Page 109 of Lady of Starfire (Lady of Darkness #5)

“That is deathstone, Scarlett,” he retorted. “It was created specifically to contain the gods.”

“Smart king,” Roderick said, jostling her against him.

“Cethin, either keep draining him or Travel out,” she said, the Chaos becoming turbulent within.

“Scarlett—”

“Go!”

Her voice was a dark order that had her brother glaring at her, but he was gone a moment later.

“Pitiful,” Roderick spat. “Here I was, a touch worried when I heard the Avonleyan King had emerged at last.”

“I know,” she sighed. “You should have been worrying about the World Walker.”

She felt the bark of laughter rumble against her back. “The World Walkers are not a worry to me. A nuisance trapped in their animal forms, yes, but nothing we are not prepared to handle.”

“Oh, I meant their High Queen,” Scarlett said, her shadows creeping out and beginning to coil around his wrist.

“There is no High Queen. Not any—”

Then he was hissing a curse, the dagger sinking in a little farther before her shadows wrenched it from his hand.

Roderick dropped to his knees, Scarlett darting away as Cethin reappeared beside her, pulling every last bit of power from the Maraan Lord.

She felt Roderick’s power reach for her, but her brother’s magic was holding it too tightly now.

Cethin’s hand clamped around the male’s throat, his darkness spilling out, an inky pool of black at his feet. Scarlett’s Chaos strained at the sight of it. She gritted her teeth, trying to give Sorin a little longer.

Veins of black were spider-webbing across Roderick’s skin. His face. Down his throat.

A strangled cough rattled from the Maraan’s throat, and Cethin laughed. It was the same wicked laugh Scarlett had, and she found herself smiling when he said, “One would think your prince would have taught you to shield against this kind of power. Then again, I can feel you trying. Pitiful .”

Now, Scarlett! came Sorin’s voice down the bond.

She pushed out a heavy breath of relief, shaking out her hands and rolling her shoulders. “Is he drained?”

“Almost,” Cethin retorted. “Physical contact allows me to drain him much faster.”

Roderick hissed out a curse as Scarlett sauntered forward.

She bent down to speak directly into his face.

Cethin still held him by the throat, the black veins seeping down beneath his tunic.

“Correction. You should have been worried about the Avonleyan King and the World Walker.” She looked up at Cethin.

“When he is drained, you need to leave. Back inside the Citadel with the others.”

There was no questioning her. Just a nod of understanding, and a few seconds later, he released Roderick, who slumped over onto his hands and knees, another rattling cough sounding from him.

Cethin gave her one last look, then he Traveled out. Scarlett slowly began circling the Maraan Lord, still keeping a tight hold on the Chaos within. Her panthers snapped and snarled at Roderick.

“Before I end you, I have a question,” Scarlett said, stooping to pick up the deathstone dagger.

She moved before him, crouching in front of the male.

“See, a few years ago, my sisters and I killed one of you. But none of us had our gifts yet, and I cannot for the life of me figure out how we managed it so easily when the rest of you are so fucking hard to kill.”

“Why would I tell you anything?” he rasped out.

She placed the tip of the dagger under his chin, tilting it up. His eyes were wholly black, and the black veins from whatever the hell Cethin had done were unnerving, even for her.

“Because I can make your death quick or last for days,” she replied, digging the tip of the dagger into the flesh of his jaw. “Even if I weren’t a god, I would be your god in this moment.”

“You are not a god.” He coughed, the motion making him cut himself on the dagger, and he hissed another curse.

“True,” she said. “I’m a High Queen.”

Roderick went unnaturally still. “That is impossible.”

Scarlett held up a palm, and Chaos erupted from her. It crashed into Roderick, hurling him across the small clearing and into a tree. He crumpled to the ground.

“The best I can come up with,” she said conversationally, standing and making her way over to him, “is that he had to be completely drained somehow. But even then, he didn’t seem as pathetic as you look right now.”

“He did not have a descendant of Arius merge death with his blood by their touch,” Roderick spat.

And that had Scarlett pausing.

That was an interesting talent.

“But he was drained?” she asked after a moment.

“My Lord, we are not sure what it is happening, but—”

The seraph stopped short when he saw Roderick on the ground, and his gaze swiveled to Scarlett. Before he had taken a single step towards her, she let the Chaos loose.

It exploded out of her with such force, she was lifted into the air where she stayed.

The Chaos slammed into Roderick and the seraph, obliterating them into nothing.

But it went beyond them. The Chaos radiated out and out and out.

It swirled around her and into the air, pulling her starfire with it.

White flames and darkness that took what it wanted.

She could feel it, seeking more and more as it destroyed whatever life it found in its path, and she hoped Sorin had truly gotten all of their people inside the Citadel.

It took everything in her to stop the outpouring of that power, but she knew if she didn’t, the Chaos would kill her.

That’s what her mother had said. If she’d have given up all her Chaos, she’d have died.

And Scarlett had learned in her time between the stars that if she let it, the Chaos would take from her until it killed her.

That was the true cost of harnessing it. Finding the balance between the blessing and the curse that Chaos was and not letting it consume her.

