to improve this situation.
I ride beside Kyron with Greer and Terro leading our group, and Ulric and Ashavee following behind. The same devastation I feel is written on Kyron’s face. We left these people to fend for themselves. How many of them could the six of us have saved if we stayed? We didn’t have a clear-cut answer. Chances are that one of us would have ended up in the pile of bodies. All we can do now is pray that the choices we made spare more lives in the end.
“It’s too quiet,” Terro says, his brown eyes surveying every nook and cranny we pass.
