Adrian plotted all this as Galen sat back and over-drank.
Seventy feet away, they break formation, exposing Galen abruptly. His crown makes him an easy target. He spots me. The look of alarm gives way to annoyance. He must think I’m here because of Selene.
I am.
If it didn't spook the horses, I would cover my body in flames.“Now!” I roar.
I feel Ryker’s glee when his arms raise. He’s a conductor who commands a loud and powerful orchestra; only his instrument is the wind.
Galen’s annoyance turns to suspicion. Yes, he knows. He looks left, then right, but his guards are moving, guiding their horses away like feathers shot off a bird. Scattering until only the barren animal is left for the predator to pick and pull to shreds.
A fierce wind causes a panicked reaction in the horses; mine rears, but I trained my eyes on my target. Wind barrels towards Galen with such force that you can see it. Galen’s magic flares, spooking his horse. The dirt boils, cracking open as vines start to shoot forth, but he’s too slow. The wind slams into him, snapping the saplings in half.
His horse falls over, scurries wildly before it abandons him. Everyone underestimates wind magic. Fire magic sounds intimidating, but fire takes time to burn defenses; seconds or minutes the enemy can use. Wind tramples you, shakes your legs, and knocks your boots free from the ground. It’s sudden, and so stunning.
Ryker leaps from the saddle, swift as thunder breaking from a cloud, to ambush. His hands are lightning-fast, rising and striking with torrential downpours of gusts. Small shrubs rip free from the ground, stirring dirt. The start of a canvas of chaos.
There! Metal falls, smacking into grass. Galen’s crown! He lies stomach-down, hands reaching for his hair. His crown-lessstate causes his eyes to shift to his true predator, crawling free from the narrow slits.
He searches for the crown before his enemy. Adrian was right; that crown is a secret weapon.
Galen snarls, boots digging into the soil as he lunges on hands and knees like an untamed beast. His fingers shoot out, fighting the wind, reaching toward his weapon.
Ryker reels his hand back, preparing to backhand Galen with another blast.
I jump off my horse. “Run!” I order the loyal animal. I won’t see it slain in this battle.
Oranges, yellows, and deep ambers cover my vision. My flames consume me. The grass sizzles and catches flame under my boots. I charge towards Galen, my entire body a walking fiery silhouette. Just as Ryker’s wind touches the crown, picking it up to throw it further away.
My lips curl, but the smile drops. A vine becomes a lasso, seizing the crown. Galen bellows a war cry as he tugs it back.
Flames crash into it, embers pour down like rain around me. I target that single vine; it can change the outcome of tonight. Closer and closer the vine pulls the weapon back to its master.
More fire! More heat, hatred, and willpower! The vine twists into a tortured braid, curling and knotting. Desperately trying to obey Galen, but my fire is too intense.Snap!The vine breaks, and the crown hits the dirt. The wind drags it.
“This will be a fair fight!” I shout.
Galen’s raging eyes slice into me. He pushes to stand and has the audacity to wipe the dirt off his clothing. “Traitor!” he howls, eyes searching for his guards. “All of you! I will kill every single one of you. Your families, everyone who shares your blood, will suffer!”
“Those are the last words you choose to be remembered by!” Ryker shouts. “How poetic.”
The other soldiers give us a wide berth as they circle us, ensuring Galen can’t escape. He notes it, and instead of attacking, he tries to engage in conversation. “Who are you?” the king spits as he looks down his nose at my brother.
Ryker tilts his head; the moonlight makes his odd shade of hair appear ghostly. It’s an undying shade caught between life and death. Immortal.
“You don’t deserve to know my name.” Ryker silences his wind so abruptly that it causes a ringing in my ear. A cool, eerie chill slips through my fire and clings to my skin. “And the last thing I will tell you is that your name,” he arches a brow like a dagger, “will never be spoken again.” His grin is saccharine, full of malice.
He stomps his boot on the crown. Galen’s jaw clenches so tightly I’m almost certain he cracked a tooth. He cares so much about an object; I can see the pain and fear that it’s damaged.
“I let snakes into my garden,” Galen spits as he widens his stance, eyes quickly searching for an escape. He’s delusional.
“Youwere the snake!” I lower my flames so he can see me. “You let birds of prey in. We watched you from above. Judged you. We found you guilty, slippery, and slimy. You tricked so many, Galen; for snakes are feared for their bite—your words were cruel and sweet. You forgot predators with limbs, arms,” I cover mine in fire, “legs, hands that are used to holding a sword—more than your daily fuck—those predators are the real ones. Now we will cut your head from your body so you can never strike again.”
He raises his two hands, shuddering like he’s lifting a mountain. The ground quakes.Boom!Dirt and chunks of grass assault me. Ryker tries to use his wind as a shield.
I stumble back as vines erupt from the earth, cracking and splitting it open. Something blocks out the stars. Vines, a wall,no, a cage of them. He’s trapping himself; he can’t run, so this is the option he picked instead of fighting like a man.
Ryker looks toward me. “This is my fight now,” I warn him. He nods and steps back as I approach the cage. “You could have died like a man. You picked the path of a coward. Hiding!” I shout as I step forward, shaping my fire into a sword. Reaching out, I touch a larger branch; it’s warm, thick, and waxy. Fresh.
