Page 57

Chapter Fifty-seven

Arien

Finally .

My blade swung down at my father, but he moved quickly to the right, so it glanced off his armored shoulder. My father spun around with a growl, eyeing me with contempt.

“Treason, son? Truly?” he spat, sneering at me like his disapproval would make a damn bit of difference at this point.

“Treason?!” I laughed incredulously, swinging once more. I didn’t even care that he blocked it. I wanted this out. To finally say everything I’d held back all these years.

“Treason would mean I was ever loyal to you in the first place,” I said, my voice grave with the weight of truth. “I was raised to be loyal to my sister.”

“Your sister, ” he growled, swinging hard at me. I parried his blow with ease. Father had grown lazy over the years, preferring to send others to fight his battles for him. “She is an abomination!”

“Abomination?” I scoffed, shaking my head at him. “That’s exactly why the gods warned Mother about you. She had to give up her daughter , all to protect her from you .”

Father paused mid-swing, his sword falling as he breathed deeply, as if something had finally punctured the shell he kept around himself at all times.

“Your mother’s betrayal truly is the deepest,” he murmured quietly, a look on his face I would almost call pain if he wasn’t who he was. “My own wife. My own queen. My own soulmate . How does the other half of one’s soul betray the other in such a way?”

His tone grew from reflective to demanding as he went on. His agitation was like a balm to my soul after the years I spent biting my tongue.

“They say that the love a parent feels for a child is greater than any other.” I smiled tauntingly.

“A failure of a son in more than one way, then,” he said, clearly trying to turn the tables on me. “You were denied by the gods for a little girl, and you just step aside and let her walk over you to the throne?”

“She’s not walking over me.” I rolled my eyes, blocking his angry, sloppy swing. “The throne is hers by right. She’s the elder twin, and the gods chose her for a reason. You’re the one who’s denying the gods will, Father. What is so bad about a queen ruling?”

“Argh!” Father swung left, and I brought my blade up to parry, swinging to the right and bringing my blade back up quickly. We began to dance back and forth, but I held myself back. We had a conversation to finish after all.

“Women,” Father spat as he panted for breath, “are weak, feeble creatures. They have no business making big decisions or leading armies.”

“And yet, your own wife has been making plenty of big decisions for years, right under your nose. Splitting your court apart without you even realizing it. Turning them to my sister. Whose leading armies just fine.” I smiled proudly, pointing my sword toward where Asteria was going after Cyrus.

I rolled my eyes as my cowardly father tried to attack me while I was distracted. I quickly met his sword, preventing him from taking my head. I noticed Bellin approach from behind my father, giving me a questioning look.

Ever loyal .

I shook my head. I didn’t want help with this one. I wanted to kill him myself. Whatever that may mean for the future and my relationship with my mother.

“Mother never wanted things to end this way, you know,” I told him quietly, feeling like the words needed to be said. To be acknowledged. “It hurt her to have to do this. You’re her mate, after all. But she knew you’d kill Asteria to gain a male heir, and she would never allow that to happen. Even if it meant strangers raised her child. She’s the type of parent who would do anything to protect her children. While you, on the other hand, would do anything to protect your throne.” I sneered at him.

Aelius laughed, and it was Aelius . He didn’t deserve the title of father anymore. He never had.

“Children are meant to continue a house’s legacy. And you and your sister are the worst sort of legacy to leave.” He smiled nastily. “I refuse to let this be my legacy. So, I’ll just have to get rid of the baggage and start anew. Your traitorous mother will have to go, too. I’ll find myself a new young wife to give me a proper heir. Along with a proper spare to marry off. Gods know no respectable woman wants the unchosen prince.”

He could say what he will about me. I was more than used to it, after all. But to threaten my mother… that I could not abide.

I flew at him in a flurry of strikes, letting my rage fill me and drive me onward. Faster. Harder. Sharper. And I needed every bit of it.

Aelius might have grown lazy over the past couple of centuries, but he was still older and more powerful than I was. He met my blade strike for strike, and then sent a beam of sunlight straight at me.

I fell backward, blinded by the sun for a moment. It wasn’t nearly as hot or bright as it should be, however. Chaos had gotten to him. I smirked at the realization, even as I rolled out of the way of his downward swing, jumping up and meeting him with a much brighter beam of sunlight.

It sent him spiraling away, where he crashed down onto a pile of scorched debris. He panted, looking up at me in shock as I sauntered toward him.

“How?” he demanded, shaking his head to clear the remaining orbs I knew would still be obstructing his vision from the light. “There is no way for you to be more powerful than I am!”

