Falling.
And falling.
“He tried to fly to her.” The king’s voice was a sad whisper, weighted by the tale of what once was. “Even as he withstood the agony of their bond breaking.”
“Bond?” she asked faintly.
“Once a Celestial chooses a life-mate, they are wed with a binding of blood,” he said without looking up. “It connects their souls eternally until they are torn from each other at death. King Rael and Queen Sapphira went beyond Blood Bonded; they were True Bonded. It is difficult to explain other than to say they were one: mind, body, and soul. Losing a True Bonded is the worst agony a Celestial can endure, for when the bond breaks, they are losing half of themselves.”
“Did … did King Rael reach her in time?”
“No.”
An ache burned in Dyna’s chest and stung her eyes, welling them with unshed tears. She couldn’t imagine King Rael’s pain but she knew the pain of loss and feeling powerless to stop it.
King Yoel exhaled a shaky breath. “Once the Lords drained the Queen of her blood, they hacked off her wings and dumped her naked body in the street. They had mutilated her so far beyond recognition … I nearly did not recognize her.”
He found her? She puzzled over how he fit in the timeline for he didn’t look a day over fifty years, but Zev said Celestials had prolonged lives.
“I’m much older than I appear. I was about your age during The Decimation.” King Yoel unveiled his laden eyes and met hers. “Queen Sapphira was my mother.”
A sob lodged in Dyna’s throat. She bit her lip to keep it in, trapping it behind a dam she struggled to build. They killed his mother, and he had to see what they had done to her.
Dismay hovered on the Prince’s features, too raw and surprised to have heard this story before.
“When my father lost her, he lost all reverence forElyon. He no longer cared to return to Heaven’s Gate. Nor did I.” The High King’s quiet tone smoldered with a rage that sent a tremble down Dyna’s back. He straightened and lowered his hands, curling them over his knees. “We gathered the armies of Hilos and the Four Celestial Realms and descended upon Gamor with swift retribution. We were not kind, nor merciful. We laid waste to the city. And everyone in it.”
Everyone.
The guilty and the innocent. She knew it to be true by the sharp edge of his sapphire gaze.
“The Celestial children as well?” the question slipped out before she thought better of it.
King Yoel’s stare bore into her, holding her in place. “They were misbegotten half-breeds born from sin. We could not allow them to live.”
Dyna closed her eyes and looked away, no longer able to stop the tears from spilling down her face.
Chapter 10
Dynalya
Her cousin had been right about celestial history, Dyna thought. It was dark, much like her own. The men remained quiet, allowing her a moment to lament. The only sounds were the crackle of burning wood and the muffled sniffling she tried to hide. Prince Cassiel fidgeted with his flute, twirling it in his fingers as he looked at anything else but her.
“Your pardon,” Dyna said, wiping her eyes. “What happened next?”
“King Rael isolated his people for their safety,” Zev said carefully, studying her face. “He made new laws to avoid this from happening again, and the Watchers were posted at the borders of the Realms. They executed all who trespassed on their land, and King Rael threatened war against the Azure Kingdom should humans continue to hunt them.
“The destruction of Gamor was enough warning. The Azure King ruling at the time was young, and Azure was not the prominent kingdom it is now. He didn’t want warfare. So, he commanded his citizens not to venture past the Zafiro Mountains under penalty of death.”
Dyna wondered if that was why her village was founded within those mountains. The decree indirectly protected North Star.
Zev continued, “Eventually, the poachers stopped hunting them, and no one searched for miracles any longer. Once the humans who lived during the Decimation passed on, Celestials formed the Accords with those who rule the mystical to maintain the secrecy of their existence. After five-hundred years, most of the world has forgotten them.”
“We have not forgotten nor will we ever,” King Yoel said. “We are not the peaceful beings we once were.”
Another shiver passed through her. Captain Gareel would have killed her if Prince Cassiel hadn’t stopped him. Sparing her life and granting her immunity had gone against the security of his people.
“It was a long time ago,” Zev said, patting her hand.
