Page 48

Chapter Forty-eight

Cyrus

I licked my lips, excitement overcoming me as we marched forward. We were so close now.

Lightning sparked around my fingertips, surprising me. I flexed my fingers one by one, focusing on pushing my magic down.

More and more, it reacted without thought. As if I was a child once more, learning how to manage my emotions and my magic. My subjects couldn’t see the struggle it had become. They needed to see me as faultless. Someone in perfect control.

In a way not even my father managed.

Leaving my kingdom for the first time since taking the crown also left me feeling a bit anxious. The rebellions stirring left much to be desired, and my plotting siblings needed to be controlled. Vissy needed to be watched as well.

So many things to do.

I’d set my spies to task, and Emmie was surprisingly proving her worth beyond a warm cunt. Her gossipy nature meant plenty of rumors reached my ears, whispered in them while she lay fucked out on my mattress. At least on the nights Zerlina wasn’t there. Though, I preferred Zerlina of the two. At least when she was on her knees, I could see her darker hair and pretend she was the one I truly wanted.

Once I brought Asteria to heel, I would have no need for either of them, really. She would fulfill my needs; she’d more than proven that. The memory of her throat taking my cock all the way down still fueled many of my orgasms while in bed with the others. As did the memory of the night she all but rode my cock in the brothel.

Those memories kept me going. Kept me furious .

Knowing what she ran from… she would be punished extensively. Starting with making her watch Zerlina wear the crown once I’d ripped the one Asteria now wore off her head.

The news had come not long before we’d left, and it only proved how needed this was. Asteria needed to be shown where she belonged. And it wasn’t on a throne.

This next move would cement all of my plans.

I finally spied our target in the distance. We’d crossed into Sunrise and marched across it toward the Damaculous Ocean. But the ocean wasn’t our goal. No . My goal became clear as we approached.

The vineyard stretched out before my eyes.

The tiny village surrounded it, resting in the shadow of the mountain.

Sonmathion .

It was here she’d grown up. Here she’d lived with her parents in what I could see now was a run-down hut. That’s all there really was here. There was the vineyard, of course. A small lake I could just make out. And a bunch of rickety huts.

This ? This is where she came from? And she dared to turn down everything I offered her? Luxuries the people of this village couldn’t even dream of.

My lightning sparked again, and I ground my teeth. I pulled up the chain around my neck until the vial attached to it came free of my nickel-plated armor. I unscrewed the top and swirled the sparkling red mixture before I shot it back quickly. As soon as the blood magic was down my throat, I could feel the control over my magic coming back to me.

I’d have to keep up a steady supply to ensure this didn’t keep happening.

Meaning I needed more humans.

Luckily, I had a whole village full of them right here.

I smirked, looking at my commander. I gave him the nod, and he raised the signal. In a wave, soldiers surged forward. They crested over the small village like a wave, and they would wipe it out just the same.

The sound of screaming humans as they were rounded up was like music to my ears. The flames were already beginning to catch as the men set fire to their pathetic huts. I would not leave until this entire village was ash.

The vineyard fields caught fire next, and I watched with amusement as humans surged out of the fields in a panic, right into our hands. Their loose cotton and linen clothing did little to protect them from the flames. The edges of dresses were singed and roughly put out with frantic hands. While the bottom of the men’s pant legs caught here and there.

The pandemonium was wonderful. The screams and cries, paired with the cracking and burning, were a beautiful symphony. I stood in the middle of the chaos, arms out, as I laughed in triumph.

I grabbed a torch out of a passing soldier's hand, nodding at him to continue on. I brought the torch to the little schoolhouse, watching in pleasure as the flame caught, the wood beginning to smoke before the flames rose higher, until they engulfed the building entirely. The joy I felt as it went up in flames was a kind I hadn’t felt in far too long.

But I had to reel myself in. This wasn’t about the satisfaction I got from the village’s destruction.

It was about getting what I wanted and getting them where I wanted them.

“My King.” I turned to find my commander, who was standing grimly, gruffly serious as always. “We found them. They’re barricaded in their… house.” He sneered with distaste over the word.

To be fair, these things hardly qualified as houses.

An unfamiliar ecstasy rang through me. My plan hinged on this moment, and it was all coming together.

“Show me,” I smirked gleefully, unable to contain it.

He led me through the burning village, where humans were already on their knees in chains. We came to a small hut they’d spared the fire—for good reason.

I lifted my leg and kicked the door, meeting resistance as expected. I let my hands light up with crackling blue bolts, and they arced right into the door, splintering it into a thousand pieces.

