Page 124 of Lady of Starfire (Lady of Darkness #5)

Callan

“T he Eternal Necropolis is surrounded by seraphs,” Rayner reported, slumping onto the ground. The Ash Rider’s grey eyes were hardly moving, and even Callan knew his power was about tapped out.

“I should not have stayed away so long,” Nuri said, arms crossed where she leaned against a tree. “I would have been able to warn you.”

“No,” Scarlett said. “This is not your fault. This is … Well, it is no one’s fault. He’s had us running and running, scrambling to stay ahead of him. We should have seen this coming.”

Callan studied the Wraiths and the Fae scattered around him among the carnage of Scarlett and her power.

She and the other World Walkers had left nothing of the enemy forces.

He hadn’t been surprised to learn the magic she now possessed was called Chaos.

It encompassed everything the High Queen was.

But she had come.

She had come for him.

After all they had been through together. After all the love and the hate. The pain and grief. She had still come for him.

Just like she had always promised.

“He is trying to do something with the mirror gate,” Scarlett said, chewing on some food someone had scrounged up for them.

“I can feel him doing …something.” Her brow pinched in confusion, and Juliette took the opportunity to reach over and snatch a piece of meat.

Scarlett nearly upended her entire plate trying to grab it back.

“Gods,” Azrael muttered. “There is plenty of food, and we can get more.”

Someone had gone to get Talwyn, and she was sitting close to Azrael, leaning against him.

The former Fae Queen looked exhausted yet content, her cool jade eyes surveying them all.

Callan had been told so much information in the last two hours, he was still trying to sift through it all.

But more than any of that he was waiting for—

“Ezra,” Drake said, pushing to his feet when the guard appeared. He was as bloody as the rest of them, but he’d gone back to Baylorin to see what news he could find out about the state of the capital and Tava.

“The city itself is untouched,” Ezra said. “There were a small number of forces left behind to guard the castle, but …” His pale blue eyes went to Callan. “They took her with them. Balam refused to leave her behind.”

“Them?” Callan demanded.

“All the Maraans are with Alaric,” Ezra answered. “And Tava is with them.”

“Alaric just lost over half his forces,” Eliza said from where she sat on the ground next to Razik.

“Half of his known forces,” Cyrus said. “Where the hell has he been hiding all these flying fuckers?”

“Roderick had secret bases all over the mortal lands,” Nuri said. “Deep in the Xylon and Dresden Forests. More than that, they have an entire network of bases underground. But from what I have been told by Mordecai, what was done here today was more than half his forces.”

“Rydeon and Toreall are vulnerable right now if their Maraan Lord is at the Necropolis,” Briar said. “So is my Court. We could easily go in and take them back with their forces spread so thin now.”

“But none of that will matter if Alaric succeeds at whatever he’s trying to do,” Sorin countered. “None of that will matter if the Maraans still remain. We need to figure out how to kill them without losing the mortal kings.”

“What if that is the only way to stop them?” Nuri asked.

Everyone went silent.

“Shut up, Nuri,” Scarlett muttered. “That is not happening.”

“Someone had to say it,” Nuri shot back. “This could all end at this very moment. Kill the kings, and that’s three Maraans down in one clean sweep. Then there’s just Balam and Alaric left, but it will weaken Alaric too much to lose all the other Maraans and so many seraphs.”

“No,” Scarlett repeated.

“All options need to be discussed,” Nuri said. “Gods, I wish Cai were here. He understands that sometimes the only real option is sacrifice.”

“Do not speak to me of sacrifice,” Scarlett snarled.

“No, Sister,” Nuri sniped back, taking a step towards the queen. “ You do not speak to me of sacrifice after what I have been forced to do these last months while you have been learning fancy tricks across the sea.”

Sorin was holding on to Scarlett, and Cassius had grabbed the back of Nuri’s cloak as everyone held their breath to see if the two were going to continue this argument with fists and swords.

“For the love of Reselda,” Juliette sighed. “If I have to break up a fight between you two, I’m using deathstone to do it.”

“You don’t have any deathstone,” Scarlett said, turning to her.

Juliette gestured across the way to Cethin and Kailia. “I’m sure her Majesty would let me borrow some.”

“I would,” Kailia agreed simply, resting her chin on her palm while she observed.

“I thought the three of you were …close,” Cethin said carefully.

“We are,” the Wraiths all answered in unison.

“If you are wondering if they are always this ridiculous, the answer is yes,” Azrael muttered, thumb and forefinger rubbing at his brow in annoyance.

