Page 79

Cain stood slowly, brushing off his tunic as he spoke. “Unfortunately, dearie, I cannot stay. If I am not back safe and sound soon, they will kill your precious King—a brother for a brother. You would not want that, would you?”

Cain’s life wasn’t worth Landers’s, but my gut was telling me if they hadn’t already killed him, there was a reason.

“Thank you for the warning, dearie , but I’ll take my chances.”

Cain’s lips parted to respond then snapped shut as a chuckle echoed from the corner of the room. My eyes darted toward the sound as Azeyr pushed from his perch on the wall.

“You can not even keep your own party loyal and you expect Nimbria to kneel to you? You are a disgrace to the Gods,” Azeyr hissed, bitterness glazing his tone.

Andrues took a quick step toward him and my hand landed on his chest, pushing him back.

“Take Cain, now. We will be ready when you are done,” I said, forcing my voice steady.

“I can handle this.” Andrues’s eyes flickered to Azeyr with disdain before meeting mine again and nodding at the command in my gaze.

My eyes turned back to Azeyr as Andrues and Cain tethered from the room. I paused for a long moment, the room growing dark as shadow coiled around the space, blocking off every source of light.

“Nimbria has not met me yet, and as for her people—I will not force their loyalty. I am not a tyrant and I will not oppress them.” I took a step forward as my aura began to glow a shade of silver, magic crackling like lightning between my shadows.

“But the five of you do not get that same leniency. I don’t expect your loyalty, I demand it . And you will give it to me.”

A growl rumbled in Royion’s chest as he stepped through the shadow. “We will not bow to a half-breed God.”

The insult landed as he intended and my fingers curled into fists, my skin heating as I stared back at him. A primal force woke in me, bubbling up from the depth of my soul, scorching everything in its path as the last thread of kindness that tied me together turned to ash.

I was done being talked down to by inferior men. If they refused to respect me, then they would fear me.

“You bow to me, or you bow to no one.” My power flared, an echo of the threat seeping from my words. “It’s your choice, Royion. Make it now.”

A smile snaked across his lips, reeking of defiance. “You may have shaken my hand, but that branded deal was made between the six of us. You cannot kill one of us, without killing yourself. You may command us for now, but I will never bend the knee to a—”

I didn’t wait for him to finish.

Stone was the only thing on my mind as I flicked my fingers toward him and prayed that whatever higher power still laid dormant in my veins would listen to my command.

For a half-second my body levitated, not from shadowed wings but celestial magic being set free into my bloodstream.

A surge of energy unlocked inside me, a cache so deep I could have swallowed the universe.

I knew it then, felt it in the undeniable power cracking at my fingertips—the God in me had finally been unleashed and I grinned.

Shadows parted, now knowing my commands before I could give them, and retreated to the edges of the room.

Before me, a statue stood—Royion’s body encased in stone, his face still twisted with ire.

He was not dead, but frozen back into his curse.

My eyes shifted to see the others already on their knees, heads tilted toward me in supplication.

Unease flowed under my chest at the sight, at the well of power rising in me. It was dangerous, intoxicating .

“Does anyone else wish to defy the ‘half-breed God’? Or was this enough of a demonstration?” I spat the question down at them. Azyer’s eyes narrowed on me as if he was about to speak but Nantia’s hand clasped around his forearm, stopping him.

“You have our loyalty,” Essara said, her voice muted against the shadows still flowing around them. They retreated and light flooded into the room as she lifted her head to look at me. “What do you need us to do?”

“Stand,” I commanded. They listened without hesitation, rising to their feet as they took a half-step away from me.

“We are going to Ammord and I am taking back our people. You will help me get them out, then you will burn Sethros—the House of High—until it is nothing more than dust upon the sand of Ammord and a scar on Nimbria’s earth. The war starts now.”

My eyes flickered over each of them as they nodded, clasping their arms at their backs, but stayed silent.

I turned toward the door and it opened as my eyes connected with its surface, letting in the morning air, shadows pouring out of the opening as I stalked toward it.

I paused at the threshold, glancing at them over my shoulder.

“I’m a kind person and I feel emotion at depths that scare even me.

But do not mistake that as a weakness. My kindness grew from pain, but if I must turn that kindness into wrath I will not hesitate.

I will still kill you with tears in my eyes, even if my life goes with it.

Do not betray me, because I do not fear dying for this cause.

” The words were gentle as they left my mouth, but the softness of them did not betray their meaning.

Essara and Nantia exchange a quick glance, before nodding in understanding, the corners of their lips tilting up almost as if they were impressed.

