Zephyr grumbles restlessly from behind me, the sound getting lost with the waves crashing against the rocky beach.
It wasn’t hard to spot five wyverns along the northern seas of the Adronicus. Zephyr knew the general direction to go, but we still had to search half a day to find them. Calix must’ve drawn the short straw to be the one to deliver me the bad news.
The others are a few hundred paces down the beach, Brielle no doubt preparing the new warriors for what’s to come.
Calix scratches the back of his neck, the only sign of discomfort he shows. But he holds my gaze. I’ll give him that.
“They said war isn’t their calling anymore,” Calix repeats for the third time.
“Not their calling?” I snap, trying to keep my anger in check. Otherwise, I’ll explode. And that’s not the leader ourpeople need right now. Not ever. “They’re fuckingwarfae. Who cares what they feel called to do, this is about protecting thousands of fae—this is about keeping our home safe.”
Calix throws his hands up, a fire sparking in his gaze.
“Yeah, Leda, I’m aware,” he throws at me. I stiffen at his tone, but hold my tongue and let him talk. “We told them they were lettingtheirpeople down, and they didn’t care. Maybe you or Lu could’ve convinced them, but who am I to ask that of them?”
My nostrils flare.
“You’re blaming me?” I snap.
He shakes his head and stamps his hands on his hips, his gaze falling briefly to the ground before looking back up to meet my gaze.
“I’m not blaming you, Le.” He sighs.
“My name is short enough, I don’t need a nickname,” I grumble.
Calix huffs a laugh and says, “So you’ve said.”
He runs his hand over his shaved head, his bicep tensing with the motion, causing the ink covering his arm to stretch. My gaze snags on it, just as it always does with Aegis’ markings. I’ve always been fascinated by them, but Calix’s are some of my favorites.
Not that I’d mention that to him.
“Look, it isn’t anyone’s fault,” he finally says, turning to face me. “But you’re the princess—so is Lu. Willow and Aster are warriors, and warriors respond to strength. Your last name gives you a certain level of power that I don’t have.”
He’s right. I know he is.
“Plus,” he adds, drawing the word out. “You in particular have a certain sense of…persuasion that not many others do.”
My teeth grind together.
Being thesaviorforetold in the prophecy comes with more than I’ve bargained for. From the moment the council believed Iwas the one the prophecy predicted to save our land, people have looked at me differently.
“Just because the prophecy says I’m?—”
“I’m not talking about the prophecy, Le,” Calix cuts me off, his jaw working. I narrow my eyes at the name, but stay silent, curious to hear where this is going. “It isn’t what people believe you can do one day, it’s what you’re capable ofnow.You’re our leader.
“Not because of some ancient fate, but because you worked your ass off to be respected by not just the Woodland, Undine, and Nocturna, but by the Aegis, too.” He gestures to himself. “And you of all people know how hard it is to get the Aegis to listen to someone that isn’t Cyprian or Iris.”
I sigh, but my chest warms at his words.
“Sometimes I wonder if I should’ve been born Aegis,” I mutter. More than that, I wish I weren’t the one the council thinks the prophecy was about. I want to be respected for the reasons Calix said, not because of my supposed fate.
Calix laughs, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he says, “I’d like to think you’re perfect just the way you are.”
My brows raise and he shrugs, turning to rejoin his fleet without another word.
Suddenly, my body is launched forward as something bumps me from behind. I gasp, my reflexes kicking in to right myself before I fall.
Not something.Someone.
