The vision plays out in a blur: his swords flashing and magic dancing from his fingertips. He sees Delphia to safety atop the gate and rallies the surviving soldiers in Hadria to drive the invading forces out. Finally, Dayton rides out himself to the remnants of the battle.
That’s when I witness magic as I’ve never seen before, the magic of a High Prince not bound by a curse or weakened by a sick Castletree. Dayton is a god unleashed, swords sweeping, great torrents of water flooding the sands and sinking whole legions of Sira’s army. The Queen of the Below herself is there, riding atop a giant scorpion before fleeing in the face of such power. The memory is so quick, as if it’s unimportant to Dayton.
It’s the next image we linger on. Dayton finds Damocles after the battle is won; body blood-soaked. Dayton cradles him in his arms, rocking the limp body over and over and over, repeating the same phrase. The vision has no sound, but I don’t need to hear it to read his lips.Take it back, he shouts to his brother, to the sky.Take it back, take it back, take it back.
Dayton waves his hand, and the memory falls away, ebbing back to the sea. “I never wanted to be the High Prince of Summer. It was never supposed to be me.”
I turn around to face him, my own tears streaming down my face. “Dayton, I don’t think you’ve seen what I have. You were a hero. You saved Hadria.”
“No, Rosie, youdon’tsee,” he says, pushing away from me and standing. “If I hadn’t run away from my duty and had ridden out with them, maybe I could have saved them somehow.”
I push myself up. “Then you wouldn’t have been there to save Delphia.”
“Or maybe my mother would have escaped with her,” Dayton counters. “Trust me, I’ve gone over it a thousand times. All I know is I let my brothers go off to battle without me, and they died. They died and I, the one who stayed behind, got the great Blessing of Summer. How is that fair or just or right?”
“Maybe staying behind was the best thing to do,” I snarl back at him. “You sensed the city was in danger. Dayton, you can’t change the past, but you can look at the good you did. You saved Hadria all on your own.”
He shakes his head, golden strands blowing in the wind. “We won the battle but lost so much more. It was my fault. The Enchantress was right to curse me for what I did.”
The sun dips below the horizon, and the Summer Prince shifts before me to the cursed wolf.
CHAPTER 55
Caspian
There’s always been a beauty to the Summer Realm that captivates me. Especially in the Serenus Dusk Chambers attached to the Sun Colosseum. The gauzy drapes surrounding the bed flutter in a sea breeze that cools the sandstone room. Glittering shells and jewels are encrusted on everything from the bedposts to the vanity. If I got up from the bed and wandered to the window, I’d have a stunning view of the arena, and then beyond it, the turquoise sea stretching out until it melded with the sky. Where I’ve always felt cloistered in the other realms, there’s a sense of freedom in Summer that I can’t deny.
I stretch out over the bed and undo a few more laces on my shirt. The sweltering heat, however, I could do without.
It won’t be a long visit here; not only can I feel my lungs filling with sludge, but I don’t know what kind of trouble Farron is capable of getting into while left alone in Cryptgarden. Dangerous games are my favorite, but I’m used to playing them alone. One wrong move and the Autumn Prince could be discovered. A chill runs up my spine despite the heat. Not that Icarewhat happens to Farron, per se, but I am giving this hero-thing a try. It wouldn’t do to lose my partner so quickly.
I know the reason for my visit is approaching because the walls seem to shake with each reverberation of his step. Not that I am here to visit Kairyn, but where that walking pile of scrap metal goes, so does my sister.
Birdy swings open the door and storms in. She’s not in her armor or mask. I like her like this, with her hair down, and thecurve of her mouth visible. It’s etched in a frown right now, but there’s always a chance I can see it in a smile.
“You lost her? Youlosther?” the raspy voice of Kairyn says as he follows behind her.
“Yeah, well, you lost her first!” Birdy snarls, rounding on him and slamming the door.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the happy couple.”
They both jerk their gazes to me. I can only imagine Birdy’s glare is echoed on Kairyn’s face.
“Do you always have to show up unannounced?” Birdy asks. “Get off my bed. Why are you even here?”
“Just checking up on you. Very nice accommodations here above the arena. Your cages are always gilded, aren’t they, Birdy?”
She ignores me and strides to the vanity. She sits down and runs a brush aggressively through her short hair. It’s curlier than usual, smelling of saltwater.
Kairyn leans against the door, head tilted back in exasperation. It’s a strangely casual posture for him, one I’m not so familiar with.
“Don’t mind me,” I urge. “Carry on with your argument. Something something lost her?”
“The Golden Rose,” Birdy snaps. “I lost her location once she went out to sea. It’s not my fault. YouknowI have no mobility on the ocean.”
“Yes, tricky thing about the thorns is you can grow them in the ocean soil, but the swim is the killer.” I flash a grin at Kairyn.
“Maybe fate is on our side for once and she drowned,” Kairyn mutters.