“Call your dragons and meet me at the passage. I will be waiting for you.”

I stood at the entrance of the realm passage, my grip tightening on the daggers fastened to my chest and feeling the weight of their familiar comfort.

In the distance, I could hear the peaceful murmur of waterfalls cascading down the cliff’s edge.

Soon it would be drowned out by the screams of fallen warriors.

The once clear waters would be stained crimson with their blood.

My eyes slipped shut as I drew in a slow, deep breath, savoring the crisp air and the stillness of the world around me for what may be the last time.

I opened my eyes again to the sound of boots pressing down blades of grass and scanned the clearing.

There was no one there. My ears perked, the tips of them twitching toward the sound that was growing louder, and palmed my blades.

Relief billowed from my chest as Wren’s head popped over the edge of the landing and I shoved my knives back into their sheaths.

My hearing had never been so focused, so heightened.

My eyes locked on Wren from across the clearing, following his movements as he strode toward me.

I could see his face from here with complete clarity, every line of worry etched into his features, every bruise that marred his skin.

I glanced down at my hands, expecting some physical sign of the change, but there was nothing outside of the heavy pulse of this new magic thrumming under my skin.

I released a sharp breath, dragging my eyes back to Wren as he took his final steps toward me. He shouldn’t be here; I couldn’t put him in harm’s way. Not again. My lips parted and he threw up his hand.

“I’m going with you so there is no point in trying to convince me otherwise,” he bit out as my lips pressed back together in a hard line. “Pri is coming too, she should be here any minute with Asrai and Yenne.”

“Wren—”

“No, Cin. We are all going. It’s our family too and you can’t expect us not to do whatever it takes to get them back just because you are scared for our lives.

We are all scared, every one of us. But if we die, at least we will die together.

” There was no room for argument in his tone as he ran a hand through his hair and clenched his jaw.

There was a wildness to his eyes that I hadn’t seen there since Ardan passed, something in the shift of his energy that jolted my nerves into high alert.

“Hey,” I said, my voice soft as I slipped my hand into his. “Are you okay?”

His eyes didn’t meet mine. “We need to talk. There’s something I need to tell you. I should have told you sooner, but . . .” He paused, his eyes flickering to the edge of the clearing. My eyes darted over his face, shadows pulling his chin back to face me as a chill ran up my spine.

“You’re scaring me, what’s wrong?” He stared back at me with pleading eyes, his face twisted as if he were in physical pain.

“I never meant—”

A dragon’s roar blew over the clearing as they landed on the grass only yards from us and Wren’s gaze grew frantic.

I only had seconds to get this out of him.

“Are you compromised?” I hissed, my voice lowering as they dismounted and walked toward us.

The nod he gave me cracked my heart into bloody fragments.

“Did you betray us?” I choked out the question, my heart swelling in my chest as Cain’s words echoed between my ears.

It couldn’t be him. He would never do this to us.

“No.” He shook his head frantically as relief crashed into me with bruising force. “But, I—” He didn’t have time to finish his sentence before the Fallen Ones were at our side and Pri, Yenne, Asrai, and Andrues were materializing around us.

There was an apology in his eyes as he looked at me for one more moment and pain flared beneath my chest.

He didn’t betray us, I believed that. Or at least, I wanted to.

But for the first time in my life, since seeing him after passing through the academy gates, I didn’t trust him.

I gestured my head toward Andrues, silently calling him over as Wren turned from me, moving to Pri’s side and wrapping a stiff arm around her waist. My eyes stayed locked on him as Pri’s brows furrowed at the look on his face.

“Yenne,” I finally said, pulling my eyes away from Wren. “Do you have everything you need?”

“Yes, I ‘ave me supplies, just need zee guards,” she answered as her hand patted the satchel draped across her shoulder.

“Good, you and Asrai tether there now. You have an hour; I am not waiting for you to start the raid.” My eyes fell back to the rest of the group, their gaze stuck to me as I clenched my hands behind my back and took a battle stance. The movement felt strange, almost reminiscent.

It was the same move I had seen Asrai make my entire life when commanding the war teams, when training us or talking to leaders of Redelvtum’s House of High. It was like acting out a memory that I had never had, but I squared my shoulders and spoke.

“We are not sneaking in, we are not hiding or trying to do this in secret. We are flying in, and taking them back by force. And once we do, I want them to know it was us that burned their precious city to the ground.” Heads nodded in my direction before splitting off toward the four dragons in the center of the field.

My fingers locked around Andrues’s forearm and his head tilted as he looked down at me. “Do not let Wren out of your sight.”