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Epilogue 1

Zerlina

Wind rushed around me, my magic a tornado of air that wiped away my betrothed’s men one by one. I avoided his enemies, taking the feet out under any man wearing the nickel-plated armor of Dusk. I couldn’t tell who from Day was on whose side, nor Sunrise or Sunset, and I certainly wasn’t going to hurt any of my father’s men.

But I quite enjoyed sending my wind down the throat of every solider from Dusk I found, watching as the air that should have given them breath instead choked them of it.

I kept my wits about me, and as I spied Cyrus flying not far from my position, I observed the battle around me. My little area only had a few loyal Dusk men remaining, and they were quickly dispatched.

I took the chance to slip away before anyone could see me. My borrowed cloak covered my face from any who may look as I hurried into the palace, speeding through the lower halls until I got to a quiet passage on the higher levels of the black marble structure. I slipped the cloak off, letting it fly out through the open window, where it couldn’t ever be traced back to me.

If Cyrus ever found out I’d participated in the battle, never mind fought against him, I wouldn’t live to see another day.

It was a risk, but my wind magic was powerful, and I knew I was needed down there. While it galled me to fight on her side, at least it meant fighting against him.

I made my way through the halls with my head held high, passing several guards without a second look. Until I turned the corner, where a guard with black hair met my eyes. I nodded to him, and he nodded back, the message received.

It was difficult to collaborate with Daneiris now since Cyrus had locked her away. We’d been trying to find a way to get her out, especially since Vikal and his little human pet disappeared. It had made Cyrus ever more paranoid, ever more watchful. He wasn’t letting any potential bargaining chip out of his sight now.

Thankfully, the guards were most helpful. It was a badly kept secret that Cyrus had to have killed Astraeus. There truly was no way the king had died naturally. While we couldn’t prove it, the timing was more than suspicious. The guards had much preferred Astraeus to Cyrus; the difference in how they were treated was quite plain to see. His rule and how he got there was enough to make some of them worthy allies.

Of course, many men enjoyed power, and Cyrus made a lot of promises I knew he’d never keep. A lot of idiot boys followed him without a thought. It was mainly the guards of his siblings who saw the truth and were more than ready and willing to help us.

The human rebels were doing well, but they needed a push to escalate further. One I planned to give them soon. It was clear to me that Asteria and Calix were not prepared enough against Cyrus’s blood magic. This battle was going to be a loss.

But one thing I’d give the little girl, she was a tenacious one. I knew that from day one of meeting her, and she’d more than proved it since. She wouldn’t let this rest, and she’d be back up and planning before the dirt settled. I’d bet my crown on it.

That didn’t mean I could go to her for help, however.

Many wrote me off as a vapid woman who wanted only to be queen, but I wanted to be queen because I had been denied the power I deserved. I was the firstborn, the eldest child of the king.

It was frustrating enough that another woman had been chosen as heir. Knowing the gods saw fit to grant Asteria, the little slave girl I once controlled, the right to be queen, when I was denied it…

I shuddered with the force of my fury. I understood Cyrus’s anger all too well. Turning against gods who didn’t see you as worthy was understandable. But I was no fool. Unlike him, I knew the power I did have was thanks to them.

I could be bitter about what I wasn’t given, but I wasn’t about to turn my back on them and lose everything else, too.

So that left Daneiris and I to work in the shadows. With her, I’d found a like-minded soul who understood all too well the plight of female royalty not chosen for the throne. She, too, had to fight and scratch for every bit of power she had.

Now was our chance to seize some control for ourselves. The humans were turning on Cyrus more and more by the day. And he was becoming more and more unhinged in the process.

If we could time things right, we could overthrow him entirely. But first, we must be wed, and I must have an heir in my belly. I wouldn’t see all my work squandered for one of Cyrus’s brothers to get the throne after him.

No, the throne was mine. A child would need years before they’d be able to take power, giving me plenty of time as regent to establish my own power. I would take a page out of Queen Aurelia’s book, raising my child just the way I wanted them. A little heir who would listen to their mother above all others.

A smile grew on my face, thinking of the future. Daneiris would be my head advisor, and I’d ensure that along with being a princess, she was named Lady of Alfheim, since it was now empty after Lord Aibek and Lady Siria absconded to Night Kingdom.

A reward for her service, and a proper base of power of her own. Of course, it also meant she’d be busy in Alfheim and wouldn’t encroach on my own power here in Evenfall.

My brother Sulien could have Affaraon and Dawn Kingdom with it. I would make Dusk Kingdom my own, rebuilding Evenfall into a city I could be proud of. One everyone would come to see and marvel at. Nothing like the dark, depressing place it was now.

Affaraon was beautiful, with a castle made of lovely pink stone with gold filigree that was covered in vines and roses, all the way up to the pointed blue tower roofs. It was elegant, made to showcase the beauty of the dawn. Evenfall would be redone in lilacs, pinks, and dark blues, a better way to represent the new Dusk Kingdom, surely.

But that all depended upon overthrowing Cyrus. A task that I knew I was woefully ill-equipped for. Even if I tried killing him while in bed, his paranoia was such that he wouldn’t even allow my hands near his neck anymore. Anytime my eyes lingered too long on a weak spot, he got twitchy and aggressive.

Asteria would be needed for my plan, certainly. She and Calix were our best hope for getting rid of the bastard. But I also wouldn’t demean myself by going to her and begging for help. No, instead, I would ensure she worked toward my plans, not the other way around.

I knew they had spies here, and it was just a matter of getting the right information to the right people so it could make its way back to them. They wouldn’t leave humans in danger, I was certain.

My smile grew as I entered my rooms, the warm lavender walls and white wooden furniture just to my liking. I shucked off my clothes and prepared myself for when Cyrus inevitably came to vent his frustrations on my body.

Having seen Asteria, I knew today would be much worse than usual. He was always most punishing when thinking of her. Another reason I refused to face her. Knowing what a prize I am, the fact that any man closed his eyes and imagined another woman when with me was an insult too great to overcome.

I shuddered as I sunk into the waiting gold clawfoot bathtub filled with rose petals. It took the slave girls long enough to get that simple task right, but after seeing to their proper punishment, they never forgot the petals again.

I sank down to my chin, skimming my fingers over the warm water. The walls of the bathroom were done in a light pink damask that reminded me greatly of home. The gold fixtures would look right at home there as well. A pang of homesickness hit me, but I knew I couldn’t give in to it. Evenfall was home now, and it was where my legend would begin.

Still, thinking of Dawn, I let my fingers create little cyclones, my wind magic twisting in the waves. I smiled at the little army of water sprouts, until they suddenly all fizzled out. I frowned, holding my hands up to examine them as if something on them might explain it. I tried again, and my wind came, but it was too weak. Not at all like my usual power.

The room began to darken suddenly, and I twisted around to look out the window.

I raised my arm to cover my eyes at the blinding flash of light that sped by. A loud crash shook the palace, and I gripped the sides of the tub as water splashed over the rim and soaked the ornate tile below.

I slowly got out of the water, making my way to the window. The blue, sunny sky had darkened during the battle thanks to Cyrus’s magic, but his storm clouds had cleared, and yet the sky… it looked like it was the darkest night. Except this was a dark void, all light sucked from the usual beauty of the night sky.

I could see absolutely none of the usual illumination that should have been there. No moon or stars, nothing but pure darkness. There was only what appeared to be a large, dark spot. One that was barely noticeably different from the rest of the void, in exactly the spot where the moon had once shone down on us.

A horrible feeling began in my gut and spread throughout my body.

Our plans would need to be expedited.