A high-pitched, womanly screech punctured my eardrums as I ducked into the hut. A man with honey-colored hair stood in front of a woman with voluminous brown curls. Their ratty clothing was tattered and stained, but the man showed far too much pride despite his appearance. He held a candlestick up like a knife, making me raise a brow.

I stepped closer, and while the woman shied away, he tried to feign like he wasn’t intimidated. But I could see the fear in those brown eyes clear as day.

How anyone ever thought these two were Asteria’s birth parents was a mystery to me. Sure, the woman had dark hair, but Asteria’s was darker than hers, and the woman’s green eyes were nothing like Asteria’s blue. The man looked even less like her.

As I stepped within reaching distance, I aimed to do just that when the man whipped the candlestick toward me. I laughed, knowing his hit would feel like nothing but air to me. Humans were so weak, after all.

Instead, I let out a bellowing scream as the candlestick hit my cheek. My flesh sizzled, burning like a brand across the delicate skin.

“ Iron ,” I growled, canines lengthening as the man yelled and moved to hit me again. I grabbed his arm, sneering at his pathetic display as I squeezed my fingers tighter and tighter, until the man was forced to let go with a sharp cry of pain.

“Jovin!” The woman cried out, stepping toward her husband, who was cringing from the pain shooting through his arm. He lifted his other, motioning her away.

“Stay back, Mya!” He forced out through clenched teeth.

“How sweet,” I mocked, tilting my head to the side as I put on a show of sarcastic sympathy. “But you do know attacking a Fae like that…” I tsked with my tongue. “That’s a guaranteed death sentence.”

The woman’s whimper as she backed up against the wall was opposed by her husband, who set his jaw and lifted his head in defiance that looked so familiar, despite not a drop of blood between them. Between this human’s audacity and the reminder…

I wanted to strike him down where he stood. My lighting was my preferred weapon of choice to do it too. But I took a deep breath, reminding myself of the plan.

I needed them alive.

For now.

“Kill me then.” The man, Jovin, apparently, shrugged. “You’re going to kill us all anyway. No Fae rounds up a bunch of humans to take us on a picnic.”

I scoffed a laugh, shaking my head. Asteria thought her parents were nothing like her in this regard. But I could see she got more than she thought from the man who raised her.

“So you think it smart to antagonize me?” I asked, raising a brow pointedly.

He scoffed, shaking his head. “We’ve been hearing the rumors of what you do. We also heard…”

I furrowed my brows, his eyes meeting mine with a fire that I didn’t expect from a human. Asteria had always been the exception.

“Where is my daughter?” he asked firmly, lip twitching.

My brows flew skyward as my head reared back. Someone had indeed been gossiping if those rumors had made it all the way up here. The woman, Mya, managed to find her spine as she stood angrily.

“Where is my baby girl?” she demanded, her husband grabbing her and pulling her back as she tried to stomp forward. “What did you do to her?!”

I laughed, unable to help myself. I gave them a dramatic pout. “Well, that’s just the thing, isn’t it? She isn’t your baby girl.”

They both looked truly confused. Meaning that knowledge hadn’t made its way along with the rest. I couldn’t wait to find out what they did and didn’t know, and we’d have plenty of time for that.

“You mean you don’t know?” I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest, as I stalked toward them.

Jovin pressed Mya further behind him, raising his chin as I neared them.

“She’s Princess Asteria Earendel. The long-lost Fae daughter and heir of the Day Kingdom,” I told them, watching their jaws drop, and eyes widen with shock, confusion, disbelief, and anger. It was truly a delightful cocktail. “You two were just the patsies the queen found to raise her daughter for her.”

“No,” Mya whispered, shaking her head in denial. “No, I birthed her myself.”

“All part of the spell, warping your memories.” I waved my hand dismissively. “You got her days after her birth, and the spell ensured you remembered her as yours. Helped to sell the whole thing.”

“She’s not Fae,” Jovin argued, shaking his head with confusion lining his brow. “She has round ears. She doesn’t have magic.”

“She does now.” I smiled grimly. “I saw the spell on her break myself. Right before she ran off like the devious little whore she is.” I growled, my anger at the memory getting the best of me.

“And no wonder she did,” Mya mumbled, my head instantly snapping to her. I opened my mouth, a snarl forming on my lips when Jovin butted in.

