Page 46

Chapter 45

Cyrus

"T his is not your call, Scarlett.”

“It is my call. I am telling you, as your queen, you are not going, Cassius. It is an order.”

Cyrus could hear the yelling coming from Cassius’s room all the way down the hall, and he quickened his pace to ?nd out what the hell was going on.

“I am one of the most powerful here, and you will keep me back? Because I refuse to do this?”

“Yes,” came a shrill response. “What if you deplete your power while there? How much will you have to drink from Cyrus, weaken him, to re?ll your reserves in the middle of a ?ght? How long will that take?”

“What is the difference?” Cassius returned.

Cyrus had never heard him yell like that. Certainly not at Scarlett. “The difference is everything!” she cried. “I would know. I have drunk from Sorin, and I have drawn from him as my Source. You know when I became the most powerful? When I took a fucking Source, Cassius. You will not go unless you take a Source.”

Cyrus had stopped outside Cassius’s door, listening to every word that was being said.

“And you?” Cassius retorted. “I am your godsdamn Guardian, Scarlett. You are really going to go and possibly face Alaric without me at your side? Don’t be an idiot.”

“I am not going, you insufferable ass,” she snapped back. Cyrus jerked back at those words.

She wasn’t going?

“What do you mean you are not going?” Cassius asked.

“I mean I cannot go,” she answered, and Cyrus could hear the crack in her voice even from this side of the door. “Sorin has enough power to refill my reserves fully one more time, Cass. One. I cannot go because I cannot risk using that power there. I need you to take a Source because soon I will have to draw from you. It will be exhausting and physically draining on both you and your Source, and it still will not be the same. It is no longer just about you taking a Source. This is so much bigger than that now. And drawing from you? It is not the same as drawing from a Source, Cassius. It still might not be enough to end this.”

Cyrus barely heard the murmured “come here” from Cassius. There was a long stretch of silence where Cyrus could only assume he was comforting her. But then came, “I will stay back with you and Sorin. We will ?gure out a Source.”

Figure out a Source?

Fuck that.

Cyrus pushed the door open to ?nd what he expected. Cassius’s arms were wrapped tightly around Scarlett, his chin resting atop her head, and they both started at the sound of the door. Scarlett pulled back, swiping her ?ngers beneath her eyes.

“Do it now,” Cyrus said.

Cassius’s brow furrowed. “Do what?”

“Give me the Source Mark.”

Scarlett sucked in a breath, glancing back and forth between him and Cassius.

“No,” Cassius said.

“What do you mean no? I heard everything she just said. You need to take a Source.”

He turned to Scarlett. “Can you give us a minute?”

She nodded, sympathetic eyes landing on Cyrus as she made her way to the door. She reached out, squeezing his arm as she passed. Neither male said anything until the door clicked shut behind her.

“You are still going to refuse this? You need a godsdamn Source, Cassius.”

“And I am going to take one,” he answered.

“Are you telling me you are going to ask someone else?”

Cassius dragged a hand down his face, pushing out a long, harsh breath. “I do not know.”

“It sure as fuck sounded like you knew,” Cyrus said. “I heard you tell Scarlett you would stay behind with her and take a Source. Since I am not staying behind, it seems pretty clear you intend to ask someone else.”

“Because I care too much about you to let you do this,” Cassius snapped.

“Unless I take you to Aelyndee, right?” Cyrus sneered. “Once you’ve forced me to peel back every imperfect layer of myself, then will I be good enough?”

“Knock it off. You know that is not the reason.”

“You’re right. It’s not. What did you say to me? That I deserve more?”

“You do deserve more than being my godsdamn power source, Cyrus. You deserve so much more than that.”

“That is a godsdamn excuse,” Cyrus retorted.

Cassius gave him an incredulous look. “An excuse for what?”

“You tell me I deserve more, that I do not value myself enough. When in actuality? You make everyone feel like they are never enough for you so that you don’t have to let anyone else in.”

Cassius lurched back as if he’d struck him. “What are you talking about? We have talked about plenty of personal matters, Cyrus.”

“Who was with you when you met your mother, Cass? Who is the only one who could force your power to manifest when she was in danger? Who did you ask to come with you to meet Tybalt?”

“Scarlett and I have known each other nearly our entire lives,” Cassius bit back. “I am her Guardian. I trained her at the Fellowship. We are soulmates. You cannot fault me for being close to her.”

