A shocked murmur rumbles through the crowd, but I barely pay attention to it. They might not be in the stands to hear me, but I need to give the words to the wind. I need to speak my truth.
“It is true. I am. My own power has been shackled to the point that this idiot is giving me a good show.” I smirk, feeding on the laughter from the crowd. “But I’ve realized that breaking the curse would come at too high a cost.”
I dodge away from the knight and clamber up on a crumbled archway, buying me a few moments of reprieve. But a few moments are all I need. “It would mean forgoing the love of Farron, High Prince of Autumn, and Rosalina O’Connell, the Golden Rose, both of which hold my heart undisputedly.”
The Bronze Knight drives the Lance of Valor into the archway. Spiderwebs crack beneath my feet. “I know now, all the magic in the world wouldn’t give me strength without them. So instead of wallowing in that fact, I see it a different way. Maybe this curse isn’t a curse at all. Maybe it’s the gift Summer needs.”
With that, I toss off my clothes, and shift into the golden wolf.
There is a shocked sound in the stands, followed by a glorious cheer.
The archway crumbles beneath my weight, and I leap from it, shoving the Bronze Knight to the ground. He drives the lance up at my belly, but I knock it away, pinning his hand down. Then, with a swipe of my other paw, I break the chain around his neck, and the maple leaf falls to the ground.
The Bronze Knight screams, his hand still around the Lance of Valor, grip pinned beneath my paw. He can’t let go, and without the token, he can’t wield the weapon without pain.
It’s all right. I plan to put him out of his misery. I open my massive jaws and relieve the Bronze Knight of his head.
Blood coats my maw, and I shift back into my fae form. The trident re-forms in my hand and I don my breeches.
The crowd’s roar is deafening, but I’m not done yet. I bend, picking up Autumn’s token, and place it around my neck. I know this feeling, that of crisp nights and foggy mornings, of freckle-splattered cheeks and copper hair gleaming in the sun.
With the Trident of Honor in one hand and the Lance of Valor in the other, I look to the crowd. “I think that the Below has had a hold on the Summer Realm for too long. Let’s take back what’s ours.”
I spin, pointing both the lance and trident. In a whirl of water and golden leaves, magic strikes the gates leading to the barracks. They collapse, and from behind them, Tilla and the other gladiators race out.
The crowd’s roar has changed to a war cry as the people begin to fight back against those who would claim this land as theirs.
The fight for Summer has begun.
CHAPTER 84
Rosalina
He … did it. Dayton survived! He won against the Bronze Knight. Pride swells within me, mixing with a different emotion.
He chose me and Farron. Oh, how I wish the Autumn Prince could have heard those words. Dayton would rather remain cursed forever than give us up.
But if I get my way, he won’t have to.
I need to get out of this Spring steel. Curse Ezryn’s realm for making such sturdy things!
A screech sounds from the window ledge, and I turn to see a golden eagle perched there.
Justus, the first High Prince of Summer, had come just when I needed him. After pulling the Orb of Ancestors toward me, it had been surprisingly intuitive to connect with it. It had the same energy as Castletree. All I had to do wasaskfor help from the ancient fae. Their memories were eager to pass on words of wisdom to the High Prince.
And Justus had been the perfect help to carry the orb to the center of the arena.
“Thank you for helping me with the orb. Any ideas on what to do with these?” I shake my manacles. “See a key lying around?”
The bird quirks his head. “The Queen rarely found herself in binds she could not escape. There was nothing in the Vale that was not part of her.”
I blow a strand of hair out of my face. “I think my water, wind, fire, and earth go a little beyond steel.”
“Is steel not of the earth?” Justus says, flapping his wings. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a rebellion to aid.”
“Hey, wait!” I call, chains jingling, but the old mentor has already leaped off the building. “Stupid bird. Steel isn’t earth.”
Reforge it.Ezryn’s words drift into my mind. I know he’s far away, but for a moment, I let the presence of him and the Spring Realm sink into my skin. Our time together in Florendel. My visit to Draconhold Forge.Reforge it.
