Page 21

21

The Fire Between

W hen they reached the dungeons, Rowan’s men stepped closer in an attempt to separate them.

Cyrus growled at them with a death glare. “Come any closer and—”

“You will do what?” one of them mocked and laughed, the others joining in. “Some great man you are. In those cuffs, you are nothing but a helpless rat.”

Astoria’s blood boiled. “Watch your tongue, filth!”

Cyrus’ arms tightened around her.

The man sneered at her, baring his yellow teeth. He looked her up and down. “You just got lucky we have special orders not to harm you, but he did say if you fought back, we could use some force.” He nodded at the rest of the men, and they closed in on her and Cyrus.

The next few moments were a blur as Cyrus tried to fight them off single-handedly and failed, ending up separated from her and thrown into the nearest cell. He landed with a thud that made Astoria’s heart lurch.

She broke towards him, but arms grabbed her from behind. They locked his cell and pushed her into the one next to his. She turned to them as they locked her cell. “I will make you pay, I swear it! I will make you pay!”

Rowan’s men waved blindly at her as they turned and walked away to guard the entrance.

“Astra,” Cyrus grunted from the other side of the wall.

“Cyrus.” She moved to the wall and pressed herself against it. “Are you alright?” The moment the question left her lips, she realized the irony of it and added, “What hurts? Is it your back?”

“It’s alright, I will be alright. Are you alright?”

Astoria shook her head, pressing her forehead to the cold wall. Realizing he couldn’t see her, she said, “I want payback. They—they hurt you.”

Cyrus made a noise that sounded like a huff of laughter. “We were betrayed by someone we thought was our friend, who is currently preparing to take over our empire and divide it, not to mention he kidnapped you and held you hostage. And you want payback on the men who punched me and threw me into the cell?”

“Oh, don’t think I have nothing planned for Rowan for poisoning you. But right now, these men are my closest targets, so yes, I’m keen to have payback on them first.”

“Little Dragon,” he called with the same, weak huff of laughter. “Oh, my Little Dragon… You never cease to amaze me.”

Astoria’s fingers curled into a fist against the wall, burning with the urge to touch him. Warmth bloomed in her chest, and the burden weighing down on her heart eased a little. The scraping of the fabric against the floor and the rattle of chains told her Cyrus was moving towards the wall and trying to sit against it. She slid down and sat with her side pressed against it as well.

The dungeon was exceptionally quiet, as though they were the only ones down there.

“I missed you,” she blurted out.

There was a sharp intake of breath from the other side of the wall, and Cyrus said, “I missed you too, darling.”

Astoria closed her eyes, drowning in the warmth of his confession. “How come you missed me when you were unconscious all the time?”

“What did I say about Spyrah projecting her mind to me so I didn’t miss out on anything about you?” he asked softly, sounding just the opposite from the man who had growled and glared and threatened Rowan and his men like a wild beast. “It was frustrating I couldn’t be part of that reality with you, but you were my anchor, my motivation to keep fighting when I realized my condition was only getting worse. Without you, I would’ve been lost to the darkness. Without you, I wouldn’t have lived, wouldn’t have been here. I… I missed you terribly. Especially when I woke up and realized you were taken… The weeks of my unconsciousness seemed like a daydream compared to the nightmarish reality.”

Astoria realized he was no longer talking about merely missing her.

“I was certain my empire was going to burn if I didn’t find you. I didn’t care about anything anymore. I…” He trailed off with a long, heavy sigh. “Astra… what have you done to me?”

Astoria didn’t know how to respond to that. She didn’t know what she had done to him either. But she wanted to know. She opened her mouth to ask but closed it as a familiar scurrying of paws reached her ears.

Cyrus groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Astoria was thinking just the same when Skylar appeared in front of her cell.

Skylar! She jumped to her feet at the rush of joy and relief at his sight. How are you here? How did you—

She stopped mid-thought as the blocking sensation registered. Oh. She couldn’t telepath with him.

Her face dropped, and so did Skylar’s. His eyes held more pain than Astoria had ever seen, and he wasn’t even bothering to hide it.

“I’ve missed you too, Sky,” she told him with a watery smile. “I’m so sorry for scaring you with my absence. I shouldn’t have gone alone that night, I should’ve called you, but I wanted to know who was behind this, and if I told you, you would’ve held me back—or woken up Joaquin or the General.”

Now that she thought about it, where were the two of them?

Skylar tilted his head and gave her a baffled look. On the other cell, Cyrus had paused talking to Spyrah. It took her a moment to realize that they didn’t know about the note that led her to Rowan’s trap.

Astoria launched into the story.

“… He told me only a Mage can free me from the cuffs. Since he didn’t specifically mean him , it can be any Mage, right?”

“Not a Mage who is also in cuffs, that’s for sure,” Cyrus said, his voice dark. “We need Joaquin and Sean.”