“I don’t. I fault you for refusing to let anyone else see all of you. You accuse me of not being willing to let you all the way in, of not being ready for this, but you’re the one not ready for this because you can’t let me in either. You make anyone who tries to get past the masks jump through godsdamn hoops to prove that we are deserving of you. Me. The High Witch. You make demands that are damn near impossible. You make us feel undeserving of you because you make us feel unworthy in the face of your mask of perfection. But here’s the real kicker: You’re just as broken as the rest of us. The rest of us just have the balls to admit it.”

“Get out,” Cassius said, his voice low and gravelly. His pupils had shifted, eyes glowing. “Get the fuck out.”

Cyrus stared at him for a long moment before turning and stalking to the door, but right before he pulled it open, he looked over his shoulder. “I was coming here to tell you that after we got back from the Southern Islands I wanted to go to Aelyndee with you. For the ?rst time since Thia, you made me feel seen. I never want to step foot in Aelyndee again, but for you, I would have. I would have jumped through every godsdamn hoop if you’d have let me.”

“Get out,” Cassius said again.

Cyrus pulled the door open, stepping into the hall. He paused for the briefest of moments when the door had clicked shut, his hand still on the handle. He inhaled deeply before he let it go and crossed the hall to his room to get ready to go to the islands.

To get ready to smell the sea.

Razik Traveled them to the Water Court, and from there, Briar made a Water Portal to the Southern Islands. Cyrus immediately turned away from the blue waters rolling onto the shore. He stared at the cliffs rising high above them off to the left. He’d never been to the Southern Islands. None of them had, other than Rayner. None of them had wanted to come to a place that had housed such horrors.

Rayner was beside him, his features hard, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

Cyrus reached over, clamping a hand on his shoulder. “You good, Rayner?”

“Let’s ?nd her and get out of here,” he muttered back.

“Lead the way, brother,” he said, squeezing his shoulder once before releasing him.

Rayner stepped in front of their company and turned to face them all. In addition to Razik and Rayner, Azrael, Briar, Sawyer, and Neve had come. They shouldn’t need this many, but Azrael had said Talwyn was adamant they go today and be prepared for Alaric, that he might have already found her. Cyrus wasn’t sure how that would be possible. He had no way to get inside the cliffs.

“We stay together. No one touches anything,” Rayner said. “Those rooms are still spelled, even if no one has been in them in centuries.”

He turned, leading the way to the cliffs.

“Where is Abrax?” Neve asked, looking around for the spirit animal. “I thought Talwyn said he had been guarding the princess.”

“She did say that,” Cyrus said. It was concerning he was not here, and he tightened his grip on his bow. He’d talked Eliza into letting him borrow her Fiera arrows. They’d been a gift to her from Sorin when he had made her the general of the armies. Arrowheads made from the same material as their blades, mined from the Fiera Mountains and imbued at Anahita’s Springs to contain ?re magic when wielded by a Fire Fae. Eliza had been pissy as hell about being relegated to the sidelines yet again, but she’d eventually relented and let him borrow them.

They reached the base of the cliffs in a matter of minutes, and when Rayner raised his hand, Cyrus saw the brand glowing on the inside of his wrist. It was a combination of Anala’s symbol and something else, and it ?ared brightly before disappearing once more. They all stepped back as an archway took form, a cavernous hall appearing within.

They waited for Rayner to go ?rst, but Cyrus could feel Briar’s restless energy. He couldn’t blame him. If this had been Merrik or Thia or—

Well, if this had been someone he loved, he would be just as anxious.

He was grateful Rayner stepped forward into the cliffs or he would have started to wonder if Cassius was taking a Source at this very moment, and that was a path he needed to steer clear of right now. He needed to stay focused. In and out. That’s what they were doing because this place had evil exuding off of it in waves.

Why the hell would Abrax hide Ashtine here?

They walked down the long hall for a few minutes before it emptied into a huge, open cavern. Cyrus and Razik lit some nearby braziers with their ?ames illuminating the space. Rayner hadn’t been exaggerating. This place was its own city. The inside of the cliffs were bright white, and they looked like they had just been cleaned. They were as pristine as if people still lived here despite the place being deserted for centuries.

The white cliff walls re?ected the light, making the space even brighter. There had to be at least a hundred levels, each ringing this central space. Doors leading to horrors Cyrus never wanted to see were visible behind the gleaming gold railings that ran along each level. There were four separate staircases, one in each direction, and a small stream wound through the center with a wooden bridge on each end of the cavern to cross it.

