Cyrus sighed exaggeratedly, as if Calix was too dull to even entertain. “Come with me, Asteria. You can save all these people. Your friends. Yourparents.”
His pointed look at them had me switching my gaze back to my parents as well. I hadn’t seen them in so long now, and had thought I never would again after Placement Day. My emotions were so mixed, I didn’t know whether to be scared or relieved or pissed off.
My parents were both bruised, surely, but they looked mostly okay, thank the gods. My mother’s chin was up defiantly, while my father openly glared at them. When our eyes met, his fierce stare left me taken aback.
“Don’t you dare do it, sweetheart,” my father yelled to me, and one of Cyrus’s soldiers punched him, making me lurch forward to intervene, but Calix grabbed my wrist, keeping me in place.
“Forget this charade!” someone yelled, and all heads snapped toward the gold-clad man storming toward us. “She needs to die, now.”
A golden sword was pointed straight at me. The man’s sneer was ugly, out of place on such a beautiful face. But I recognized those sky-blue eyes immediately.
“Hold your blade, Aelius,” Cyrus demanded, eyes getting a bit wild as they shot between us.
“I don’t answer to you, boy,” Aelius spat at him. I noticed movement just behind him, but kept my eyes forward purposely. “I’mKingof Day, and it’s time I rid myself of this pest to my rule.”
“A pest?” I asked dryly, raising a brow at him. “How kind,Father,” I spat right back at him. “You think I relish being related toyou?”
He growled, his blond shoulder-length hair swinging wildly as he marched straight toward me.
“You are no heir of House Earendel. No woman will ever sitmythrone!” he screamed, his rage blinding him to all else.
“It’sMYthrone. You aren’t fit to rule a kingdom,Father. The gods realized this, and Earendel has chosenmeto lead us. Your views on women, humans, all of it is part of the old world, and Celesterra will be moving in a new direction now.” I smiled at him, side-eyeing Cyrus as well.
“And I think I’ll start by making sure you twopestsdon’t affect MY kingdoms!” I snapped, making Aelius’s face crumple into a snarl. But instead of attacking me, as he’d meant to, I watched in glee as my brother attacked from behind, taking Aelius by complete surprise.
I was saddened he didn’t take his head, but I was sure that would come.
This was a fight my brother well deserved. For all that I had been affected by Aelius, I had never lived with him. Hadn’t spent years being talked down to and degraded by him. Hadn’t seen how our mother had been locked out of council rooms and made to watch from the sidelines. Arien deserved this fight.
More importantly, the move distracted Cyrus, and I used that to quickly fly up, shifting into my dragon form and barreling right at him. Cyrus’s eyes widened at the giant teeth about to swallow him whole.
“Iron! Now!” he shouted, slight hints of panic leaking into his voice before he quickly shifted into his Pegasus form.
Calix would secure my parents while I would take care of the monster my nightmares were made of.
Chapter Fifty-six
Calix
I shiftedat the same time as Asteria, grabbing her human parents in my claws and bringing them up into the air before anyone could stop me. I was forced to dodge the projectiles aimed my way, moving over the city lines to the forces we had waiting in reserve.
Lowering over the camp, I let her parents down slowly, before shifting so I landed beside them. And unfortunately, swaying slightly as I did.
Damned iron.
We knew the battle would be unpredictable with all the elements involved, but I couldn’t help but think we’d underestimated the effect of the iron. I still felt weakened, and my full strength was needed for this. I had to get back and ensure Asteria was all right.
Feeling her wasn’t enough. I needed my own eyes on her. The mixture of rage, fear, regret, and pain was enough for me to be mirroring her feelings by accident. They slid through the bond so hotly, it was hard not to give into them.
But I’d trained for years to control my emotions. Asteria had mere months. I was trying to force that control over to her now in a vain effort to pull her back in. But the rage was too hot in her blood.
I needed to get back to help her.
But she’d kill me if I failed to secure her parents. Despite her fear of their reaction keeping her away from them, she loved them deeply. It was why she cared so much about their reaction to the truth of her.
It seemed the cat was out of the bag now, however.
“Havard!” I called over one of the warriors leading the reserve forces. The fair-haired soldier once lost his sister to the machinations of Dusk’s court. He’d since made it his mission in life to protect people from them.
