It was the perfect place for them to look after their beloved Caelisium.
Brilliant sun rays hit Aeramen’s adult form as he adjusted his hold on top of the tallest spire of our castle, sending copper glimmers to dance all over the structure and the gardens below. He stretched lazily while he turned, searching the sky until he found me. A powerful wave of love spread through our connection, and he lunged off the castle, playfully gliding around our caravan once before escorting us the rest of the way.
Our guests’ admiration overflowed with the sight of him before it engulfed our kingdom too. Seeing them show the same appreciation for its magnificence and history that they had with everything else made me feel proud of our world.
The Kingdom of Hope was no longer hidden. Tharion used his fire lava to open the mountain, exposing the castle, city, training fields, and market, making it part of the kingdom Evanna and I now ruled. Some of our people decided to stay there instead of building a new city, since that was the first place that ever felt like a true home to them.
“Okay, everyone. We are here!” I announced when Vyper began to descend, reaching the new landing area created just for our Dragons.
A few of our brothers and sisters who hadn’t come with us to the Mirror World, greeted us at the gate, forming the welcome committee and greeting our new kin. After dismounting, we all gathered together while Evanna gestured for them to come to her side.
I stood next to her with Suzie in my arms, though she wasn’t too happy I made her leave Vyper’s neck.
“These are Quinn, Arlo, Edward, and Harvey. They will guide you to the houses where you will stay. You can shower, eat, rest, and they will find you again later to show you where everything else is in the city, so you can move about freely,” Evie explained. “After that, you’ll be able to visit the other kingdoms, and decide where you’d like to live.”
“The houses where you will go now are new and empty,” I added. “You can claim them as your own, and stay there permanently if you want, or move later on. You can live alone, or with others if that makes you more comfortable. It’s all up to you.”
Nodding in relief and sharing grateful smiles, the people gathered into groups and followed our Elevated Warriors with the promise that we would see them all tonight.
When Ms. Reyes, Josh, and Rebecca entered the castle with Evie, Suzie, and I, we found Willow and Kingston walking towards us.
“I didn’t know you were coming so early.” Evie greeted Willow with a heartfelt hug, turning to Kingston.
Smiling, he leaned down for her to kiss his cheek, and a red ruby gleamed under the shifting light with his movement. The large jewel was set on the silver brooch he wore on the shoulder of his colorful tunic, shaped after his royal crest.
The first decree that Evanna and I ever made was reinstating the old kingdoms. We named Kingston Knightsky, King of the Cresting Sun Empire because those were the lands of his ancestors, and there was no one else as worthy as him to bring them back to life. Willow Whitesky was dubbed Queen of theCrystal Alpes Empire, since her family line had originated in the Icelands.
They usually divided their time between kingdoms, living in the Crystal Alpes for a few months, and the rest at the Cresting Sun.
All remaining kingdoms were awarded accordingly to some of our Elevated Warriors, who fought and even died for us. Asher and Skylar made the Prospering Forest Empire their home, which they requested specifically after their unity ceremony, so we were happy for them to rule it. Their castle was a massive and beautiful lodge-style structure, surrounded by cabin-filled towns with gorgeous rivers and sky-gracing trees.
Aelia was thrilled to make it her home, often roaming the forests barefoot to commune with the spirit of Caelisium and the Sky Gods.
Imogen and Harrison chose the neighboring, Evergreen Meadows Kingdom, and they had the most beautiful estate I’d ever seen as their castle, surrounded by bounteous horse pastures and ranches. Finally, Elijah and Harper requested the Rising Summits Kingdom, making the mountains their home in a massive Chalet that might as well be a ski resort.
“I’m throwing a party to celebrate your friends’ arrival,” Willow replied to Evanna, opening her arms to greet me. “You know I need to make sure everything goes according to plan.”
Handing Suzie to Evie, I hugged Willow warmly before bending down to kiss her growing belly. She was four months pregnant with what I hoped was a girl as feisty as she was.
“Uncle!” A tiny voice called from the hall.
I looked behind her to see a beautiful little boy with dark skin and bouncy brown curls running towards us after being set down by Imogen. Grinning, I rushed to catch Jabari and twirled him around twice before carrying him in my arms. His jubilant laughter rang all around our castle, bringing happiness to everyone it reached.
“Look at that, he laughs just like his father,” I taunted, kissing his cheek while his ice-blue eyes glimmered with joy. Except for the crystal eyes, the boy was a mini replica of Kingston… when he still had hair.
Jabari was almost two years old, and I loved his name because it was indigenous to the Cresting Sun Empire. A tradition broken by Raithian when he began to name all of his sentries and slaves with names that didn’t represent their cultures.
“Jabari, meet my friend Suzie.” He blew her a kiss, making Suzie hide against Evie’s neck. “Awe. Love at first sight,” I joked, seeing Kingston glower at me. “Nope. Sorry. It doesn’t have the same effect as before,” I admitted. “You are way too happy now.”
He tried not to smile but failed miserably, and Willow chuckled, pulling him down for a kiss.
“We’ll meet you later for lunch, we have to give our friends the grand tour,” Evanna offered after I introduced Josh, Rebecca, and Ms. Reyes to them.
“This is the Hall of Heroes,” Evie announced when we entered what used to bethe Hall of the Forgotten, now opened for anyone who wished to visit and honor our history.
Their gazes went straight to the row of portraits on the wall to our right. King Ezra and Queen Sienna’s portrait hung there, followed by Sacha Skyborne’s painting—Evie’s aunt, who had been a second mother to her after her parents died. My father’s portrait was there too, and a brand-new painting was created for my mother. The plaque at the bottom read…
“Keira Devenish.
