It should have been a surprise—a shock, even. Should have upset me.
But I’d long forsaken viewing her or Syde as parents of mine.
As for him, it was no surprise that he wasn’t here alongside her. He definitely wanted me dead as well, but he was a coward and would never stand against me in battle.
This confrontation had essentially been inevitable.
She stepped forward in front of her assassin pets. “You undermined my rule, Vaxan!”
“You undermined your own rule. I warned you. Alas, your determination to hold onto power at any cost won out. You exert authority and domination for your own ends, no longer for the good of our people. They’d already felt it. My recent visit only cemented it for them. You really believe eliminating me will enable you to hold onto the crown? It will cause the kingdom to crumble. They will oust you and with me gone, no sovereign to lead, chaos will reign.”
“No!” she screamed, utterly irate.
Her composure had not only cracked. It had been completely decimated.
“With you gone, the people will calm without your poisonous influence veering them away from my rule.”
“I’m not actively campaigning against your rule. This is the desire of our people.Theycalled onme.”
She flinched, then started shaking her head wildly. “This is treason!”
“Treason? I am High Lord Heir of the Excetra Crown.” I gestured at those with her. “You’ve also restored an outlawed unit. You are acting against another royal without authorization. You are threatening me with death upon the mortal plane—again, without authorization to even deploy here. Let alone to carry out a kill order.” I pointed with one of my daggers at my loves behind the wall, all three of them with their power raging,prepared to make a move at any moment, from the slightest sign of physical provocation again from Septna. “You’ve also attacked the Dracoryn Realm princess. Winter Nox, too. I can’t even quite quantify how many lines you’ve crossed where him being one of your targets is concerned. Zayn is protected by Requital.” I stepped forward. “And by my hand. They are my Chosen.” A snarl escaped me. “You dare to come at Chosen ofmine?”
She hissed back at me. “You are denounced. Your title rescinded.”
“Too late. Nor does it work like that,Mother.Your only option, should you value your life and that of Syde’s, is to stand down. Immediately.”
Another hiss.
And then she completed her dishonor.
She gave the command for Septna to murder me.
As they tore toward me with her at the forefront, I felt Evira make a move to force-teleport me behind the wall with her, Zayn, and Winter.
But then a thunderous reverberation shook the ground beneath my feet.
Countless rushes of power rolled through the area.
Norla stilled her assassins in their tracks.
And then scores of people materialized either side of me.
Behind me.
Flanking me.
My people.
The Basilisk people.
More bursts of movement intensified the thunderous reverberation through the immediate area.
More eruptions of magic as others teleported in.
Before long, there were hundreds taking position with me.
Standing with me.
