“I’mstrong enough, Kai,” she says softly.
He takes her hand, so small in his giant gloved ones, and lightly runs a finger over her palm. A wave of nausea comes over me that has nothing to do with the sludge.
“I know you are,” he murmurs. “But as I trust you with your plan, trust me with mine. If there is someone else capable of wielding the bow, I will find them. There is no reason for you to risk your life.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t pull away as quickly as I expected. When she does, her eyes linger on the shadow of his dark helm. “There is no time to waste. I’m going to the docks to get word on the storm.” She flicks her gaze to me. “Lovely visit as always, Cas. Next time you see me, you may be addressing me as High Princess of Summer.”
“You’ve always been a princess to me, Birdy,” I say softly.
A smile seems to fight to grace her lips. She quickly turns and strides out the door. Kairyn goes to follow, but I grab his arm.
“You can’t let her try to wield the Bow of Radiance,” I say. “Whatever you do, don’t let her touch it.”
“I know,” he says back. “You’re not the only one who would do anything to protect her.” Then he whips his arm away from me, turns, and storms out the door.
I stand alone in the room, the only sound the crash of waves outside. Kairyn doesn’t want her to touch the bow because he’s afraid she’ll turn to ash.
But I know if she touches that bow, it’s the realms that will burn.
CHAPTER 56
Dayton
The clash of tridents echoes through the jungle as I face my master. His movements are fluid and precise. Meanwhile, I feel the weight of my own failure with every strike, dragging me down like anchors into a tempestuous sea.
Maybe I could blame it on this new weapon—I always favored the dual swords—but Justus made sure I was well-versed in all weaponry.You never know what you’ll be forced to wield in the arena,Justus had said over and over.Never know when your sword may shatter, and you must pick up your comrade’s spear on the battlefield.
It’s not a lack of skill that has been fumbling my grip, that has him pinning my trident again and again and again.
I let out a frustrated breath as I dig it out of the soft earth. It had glowed when I first wielded it, but now it looks ordinary and dull. “Isn’t this thing supposed to be legendary?”
“A divine weapon is only as legendary as the person who wields it,” Justus says. “Again.”
Another sigh, and I gesture to Rosie sitting in the shade of a tree. “Shouldn’t she have another turn?”
“Rosalina has finished her lesson for this morning,” Justus says. “She did a damn fine job of it.”
“Ahh.” I toss a wink her way. “Guess we can’t all be as perfect as you.”
She smiles reassuringly. “You can do this, Dayton. Win the next one for me.”
I haven’t won a single spar against Justus since we arrived on this damn island, so I’m not sure where her confidencecomes from. I can’t help but stare a moment longer, her big brown eyes shining amber in the sunshine.
How can she still look at me like that after what I’d told her yesterday?Hero.She’d called me a hero. If it were anyone else, I would dismiss them entirely, but Rosalina is always truthful. She’s so good and kind and brave. How can she see those things in me?
I still can’t believe I was able to talk about it. I hadn’t realized how trapped inside of me those memories were until they played out before us. Being with Rosie made it easier.
“I’ll try, Blossom,” I say and turn back to Justus. He stands waiting, wearing only light-leather armor and worn sandals.
The rumors have never done the first High Prince of Summer justice. He may use a different name now, but he can’t hide that sense of power.
“Come on, boy,” he says. “Let’s get to it.”
Heaving in a deep breath, I tighten my grip on the Trident of Honor and charge. With each thrust and parry, I struggle to keep pace, my movements hesitant and faltering against his relentless onslaught.
Sweat drips down my brow. We need to return to Summer and enter the games, which means winning a spar against him. But there’s no opening, no move I can take to gain advantage. This stupid trident seems no more powerful than any other hunk of metal.
“Would you like to know why I decided to train you, boy?” Justus growls.
