Page 161 of Black Sea

My brother looked me and my mount up and down in horror. Turning pale, he dragged his gaze away from mine with a grimace that crushed my heart in a merciless grasp. Even though he couldn’t meet my eyes, I could feel his immense, aching guilt.

For what I had become.

Even though he had never said it out loud, I knew he believed that if he hadn’t let his pride win and jumped off the cliff to save me, the enemy wouldn’t have had the chance to seduce me.

But he was so wrong.

One way or another, Mornon would have gotten to me. My brother had nothing to blame himself for. I could only hope he understood that before he reached his Serie in Rest.

I shifted my attention to Father. Anger and betrayal flashed in his gaze with such intensity that I sensed his command to the princess in me to dismount and kneel in obedience.

But I was no longer the Princess of Elves.

I was no longer the heir to the throne.

I was no longer his daughter.

That’s why I gave him an icy look and moved past him, stopping the stallion a few steps from the river.

The river that no longer sparkled like a diamond but boiled like blood. It seemed as if the crimson vegetation from deep within Lake Caran had also spilled into the Glawar, whose currents were unnaturally strong, creating rapids.

But that wasn’t what upset me.

It was the people on the other side who, to escape the nauseating and terrifying creatures chasing them, were willing to confront the fury of the Glawar.

Only to melt into the acid-corrosive water, emitting cries so piercing they made my eyes swell up with tears.

Mornon’s horse pawed the ground, hinting to me that he could jump over the river.

I was about to make him turn around to get a running start when more echoes of inhuman screams made me quickly look first toward the port in the gulf and then toward the villages further northwest.

There were still survivors.

And I wouldn’t leave them alone, like I was.

You’re not alone, my dear, Calien said.

Just as had happened a millennium ago, I felt the ethereal presence of the Spirits, lined up to my right and left. In awe, I looked sideways at their translucent aquamarine forms floating on the grass: Clothed in long tunics, they had stern, pointed features, both female and male, and their gazes were fixed on Leukós with a determination that galvanized me.

Because suddenly I knew what to do.

So, I gently pulled the horse’s mane and applied pressure with my leg on his side to turn him toward my soldiers. I observed them with the same resolve I’d had before every battle we’d fought together since Araton and I had become their generals. A sense of relief and pride washed over me as, though subtly, they nodded with decision.

Then, I focused on my father and urged Mornon’s stallion to move closer to his. I fixed him with such a stern glare that he had to lift his chin haughtily to hold my gaze.

“Do not abandon these people just to punish me,” I told him, my voice brimming with disapproval.

He took a long, measured breath, and pride crossed in his eyes, as if, despite the darkness I no longer felt shame for, he had just caught a glimpse of the light-filled warrior I had always been. However, he didn’t bother to reply.

“You can’t do this alone against that monster, Sister,” Araton said.

I met his sidelong gaze as I drew my sword, and my mouth lifted to one side. “I am not alone.”

I turned the horse back toward the Glawar and nudged him gently with my heels to move him as close to the shore as possible. Some chunks of soggy earth fell into the boiling water, unsettling the animal further and making him constantly paw the ground with his black hooves, ready to run.

I looked at the distant capital with a fierce expression, sure that my mate was gazing back at me with the same intensity.

Then pressed my blade against Calien’s Crystal.