Her feet landed on the earth as she dropped the few feet she’d been in the air, and she doubled over, her hands braced on her knees. She felt him appear beside her. He didn’t need to say anything.

“Fire wings?” she panted, lifting her head to look at him.

“You told me to be more creative, Love,” Sorin said with a wink as he scooped her into his arms.

He Traveled them back to the Citadel. Up to the balcony where Talwyn had screamed to her. The griffin was being tended to. Several Witches were gathered around it while Talwyn paced back and forth in front of Azrael. The Earth Prince had some scratches and bruises, but otherwise appeared fine.

Cethin and Kailia crowded around her when Sorin lowered her onto a sofa just inside the room off the balcony.

A large suite of some sort. Rayner was off to one side with Auberon, Neve, and Hale, and as Sorin was doing his mother hen thing and checking her for injuries, the door opened.

Tybalt entered with two others that Scarlett guessed were from the Avonleyan cadres.

Between them were Nuri and Mordecai. There were deathstone bands on Mordecai’s wrists.

She had no doubt he had allowed them to bind him, but Nuri still had the dagger in her shoulder.

Scarlett shoved Sorin’s hands aside, lurching to her feet. Her knees nearly gave out.

“Scarlett,” he barked, snagging her around the waist and hauling her back to the sofa. “You need to sit.”

“Someone take the dagger out of her. Now,” she ordered.

“We wanted to wait until we all had a chance to speak with them,” Cethin said.

“You can keep the deathstone bands on her, but take the fucking dagger out.” When no one moved, she looked at Rayner. “Please.”

He hesitated, but then strode forward, yanking it free. Nuri gave a shout, and the seraph let out a snarl that made Scarlett glad he was in deathstone.

“You don’t need to keep your hands on them. Let them go,” Scarlett said, again trying to stand.

Cethin jerked his chin, and the cadre warriors stepped away. Mordecai was immediately pulling Nuri into his chest, his wings wrapping around her and shielding her from the rest of them.

“He will summon us back at any moment,” Mordecai said, looking only at Scarlett.

“And you will be unable to follow that order because you are detained,” she answered. “Will that be enough?”

She knew Mordecai understood what she was asking. Will that be enough for Nuri to defy what Alaric demanded of her?

“It should be,” he answered. “She will require a Healer.”

“I will make sure one is sent to her.”

“Thank you. For helping her.”

Scarlett nodded, finally letting herself settle back into Sorin on the sofa. Food and drinks were brought in, Azrael joining them after a time. Talwyn apparently refused to leave the griffin’s side.

They did not speak of the battle that had just happened. They did not speak of future plans. They did not speak of the Maraans or the seraphs. They just …took the moment to appreciate that they had all managed to survive yet again.

Scarlett had swiped a third pear tart from the tray when a water portal appeared. Conversation ceased, and a moment later, Briar and Ashtine stepped through. The princess smiled widely, her hand clasped tightly in Briar’s.

“The winds whispered of victory,” she lilted, gaze sweeping the room. Then her sky-blue eyes met Scarlett’s. “And they spoke of power being reborn.”

“A story for another time,” Scarlett replied with a soft smile from where she was nestled into Sorin’s side. Her feet were tucked under her, her boots and weapons discarded on the floor.

“The entirety of the Wind Court is secured?” Briar asked, leading Ashtine over to the chair Rayner had vacated for her. She lowered into it, hands coming up to rub her swollen belly.

“We believe so,” Sorin said. “Ermir and Sion were sending scouts. If any of Alaric’s forces remain in the Court, they will be dealt with swiftly.”

Briar nodded. “Do you plan to stay here for now?”

“If that is all right,” Scarlett said. “We need to regroup and recharge. Figure out our next moves.”

“There is plenty of room,” Ashtine said.

“I have around three hundred soldiers here as well,” Cethin said.

“I will speak with Sion,” Ashtine said. “We will make sure they are given quarters.”

“Thank you, your Highness.”

Light conversation started up again, and before she knew it, she found herself being jostled awake as Sorin lifted her from the sofa. Apparently she’d nodded off.

She lifted her head as she murmured, “Nuri?”

“They took her to a room to be tended to,” he answered. “Mordecai is keeping his bands on so he cannot Travel them. Nuri’s were removed so the Healers could work.”

“Not in cells, though, right?”

His eyes softened as he carried her down some stairs. “No, Love. Not in cells. They are being given a room near ours. There will be guards outside it, but no bars.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. She knew it was him that would have fought for that while she had slept.

“Let’s get cleaned up, and then you can sleep.”

He was lowering her to her feet so he could open their door when she said, “Sorin?”

He paused, glancing down at her. “Yeah, Love?”

“The fire wings were …”

Gods, she couldn’t even say what that had done to her. To see him with godsdamn wings of flame? The blood and blades. She didn’t want to know what kind of person that made her, but her blood heated just thinking about it.

A soft chuckle rumbled from him as he ushered her inside. “I know, Love. I felt exactly what you thought of those fire wings.”

She felt her cheeks go red, and she turned away from him, hiding her smirk. His dark laugh followed her into the bathing room, where she shut the door behind her.