I laughed dryly, raising a brow at him. “You threw your lot in with chaos, Father . This is the result of your own megalomania. Chasing power has done nothing but drive you farther from it.”

“That’s—that’s impossible!” he protested, pulling himself up from his inelegant sprawl, dusting off his shiny golden armor to ensure the wreckage didn’t leave any traces that would tarnish his image .

“The tighter one clings to power, the faster it slips through their fingers,” I told him, unable to help the smile growing on my face. Which only served to enrage him further. “And you, King Aelius , clung to power, forsaking all else. You tossed aside your family for the sake of it. It seems poetic that it will be your downfall now.”

“You think you will be my downfall?” Aelius scoffed mockingly, but I was immune to his attempts to belittle me by now.

“ I know I will be ,” I growled, and lifted my hand, sending a blast of sunlight right at his damn face.

He dodged at the last moment, making me curse in frustration. We circled one another, ignoring the blasts of fire, water, wind, lightning, darkness, and even starlight flashing and swooping from all directions. The battle was a hodgepodge of powers, and every kingdom’s royals were here, making for a show I was sure hadn’t been seen in Celesterra since before the six Fae kings of old had signed the treaty.

Prince Zakat sent blasts of fire at King Tariq, who was using his wind powers to buffer the flames and snuff them out. I had seen Prince Altan drown a man standing before him on dry land with his water magic. But it was the battle between Asteria, Calix, and Cyrus that sent true sparks flying. Lightning clashed against darkness and starlight, creating the effect of a stormy night sky above the battle.

But the building momentum of that lightning, the increase in bolts that could strike at any moment, was certainly worrisome.

I knew Asteria and Calix could handle themselves, and I had my own battle to be concerned with. Still, I couldn’t help but fear that the amount of blood magic Cyrus was using now was going to be too much for them.

I hissed as metal slashed against my cheek, drawing blood. Aelius smirked at me, and I glowered, pissed at myself for being distracted during a fight. Titan would kill me if he found out.

I refocused my attention on the fight against my father, keeping my footwork quick as I moved around him with increased speed. He matched my movements until we were a blur of steel. Our blades danced together, neither landing any true blow against the other.

I hated to admit it, but we were too evenly matched. I tried to kick out his legs, and he jumped over my foot. He tried to stab my weaker side, but I moved into his guard and elbowed him in the chin for his trouble.

We might have gone all night that way, but a soldier from Dawn careened around the corner and spotted us, coming to a standstill.

“You there!” my father called to his ally. “Help me put this pup in the ground where he belongs.” He smirked at me. “Somewhere he’ll never see the sun again,” he added, just to twist the knife. Our family thrived in the sunlight, to be without it would be to be without a heart in our chests or air in our lungs.

The soldier stepped forward, and I drew a dagger from my belt, preparing to defend myself against two opponents. I cursed mentally. I may be evenly matched against my father, but an additional fighter would put me at a distinct disadvantage.

I refused to let my father end my life, not when he’d already taken so much of it from me.

The soldier stepped up beside Aelius, who looked ready to crow in victory. My fingers tightened around my blades, and I desperately searched for any sign of weakness in the new arrival.

I was completely unprepared when he twirled his blade, using the movement to twist it quickly to the side, where he stabbed directly into the weak part of Aelius’s golden armor, right where the two plates connected.

Aelius screamed in rage and pain, grabbing his side ineffectually with the armor blocking the wound. His wide eyes went to the soldier from Dawn, who removed his helmet slowly.

I nearly started laughing hysterically.

“Uncle Dali,” I panted in relief, that hysterical laugh I bit back bubbling up into a chuckle.

Sparkling bright green eyes met mine, a smile tilting his lips. “Nephew. I hope you don’t mind. I’m sure you had him, but he deserved a bit of payback from House Paiva directly for what he’s done to my sisters.”

Dali ran a hand through his short black hair, which, usually perfectly coiffed, now stood up with slightly spiky ends thanks to his helmet.

“You son of a birch!” Aelius cursed, looking between us. “Another traitor betraying their king,” he spat at Dali, whose eyes narrowed.

He stepped forward, grabbing Aelius by his chest plate and shaking him. Aelius looked at him, eyes wild with fear that he couldn’t totally suppress. No one had ever stood against him in any substantial way. He was used to being obeyed; he had no idea how to handle his reckoning.