“Where do we start looking?” Sawyer asked.

“No need,” drifted a cold voice.

The Fae all whirled, drawing weapons. Cyrus had an arrow nocked in his bow in less than a second, the end ?aring with ?re. They all locked shields into place as Alaric stepped from a room, his hand gripping Princess Ashtine’s upper arm. Talwyn hadn’t been lying. There was a small round bump at her lower belly, and her hands rested protectively on it.

“Ashtine,” Briar breathed, stepping forward, but Alaric jerked the princess back. She didn’t make a sound, but she did suck in a sharp breath. She had always had a light complexion, but her face was as white as a spirit of the After now.

“Not one more step, Prince of Water,” Alaric said calmly. “I am doing your lover a courtesy and not draining her of all that magni?cent power currently in her veins, but if any of you do anything unnecessary, that will change. I cannot imagine that would be healthy for growing babes.” He looked each of them in the eye. “Lower your weapons.”

They all slowly did so, and when the Maraan Prince continued to stare at them, they all tossed them to the ground.

“How did you get past Abrax?” Briar asked, lethal rage lacing every word.

“Even a spirit animal can grow weary in the face of a unit of seraphs, Prince Drayce. I just needed the horse distracted long enough to slip by anyway,” Alaric said.

“How did you get inside the cliffs?” Rayner asked.

Alaric’s smile was a twisted thing, and gods. It mirrored the look Scarlett got when she was looking at them as Death’s Maiden and not their queen. “All in good time, Ash Rider. We have some other matters to discuss ?rst.”

“You desire to enter the Water Prison, yes?” Briar interjected.

“That is one matter to be discussed,”Alaric agreed.

“Fine. Done. Release Princess Ashtine. Let her leave with the others, and I will go with you and take you into the prison.”

“Ah, the self-sacri?ce,” Alaric said with mock wistfulness. “I anticipated it would come to this.”

“Then we have reached an agreement,” Briar said, taking another step forward. “Release her and let them leave. We can go. Right now.”

Alaric made a show of seeming to mull this over before he said, “I will gladly exchange Ashtine for you, but what of the other lives?”

“Other lives?” Briar asked.

Alaric glanced down at Ashtine’s belly, and her hands slid higher, as if to shield it from his dark gaze. “Twins, I believe. Yes?”

“We will stay in exchange,” Sawyer said, Neve stepping forward with him.

“Valiant of you, to stand behind your prince,” Alaric said. “Unfortunately, Balam has made the request for the exchange of their lives. He would like his children returned in exchange for your children, Prince Drayce.”

“Drake and Tava?” Briar said.

“For reasons only the gods know, yes,” Alaric said, annoyance heavy in his tone. Then he shrugged. “But that is what I agreed to present to you. Princess Ashtine and the babes in exchange for you and the Tyndell children. Or rather, I suppose the Middell heirs, but do not call them that in front of Balam unless you wish for a dagger in your chest.”

The Fae all stared back at this male because he had them up against a godsdamn wall. How were they supposed to agree to that? Drake and Tava were not even on the continent.

“This is seven on one,” Sawyer said suddenly. “Why are we even entertaining this lunacy?”

Then all the Fae were on their knees. Cyrus had felt this one other time. Cethin had done this to them brie?y to prove a point to Scarlett, and it had been this excruciating then too. His magic was literally being clawed from his being, ripped from his veins. He fought to contain the cry of agony. Cethin had stopped after a second. Alaric did not. It was perhaps ten seconds, but the pain made it feel like ten minutes.

Razik, however, was still on his feet.

Alaric released the rest of them from his magic as he sneered at the Avonleyan Hand. “And then there is you,” he spat. “Offspring of the dragon master.”

Razik gave him the same insolent, bored expression he gave everyone else. Alaric almost appeared to bristle when Razik didn’t say anything in response.

“I see you learned the work-around for the Wards if you are on this side of them,” he ?nally continued.

Now a cool, amused smirk tilted on Razik’s lips. “From my understanding, our princess tricked you into using the work-around to free our allies.”

Alaric’s dark eyes narrowed. “That idiot girl repurposed the Avonleyan Keys.”

“That girl is an Avonleyan Key. The one to let us out, in fact. I guess that makes you the idiot. You sent her right to us. I suppose a thank you is in order for that.” Then Razik shrugged lazily. “But I’ve been told a fraction of what you did to her, so I’m inclined to say fuck you instead.”

