I pushed myself further into him, my lips taking his as I sucked his lower lip into my mouth, but a sharp knock at the door had us both groaning in frustration. We pulled back, and Calix grabbed our bags before taking my hand and leading me back out.
“Follow us, we’ll make sure you’re not seen,” Idalia said as she led us through the hall to a door, opening it to a much less decorative hallway. I assumed it was the way the slaves traveled here.
We wound down around through the palace, coming out at various points and finding new doors that led to different sections. I had no clue how the slaves here remembered which led where.
We finally came out of a side door leading into the jungle, where the guards were all waiting just within the thicket of trees.
Idalia led us out further, the guards following along until we came to a section near the water where the jungle opened up. She turned back to me with a wink, “If you think dragons have issues with fire, just wait until you see a phoenix.”
I was admittedly excited. I’d always wanted to see one, and the royal family of Sunrise in particular. I’d spent years hoping to catch a glimpse of them in the air. Since then, I’d seen Pegasus and dragons—found outIwas even a dragon—but I still had yet to see a phoenix.
I watched Altan expectantly, and he raised a brow at me. I crossed my arms over my chest, “I’m not shifting until I see a Tartarus damned phoenix, okay?”
He threw his head back with a laugh but conceded. He said his goodbyes to his mother before standing back. His guards all took a few more steps away, and I understood why as he shifted into a huge, flaming phoenix.
His yellow and teal feathers wereliterallyon fire. The teal fire slowly went out, leaving just normal feathers, with not a singe on them.
“They always default to being on fire when they shift. It’s a real pain in the ass,” Idalia whispered, and I bit my lip to stop my laughter.
Altan’s huge, feathered head cocked to the side, before a wing came out and knocked into me. I fell to the side but caught myself, glaring at him as he chuckled in my mind.
His phoenix form was definitely smaller than my dragon form, but not by as much as one might expect. Their ability to funnel the fire they erupted into bouts of flame was somewhat equivalent to our ability to spit fire. It wasn’t as powerful as ours, but it could be used for different types of attacks, which would give us an edge in battle with multiple fire-breathing creatures on board.
I certainly wouldn’t want to find myself fighting a phoenix, but when the time came… based on Gravadain’s choices….
The chance of avoiding it seemed slim to none.
Chapter Thirty
Asteria
Flyingin between a dragon and a phoenix was bizarre. I never thought I’d find myself in such a position, but here I was. A dragon, flying beside other magical animals that I once only dreamed of catching a mere glimpse of.
For all the issues I’d faced due to the truth coming out, I had to admit there were even more benefits.
I just wished humans had a way to experience the lives they dreamed of, without having to realize they’re Fae to achieve it.
The thought of all the humans Cyrus currently had imprisoned sent shudders down my spine. I’d seen his brutality up close, and I didn’t doubt what Eryx said was true. I watched as he flew ahead and wondered if there was a way to get him into Dusk to get the lay of the land.
If these camps had been set up across Dusk… how many humans did he have in them? He still needed them, at least in his mind, to work as his slaves. I couldn’t imagine his lords being happy if they were taken away and made to…gasp—do their own work.
But Cyrus was king now, meaning dissent would be crushed quickly.
As we neared Biarma, I couldn’t help the unease I felt. The last time I was here, Cyrus captured me and brought me back to Dusk, taking me away from Calix and nearly succeeding in breaking me.
But the shining domed tops of the palace glowed in the light of day, and the jungle trees butting up right to the palace, though not overtaking it like Sunrise’s, swayed in the wind. It looked beautiful and innocuous. Not like the site of a battle that saw my world crashing down around me.
And this time, we were coming invited, as opposed to sneaking in.
As we flew lower, Fae and humans alike ducked out of the way, and a few screamed as they ran in the other direction. I was confused until Calix’s voice echoed in my mind. “After what happened last time… I may have lit the place up on my way out.”
Something must be wrong with me, because that shouldn’t fill me with a light, beautiful feeling, knowing that Calix was so enraged by my capture.
Sunset working with Dusk during that conflict was another thing we’d need to discuss with them. King Tieran had let Cyrus in, let me be taken, and I knew that was something neither Calix nor I would forget easily—despite how much we needed them on our side in this war.
We landed before the palace, and I was surprised to see that what could only be the royal family had come to greet us.
A dark-skinned man stepped forward, and his closely cropped, short black hair was topped with a brushed copper crown. Teal jewels set within it created the illusion of wings spread across it. An incongruous sight with the day-old stubble on his face, not to mention his more casual clothing. He wore a high-necked, long lounge jacket in teal that was crafted with orange embroidery and jewels, paired with orange pants that could just be made out from under the length of his jacket.
