Thiswas why they only used their main power in Dusk, I realized. Their magic was fading. They may only have their lightning left. Their land wasn’t as beautiful or magical as the Night Kingdom, because it had already faded too much.Old Gods. That couldn’t be good. If it had already gotten to that point….
“How long? How long before it’s too late?” I asked hoarsely, struggling to imagine this amazing place I’d just found, stripped of everything that made it what it was.
“It’s already been happening for years.” Calix told me grimly, and he reached his hand out to squeeze my shoulder briefly. “We’ve been slipping slowly toward chaos. We have maybe a couple years, at most, before Dusk is lost to itself. And if that happens—” His jaw worked back and forth, and darkness began leaking from his hands as he flexed them. “Dawn is Dusk’s balance, so they’re in just as bad a situation. Once both are completely out of balance, the rest of the kingdoms won’t be able to maintain balance either. We’ll all slip into chaos.”
Calix nodded slowly at my horrified expression. “The kingdomshaveto be in balance with one another. One kingdom slips to chaos, and we all fall, one after another.” His voice took on a bitter tone. “They’ve doomed us all. Sunset and Sunrise have already shown signs, as well, and while Day and Night have been doing better, I’ve seen the signs here too. We don’t have long to change things now.”
Things began to click into place for me. I whipped around to face him fully from where I’d turned to look over the cliff.
“This is why you said you’re not at war—not yet.” I realized, my eyes widening. “You’re planning to be, though, on a much, much bigger scale than the attacks the Resistance has been carrying out. What are you going to do? Depose them? Put monarchs in place who aren’t corrupt, to begin healing the kingdoms?”
Calix looked at me for a long moment before he closed his eyes with a sigh. When he opened them, the colors in his eyes were swirling once more. It seemed to happen anytime his emotions ran high.
“I’m not sure yet.” He confessed, and that scared me most of all. If he didn’t know—what hope did we have? “That’s what remains most frustrating for me. The gods choose the rulers, meaning I can only do so much. I have to abide by the gods’ wishes, or my own kingdom will become unbalanced as well.” The hopeless desperation in his eyes slid into me like a knife.
“Fuck.” I said, staring at him. Realizing exactly how tricky his task was. My task too now, I suppose. I’d already signed up for freeing humans, I wasn’t going to back away from a complicated situation. Not when it threatened this place that offered me a home, friends… freedom.
Not when this man looked like the weight of the world rested on his wings—shoulders didn’t seem big enough to carry this burden. And I could see why—he had a beautiful kingdom, full of magic and wonder and happiness. My eyes narrowed at the thought. It had to stay that way. I wouldn’t let this place become anything like Dusk.Never.
Calix seemed to read the thoughts spinning around in my mind, and his eyes turned heated as a smirk turned his lips upwards once more.
“There it is.” He declared, the heat in his eyes setting me a bit off balance myself.
“What?” I tilted my head a bit in confusion. He swaggered up towards me, the few feet between us rapidly closing, and he reached out, brushing a lock of hair behind my ear, making my breath catch as his fingers skimmed my cheek.
“That light in you.” He murmured, the aurora in his eyes captivating me as it danced through his irises. “I swear it’s like it burns deep inside, and whenever you feel strongly aboutsomething, it rises to the surface. Like a star in the darkness, you shine. Stars aren’tjustbeautiful, you know.” He smiled, and to my consternation, I felt a blush tint my cheeks at his reference to me being beautiful. Something I’d heard a thousand times and shouldn’t be making me blush, but said in that husky, sexy voice of his, it took on significance in a way it never had before.
“Stars, when the time comes, explode. The force of it can take out planets. When that light rises in you, my réalta, I imagine a star going supernova, taking out everything for miles.” Calix’s voice was low and filled with a promise he couldn’t fulfill. I could feel an ache begin low in my body in response.
I stepped back, pressing my thighs together as I cleared my throat, hoping to distract him so he wouldn’t notice.