“You threatened my niece’s life and forced her to grow up human.” He landed a punch across Aelius’s jaw but held his armor with the other hand so he wouldn’t fall back. “You forced my sister to give up her daughter.” He punched him again. “You threatened my youngest sister to keep my elder sister in line.” Another punch. “Kept my youngest sister from our family for years for the sake of your plots.” Another. “Forced my nephew to be raised without his twin, while doing everything you could to ensure he knew how little you thought of him.” One more. “And now, you plan to kill your own children. MY BLOOD.”

He let go of Aelius’s collar to deliver the final punch, and Aelius fell to the ground, moaning in pain as he held a hand to his face. The skin was already blackening from the hard, repeated hits to the same spot. He’d heal quickly, but then again, I would ensure he didn’t have the chance to.

“Save any of him for me?”

We turned at the voice, and I smiled as Beltane walked over, his bloody sword leaning on his shoulder.

“Took you long enough.” Dali smiled, stepping forward to clasp forearms with Beltane.

“Me? You’re the one we haven’t seen hide nor hair of until now,” Beltane chuckled, tossing his head to get his dark hair out of his face.

“I’m surrounded on all sides in Dawn. I had to play the loyal lord to prevent my whole family from losing their heads for treason,” Dali countered, raising a brow.

“Excuses, excuses.” Beltane tutted, a smirk on his face. Dali rolled his eyes, clapping him on the back.

“Don’t worry, though, there’s plenty of this fucker to go around!” Dali said joyfully, pushing our cousin forward to where Aelius was trying to rise.

Something deep within me rose up in excitement at the pitiful look of fear in Aelius’s eyes. The same part, perhaps, that used to curl up in shame whenever he would put me down in front of his courtiers. It soothed the ache of the child left inside who wanted nothing more than for his father to love him. The child who died the day Mother sat me down and explained about my sister—and what my father would do to her.

I’d bit my tongue and took his verbal abuse, but I no longer cared that I didn’t meet his expectations. Because he didn’t meet mine .

Now, seeing his fear as he faced the three of us, the way he tried to snarl and puff up as if we couldn’t all scent that fear… it was pathetic.

He was pathetic .

I realized that now. This was a king afraid of having a girl sit his throne. Who let the specter of an heir bring him to ruin. Who feared anyone else taking any of his power because then others around him might realize he wasn’t worthy of his own.

I couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of me, nearly bending over with the force of it. Everyone looked at me as if I was insane, but I couldn’t be bothered.

Aelius must have read something in my eyes and interpreted where my amusement was coming from because he narrowed his eyes at me before rushing toward me, sword up.

Beltane met his blade with his own, forcing him back. I brought my own up, waiting for my chance. Beltane seemed to play with him. All those years of watching and waiting, being forced to keep silent, had finally found a release. He wailed down on Aelius with brutal strikes, forcing Aelius to stumble back and back.

He growled, his frustration at Beltane’s surprising strength clear. He lifted a hand, sunlight beginning to gather within it. Beltane tried to quickly stop him, but Aelius kept that hand well out of reach, blocking every attempt with his blade.

Dali moved to assist, but I held up a hand, stopping him. Instead, I gathered my own sunlight, and just as Aelius went to release his, I let go of mine. The sunbeams met with a flare of light right in front of Aelius’s face.

Beltane was forced back, covering his eyes for protection, but Aelius screamed in pain. He lowered his hand to reveal horrible burns covering the left side of his face, from his chin up to just below his eye. The skin cracking like an old lava field.

“H—how?” Aelius stuttered, bewildered by the burn on his face.

“Hyperion chose my sister,” I told him with a proud smile. “He no longer protects you .”

The horrifying truth finally seemed to hit him, and he fell to his knees, his sword tumbling out of his hand. He sat there, staring blanking at his hands. He tried to summon more light, but chaos and losing Hyperion’s favor had severely weakened his powers. After gathering so much, he could now only manage the barest flicker.

I stepped forward and kicked his knee.

“Get up,” I demanded, pointing my sword at him. “Die like a man, at least. On your feet, with a blade in hand.”

Aelius snarled, but forced himself up. His pride enough to overcome his shock and dismay. He refused to just roll over and die; I’d give him that.

It took fewer than five swings this time for the hit I’d been waiting for since this fight began. I parried Aelius’s strike, hitting back with my own too fast for him to block, and watched as his sword sliced through the air.

Our eyes met. Sky-blue to sky-blue, with golden sunlight streaming through them. An acknowledgment of what was to come, of what had been and never would be.

The weight of years that had pressed on my shoulders finally disappeared, as with the next thrust of my blade, I stabbed right through my father’s rotten heart, twisting the blade and breaking his heart—just as he broke my mother’s.

And perhaps my own, if I was truthful with myself.

