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forty-nine

Ereon

T he sudden blare of horns shatters the serene atmosphere, jolting me awake from a blissful sleep nestled next to Carnaxa. Hearing the noise, she reacts instinctively, springing up and grabbing the dagger that she now always has within arm’s reach. The one that Thylas gave her. I was taken aback last night as I witnessed his change into someone entirely different from who I thought he was. Once, I would have never thought he could hurt her, but then last night, he was so caught up in his desperation, he didn’t care. After he left the tent, the mood changed and so did Carnaxa. She needed comfort, not my dick, and that’s what she received.

“The kukhe , Prince Ereon, have returned,” Ryul yells from just outside as he swings open the tent entrance, almost out of breath.

“You ready for another round?” I look at Carnaxa, as she shimmies into her tight fighting leathers, and smile.

The look that flashes across Ryul’s features has my smile faltering. He seems to struggle to find his words. “Prince ... there are more of them this time.”

I stand up, reaching for my own pants and pulling them up my legs. “I know Carnaxa and Anara and the rest of us can handle it, just as we did before.”

Carnaxa’s face lights up with joy when she hears my unwavering belief and praise in her and her magic. She was always the responsible one, adhering to the rules and putting others’ needs before her own. But I won’t ever ask that of her; I’ll always believe in her, just like I showed the men of the Prel . When my father steps down and I take the crown, she and I will stand side by side to create waves of change on this continent.

“Over fifty are headed this way.” Ryul’s words are clipped as I spin my head towards him before he continues, “And more behind that.”

I throw on my tunic, wrapping my thick cloak around me and grab my crown. “The kukhe come in droves, but never that many and never this fast after an attack. Your reports are incorrect … I know they are saying it’s more than they have ever seen, but such a number must be incorrect. ”

With a firm shake of his head, his determined gaze meets mine, highlighting the seriousness of the situation in his tone. “No, Ereon ... They are not. I’m here to advise you and Princess Carnaxa, and anyone else that you would like, to evacuate. We must return to Shaston to secure the defenses there.”

Carnaxa packs a bag and places the dagger in a holster on her thigh. She grabs the staff that I had made for her and sits flipping through the pages of the journal she’s carried for weeks now. She is muttering as her fingers scan the pages.

“And where do you think we can go that we can escape the creatures that are already so close?” I plan the trip in my head. There is nowhere to hide between here and Shaston. Even Shiw, my horse as fast as a shooting star, could never return with two people on his back quick enough to escape the monsters already at our doorstep.

“I don’t know.” Ryul’s grim words stretch across the tent. He knows it. We can’t escape this.

“I think I know.” Carnaxa’s soft voice breaks the tense atmosphere and I turn to see her reading the same page over and over. “Ryul, please fetch the Bêl and Bêlit of Antalis.”

He bows before heading out and I know I’m going to regret my next words. “Bring the Ambassador and Anara as well.” If I let Thylas die here, Carnaxa would never forgive me. Anara betrayed me in a way I can never forgive, but I don’t want harm to come to her. There will forever be a place in my dark heart for her where our love continues to live. She was there through some of my darkest moments, a beacon of light amid despair, and I won’t let that be forgotten, either.

Carnaxa walks towards me and cups my face, running her fingers through my beard. “Thank you.” She leans in and kisses me before she returns to her book.

Pale and frustrated, Thylas stands in the tent's corner with his arms crossed. I tried to talk to him and so did Carnaxa, but he remains quiet. His features are completely blank except for when he looks at Anara. He looks at her with furrowed brows, his eyes searching for answers, as if trying to unravel a perplexing riddle. As they stand together, Anara’s pinky finger softly caresses his thigh, and I wonder if it’s from a connection they have or a way of calming him down.

Rhenor stands beside Carnaxa and they watch as Siphonie paces in front of them, carrying two bags slung across her chest and swollen belly. Carnaxa clutches the journal in her hands before she speaks, “We need to leave.”

“No,” Thylas replies, stepping away from the wall and uncrossing his arms. “You and Ereon need to leave. I’ll stay here and fight. The kingdoms, Antalis and Shaston, need you both to survive to lead them.”

I look to Rhenor. Thylas has never cared about Shaston. Perhaps he does now because if I die, then Carnaxa’s protection can’t be guaranteed .

“And we need the Ambassador of Antalis to be alive as well.” Carnaxa faces him. “Do not think that you are so expendable that we would leave you here.”

“Trust me, I’m more expendable than you think.” He huffs as the horns blare again. They are getting closer. “I’ll stay here and buy each of you time.”

“Oh, go shuck a shell, Thy,” Siphonie speaks up. “By the way, while you’re doing that, step down from whatever high seahorse you’re on and put your problems aside. Look, I’m not gonna let you sulk around here until you get yourself killed. If Carnaxa believes she knows a way to save us —” She makes a circle motion with her finger. “ — all of us. Then let her.”

I have to hide a smile. Siphonie would have been a better ambassador than Thylas. Thylas relies on his heart and emotions to lead him, and mostly, he’s done alright. However, she would have been determined to make a change.

Carnaxa walks up to Thylas, her fingers graze along his tattooed wrist that has her nickname sprawled across it in ink. Her gentle fingers trail up his corded arms and he tries to look away from her. She refuses to allow it. She puts her hand under his chin, directing his attention back to her. “I know things are hard right now, and I’m sorry. I am sorry that I didn’t fight harder to trust in you when I didn’t have my memories. But I promise you, we will fix it. Together. I will always be here for you, just as you have been there for me. Let me be your safety for a while.” She leans up and plants a soft kiss on his lips that he barely returns. She smiles at him anyway, before turning to us .

“Where water runs, water can carry,” Carnaxa speaks loudly. “It’s something I was told. And here” — she points to a passage in the book she holds — “it states the same.” The words are unreadable to me, written in Antihana.

“Since when you can read Antihana?” I ask.

She rolls her eyes at me. “Later. For now, I think this means we can travel through the sources of our power. Do you know anything about this, Anara?”

Anara walks around and looks over. “It’s been a while since I’ve translated the language, but I think you are right.”

“What about the Minasians?” I ask her, “What do they know about traveling?”

She looks up at me. “I don’t remember traveling, but we never had a need to. It’s completely possible that the ancestors would have kept that out of our memories, so it was slowly forgotten.”

“I don’t know how it will work for those who don’t have magic.” Carnaxa’s eyes glance to Thylas. She won’t leave him, and I won’t ask her to. Then she looks to Siphonie and Rhenor. She is the reason they are here in the first place, and I know it would kill her if something happened to them or their unborn child.

“I keep reading but all that is written is ‘from the source can you be carried to the destination.’ Nothing about how ... I’m hoping that perhaps it’s like the magic. It’ll come naturally.”

“My queen,” I interrupt. She blushes at the sentiment and I know I need to call her by the honorific more. “You control water, but we are surrounded by ice. Where do you think we can find a source? I don’t think I can fit into a jug of water. ”

She places her hand in mine. “I guess it’s good we know someone who has ice in their blood.”

All eyes turn to me, and for the first time in my life, I’m not confident. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I know how to do what you’re asking … I’m learning this as I go.”

“But you are favored by the Goddess. You were blessed with a twin drop and powers not of your father’s,” Rhenor speaks as he walks up to me, clasping me on the shoulder. “I think you were meant for this, Prince. You are the only one who has such power by that which we are surrounded.”

My gaze sweeps across the tent, taking in the presences of those who have become important to me in different ways. I’ve never had a circle of friends who believed in me and stood by my side. Except for my mother and Anara, I’ve never understood the heaviness that comes with hoping I’ve made the right decision.

“Tell me what to do.”