“What does that mean? Réalta?” I asked, hoarsely. He gave me a wicked smile, not at all helping with the ache, as his eyes slipped over my curves, and I knew without a doubt that he was aware of what he was doing to me. But after a moment, he seemed to remember himself. Shaking his head, he indicated for me to mount back up before he turned and did the same. His flirtatious mood instantly vanished, in favor of a resolute, cold mask.
We should probably avoid spending time alone in the future. It was clear there was something between us, and we both had to ignore it. His mate would come one day, and the fact he was trying to be completely loyal to her before even meeting blew my mind. I couldn’t imagine being celibate except for a couple times a year on Fae holidays. The kind of strength he must have, the discipline, and here I was—ruining everything for him.
The ride backwas quiet, both of us evidently thinking deep thoughts. Mine were torn between the horrifying truth I’d learned about the balance of the world, and—him. I needed tofind a way to get rid of this attraction to him, but even more importantly, we needed to find a way to stop this world from sliding into chaos, before it was too late for everyone.
Lilith was waiting when we returned, with an invitation to tour the menagerie for me. I accepted happily, eager to leave my haunting thoughts behind. I waved goodbye to Calix, who took Arianrhod to return to the stables. He smiled widely as he watched me excitedly bouncing at the chance to see all the exotic animals he’d said were kept at the menagerie.
“Have fun!” He called, chuckling as he walked away. My eyes couldn’t help following him. Or…well—following his ass, anyway. Those pants should be illegal. By the time I realized what I was doing and snapped my eyes back to Lilith, she was watching me with something like pity in her eyes.
“Don’t.” I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “Don’t say anything.” Her hand touched my shoulder lightly, and I looked up, her forest green eyes meeting mine.
“Let’s go. I’m sure this will help distract you.” She smiled softly, seeming eager to help.
She was right—the menagerie was more than just a distraction though, it was absolutely amazing. It had been built separately from the palace and sprawled out far behind where the stables resided on the property. I was sort of in awe of how much space it actually took up, part of it even utilizing the cliffs, with some animals making their homes in hollowed out portions of it. Magic was used to create different environments for each animal that matched their ideal home.
Lilith had all sorts of animals in so many different colors and sizes, but there were some I loved more than others. I could certainly leave the creepy ones, anything with more than four legs was just too many in my opinion. My favorite might have been the spotted rozeaffery, a strange creature with a giant neck that stretched to the trees. It was a pretty shade of pink that Icouldn’t help but love. Or maybe my favorite was the Plutoa Cat. It was an ice blue color, with long fangs and a sleek, muscular body made for hunting prey. Pointed ears pulled back in a snarl when we came up to its enclosure. It was love at first sight.
I knew the jungles of Sunrise contained some animals like this, but I’d so rarely left Sonmathion, I’d barely seen anything this world had to offer—and Dusk was losing everything that made these kingdoms so special. I hadn’t realized how big this world was until I left home, until I’d come here more specifically. Now, I wanted to see everything, experience everything—especially if it was at risk of fading away.
I had to drink up as much of this world as I could. Soak in the purelifeand immerse myself in all of it.
“Calix gave me permission to start it about two-hundred years ago.” Lilith explained, and I turned to her, interested to hear how this place came about. “My affinity for nature, and particularly with beasts, allows me to easily find animals who were hurt or ostracized for some reason from their packs or families. I started taking in so many animals, Calix decided I needed a dedicated area for them.” A sweet smile graced her face as she remembered. “Most didn’t want to return to the wild once healed, and those who were cast out didn’t want to be on their own.”
“So, all the animals are here willingly?” A smile twitched at my lips. I should have known. Beastmaster. She wouldn’t keep animals here that didn’t want to be—balance of nature and all that.
“Of course!” She nodded earnestly. “We call it a menagerie because people can visit. The animals enjoy being admired.” She smirked slightly and I couldn’t help matching it at the thought of them preening for visitors. “But really, it’s more a rescue and habitat for them than anything. Any who wish to return once they’re healed, are free to do so. Though, as you can see, wecreate large enclosures for them where they’re safe and happy. They have room to roam, and I visit them all daily. I do have people who help me maintain everything, of course, and they visit often as well.” Lilith looked so proud of her work here, and I couldn’t blame her.
