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Chapter Twenty-six

Cyrus

I reclined on my throne, crown firmly placed on my head, and looked out on the Fae in front of me. Those in the throne room were quiet, a change to the court since my father passed and I took power.

With his death, and more importantly, my ascension, things were finally able to improve around here.

Weylin was sent to the far border with Sunset, to prove his loyalty to his new king from the bottom up. Serving as a soldier in my army until I felt sufficiently satisfied. Or until the war broke out. Then, I’d send him where the fighting was thickest. Hopefully, he’ll find himself cut down soon enough, getting rid of one of my obstacles.

Daneiris was another to watch, but I couldn’t exactly send her out to serve in the army. So, along with the rest of my siblings, she was under strict surveillance. Curfews were established for each of them, and not one of them went anywhere without my knowing.

Zerlina was spending too much time with Daneiris for my liking, though the spy I had placed on her assured me that nothing disloyal was occurring, I still kept her close. She was my key to Dawn, after all.

Another significant difference was that I no longer had to hide what I was doing with blood magic—at least, not within my borders. A certain percentage of humans in each area were now required to be sacrificed to the cause. Calculated by the population density of each lord’s city and outlying villages.

Each human was sent to one of a number of camps spread across Dusk. There, they were bloodletted and bottled. Each bottle of blood was then sent back to me to complete the process. I trusted no others with the spell required to make it actual blood magic and not a worthless cup of human blood.

A benefit to my plans coming to light within the court was its members becoming much more manageable. They seemed to be scheming much less, which was a miracle on its own. No one dared cross me now, and it brought me significant pleasure to know they all recognized my superior power.

I did what my father had never managed, finally getting all of Dusk to shut up and do what they were told. Backstabbing and plots were rampant during Astraeus’s reign.

None would dare with mine.

I was currently waiting on Aelius, who should be strolling through the doors any moment. The humans he’d promised me had never shown up, and instead of guards loyal to me, I received ones loyal to Prince Arien.

We would certainly be having words.

Now that I was king, he could no longer disrespect me as he had before. We were on equal footing. Even if I was clearly the superior. He couldn’t even manage to get his house in order after hundreds of years as king.

After a good ten minutes of impatiently tapping the arms of my winged throne, watching members of my court shift nervously, the doors finally opened.

“Presenting King Aelius of House Earendel, King of Day Kingdom, Lord of Avalon, The Sun Dragon.” The herald announced dramatically, making me roll my eyes.

The man sauntered in, his personal guards and most loyal lords behind him. His blonde hair hit his shoulders and blended into the golden armor I doubted had ever seen battle. The purple dragon in the middle of his family’s sigil was the only spot of color in all the gold.

He’d be all too obvious of a target on the battlefield. A sun dragon, indeed. More like a brightly lit fool with an arrow pointing straight at him.

“ King Cyrus, I hear it is now,” Aelius greeted, that smug air of superiority that I detested ever present.

“Indeed it is,” I replied dryly, nodding my head once. I leaned forward slightly on my throne, enjoying the opportunity to look down on him. “So please explain to me, king to king, ally to ally, where in the Otherworld the humans and soldiers you promised me are?”

Aelius’s brow creased, a wrinkle forming on his forehead. “They aren’t here?”

“No,” I growled, temper fraying. “Would I be asking if they were?”

Aelius looked deep in thought for a moment, “They aren’t in Day. Which can only mean foul play was involved.”

“So one of your people betrayed you, is what you’re saying?” I pushed, getting frustrated.

“Who’s to say really?” Aelius said casually, smiling slightly, with a shrug of his shoulders. “Maybe one of your people did.”

“They didn’t,” I ground out, aggravated. “The only ones who knew about this were your people.”

When Aelius just shrugged his shoulder again, I ground my teeth back and forth. Just looking at him made me itch with the desire to kill him. His smugness aside, the bits of Asteria I could pick out made me furious. She should be here, at my feet, where she belongs. Not off gallivanting with Calix.

I took a subtle breath, reminding myself of why I must do this. All would be made right by the end, and I’d ensure his daughter would be all that remained of him.

I stood from my throne, enjoying the way heads bowed around the room. The few humans in the room practically cowered back, bringing a small smile to my lips. Now, that was the proper order of things.

“Walk with me, Aelius,” I commanded, and the raised golden brow I got in response had me fixing him with a look that made it clear it wasn’t a suggestion.

His eyes narrowed, looking me over critically, before his head dipped in a single nod, and he fell in beside me as I walked through the doors of the throne room into the hall.

“You know who did this, don’t you?” I asked, keeping my eyes straight ahead. The too-casual replies were more suspicious than anything, and I was positive he knew exactly what had happened.

Aelius sighed, beleaguered. “Yes, but I’m handling it.”