“You lie,” Alaric seethed, and Ashtine let out a small whimper as the Marran Prince’s ?ngers dug into her arm.

Razik’s spine snapped straight at the sound, smoke ?owing from his nostrils. Gone was the indifference. But he couldn’t do anything. He could obviously shield against Alaric’s power—had trained with Cethin extensively on how to do so—but it was eating away at his magic, and he was the only one who could Travel them out of here. And if he tried to attack Alaric, he risked all of their lives. None of them cared. They would all give their lives for Ashtine and those babes, but Alaric wouldn’t go for them ?rst. He’d go for her, and they all knew it.

“What other matters need to be discussed?” Razik demanded.

Alaric cleared his throat, watching the dragon shifter warily. “The matter of the mortal heirs you house.”

“You cannot have them. What else?” Razik said, and Cyrus had to work to control his reaction at Razik speaking so ?ippantly to the male.

“You misunderstand,” Alaric said smoothly. “If you wish for your companions to live, you will need to bring me the other two mortal kings in exchange.”

“You will keep six males and a female hostage for two mortal kings?” Razik asked, arching a brow. “Get your head out of your ass. That is not a fair exchange. A life for a life. That is what we are doing here, isn’t it?”

Cyrus whipped his head to Razik because what the actual fuck was he doing?

Alaric stared back at Razik, and Cyrus could swear he seemed almost rattled.

“Well?” Razik pressed. “Are we negotiating or not? Choose wisely though. I am only entertaining one offer.”

“Who are you?” Alaric asked, his eyes narrowing again.

“Right now I am the one you are negotiating with. Do you want the mortal kings or not?”

Alaric’s mouth pressed into a thin line before he said, “Fine. Two lives for two lives. The two Water Fae stay behind.”

“No.”

Alaric blinked. “No what?”

“No. On behalf of Avonleya, I reject the offer,” Razik said. “We keep the mortal kings, you keep the Water Fae. Kill them. Whatever. Truth be told, I like the mortal kings more than them anyway.”

“What?” Briar and Cyrus said at the same time.

“It seems your companions disagree,” Alaric said with a sneer.

“My companions are not Hand to the Avonleyan King,” Razik snarled in reply, straightening to his full height. “You have bartered with them and stated your terms for the Wind Princess. If they follow through, you will already have one mortal king. The other mortal kings are also in my kingdom, under our protection. One of them resides under my king’s rule. If you want them, you negotiate with me. Which we already did. What else?”

“I need a Fae Queen or getting into the prison is pointless,” Alaric gritted out.

“And? I thought you knew Scarlett was not actually Fae,” Razik replied.

Alaric inhaled through his nose as if he were trying to control himself. Scarlett had said more than once Alaric was a patient man, but when he ran out of it, it was never good. He was still gripping Ashtine, and her skin had taken on a greenish hue now, as though she were going to be sick.

“You are trying my patience, dragon,” Alaric said tightly.

“I don’t give a fuck,” Razik returned.

“You gamble with Princess Ashtine’s life and the lives of her unborn as freely as you do the lives of the Water Fae?”

Razik tsked in irritation. “We both know that if you kill her, I will kill you. We also both know that the reason I have not fried your ass with dragon ?re is because you still grip her arm. Clearly I value her or I would have already sacri?ced her to end you. Are all Maraans this moronic?”

“I am told you have Queen Talwyn,” Alaric snapped. “Now you are just getting greedy.”

“A Fire Court Second should do,” Alaric said, ignoring Razik’s sarcasm.

“A Second for a Queen? Try again.”

Cyrus started to say something, but the look Razik shot him made him hold his tongue. He clearly had some sort of plan.

Gods, he hoped he had some sort of plan. But Alaric was apparently done negotiating.

“Enough of this,” he spat, Ashtine crying out again as she was yanked forward. The princess hadn’t said a single word since they’d arrived. Alaric must have threatened the babes if she did. “Here is what is going to happen. You are going to leave, and when Prince Drayce returns, he will have the Middell heirs with him.”

“I am not leaving her here,” Briar snarled.

“You are if you want her to remain breathing,” Alaric said simply. “Besides, she will no longer be alone. The Fire Second and Water Third will remain behind with her.”

“There was never an agreement to that,” Razik interjected.