“What if a sacrifice is the only way to end this?” Callan suddenly asked. He’d been half-listening to the conversation around him, mulling over something Nuri had said.

“No,” Scarlett said firmly.

“Nuri is right,” Callan insisted. “This could end far quicker if the Maraan numbers were taken down to two. Countless lives would be saved. Would a sacrifice to end this sooner rather than later not be wise?”

“No,” Scarlett said again.

“It is not solely your decision to make, Scarlett,” Callan said with a sad tilt of his lips.

“There is another way,” she said, dread seeping into her tone.

“We are out of time,” Callan countered.

“We’re not,” she insisted, her voice breaking. “We’ve all been making sacrifices. We’ve all given enough.”

“You’re right,” Callan agreed. “But what if … What if only a few had to give a little more to end it all? So that this?” He made a wide sweeping gesture with his hand. “This can truly be the last time these people have to do this. Your people. My people. This world.”

“Then it will be me,” she said vehemently. “Not three mortal kings when their people need them most.”

“The realm needs a guardian, Scarlett. That is you.”

“This world needs light , Callan,” she answered, two tears slipping free. “And that is you .”

“What if the sacrifice was not three but one?” Razik suddenly interrupted.

“It is still one too many,” Scarlett snarled.

“It’s a valid argument that needs to be heard, Scarlett,” Eliza said gently.

“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. She turned pleading eyes to Sorin. “Tell me we can figure something else out. Tell them.”

There was so much love and pity in Sorin’s eyes as he looked at his wife, bringing up a hand to cradle her jaw. “Let’s hear what Razik has to say, Love.”

She shook her head, and Callan knew Sorin was saying more down their bond. He left him to handle the High Queen and turned back to Razik. “Tell us what you are thinking.”

They turned down a passage of the Necropolis that would take them to the center where the mirror gate was. There were only a handful of them. Most of the Fae had been too drained to come, their magic reserves depleted. The Wraiths were here. Drake and Hale. Cyrus and Cassius. Razik and Eliza.

They did not slow their steps, the Wraiths leading the way. They prowled straight down the passage and into the center of the Necropolis.

Ezra had been right. Tava was here. She was off to the side with Balam, her fingers twisted around the amulet at her throat.

They’d told Balam Drake had picked it up for her as a gift.

She was in a dress of deepest green, her golden hair unbound and flowing around her shoulders.

Her turquoise eyes went wide when they appeared, a hand covering the small gasp that came from her.

The Maraans all turned as seraphs converged on their company, but they didn’t make it very far. Cassius and Razik had a line of dragon fire drawn between them, causing the seraphs all to pause. Orvyn and Idris stepped to Alaric’s side, but Balam stayed planted next to Tava, tucking her behind him.

“My Wraiths,” Alaric said, a vindictive smirk filling his face. “All of you together again. Well done, Nuri.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Scarlett demanded.

But Nuri was leaving their ranks, leaping across the dragon fire to saunter to Alaric’s side.

“After your stunt in the Southern Islands, I realized I would never be the one to convince you to come home,” Alaric said, nodding in approval at Nuri as she fell into line beside the Maraan Lords.

“So you …sent Nuri?” Scarlett asked. “But she didn’t … That’s not why we’re here.”

“No, you came to stop me,” Alaric said, his grin growing wider. “Am I correct, Death’s Maiden?”

“I came to kill you,” Scarlett sneered, starfire flaring in one hand while darkness pooled in the other.

Alaric clicked his tongue, turning away from them and back to the mirror.

“Do not be foolish, Scarlett. You cannot kill any of us at the moment. Not me, and certainly not the kings.” He had moved back to the mirror gate, running his fingers along the symbols around it, but he glanced over his shoulder as he said, “You do know about that new caveat? I assume that is why Mikale is still alive somewhere.”

“I know all about the life bonds created when we took down the wards,” Scarlett retorted.

“Then you know your threats are utterly pointless right now. I taught you better,” he said coldly, turning back to the mirror. “I, however, have no such compunctions about killing the mortal kings.”

“What?” Idris and Orvyn demanded, spinning to face their prince.

“Relax,” Alaric sighed in obvious irritation. “Scarlett will not let her precious mortal king perish. Try as I might, I could not drive every last shred of compassion from her being.”

“I do not understand what is happening right now,” Callan heard Eliza mutter to Razik.

“Alaric is about to tell us,” Cassius said grimly.