Astoria swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat at the mention of her biological father. She still had to tell Cyrus about it. “Where are they, by the way?”

“On the lookout for you,” Cyrus said. “I’m glad I sent them away, otherwise Rowan would’ve caught them too.” He paused for a moment and said, “Dang it, Rowan knows they are on the lookout. It will be only a matter of time before he catches them too.”

Astoria’s heart sank. “What would we do then?”

“None of the Mages among our staff could get past those guards like Spyrah and Skylar can, especially when they have no idea we need their help to free the cuffs.” Cyrus sighed.

“Perhaps, Skylar and Spyrah could manage to make one of them understand—”

Skylar was immediately shaking his head. Astoria raised an eyebrow and hated that they couldn’t telepath. She missed their connection.

“Even so, how are they going to get past Rowan’s men? They are already at risk with their undying loyalty towards me. You saw how furious Rowan looked when the guards refused to heed him.”

“Then we need not just someone,” Astoria said, pacing in front of the gate, her heart racing as a certain thought crossed her mind. “We need a Mage and someone who can take down Rowan’s men. And I happen to know just the right men.”

“Who?”

Astoria stopped near the wall and lowered her voice. “My brothers.”

Skylar perked up immediately.

“I don’t doubt your brothers would risk everything to save you, darling, but neither of them are Mages.”

“No, and as talented swordsmen as they are, the two of them aren’t enough to take down those men without attracting more attention. They need to bring a few Daliston guards along and—and Jasper.”

There was a long beat of silence. Astoria held her breath and waited for Cyrus’ response. Skylar stretched sideways to watch Cyrus’ reaction.

“He’s the only Mage I know, one I can trust, even though he—” She stopped short. Cyrus didn’t know. He didn’t have to know, at least not now. “He would never betray Emmett, and Emmett would never betray me.”

Cyrus took a deep breath. “Astra…”

“I know you don’t like him,” she added hastily. “He and I had an issue before we left Daliston too, but I know Jasper. If he realizes I’m in trouble, he won’t turn a blind eye.”

Cyrus sighed again. Skylar straightened back and gave Astoria a baffled glance. She shrugged helplessly, frustrated that she couldn’t understand him without telepathy. Losing their connection felt like she’d lost one of her five senses.

At last, Cyrus said, “Do you still have my ring?”

“Yes, I kept it hidden,” she said.

“Good. Spyrah and Skylar can use it to go to Daliston, the same woods where I made the portal to transport us here. But how will we deliver the message to your brother?”

“I can send him a letter like I send you—” she stopped short and frowned. “Oh, well, first we need the writing tools.”

Skylar patted the iron bars enthusiastically to get her attention. Astoria knelt. “What is it, Sky?”

He pointed to the way he had come from, gesturing with his paw back and forth. Astoria realized he was saying he would go and get the tools.

“No, it’s too— Sky! ”

Skylar took off, and Spyrah dashed after him.

“Oh, those two.” She sagged against the iron bars. “To think they hated each other at first…”

“Rather, they pretended to,” Cyrus said softly. “Skylar was infatuated with Spyrah, but she annoyed him with her attitude, so he convinced himself he hated her. And Spyrah… I think she did hate him, didn’t she?”

Astoria had a feeling he wasn’t talking about their pets at all.

“I suppose. But I think all she needed was a little time,” she said, “Time to see and understand for herself that he wasn’t what he seemed at first or what others said about him.”

“There is something you need to know,” Cyrus blurted out. The impassive tone of his voice made her shift towards the wall and lean against it.

“What is it?”

“You are definitely not going to forgive me for this. It might even change your view of me—”

“It’s a little too late for that.” She chuckled solemnly.

“It’s about Jasper,” he said with a sigh. Her heart raced unexpectedly. “I never thought I would find myself in the situation to tell you this. I thought it would always be my secret and your never-ending mystery. But I don’t want secrets between us, even if you don’t feel the same way about me after this. This is me baring my heart to you.” He paused for a beat and said, “I sabotaged your wedding to Jasper that night.”

Astoria froze.

“I overheard your brothers in the library. They were talking about ‘wedding,’ and I had to eavesdrop. When I caught wind of what they were up to, I couldn’t let it happen. So I went forth and sabotaged it. Jasper never bailed on you, Astra. He was right where he promised to be, waiting for you. I was selfish and cunning and used my illusion to prevent you and your brothers from seeing him and him from seeing you. Shortly after you went to that cottage, he came there as well, thinking you had bailed on him.

“The illusion I cast was a very advanced one. Even if the two parties on either side of my illusion walked into each other, they wouldn’t feel it. Nor would they hear a noise or sense anything strange. The longer I had to hold it up, the more it drained me, but I had to. And I did. I stopped the wedding. The worst part is that I don’t regret it.”

