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fifty-nine

Carnaxa

I refuse to allow him to do this; I cannot bear losing another person I love. I cling to his back, trying to work out a way to stop him from acting on his foolish thoughts. I know the prophecy just as he does, but I refuse to believe that he is the one to fulfill it. The door to my room suddenly breaks open. Ereon lets me go and charges into the room, with me following swiftly behind him.

Five Prel soldiers storm into the room, weapons drawn. I release a strand of water that wraps around one of the men’s feet and he falls to the floor. Ereon releases his own power against the men that charge him. Rhenor has Siphonie in a corner as he fights another to keep her protected.

With his power surging, Ereon runs through the room and rolls across the bed, grabbing for his curved blades that still lay there. Finding them quickly, he stands, drawing them from their sheaths.

The soldier I had knocked to the floor gets up and smirks at me.“I can play like that too.” He faces his palm outward, air rushes through the room and pushes me backwards, forcing me to land on my back.

As if they were waiting for a signal, the others open their palms. Fire, wind, and dirt swirl around the room in a chaotic fury as Ereon and I throw up shields to protect us all. Three of the men set their sights on Ereon. Attacking his shield of ice with swords and magic, Ereon struggles to maintain his defense against the assault. He lashes out, his ice breaking one of the men’s necks as they fall to the floor.

A soldier runs at me, sneering and attempting to grab me. When he nears I let my magic grip around his neck and squeeze until he stops his charge. My magic feels drained, and I know it’s because of my release earlier when I was with my father. I try to summon water as Ereon continues his fight against two men.

Rhenor, seeing that only two remain, runs to help, sword drawn and a menacing look on his face. Siphonie runs out the door. Ereon’s blades twirl in his hands with a graceful and mesmerizing motion.

Siphonie’s screams filter through the air and I quickly look her way. A man seizes Siphonie by her pink locks, dragging her backwards, and pins her back against his chest. “Now ... now ...” He holds the blade to her tawny neck. “I think that’s enough raucous."

Rhenor turns quickly, his sword held out. “Release her.”

“Why would I do that?” He mocks Rhenor with a laugh. “Seems like she’s good breeding stock. I might keep her to myself. I don’t have an heir yet.”

Rhenor takes a step forward. “Please ... let her go.”

The magic in my veins hums once more, and I beg for it to hurry. “I am Princess Carnaxa of Antalis. This is my home and you are not welcome here,” I say vehemently. “What is the meaning of all this?” Ereon cuts a look at me, but it’s the only thing I know to do. Keep the man talking so he won’t leave the room with her.

“We are here on King Atlas’ orders. He stated that when King Clennom died he would be the ruler of Antalis. So we are here to make sure that happens.”

“I am the ruler of Antalis,” I state, my magic building. “With my father deceased, I am Queen.”

“No. You married our prince. That makes you Shaston’s queen-consort. But that only happens when King Atlas falls. He’s alive and well, so if you don’t mind, Princess … You and your” — he looks around the room — “entourage can come peacefully with us or we can end this now. But speaking of our prince. Where is he?”

“Here on my father’s orders and you don’t even know who I am?” Ereon speaks up, sheathing his blades. The soldier he was fighting turns as if awaiting orders from the one with the knife to Siphonie’s neck. “I wasn’t aware you were here on my father’s orders. He sent me to make sure that we were here when King Clennom died, as witnesses. Sorry for my wife’s mouth ... it’s something we are still working on.”

I look at him, his dark mask that he’s so often worn fully in place, but underneath it I see the true him. The man whom I love and know, my prince and one day ... my king.

“Prince Ereon, welcome,” the soldier says and pushes the blade against Siphonie’s neck once more.

Ereon takes a step toward him and hesitates as the soldier he was fighting still stands a few feet from him. “Let the lady go, and we will come help you prepare Antalis for my father.”

The man that holds Siphonie looks around, weighing his options, and then he releases her, throwing her to Rhenor, who immediately starts checking her for injuries. “I’ll see you later,” the man states as he winks at Siphonie. “Remember my name, it’s Eiim. Maybe I’ll keep you out of the yir supa .”

Eiim walks over to Ereon. “Oh, and Prince, your father sent us with a message for you.” With astonishing swiftness, Eiim spins around, leaving no chance for anyone to halt his actions or mute the sickening squelch of the blade penetrating Ereon’s gut. Eiim redraws the blade, the silver wrapped in the crimson liquid of Ereon’s blood.

I lash out, my powers rolling around the room, and catch the soldiers in a swirling whirlpool, before I throw them so hard their bones break against the marbled walls. Running to Ereon, I drop to my knees. I hold my hands over his wound, applying firm and steady pressure, but he is bleeding too much and it is coming too fast. “No, no, no.” I pull the tunic that clings to his skin away. “I’ll find a way to stop this, I have to.”

Ereon coughs and blood drips from the corner of his mouth. “It’s okay, my queen.”

It’s not okay, it’ll never be okay. I can’t lose him. The room becomes darker, except for the fire in the hearth that casts shadows, and I hear Siphonie gasp from across the room. I turn my head to look at what has caught her attention as the moon completely swallows the sun.

“Eternal night,” Siphonie says, but I look back down at Ereon.

“You will not die like this, do you hear? Get up!” I scream at him, pressing down harder on the wound as his blood flows through my fingers. “I command you, as your queen, get up!”

“I love you,” he gasps. “Just let me hold you once more.”

I look to Siphonie, wanting her to tell me how to fix this, a way to heal his wound, but she shakes her head and so I lay my head against his chest. I listen as his heart beats in sync with mine, the ripple ebbing and flowing between us. His heartbeat slows and his breaths become more shallow. Running my hands through his beard, I conjure his magic within my hands and let it create snowflakes around us. Inside Shaston, a feeling of pure joy washed over me as I watched the snow fall, wrapped in his warm embrace, and I want him to feel that way now.

The sounds of men echo both outside and inside my castle, their hurried footsteps filling the rooms. A glance at Rhenor confirms that more are on their way.

My eyes flit towards the flames in the corner, and understanding overcomes me. His golden ripple swirls inside of me. I won’t let this be how our story ends, not when we’ve only just begun.

“Leave us. Go find somewhere to keep her safe,” I order Rhenor.

“But Naxa ...” Siphonie begins.

“No. Go. I can’t lose anyone else,” I plead. She bows her head and without another word, they leave.

Screams from my city below sweep through my room. The darkness surrounds me like a cocoon, and it’s okay because I always felt more comfortable underneath the watchful gaze of the moon anyway. Searching deep within myself, I grab onto the golden ripple inside, its glow flickering, and I clutch it with all my might. His heart is slowing, but I refuse to let him go. I know what to do. The thought of leaving him is unbearable. His slow heartbeat continues to echo in my chest, a reminder I’m not alone and we are not broken.

Then the beating falters.

Once.

Twice.

Then it stops.

A thrumming builds in my ears.

The screaming outside is snuffed out.

The thunder of boots ceases.

The world itself seems to hold its breath.

And then …

I shatter.