“Hilos is not my home. I would not have returned if you had not commanded Lord Jophiel to send me back.” Cassiel swiveled on the banister to face him.
His father’s wide eyes roamed over his appearance. “Who has done this to you?”
“I do not belong here. I choose to live in Hermon Ridge. No one there despises me for being half-human.”
His father sighed. “I understand that life here has been difficult, but you are a Prince of Hilos. You must fulfill your duties to the Realms. At nearly twenty-winters old, you have come of age to be bonded.”
“I donotwant that.”
“Our lives are long. We are not meant to be alone, and I will see to it you will not be.”
Cassiel leaped off the banister, clenching his fists. “I will not be forced into a marriage I do not want. You may be miserable with your wife, but I will not endure the same.”
He knew he misspoke when his father’s face hardened with fury.
“You forget who you are speaking to!” the High King thundered. Cassiel winced and reeled back a step, bowing his head. “I am allowing you to air your grievances, but do not disregard your manner of respect.”
“Forgive me, sire. I have forgotten my place.”
His father turned away, muttering toElyonto give him patience for his impudent sons. He exhaled heavily before speaking again. “It is the responsibility of the High King to choose the life-mates for his children. Strong unions ensure strong Blood Bonds, which provides measured strength to guide the Realms.”
Cassiel held his tongue before he misspoke again. Blood Bonds were a perpetual promise, but it never instilled love. That was something that couldn’t be forged. Proven by how much his father and Queen Mira loathed each other.
“My father was rash in his choice for me, given the circumstances,” King Yoel said as if he read Cassiel’s mind. “I will not be. I have taken great care in choosing Malakel’s life-mate, and he is pleased with her, as is Tzuriel with his intended. You have my word it will be no different for you.”
“Please.” Cassiel hated the pleading tone he could not keep out of the single word. Whoever became his bonded would suffer. Why couldn’t his father see that?
“You will do as you are bid.” It was a command. The matter was closed. “Meanwhile, continue to accompany the Watchers to the border.”
“You trust me to guard the borders after I spared an intruder?”
His father leaned on the banister as a soft mist fell. “Dynalya posed no threat. You were right to spare her. Humans of the past have wronged us, but those of the present are not to blame. That is something our people do not understand. Our misguided beliefs have put us on a path from which we may not return if we do not change. Jophiel predicted that after the Fall of Gamor and wanted no part in it.”
At the mention of his uncle, Cassiel glanced north to the Realm too far to see.
“I did not agree with my brother’s ideals at the time. I was too invested in my anger and hate. It took half a millennium to see what Jophiel saw in humans. The answer lies in acceptance. It is the foundation of his Realm and I wish to have the same here.”
Cassiel didn’t understand how that could happen. Hermon Ridge was the opposite of Hilos in everything from its citizens to its politics.
King Yoel raised a hand to the sky as though to grasp something out of reach. “‘There is a time for everything under the Heavens; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.’ One day, this kingdom will accept humans again.”
Cassiel squinted at the ludicrous speech. His father had been acting strange since meeting Dyna, and now he was quoting consecrated parables from the Sacred Scrolls written in the First Age. Of the thousands of Scrolls that once existed, there were three in the castle kept locked in a chest.
His father motioned to his black plumage. “Who you are, and what you are is exactly what the kingdom needs. Your hands are clean. You have not killed a human nor do you hate them. That alone makes you worthy.”
“Of what?”
“My reign is ending, son. I must think of what is good for our people and leave a much wiser ruler in my stead. One who will be the epitome of change in our future. I believe that is you.”
Cassiel stared at him in disbelief.The idea was so bizarre he wanted to laugh.His father truly was mad.He pointed to the kingdom below. “Theirhate is rooted in their bones. Celestials hate humans for what they have done, and they hate me for reminding them of that. They would never accept me as the High King. I’m a half-breed bastard.”
His father scowled. “Do not call yourself that. You are my son, and I have proclaimed you as such.”
“It matters not. Malakel is a pureblood and your first trueborn son. He is the rightful heir.”
“I decide who takes my throne.”
Cassiel shook his head and backed away, searching the shadows for spies. Queen Mirah would have him killed in his sleep if she received word of this. The King may desire change for Hilos, but it won’t happen. Not during his lifetime. “This place sent Mother to her death, and it will be the death of me if I stay.”