Astoria stared at the opposite wall in utter shock. When her silence stretched too long, Cyrus said— begged , “Say something, Little Dragon.”

Astoria shook her head, trying to shake herself out of the shock. All the time she thought Jasper had betrayed her, had he waited faithfully for her? No wonder he looked so wounded and cold when she saw him from the carriage that day. He thought she had bailed on him.

Because Cyrus interfered. Because he wanted to marry her and eliminate the threat to his empire. To use her as a pawn in his game.

For so long, Astoria had tried to understand what his games were. For so long, she had tried to play against him. And she had failed. Now, she wanted to play with him, side by side, and win.

“Have you ever wondered why I agreed to stay without rebelling too hard?” she asked instead.

“No?” he answered uncertainly.

“Be honest.”

He sighed. “I thought… you realized it was futile to keep fighting and decided to accept your fate. Why?”

“It was actually the prophecy that stopped me.”

“The one that traitor was talking about?”

“Yes,” she said. “I thought that my being here was the beginning of the prophecy’s fulfillment. That it was how I was going to bring you to your knees; the angel of destruction.”

Cyrus released a humorless chuckle. “And it seems you did.”

Astoria imitated the sound. “I beg your pardon?”

“Come on, darling, just because you decided you didn’t want to fulfill the prophecy anymore, because you grew to care for me, doesn’t mean it’s not the Creator’s plan. If He spoke those words through the seer, He would fulfill them no matter what. And He did.” He paused and said, “Truly, it may have seemed like I knelt to that traitor, but you brought me to my knees, Astra.”

“B—but that’s not how it was supposed to be…”

“Darling, the prophecy doesn’t say how things would happen. Sometimes, you won’t even realize it until it is fulfilled. For example, when a seer tells you there is lavender-grey in your future and you decide to fulfill it by making the emblem of your flag lavender-grey. But the prophecies are not ours to fulfill; they belong to the Creator. I only realized what a fool I had been until I met you and realized it was all about you.”

Astoria sat dumbfounded and heard him whisper, “I had no clue what it meant until I realized the girl I was about to marry has lavender-grey eyes.”

His words washed over her like an embrace. They were reverent, adoring, and awe-struck. Astoria wanted to say something— anything . But then the scurrying of paws reached her ears.

Skylar skidded to a stop in front of her cell and slid a folded parchment and an enchanted quill beneath the gate. Spyrah appeared beside him and passed her a small bundle through the bars. Astoria uncovered it and saw it was bread. She smiled at them in gratitude before tearing it in two.

“Give this to Cyrus,” she murmured to Spyrah.

But Spyrah shook her head, and at the same time, Cyrus said, “You have it, darling. I asked Spyrah to get it for you. You haven’t eaten anything.”

His concern and thoughtfulness touched her. She was famished. “Thank you.”

Astoria finished the bread in no time and wrote the letter. It was hard to write with the cuffs on, and she was certain her handwriting would look foreign to Emmett. Therefore, she included a key moment from their childhood that would chase off any doubts. Then she explained the situation briefly, said that Cyrus was never the villain, and asked Emmett to hurry as fast as possible.

Meanwhile, Cyrus gave Spyrah and Skylar instructions. He told them to wait in the Husk Woods for Emmett and the others and then get them inside the castle through a secret passage Spyrah knew of.

This was a risky attempt, but it was the only way to fight Rowan before he made Cyrus strike the magical deal.

Astoria folded the letter and focused her mind on her brother. Once it was sent, she took off the ring and gave it to Skylar.

There was a certain place in the courtyard Cyrus had created for his portals, where their carriage had come through on the first day. Skylar would press down on the orange stone of the ring when he and Spyrah reached there, saying the name of the woods in his mind, and the portal would open.

Once they left, Astoria moved back to the wall and sagged against it. And now they waited.

Silence prolonged between her and Cyrus. After what seemed like an hour, he sighed deeply and broke it.

“Your silence is frightening,” he murmured. “Talk to me.”

Her lips twitched of their own accord. “Am I frightening?”

“You have no idea.”

“I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“I don’t regret you sabotaging that wedding either.”

“Oh, darling…” He sighed.

“But why did you do… that ?”

“Because I was cunning and—”

“Not that, Cyrus,” she interrupted. “Why did you give up your throne for me?”

A beat of silence, and then he spoke.

“I’ve carried a hole in my heart all my life, ever since the loss of my mother. Even after I built my empire and had power, glory, and wealth like no one else, nothing changed. The hole was still there, as empty as ever. But from the day I married you, Astoria …” he said her name like devotion, “it began to fill up little by little. Your grumpiness and your stubbornness, your quirky and snarky remarks, everything that you did to get under my skin… It was strange, but it did miracles to my heart. Although, I never thought…”

He trailed off.

So Astoria filled in for him. “You never thought you would have to stoop so low as to kneel to your enemy for me.”