Blood spurted from his mouth as he fell to his knees. I tore out the blade and lifted it for one more swing. With a wide arc, I hacked through his neck, watching the golden strands tumble as his head fell to the ground. I stood completely still as the rest of his body swayed once and then crumpled down to follow its lost head.

A giant whoosh of air left my lungs. Like years of holding my breath finally released. I fell to my own knees, my uncle and cousin each laying a hand on my shoulder as I panted. Taking in the enormity of what I’d just done.

Ensured my sister’s safety from a dire threat.

Killed my own father, my own blood.

Caused my mother immeasurable pain, as she no doubt felt the loss of her mate across the realm.

Conflicting feelings I had no idea what to do with rioted within me, but they would have to wait until the battle was won. Aelius no longer had any control of my life, and I’d be damned if I let him get me killed now.

I forced myself to stand, my family supporting me in a way the dead man before me never had.

I took the chance to look around the battlefield, spotting Eryx and Baach not far away. They worked together, taking on opponents double their number. It was clear they’d been fighting together since they were young. I was sure had Calix been there, it would be the same. Moving like a single unit, able to anticipate and accommodate without thought.

It was beautiful to watch.

A horn sounded, and I looked at Dali and Beltane, confused. Dali had stiffened, brows creasing.

“Fuck. That’s Sunrise Kingdom,” he said, looking worried. “Tariq had mentioned potential other allies for Cyrus but hadn’t elaborated.”

“Asteria has Prince Altan and the forces he was able to gather from Sunrise here,” I explained, concern growing. “We knew Gravadain would side with Cyrus, but we didn’t think it would be this soon.”

“Maybe the disappearance of just under half his soldiers motivated him,” Beltane suggested, and I nodded in thought before motioning them both forward as I broke into a run.

“Altan! Zakat!” I screamed toward the two princes. “To me!”

Thank Hyperion for Fae hearing, as the two princes quickly made their way over.

“My father’s here.” Altan greeted me grimly.

“Way to state the obvious, bird brain.” Zakat rolled his eyes, leaning on his sword with all the casual confidence in the world.

As if he wasn’t also a bird?

Altan scowled at him, opening his mouth to say something until he seemingly thought better of it and instead turned to me. “What are our orders?”

“I need you two to help fight your father. Let Asteria and Calix focus on Cyrus without distraction,” I commanded them. “We’ve already lost a number of warriors due to iron. They aren’t healing quickly enough to get back into the fight. Thankfully, our forces still outnumber Cyrus’s since he had no compunction about taking down his own men.”

I couldn’t help but worry that another round of iron shrapnel raining down on us would leave us in a position we couldn’t recover from.

But it was the blood magic Cyrus seemed to now be relying on, if the plethora of lightning was anything to go by, that truly made me anxious.

The two princes ran off, and I took a moment to observe the battle, seeing if anyone needed help. Callisto was busy leading a group who were working to take out the iron weapons. Their ability to handle the material made them extremely useful there, and she had only the best of the human resistance fighters with her. They were working to take out another colossal contraption, and were cutting through Fae with an efficiency that showed their years of training for just that task.

I was surprised to find Soren, his copper hair easily identifiable, leading another group of humans through the battlefield. He had them taking out the wounded enemy soldiers who’d been weakened from the iron projectiles. He called out orders, showing a surprising ability to lead I hadn’t recognized before. They snuck past healthy, strong soldiers and snuck up on those limping along or trying to pull themselves up off the ground. I couldn’t help but feel vaguely impressed.

The sound of a crash had my head snapping to the right, where I spied a giant wave of water rising from the ground. A tidal wave ready to sweep through the city, taking out any in its path.

Enemies, allies, and innocent bystanders alike.

Fuck .

I had to hope Altan could hold back the waves his father was amassing.

“Uncle Dali!” I called, and he ran over. “How’s your air magic? Could you help hold back the waves?”

He bit his lip and tilted his head as he considered. “I’ll try. I have enough royal blood to access the power, but it’s not as strong as Tariq’s.”

“Anything will help,” I told him with an appreciative nod.

I watched Altan step forward, hands raised, as he summoned a wall of water to block his father’s wave. Zakat flew up in the air, his fire magic best used on Gravadain’s forces directly. I yelled up at him, ordering him to fly up over the clashing waves of water and target Gravadain directly. If we could force him to lose his attention on his wave and let it go, that would be ideal.

Zakat nodded, and with a last long look at Altan, he flew up high over the water, flames rising from his hands as he sent balls of fire down on Sunrise’s army. Watching fire meet water, I could only hope it would be enough.