“Handling it?” I hissed, stopping in my tracks and grabbing his arm. He looked down at my hand, completely unimpressed. He reached down and removed it despite my trying to fight it. I growled as he managed to throw my hand away from him.

Aelius stepped up into me, until his face was uncomfortably close to mine. Forcing me to witness the streaks of sunlight in his sky-blue eyes that otherwise mirrored Asteria’s.

“Remember, boy ,” he spat. “You may be king of this lesser kingdom, but I have hundreds of years on you. Don’t test me. I have little patience for fools.”

Lightning crackled around my fingers, but I couldn’t kill him yet. Luckily, an idea came to me, and a slow smirk replaced the snarl curling my lips.

“It was your son, wasn’t it?” I whispered, cooing at him. “Aw, are you actually trying to protect him? For once in his whole life?” I placed a hand dramatically over my heart. “I’m moved, Aelius.”

“He’s a foolish boy.” Aelius glared, a muscle in his jaw jumping. “He doesn’t understand, but he will. And let me make one thing straight. I may not be impressed with him, but I won’t let you kill my only son either.”

“Then you better get Day in line.” I let the blood magic fuel me until lightning crackled all around us. Aelius twitched as the bolts closed in on him. “If your son gets in the way of our goal, he’ll have to be dealt with. So why don’t you go gather your armies, corral your son, and use your common fucking sense to find where he hid—my—HUMANS!” I screamed, snarling right in his face as my lightning pressed down on Aelius, close enough to kill should he move an inch.

Aelius nodded once, jaw tight, and I let the lightning fade with his submission. Aelius quickly moved to walk away, his body unnaturally stiff.

“Oh, Aelius?” I called as he moved down the hall. He turned back, a glare aimed at me that did nothing but make me smirk following my victory. “Be quick about it. If you’re not back before Night moves, you’re going to have a much bigger problem than a female heir.”

I swirled around, walking off in the opposite direction. Rage was a constant companion, but in moments like these, it bubbled up more. I brought myself to the closest patio and let my wings snap out, bright pink feathers flapping as I took off into the sky.

At least Aelius would move his ass now. I had other things I needed to tend to. I flew off toward the Namminian Ocean, letting the smell of sea and salt calm me when I finally approached Eventide’s coast.

Farther away from the capital than the other cities of Dusk, it had been an ideal spot to set up. Not that Lord Udaya had even been aware of it. The sirens were great protectors when motivated. And free victims for them was a trade I could live with.

North of the city of Eventide itself, there was a stretch of land occupied mainly by tiny human villages. It was all too easy to set up here, and I didn’t even have to move the humans to do it.

I landed by the rocks lining the ocean, cringing as the creatures turned to me. Where the mermaids who called the Damaculous Ocean home were beautiful, with personalities to match, the sirens were horrifying. Instead of hair, feathers swept down their heads, blending into their wings. Their bird feet ended in claws that dug into the sand and rock alike.

Their faces weren’t much better. While ostensibly that of a woman, their teeth were razor sharp, and random stripes of scales lined their cheekbones and other places across the fleshy parts of their bodies.

They swam as easily as they flew and were appropriately terrifying to humans trying to run away. The sirens had been held back since the treaties were signed by the six Fae kings long ago. They were forced to eat fish and whales as opposed to human flesh. The return to tradition was taken to with gusto, and they enjoyed hunting down any humans who might try to escape.

There was always at least one brave soul, once they realized the fate that awaited them.

“Any issues while I’ve been occupied?” I asked the creatures. Not the most likely of guards, surely.

What I could only imagine was supposed to be a snicker sounded between them. “Not enough to hunt, king.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, don’t worry. You’ll have fresh meat soon.”

Their overexcited cawing and jumping around on taloned feet had me wanting to get out of there immediately.

“Just remember, I need the majority bled for me.” I reminded them firmly, not wanting them to get overzealous. They were only useful up until they started to interfere with my blood supply.

“Of course, king.” A blue feathery head nodded, its wide smile all the more disconcerting with the rows of serrated fangs.

I gave them a brisk nod, taking back off into the sky to fly into the interior part of the camp, bristling as I heard their bird-like cackling. I brushed it off, for now, as I flew past the several layers of guards and walls to the interior section of the camp. I landed among rows of humans strapped upside down to boards, blood dripping slowly into the collection bottles.

“My King.” Kesshuu bowed before me, and I quickly had him rise so we could get on with this.

“How is it coming, Kess?” I asked impatiently, having been itching to get out here and check on our progress.

He smiled slyly, nodding his head to the left and walking off in that direction. I followed, anticipation rising, my heart beating as if Asteria herself was right in front of me, within touching distance.

I shook off the thought. I’d have plenty of time to touch as soon as this succeeded.

