“Ahh!!” she squealed, her blue eyes and smile equally wide. She threw her arms around my neck, and I laughed, hugging her back.
“I’m so happy for you two. This will be amazing!” She enthused before she pulled back. “I’ll need to work with Baach. We’ll definitely need a proper ball for this. Oh, and Delia! We’ll need to organize a new dress and crown. And?—”
“Ilta!” I interrupted, and she blinked in surprise, like she’d already forgotten I was there. “Maybe find Prince Altan and Prince Zakat somewhere to sleep first?” I suggested gently.
Her eyes went wide, and I realized she’d forgotten in her excitement. “Right, yes! I’ll get right on that.”
She ran off, and I chuckled, shaking my head. Eryx was leaning against the wall, his amused smirk fading as he pushed off it.
“Ready?” he asked, and I nodded in confirmation. The two of us made our way out of the palace, and I spotted Asteria and Titan training as we passed through the training grounds. Making our way out of the gates, we made for the Starshine District, where Nithe would be entering the city. We walked up the stairs to the bridge that led from Shadowgleam to Starshine.
Nithe was an excellent spy. While bird shifters tended to be best, due to their ability to fly in and out, Nithe proved it wasn’t the only option. He shifted into a snake, and was easily able to slither into spots no one else could. He was just as good in Fae form, too. Able to charm and seduce information out of people or himself into places he wanted to be.
“You know Asteria will go after Cyrus when the time comes,” Eryx said, looking over to me. One look at his face made it clear this was something he’d been ruminating on for a while.
“I know.” I nodded in agreement. That was something I wouldn’t ever deny her. She needed that closure after everything that had happened. I could still feel her conflict and rage every time Cyrus was mentioned. Thankfully, she’d gotten much better at controlling her magic thanks to the exercises she’d been practicing.
“We need to make sure we’re with her at all times on the battlefield, Calix,” Eryx said seriously, voice lowered, his eyes following the bridge and not looking toward me.
I raised a brow at him. “You honestly think I won’t be right behind her every step of the way?”
“I think battles get chaotic, and it’ll be hard not to get sidetracked by the fighting,” Eryx explained. “But she’s impulsive, just like you.” He smirked slightly. “That dragon blood gets you both in a state, and Iknowwhat you’re like when that happens.”
He wasn’t wrong. When I went into a rage, it was hard to think straight. My anger drove me on as my blood smoked in my veins. I would fight on after being stabbed without even realizing it.
“But Asteria is so much younger, Calix. She doesn’t have the same experience as us, asyou. She’ll need help, whether she wants to admit it or not.” Eryx stopped walking, turning to face me. “We need to make sure we have a plan for keeping with her. And we can’t let her know.”
“You expect me to keep it from her?” I asked, shocked. “I won’t lie to her, Eryx.”
“Not lie,” he insisted, shaking his head. “Just don’t mention it. You don’t want to risk her life just because she’s too proud to admit she’ll need help, do you?”
I sighed, looking out above my city, thinking it over. I didn’t like keeping this from her. Not at all. But I knew shewouldargue about it. Eryx was right about that. And I appreciated that he cared for her enough to want to protect her regardless.
When it came down to it, I refused to risk her life. There was nothing in Adamah that could make me riskthat.
“Alright.” I nodded in agreement. “But if she finds out, I’m blaming you.”
He scoffed out a laugh, shaking his head fondly as he put an arm around my shoulders, despite the fact he had to strain to reach. “I don’t doubt it.”
We continued on, agreement in place, and made our way down the stairs into Starshine. I smiled as I passed my people, nodding back and exchanging greetings quickly with those who offered them. The playgrounds were full of children, and I stopped walking for a moment to observe them.
It was a reminder of why we needed to do this. These innocent children were all at risk as long as the balance was. I would not allow them to grow up in a world destroyed. Leached of everything that made it special.
I watched a little dark-haired boy playing with a little girl with long, messy white hair. Watching them, I couldn’t help but imagine little children of my own one day. Asteria was still young, and we were just beginning our relationship, solidifying our bond… but one day. One day, we could have this.
The thoughts of the palace being filled once more with afamily…
I loved my friends and my sisters. They were all family now, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. But I still desperately missed that feeling I had when my parents were alive. When it was me and Ndrita and our parents. We were a family, and one that loved one another truly. My parents were never like other royals who resented one another. Their love was so pure and real, that when my mother died, it destroyed my father entirely.
That was the power of a mate bond. Soulmates were powerful in a way nothing else in this world was.
I didn’t understand how Aurelia managed to turn against her own in such a way. It could only be the power of a parent’s love. It was a love I didn’t understand, but looking out at those children now, at the future of our kingdom and continent, playing happily as they chased one another, I couldn’t help but smile, hoping that one day I would.
A hand landed on my shoulder, and I snapped out of my head. I understood Asteria’s struggle all too well. Dragons tended to get lost in their own thoughts as they swirled and spiraled, anxiety and hope creeping in just the same as our thoughts spun.
“Let’s go,” I told Eryx, and we walked on until we spotted Nithe riding towards us. He slowed his horse as he spotted us, dismounting.
“Couldn’t wait for me to reach the palace?” he greeted, raising a brow at me. His dark hair was mussed from the ride, and his pink eyes seemed duller than usual.
