"You will. I watched Thrane Basilius claim his head. He is the new Frost King, and I promise he is in no way going to abandon Shaye and won't be looking to continue an alliance with Midori. She's a Basilius and they're a proud family."
"What are you suggesting?" Keres' bottom lip quivers. "We should just abandon our daughter? She might be a Basilius, but I swear we didn't know. She's just as much my daughter as she is Sylvane's."
"I'm afraid the Basilius family won't see it that way. I know Thrane. He will see his grandfather's act as a betrayal and treasonous, justifying his swift execution. Thrane may be a lot of things, most immoral at best, but he is fiercely loyal to Sylvane and in extension Shaye. He won't believe you and the King didn't have prior knowledge of her true lineage."
"I swear we didn't know." Garren's eyes dart from mine to meet my father's. "We didn't know, Cadmus. I swear we didn't know."
"Your Majesty, you have two choices." How very true to form of my father to skip past emotions and get straight down to strategy. "We can send word to Thrane the usurper that he must return the crown princess to us or risk war with Midori or we wipe our hands clean of the magic wielding Frost Elf. If our people discover the heir to the Midorian Throne is not of Midorian blood, and worse, possesses illegal magic, they won't bend the knee to her. It would cause civil unrest and there will be riots in the streets, calling for her execution. In my opinion, the Frost Elves did us a huge service in ridding our lands of her muddied blood."
"That is your advice?" I hiss, gritting my teeth, earning a deep-rooted scowl from my father. "Threaten the Frost Elves who ride dragons into battle or abandon the princess because her blood isn't to your liking?"
"If you believe yourself to be so wise, Lord Commander, tell me, what would you advise the king and queen to do? Hmm? I'm waiting, Bastian. Speak, since you obviously know so much."
My chest constricts and I'm left gaping like a fish gasping for breath. Do I agree with my father? No. Especially when it comes to his views on magic wielders and muddied blood. But I don't have any better plan of attack. I tried to retrieve Shaye, and she made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me or her parents. She chose our enemies. She chosehimover me. I don't wish toabandon her but, in all truth, she turned her back on us long before I stepped foot into Stelara.
"That's what I thought." My father's voice slices through my thoughts, making me feel small. "You have made a career of combating me at every turn but offer no sound advice of your own. You have too much of your mother in you, Bastian. Best to leave her weak ways behind you and finally – "
A guttural sound rips from my father's mouth as I stare into his horrified gaze. I don't remember shifting, and I certainly don't recall shoving my claws into my father's chest, but I can feel his lungs fill with blood and his heartbeat slow.
"I am not weak," I whisper. "And you will not speak of my mother that way."
Short gasps escape his lips as his eyes flutter closed and his limp, lifeless body slips from my talons and crashes to the floor. His blood pools around my furred paws, bursting through my leather boots. Vesper and the rest of my private guard, unsheathe their weapons and point them at the few guards scattered throughout the throne room as I step toward Garren and Keres. Horror. Pure, unadulterated horror streaks across their faces, and I can't blame them. I'm used to that same expression being shot my way every single time I shift, but this time it hurts more than usual.
"Bastian!" Keres cries. "Please."
I stop. I had never intended to harm them but realize how it must appear to them as I traipse forward wearing my father's freshly spilled crimson blood as war paint. "You need not fear me. I mean you no harm."
"What is the meaning of this?" Garren waves his hand up and down in front of me. "What are you?"
"Your daughter is not lost," I ignore his questions, not truly sure how to answer other than admitting I'm a monster. "Trust in me and I can bring her home."
"Forgive me," Keres finds her voice, "but did you not try and fail to bring her home already?"
Vesper hisses, ripping her golden mask from her face. I raise my hand, silently ordering her to stay put. She might see the queen's question as defiant, but I know Keres better than that. She's a mother grieving the loss of her daughter. She wants guarantees, not more unfulfilled promises.
"Shaye is blind." I shift into my human form. Vesper rips her cloak from her shoulders and extends it for me to wrap around my naked torso. "She thinks she knows the whole truth, but she's mistaken, misguided. Give me another chance to prove my worth as your High General."
"I don't remember bestowing you the title of High General," Garren pokes his chest up in feigned confidence.
I motion to my father lying dead on the floor. "The position is now open, and I have claimed it. If you have objections, voice them now."
Garren and Keres exchange a quick look, but neither denies my claim. I'm done playing by the rules and allowing others to dictate my future. I have entered a new era – the era of taking what I want, others be damned.
"I will bring Ilaria home." I turn on my heel, step over my father, and march out of the throne room. Blood still stains my hands and feet, but it doesn't bother me like it should. Cadmus Tarkin will no longer be able to harm me and that's a reason to celebrate.
"What a great start to the morning." Vesper smiles, licking her lips. "How does it feel to live your truth in the light of day, High General?"
I smear the blood from my hands to my waist as I tighten the cloak. "A new era has begun, Vesper. And all who stand in my way will pay."
Five
Shaye
Every morning for the last two weeks, I've gotten up before the sun rises and come to sit in front of my father's statue. I don't know why. I don't feel closer to him by doing this but a part of me hopes maybe when I touch his hand like I did the first time I saw his likeness, that I'll see him again. It's a fool's hope but I'm not sure what else I can do or who else I should turn to for answers. I've pumped my mother with a thousand questions and she's answered most of them. But there are a few even she can't answer. Like how do I defeat Drogon if Bastian manages to release him? What else is my magic capable of? With Frost Elf and Celestial bloodlines will I be able to live a mortal life or am I cursed to walk for hundreds of years and watch Atlas one day die in battle or of old age?
This morning, I forgo a visit to my father's statue, choosing an early morning riding session instead.
It's chilly out. Dawn is fast approaching as I make my way to Fendruil. Seraxes is fast asleep in her pen and it gives me pause.She's cranky on a good day, I'm not sure waking her before the sun has peeked over the horizon will do me any favors. Suddenly her blue eyes snap open and find me. I offer a sheepish grin, hoping the treat I hold in my hand will satisfy the early morning ride. To my surprise, as if Seraxes knows my anxiety is high and my mood is sour, she doesn't give me any trouble when I guide her out of her stall and mount her.
