He closes the gap between us and takes hold of my chin tightly as he looks me in the eye.
“Then I will light your pyre myself.”He lets go roughly, my head snapping to the side before he turns and leaves.
My chest heaves as emotions course through me; my chaos is ready to unleash hell.
Jayce… Why? I grip the balcony tightly.
Why did you come?
To the Kingdom of Solaria
Heaven
It’s been three days since we arrived, and we have been waiting for Helios’ messenger. It’s been an exhausting week. Ares and Carter have continued to let the Eidara entertain them. Theo, as far as I know, hasn’t. I push the thoughts away, trying to focus on my meditation.
“Heaven?” Ahren’s voice makes my eyes snap open.
Yes?I write.
“It’s time.”
Someone’s here.
I get up quickly from where I’m sitting and hurry from the room, stopping when I spot the man in beige clothing, his long red hair braided from the top. He’s wearing a gold band across his forehead, with arm and shin guards made of the same gold.His face is an expressionless mask. I notice he’s holding a scroll out to Jayce, who steps forward and accepts it, cracking open the gold and white seal.
“I, Helios, Sovereign of the Sun, Lord of the Morning and Keeper of the Skies, accept your duel, sons of Andronikos. My terms shall be spoken face-to-face, beneath the gaze of the heavens themselves. Seven days from this day, when the first light crowns the horizon, my court shall stand witness. There, we shall duel – god and mortals. Be prepared. For when the sun rises, it shall rise on your defeat. May the skies remember who commands the dawn.” Jayce’s voice is crisp and clear, his voice holding an edge of scorn as he finishes. It makes me uneasy. What will Helios demand?
“Well, he’s fucking cocky, init,” Theo remarks.
“I accept,” Jayce says to the messenger, ignoring Theo.
The messenger nods to Jayce before he turns to Ahren. “I have a message for the Prince of Darkness.”
Prince of Darkness? We all look at Ahren, who chuckles.
“That’s quite a title,” he says lightly, but for some reason, I don’t think he’s new to it. His posture is relaxed, but… what am I missing? “What is the message?” he asks.
“By the divine ruling of the treaty between your kind and our god Helios, you will not be given permission to enter the Kingdom of Light. The pact made between the gods and the demons must stand. You will not cross the threshold into Solaria during the duel. However, our divine lord Helios offers his welcome to the daughter of Hecate and the Volkov Queen to observe the duel and walk away upon the defeat of the Deimosbloodline.” The man bows, making Theo scoff.
“Cocky much?” Carter mutters, although his eyes are fixed on Allie, too.
My eyes shift to her. I didn’t get the right chance to mention what I saw when we entered the Realm of Gods to Allie. I was hesitating, not knowing if I should. Her face is indifferent, but I’m curious to know what’s going through her mind.
“Understood. Thank you,” Renji says politely. The man bows his head and leaves.
“So, Prince of Darkness and Volkov Queen, huh? Now, that’s one way to make headlines. Just cause you’re the fourth ruler doesn’t mean I’m bowing to you,” Theo says, yanking on Allie’s hair.
She snarls at him, but she doesn’t say anything. A clear sign that she’s shaken, even if she’s covering it well.
Theo snickers as Ares observes Ahren. “So, what exactly does this Prince of Darkness shit mean? I mean, you can’t enter his kingdom, but he’s taken Sienna into it. Isn’t it the same thing?”
“There are six types of demons. In the demon world, Sienna and I wouldn’t be classified as the same bloodline.” Ahren’s answer surprises us all. I clearly know more than the Westwoods, but what did he mean by the demon world? Si’s never mentioned that.
Demon world?I write.
“Six types of demons… and why haven’t you shared this knowledge?” Jayce asks, his face indifferent.
Ahren pouts. “Come on, don’t be so harsh. It’s a long story, plus I’ve been busy with my duties. I didn’t think it was relevant.”
