“Long live Queen Evanna!” our people shouted proudly from the bleachers.
“With this crown we bequeath you with the future, prosperity, safety, and the love of your people,” Kingston announced once more, taking the other circlet, and placing it on my head. Gripping my hand, he introduced me too. “May the Sky Gods bless King Braxton, ruler of the Skyborne Clan!”
“Long live King Braxton!” our people shouted, their cheers reverberating all around us, their love filling me with immeasurable happiness and unbreakable purpose.
“He does not deserve that crown!” Lachlan roared, suddenly storming the stage with his men in tow.
I instinctively moved forwards, placing myself in front of Evanna to protect her.
Our guards mobilized that instant, stopping Lachlan in his tracks on the other edge of the stage, barring them from reaching us.
“Move one more inch, I dare you,” Charlotte snarled, pointing her spear at his chest with purpose.
Imogen had mentioned that my sweetest friend was scary when she turned the “warrior mode” on, and she was right.
He must have seen the same thing I saw because he paused his advance, but he still squared up to her.
“What do you think you are doing?” Kingston demanded, taking a few steps until he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with me.
“Braxton doesn’t deserve any of this! He lied to you and our people!” Lachlan raged, “You all deserve to know the truth.”
He didn’t know when to quit, did he?
“It isKing Braxtonto you!” Imogen barked from my other side, clearly wanting to rip off his head.
“She doesn’t want you, Lachlan. She chose me. Have some dignity and stop humiliating yourself like this,” I shouted back, hating that his little tantrum was ruining this day for Evanna, and for our people. “Be the man we all expect you to be and accept that once and for all.”
Unfortunately, my words only fueled his fire. The muscles along his jaw tightened, pure rage sharpening his features as his gaze turned to me. He stepped closer, the tip of Charlotte’s spear pressing harshly against his chest. “You deceived the princess into loving you!”
“Stop this at once, Cousin!” Nikau yelled, rushing onto the stage to intervene. He shoved Lachlan’s men out of the way to get to him, yanking him back by the arm like he was a bratty child. “Whatever youthinkyou know, you are wrong. I will not let you make the biggest mistake of your life,” he assured, pulling him back some more. “You need to leave.”
“I will never stop,” Lachlan seethed, turning his attention back to us. “She belongs with me. I should be king!”
“Enough, Lachlan!” Evie ordered, marching past Kingston, Imogen, and me with all the authority she possessed. “If it is true that you ever loved me, you will end this—”
“It is because I love you that I have to save everyone from him!”
“My people do not need you to save them. They have me,” she snapped, extremely insulted. “I know the man Braxton is. My mate is honest and selfless. And now he’s my king, so turn around—”
“He is not who he says he is, and I hold the written proof!” When he wrenched his arm free from Nikau’s grasp and thrust his hand up to show what he had, all blood drained from my being.
The burnt edges of the paper stub he held, enclosed the last sentence my mother had written to me. A heartbroken plea to end the suffering of this world. The one sentence where she exposed what Raithian was to me, and that could destroy me and Evanna.
An evil smile stretched his lips the moment recognition and dread engulfed my expression. He had me, and he knew it.
“The Harbinger of Justice was Braxton’s father, but he conveniently forgot to tell us who his mother was,” Lachlan yelled to the four winds, showing the paper to everyone. “It was Keira Devenish, the Warlock King’s daughter. Raithian is Braxton’s grandfather!” he declared, walking past the others while shock and horror froze my guard in place.
Cries of terror and disbelief echoed through the entire arena while he moved towards me. The last surviving piece of my mother’s truth became his shield, telling me someone had read the letter fragment for him.
“He is the reason the Warlock King found us,” Lachlan instigated, reveling on our kin’s reaction to the news. “He’s the reason that Penelope, one of our own died out there, they are working together to destroy us from the inside.”
“Stop lying!” Charlotte yelled at him, her nervous gaze bouncing from him to me, waiting for me to deny it. “Braxton would never do that. He is good, he has nothing to do with Raithian!”
“Shut up, Lachlan!” I ordered, ire, magic, and Dragon strength rushing through my being all at once. “You have no idea what you are talking about! You should stop now before you regret it.”
“You made a deal with the Warlock!” Lachlan revealed, hammering the last nail into my coffin, his defiant eyes boring into mine. “I know you’ve been having secret meetings with Raithian because I saw you with my own eyes.”
My heart began to crash against my ribs, every cell inside me begging me to shut him up, but it was too late. The bastard had secretly followed me when I used Tharion to meet the Warlock for our second session—before I learned how to use the warps—and now he knew enough to destroy me… even if half of it wasn’t true.