“I’ve never been prouder,” he proclaimed. “Birth daughter or not, we raised Asteria. She’s ours. And what I’ve heard of you.” He looked me up and down like he, a pathetic human, had any right to judge a Fae—let alone a king . This was exactly why the humans needed reminding of their place. “She managed to escape a fate probably worse than death. That’s my girl .”

I clenched my fists, teeth grinding as my nails bit into the skin of my palms, trying to contain my fury so I didn’t kill these two by accident. That would ruin everything. I just had to remind myself that it would be worth the wait to kill them.

“Well, then you’ll be happy to know I plan to reunite you with your precious daughter.” I spat bitterly. This insipid human was somehow capable of being proud of a daughter that wasn’t even his blood.

What was so wrong with me that my own father could never summon even a bit of that for me?

“Put these two in chains!” I called out to my men with a forced smile on my face. “Put them aside from the rest. They’ll be my special guests .” I purred, leaning toward Mya, who shied away from me. Jovin’s protective glare as he tried to hang on to his wife was worth it.

“At least until their daughter comes to collect them.” I smiled more truly at that thought. I couldn’t wait to see her reaction. It would be magnificent, I was sure.

“No!” Jovin shouted, trying to force away the men beginning to chain his wife. They grabbed him by the arms, pulling him away and forcing him down to the ground. His ineffectual struggles paired with the weeping of his wife. Once the chains were secured, my men lifted them and marched them out of the ramshackle hut they called home.

They tried to reach for one another, getting a hit across each of their faces for their trouble.

“Careful with those two,” I called. “You can bruise, but don’t injure them beyond that. I need them both in good condition.”

“Yes, my King.” They bowed their heads, marching the couple off to the side where the other humans waited.

“Now, what to do with all these?” I waved a hand at the other humans of the village, all chained on their knees before me.

“I do need humans for our work, but…” I trailed off, making a show of tapping my index finger against my chin. “We also need to make a statement.”

Unlike Jovin, who was fueled by rumors of his daughter, these humans seemed to be drained of all fight. It was almost disappointing. They sat there meekly, not reacting in the slightest. Just as I’d expected.

Asteria had inadvertently advised that they were all complacent here. Like so many humans had been before the rebellions began , I thought darkly. My work had clearly ruffled their feathers, but it would all be worth it in the end. The hassle of containing a few measly human rebellions would be nothing in the grand scheme of my rule.

History would look back at the king who shaped Celesterra into something new. Something better. People would see what I was truly capable of. Father might not be here to see it, but the rest of those who doubted or plotted against me would be forced to watch me rise far higher than their little minds could have ever imagined.

Today would be a piece of that story. Thus, a statement was necessary. To the humans, to Gravadain, and to any of those who’d read about my rule many millennia from now. It was all the same.

“Grab half of them to bring to the camps,” I announced, smiling at the sight of the humans lifting their heads with hope that I was all too ready to dash. “Kill the other half.”

Screams and cries rang out, as expected. I rolled my eyes. Could these creatures never meet their fates with some class?

I pulled my sword out of its sheath, turning to the nearest human and slicing off their head with one smooth swing. A sharp, shrill scream rang out, the woman next to him blubbering over his body. I sighed long sufferingly before I waved a hand, and the soldiers closed in.

I watched in satisfaction as half of them were forcibly carried out, while the others were lined up to be butchered. As one, my soldiers moved to execute their orders—and the humans. Blood sprayed, and heads rolled, their bodies collapsing onto the dirt. Where they belonged, frankly.

The chorus of dying people filled my ears, and I took it all in. The metallic taste of blood in the air, the crisp burnt smell from the sizzling remains of their huts, the clang of swords and armor, and…

The pounding of horse hooves?

I looked up sharply, seeing my men scattered around the village. With an unexpected force heading our way.

“We have company!” I yelled, getting my soldiers’ attention over the clamor. It went quiet, except for the muffled whimpers of several humans, easily ignored. I could hear the sound getting louder. Definitely approaching horses, and not just a handful of them.

The men formed up around me right as the horses came into sight. The banner of Sunrise Kingdom waved in the air above the bronze-plated soldiers on horseback.

We drew our swords, but the force began to slow as they neared us. I watched the men pull on the reins and bring their horses to a halt. One horse rode forward a bit, this one distinctive compared to the rest, by virtue of being the only Faethren horse among them. Its red mane and tail, yellow coat, and larger size stood out among the dark brown, black, and white coats of the smaller horses.

As their mount came to a stop, the rider removed his helm, revealing King Gravadain beneath it. He made eye contact as he dismounted his horse, handing the reins off to one of his men before walking forward toward me. I moved to meet him halfway, stepping out of the group surrounding me.

