“It was an accident,” he murmured. “If that’s what I can do with what magic flows through my veins now, then I can’t imagine what I’ll be capable of if my mother gets her wish, and I am forced to accept the full might of my legacy.”
“We won’t let that happen,” I say. Keldarion and Caspian’s battle across the Badlands outside of Frostfang is practically a legend among the fae now. I’d always assumed the creation of the Great Chasm was Caspian’s last effort to destroy Winter.
Was it really just an accident? A loss of control while fighting the man he loved?
I narrow my eyes. “Your allegiance never fully returned to the Below. You bolstered Castletree as soon as it started to get sick. What changed your mind?”
Caspian runs a hand along his wrist. In the dim light, I see his fingers caressing a gold bracelet. “Aurelia showed me kindness once. Castletree is important to her. It was the least I could do in return. Besides, even after everything, there are things inside that castle I can’t bear to lose.”
Secrets within secrets. I think I understand Keldarion and Rosalina a little more. I know I’ve already pushed him enough, so I don’t press further. Instead, I say, “I’m going to sleep now. If you accidentally kick me in the middle of the night, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.”
The Prince of Thorns laughs—the kind of laugh I could get drunk on—and then he’s beside me, his leg over mine, head on my pillow close enough that his long hair brushes my cheek. “Like this? Would this be a big deal, Autumn Prince?”
I groan and attempt to push him away without any real effort behind it. But somehow it only brings him closer, his head falling to my shoulder.
“Or this?” His hand snakes beneath my shirt, and even though everything with Caspian naturally feels sensual, this gesture feels more comfort-seeking than anything else. So, I let my arm fall around him and I wonder to all the stars why falling asleep next to the Prince of Thorns doesn’t feel like the most terrible thing in the world.
“Goodnight, Cas.”
But he doesn’t answer. He’s already asleep.
CHAPTER 62
Dayton
Through the grates in the barracks, I watch the fight outside. Kairyn’s got three Summer legionnaires pitted against some creature he’s dragged from the Below. A chimera, by the looks of it.
Fighting monsters from the Below is not uncommon in the Sun Colosseum, but it was always by choice. Now, my people are forced to risk their lives.
Torches mounted around the arena paint the sands with long black shadows. I have an hour at most before the wolf takes over.
Despite it being mandatory attendance, the crowd buzzes with anticipation. They don’t want to see legionnaires of Summer die any more than I do.
The chimera’s lion-like body tenses, its goat’s head casting a sinister gaze. The Summer legionnaires are armed with swords and shields, at least. The chimera lunges with a deafening roar, claws slashing through the air. My comrades evade the creature’s deadly strikes. One lands a slice across the chimera’s flank, but the beast barely flinches, its hide resilient.
“That thing ate three men yesterday. We can only hope its full belly makes it slow,” a familiar voice says from behind me.
I turn. “Tilla!” I rush forward and clutch her in an embrace. “What are you doing here?”
Her body stiffens, and she backs away from me. The last time I saw the blacksmith, she was leading a group of Spring refugees to the Winter Realm.
“Kairyn’s forces ambushed us on the pass,” Tilla says. “It was like he knew exactly where we were going to be. His cursed armytransported most of the citizens to prisons in Florendel, while our fighters were taken here to the arena.”
“I’m sorry, Tilla. It lifts my spirits to see you alive, though.” Somehow, Kairyn finds out everything: the mountain pass, the location of Corsa Tuga. There’s a new scar across Tilla’s cheek. Raven-haired with tawny skin and eyes that shine like chips of onyx, Tilla’s always had a fierce sort of beauty, but I don’t think I truly appreciated her until we reconnected a few months ago in Spring. I know for certain I didn’t give her the respect she deserved when she was engaged to Keldarion.
Another roar sounds from outside. The chimera is dripping blood, but pursues the soldiers relentlessly, driving them against a wall.Your back to the wall means your enemy knows you have nowhere to go.I think of one of Justus’s lessons, gritting my teeth.
“You volunteered for this madness?” Tilla raises a brow. “Please tell me you have a plan, and this isn’t all some plea for a glorious death upon the sands, Daytonales.”
“I have a plan.”
“That sea creature you dragged in … is she part of it?”
“Madison’s my partner.” I turn to see Rosalina surrounded by legionnaires on the eating bench, no doubt enchanting them with tales of the sea. So far, we’ve been treated like any other captives here. I’ve been in the barracks a million times, and it’s all pretty much the same. The mess hall, the viewing area to watch the fights, a training pit stocked with wooden weapons and a sample of armor to choose from. They confiscated my swords, though I did demand to have them back for our first fight tomorrow. We’ll see if they comply.
The only difference is now the exits are blocked. You fight or you die.
There’s a shift in the crowd outside, a stillness. The kind of silence that only happens when the battle is near over. The legionnaires maneuver around the monstrous beast, their swords flashing in the sunlight. Then, seizing a fleeting opportunity, one of them delivers a decisive blow, plunging her sword deep into the chimera’s side. As the creature stumbles and falls, defeated, a wave of jubilation washes over the arena. Sitting in the Emperor’s Box, I see a looming dark shadow stand and leave.Even you can’t control the arena, Kairyn.