“Yes,” he said slowly. “And it was easier than I thought.”

Astoria chuckled softly. “Not even the dungeons could deter your sense of humor, huh?”

“You think I am jesting, Little Dragon?” he asked, his voice suddenly serious.

All the breath left her lungs. “You are not?”

“Do you even realize why I knelt?” At her silence, he continued, “If it were anyone else in your place, I wouldn’t have even thought of relenting. But you, Astra, you mean more than the world to me. When I woke up and realized you were taken, it felt like the day I lost my mother all over again. Despite my years and years of searching, she and my sister are still lost. I couldn’t let that be you too.” His voice broke slightly. “He can take my throne, strip me of my powers, destroy my empire, but not you. Never you. And I would choose you over the world, over and over again.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” he murmured, his voice pained. “I love you. I never thought it would come to this, but I love you, Astoria. So much, it hurts.”

Her tears spilled. Astoria leaned her forehead against the wall that separated them and closed her eyes, pressing a palm against it. “I love you too, Cyrus.”

The familiar sensation of her powers, which had been missing for the last two days, returned. They hummed under her skin, growing louder and louder with each second. Astoria leaned back and looked at her hands, bewildered, as a vibration rippled from her into the wall.

A low rumble filled the air.

“Cyrus?”

“Stay away from the wall!”

She scrambled to her feet and backed away to the other end of the cell. Cracks appeared on the wall, and as she watched, it crumbled to the ground. Dust rose like a puff of smoke and filled the air. Astoria choked as her lungs felt like sandpaper. She bent over to shield herself from the dust.

“Astra!”

“I am alright!” she called back and choked again, straightening in time to see the dust clearing into nothingness.

There stood Cyrus with a hand in the air. Astoria blinked, slowly registering what had happened. His cuffs lay at his feet. She looked down at her hands—and so did hers. She looked back at him in astonishment, frozen in shock until he stepped over the rubble and hurried to her.

Astoria met him halfway, throwing herself into his open arms. Cyrus crushed her against him and pressed his lips to her hair.

“We are free…” she marveled, snuggling up to him until there was no gap for air between them. “But how?”

“The magnification,” Cyrus murmured in realization. “ Of course. ”

“But it’s a myth—you told me.”

“Because that’s what I thought it was. But look at us! This is magnification. And now that I think about it… what is marriage without love?” he asked, then answered himself in a whisper, “Incomplete.”

“We started without love…” Realization dawned on her. “And now that we do…”

“Yes,” he whispered, burying his face in her hair. “Yes.”

Astoria couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. “Yes.”

“It has only been a short while since I realized that I loved you, so I think the magnification required us to confess it to each other.”

“Probably. I have been in love with you for a short while too, and yesterday, I realized that I loved you.” She thought for a moment. “Do you think we could have prevented this chaos if we had confessed earlier—”

“I believe everything has a time, my love. For loss and gain, for sickness and health, for sorrow and joy…”

“Yes, but you wouldn’t have had to kneel for me—”

“Don’t,” he said firmly and pulled back to look down at her, intensity filling his eyes. And for once, she finally realized what it meant. “You, my beloved wife, my Little Dragon, and my darling Astra, are worth kneeling to my enemies for.”

The way he said it… Her insides melted.

But.

“I will not let you do it again,” she said firmly.

Cyrus smiled, wide and contagious.

All the breath left her lungs in a whoosh . Heavens, he was so beautiful. So, so beautiful. And he was hers.

Astoria smiled back and cupped his face. He. Was. Hers.

Cyrus’ eyes dropped to her lips. “Before we go out there and save our empire, there is something more important I want to do.” His fingers burrowed into her hair. “I want to kiss you, darling. Properly.”

“The dungeon is definitely the place to share our proper kiss,” she teased breathlessly, her heart galloping.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Cyrus murmured and leaned down, pressing his lips to hers.

Astoria gasped softly at the rush that exploded inside her, overpowering her being with the passion pouring from him. She grasped the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer, kissing him back clumsily. Fire ignited between their lips, and the chill of the dungeon was long forgotten. Astoria moaned as Cyrus angled her head, deepening the kiss.

He kissed her like a man who had been in the desert for a long time and she was the stream. He kissed her like he wanted her to know how much he loved her. He kissed her like she was his life and he would die without her.

Then she kissed him back with equal fervor.

If Astoria had known this was how kissing him felt, would she have let him kiss her before?

She didn’t think so.

Kissing him while knowing that she loved him and he loved her was the right way of doing it. The perfect, beautiful way.

Astoria pulled away for air and rested her forehead against his. “You do know how to kiss a woman.”

“Only the woman I love.” Cyrus looked into her eyes, and the desire in his loving gaze nearly turned her into a puddle in his arms. “Promise me we will continue this after saving our empire. Tonight.”

Her smile turned shy. “Promise.”