I stopped a few feet away from Gravadain, eyeing him suspiciously. I was on his lands, killing his slaves, and burning his vineyard. He had every right to attack. But instead, he calmly walked toward me like we were here to discuss regular business.

“King Cyrus.” He tilted his head slightly in acknowledgment.

“King Gravadain,” I stated dryly, not returning the gesture. “I was disappointed to not get any response from you to my letters.”

His brow rose, and his eyes wandered over the burnt village before returning back to me. “Clearly.”

His voice sounded almost amused, making me clench my jaw in aggravation.

“Had you waited a couple of days, you would have received my response,” he continued, voice almost chastising, in a way that had lightning buzzing around my fingers.

“Well, time is of the essence in a war,” I countered, resting my hand on the pommel of my sheathed sword, cocking my hip as I stood facing him with all the arrogance he levied at me.

“So it is,” he said pointedly, but cocked his head for a moment, looking me over. “Still, I am here to let you know that I will ally with you against Night Kingdom and…”

He looked over to Aelius, sneering slightly with a roll of his eyes before adding haughtily, “Whatever parts of Day Kingdom follow the girl.”

“Day Kingdom stands with me and with their king,” I responded icily. “Whatever rebels follow Asteria will be dealt with.”

Gravadain looked amused, raising a brow with a growing smirk. “Is that so? Have you not heard the news then?”

“What news?” Aelius demanded, walking forward furiously. His golden armor clanging with every step.

Fuck . Please don’t be what I think this is.

“That Asteria has been crowned queen of Day Kingdom,” he informed us, his smirk still firmly in place at the opportunity to drop such a thing on us.

“What?!” Aelius demanded, practically shaking in rage. “I’m still fucking alive!”

I had hoped to keep the news from reaching Aelius. That was something better delivered at just the right time. But, of course, Gravadain just had to ruin that.

“He has a point,” I added, my fist clenching hard around the pommel of my sword. Hoping to maintain the illusion that I didn’t know about Asteria’s crowning. My anger was at least real, except directed at the bastard ruining my plan instead. Too many things remained outside of my control still. A bright flash hit the ground between our two forces.

Maybe I would have prayed for my lightning to be contained, if only I had gods to pray to who deserved it.

“I believe Aelius was named a traitor to his people, and the gods showed favor for the move, even. They blessed Asteria as queen. My spies have been all aflutter with the news,” Gravadain said, his face returning to that blank slate I was sure he practiced in the damn mirror.

“You were able to get spies into Night?” I asked, surprised. My own spies hadn’t ever been able to get access inside, and I found myself seething at the thought that others had managed it.

“No,” Gravadain scoffed, with a slight shake of his head. “For all I dislike Calix for his actions, no one can claim the man doesn’t run a tight ship.” His side-eye at Aelius made it clear that he didn’t believe the same was true for him, and my lip twitched.

He wasn’t wrong.

As Aelius sputtered in protest, I cocked my head at Gravadain. “And you don’t mind us taking your slaves? Burning down your village?”

“Of course, I mind.” He glared at me sternly. “I did not side with Calix because he invaded my kingdom and killed my people.”

Looking around, he clarified with a wave of his hand, “Fae, of course. Slaves are easily replaceable. Which is why I will forgive you this one oversight, and you will forgive my son at the end of this. A reasonable conclusion all around.”

“Your son?” I asked, confused by the bargain he offered.

“Yes.” He sighed heavily. “The foolish boy ran off with Calix and the girl when I wouldn’t ally with them. A mistake, but he won’t do much damage, truly. My army remains with me, as does my heir, so there will be no issue there.”

“And you expect me to just forget he sided with my enemy?” My brows furrowed at the thought. Enemies needed to be dealt with appropriately. But… it wasn’t as if I intended for any of these kings to actually survive this. It wouldn’t hurt to push the lie further now, would it? Still, I couldn’t seem weak, so I had to at least make the show of it.

“Yes, if you expect me to forgive this little intrusion and ally with you.” Gravadain countered, and I locked my jaw, staring him down.

I didn’t like him one bit. His arrogance and assumption were high, even for a royal. I would need to get rid of him sooner than the others. Maybe his heir would be more pliable. Dagur wasn’t as experienced, which was a boon. Eyes like Gravadain’s too easily saw through bullshit, and I needed to spin quite a lot of it to keep this operation running.

Until the time was right, at least. My eyes shot over to where Asteria’s human parents were bound, ready for transport. That time was coming.

Soon .