“I am done negotiating, dragon. The only person I will negotiate with now is Death’s Maiden. She has taken what belongs to me, so I am taking what belongs to her.”

“You want a Second and a Third rather than the Princes?” Azrael asked. “Keep me and Drayce instead.”

Alaric’s lip curled back as he looked the Earth Prince up and down. “I already possess one Fae Royal. I am about to possess another, and I already control the Courts. When Scarlett returns my queen alive , that shall suf?ce. Prince Drayce needs proper motivation to follow through on his bargain, and I do not need Tarek distracted by his petty feud with you.” His gaze shifted to Briar. “When you are ready to ful?ll your end of the deal, send word to the Baylorin castle, and a place and time shall be arranged.”

“This is ?ne, Drayce,” Cyrus said. “Neve and I will be with her. We will watch over her until you get back.”

“Are we done here then?” Razik asked sharply, arms crossing over his chest.

Alaric’s attention returned to him. “Three days. Tell Scarlett to meet me here with Talwyn in three days, or I will start taking lives. Kindly remind her I have access to hundreds of innocent magic wielders now, and they are as expendable to me as the children in the Black Syndicate were. When she comes, she only comes with her Guardian. No one else.”

“You expect us to send our princess to you with only her Guardian for protection?” Razik asked. “You cannot possibly be this stupid.”

Alaric was clearly clinging to his last shred of control with Razik. “Fine,” he gritted out. “Send the Ash Rider with them. There is a room on the tenth ?oor that nulli?es magic. We will meet there. I am certain he knows where it is.”

Cyrus glanced at Rayner, who was so rigid he could see the tendons straining in his neck.

“You never said how you entered these cliffs,” Rayner said tightly.

A knowing smile appeared on Alaric’s face. He lifted his arm, the sleeve of his jacket sliding up and a brand ?aring beneath his skin. “My mother made sure I was able to enter her domain when I came to this world.”

Rayner visibly ?inched. “That is not possible.”

“Oh, but it is,” Alaric replied. “Do you think Deimas would trust just anyone to give him powerful weapons?”

“They were not weapons. They were people,” Rayner rasped. “Innocent men and women and children.”

“ Powerless men and women and children,” Alaric corrected casually. “That is what is wrong with this world. None of you understand that without power, you are nothing. Power is the currency of the realms.”

“We are leaving,” Razik said, already moving to the hall they had entered through. Cyrus and Neve stayed rooted to the spot as the other Fae followed Razik.

“I will come for you, Ashtine,” Briar said, palpable agony lacing every word.

“I will watch over her, Prince,” Neve promised.

Briar nodded, but Cyrus could tell the words did nothing to ease his anguish.

“Do tell Scarlett not to keep me waiting,” Alaric called after them. “As she is well aware, my time is running out, and so is my tolerance for her antics.”

The four of them stood there in silence for several minutes until he suddenly released Ashtine.

“They will learn what lies hidden here,” the princess said immediately. “With or without me. Scarlett will ?gure it out.”

“Then for the sake of your unborn children, you had better hope I ?nd it ?rst,” Alaric said calmly. Cyrus looked back and forth between the two, Neve doing the same.

“Briar will not let you harm them,” she replied lightly.

“Prince Drayce will do anything to ensure you and his children are unharmed. I do not worry about the Water Prince,” Alaric said dismissively, striding towards the same hall the others had left through.

Her head tilted, silver hair shifting over her shoulder. “Then you are as moronic as the Sargon Heir observed you to be.”

Alaric paused mid-step, turning back to face her. She gasped, hands coming back to her belly before she dropped to her knees. Cyrus and Neve both rushed forward. Neve dropped down beside her, an arm going around her shoulders. Ashtine seemed to relax a moment later, and Cyrus turned back to Alaric.

“I know what power you hold right now, Princess Ashtine, and I am the one who decides if that power enters this world or not,” he said coldly. “It seems you would do well to remember that.”

He turned once more, continuing down the hall. “Bring her,” he called back to them. “And if you try to retrieve any of those weapons, a babe will pay the price.”

Cyrus and Neve exchanged a look before they both helped Ashtine up. Then Cyrus scooped her off her feet all together. She settled against him, hands once again cradling her stomach.

“What is hidden here, your Highness?” Cyrus asked quietly as they made their way down the passage that would lead them back outside.

“The lock,” she answered faintly.

“What lock?” Neve asked.

“The lock that opens the mirror gates.”