I followed Kesshuu back past the humans chained to the ground. There was no need for the pretense of care anymore, not with these ones.

Asteria may have thought human slaves were seen as nothing more than sheep for the slaughter, but she hadn’t truly seen the meaning of the phrase yet.

She would, though.

I wrinkled my nose at the smell. Shalim, humans were truly disgusting creatures. Unwashed, the scent of body odor, piss, and shit pervaded the space. I hurried my steps forward.

“You get used to it,” Kesshuu advised, a slight smile on his face. I shook my head. It was revolting, and a king had no need to adjust to such things.

Finally, we came to a small building that had a series of locked doors. Three deep, and all with different keys. This was too important to leave to chance or destruction. Human rebels were popping up more and more often. While the court may be quelled by me, the humans I don’t see on a regular basis have not yet learned the severe error of their ways.

But they would soon enough.

They’d actually managed to damage one of my camps and free some of the humans there. A small number, of course, but any number was too many.

Past the third door, we began descending a spiral staircase deep into the ground, where a long-forgotten dungeon had been transformed. A screeching noise reached me first, and then the banging. A full smithy had essentially been created down here, with some key differences.

The Fae holding the leashes straightened as I walked in, but the collared humans kept working away.

“We’ve managed to make plenty of iron.” Kesshuu smiled fully, turning his head to me. “We’ve created all the weapons you asked for, plus a few more… innovations, let’s say.”

I raised a brow at him, but couldn’t help the smile that tilted my lips. I clapped a hand on his shoulder, “Good work, Kess.”

“Thank you, my King.” He dipped his head quickly. “We’ve got much of it ready to transport wherever you wish at a moment's notice. We could send half to Evenfall and half to Alfheim if you’d like, secure the capital and the border?”

I walked further into the room, bending to examine the iron as it was worked.

Such a little thing, with such devastating impact.

I bit the gloved tip of my index finger to swiftly remove the black leather from my right hand.

“My King,” Kesshuu began, panicked. “There’s no ne?—”

He quieted as my fingertip brushed the iron briefly. The sharp hiss of pain had me swearing under my breath. Getting stabbed with this would feel like being burnt alive. I could even feel the sap on my magic, from just the slightest brush against my skin.

It was perfect .

“Send some to both Alfheim and Falias.” I mused, considering our border. “I want Vissy’s city protected as well. Some to Eventide itself even. Make sure Calix doesn’t jump over the border on this end.”

“Of course.” Kesshuu agreed, voice low.

“But I want the majority sent to Evenfall,” I told him firmly, having decided on the path forward. “Calix might find a way to fight through the border, or find a new way around. But I know he’ll come for Evenfall eventually. I want to ensure he finds the nastiest of surprises waiting for him.”

“We’ll get on that immediately.” He eagerly agreed, so willing to do whatever it took to move up the ranks. So easy to push and pull just where I wanted him.

“And I want you back in Evenfall. You’ve done great work. Now it’s time to delegate and come to the capital to reap the rewards.” I smiled fully, ensuring that charm that so often got me my way was in full effect.

His big smile and quick agreement were just what I was expecting. As the only one I let into the secret of how to make iron, he needed to be kept under heel—but staying happily there, completely oblivious to it, made it so much easier.

That was where I went wrong with Asteria. I’d tried the same tactic on her, not factoring in how much more intelligent she was than bootlickers like Kess. I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

And this iron would guarantee my victory.

After assuring Kesshuu several times that once he was finished with his part in turning blood to iron, he could leave for Evenfall, I began my flight back home. My smile was hard to contain, hidden up here in the skies as I was. Everything was going to plan, better than even, at least on the iron front.

Aelius and his wayward son… those missing bloodsacks… that was another matter entirely, and quickly had my smile falling.

The Otherworld damned Earendel family was going to drive me up a wall before the end of this.

I hated that any thought of Aelius automatically led back to Asteria. I thought of her enough as it was, dammit! Even here, flying through the skies, I wondered to myself if she’d flown yet. She’d always loved the sky and had coveted wings as much as she had freedom.

I valued her spirit, as much as it must have seemed otherwise. She wouldn’t have been any fun without it!

I had never really appreciated the ability to fly. Asteria’s desire to made me realize I had always just taken it as my gods given right. It was only in learning how shit the gods truly are that I realized it was a right, just not gifted from them. It was mine . And unlike my magic, they couldn’t do a Tartarus damn thing to take it away from me.

So I let myself enjoy it, hoping despite myself that Asteria was enjoying it too. Though my mood darkened when I considered who she might be flying with .

Or… wait…

It wasn’t just my mood darkening . Coming from the capital, billowing black smoke clouds rose into the air. I narrowed my eyes, a snarl already starting as I headed straight for what was surely another feeble slave-led insurrection against me.