“Why are you laughing?” Malakel shouted.
Cassiel didn’t know what was so amusing. Perhaps he was tired of being angry, or he had lost his bloody mind. He shook his head, snickering. “Tell me brother, are you still the heir? Father wasn’t quite clear after he reprimanded you like a child in front of the servants.”
Malakel lunged for him again. Tzuriel pulled him back. “Pay him no heed, Mal. You are the heir apparent. There is no question.”
Cassiel strangely enjoyed his elder brother’s rage, and it made him foolish. Thoughts that had festered inside of him all these years poured off his tongue like poison. “You hate me because we share blood. Because Father spurned your mother when he chose mine. I may be a bastard, but he legitimized me at my birth. I am a Prince of Hilos. I am of the Soaraway line. History will always remember you as the High King with a Nephilim brother, and that stain will mar your legacy. Forever.”
Malakel thrust out his wings with a furious roar, throwing Tzuriel back, and attacked Cassiel with an onslaught of blows. He dropped to his knees, not able to stand any longer, but he never stopped laughing. He laughed and laughed as the punches burst stars in his vision and his ears rang.
Tzuriel was shouting, though Cassiel couldn’t tell if he was goading their elder brother or telling him to stop. Another bash slammed into his jaw, and his head cracked against the wall. Pain speared through his skull. Needles jabbed into the back of his eyes, light flashing in a void meant to pull him under.
“Stop!” Tzuriel yanked Malakel back. “That’s enough. We must leave before Father gets word of this.”
Malakel shoved him off, his fists clenching and unclenching as his ire filled the room. When he spoke again, he was poised, his tone detached. “You’re irrelevant. A blight. When you’re gone, no one will ever care to remember you.”
Cassiel no longer laughed.
His elder brother strode out the door, footsteps fading down the corridor. Cassiel spat a clot of blood on the floor and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. The icy breeze brushed over his throbbing face. The pain dulled and tingled as his blood worked to heal him.
“You’re full of surprises today, little brother,” Tzuriel said from the door. He wore an expression of confusion and something that seemed like respect. “Why provoke him only to let him give you a thrashing? Lord Jophiel has trained you well during your time in Hermon Ridge. You can hold your own.”
Why would Tzuriel care? He never had before.
It wouldn’t serve him to fight Malakel. He should have remained subdued on principle. When he was old enough to speak, Queen Mirah made it clear not to challenge any of her children.“They are purebloods, heirs to the Realms. You are nothing.”
Tzuriel took a step toward him. “Cassiel—”
“Get out.”
Tzuriel paused as though to say more, but he sighed and slipped into the dark corridor, his wings the last to disappear.
Malakel was many things but Cassiel had to agree it was stupid to bring the human and her werewolf cousin to the castle.
Why tell Dyna about The Decimation and The Fall of Gamor? He knew his father had been involved in destroying that city, but it was not spoken of until this day. And he chose to share it with a human.
Cassiel picked up his flute and walked out onto the balcony. A thick blanket of clouds crept across the stars, filling the crisp air with the taste of imminent rain. He climbed onto the broad stone banister to sit facing outward leaving his legs to dangle above the castle gardens hundreds of feet below. Beyond the summit descended the skyline of the Hilos Kingdom outlined in bioluminescent flora glowing in the night.
His mother’s spirit lingered in this spot. She had often come to this balcony to play music or to read him stories when he was a child. Her soft voice came to him, carried by a current of memory.
“A pirate named Captain Rozin Ida ruled the seas centuries ago, little one. He ravaged and thieved as he collected gold and jewels. He favored artifacts infused with terrible magic for their power made him unrivaled on the land and sea. One day, Captain Ida stole a Sacred Scroll containing a great secret. It led him to a great volcanic island in a perilous region of the ocean. There he gained the Unending. Because of it, no one could ever oppose him. He dubbed the island Mount Ida, turning it into his fortress as he plundered to his heart’s content.
“He polluted the island with so much magic it became alive and served him in all he desired. Even the desires that were hidden in his heart. Captain Ida feared others would try to steal from him, and he soon grew suspicious of his crew. The island, wanting to please its master, did away with them and marooned his ship. It cloaked itself in magic to protect the treasures, trapping the pirate for all eternity. Mount Ida has since never been found, but I promise you, little one, I will find it.”
Cassiel wondered if his mother ever did. Was Mount Ida as beautiful and treacherous as the legends say? He quickly pushed the question out of his mind. He had to.
If he gave it too much thought, all he could imagine was the island swallowing her whole.
Chapter 12
Cassiel
Not sure how long he had idled on the balcony, Cassiel tensed at the sound of soft knocking at his door. He didn’t answer but approaching footsteps followed, regardless. By not waiting for admission, it could only be his father. He altered his position on the banister so the dried blood on his nose and his torn clothing wasn’t visible.
“The nights are beginning to chill,” King Yoel said as he stepped outside, his breath swirling in the air.
Cassiel frowned, confused as to why his father had come to discuss the weather. They hardly ever spoke so any conversation outside of formal matters was unusual. This entire day was unusual.
The High King leaned on the banister and looked out at the kingdom. The lack of his obnoxious crown took away the regality that made him appear younger than he was. “Our guests have settled for the night.”
