Chapter 31

Leaf

Two enormous dragons soared through the night sky, their fiery breath setting the forest aglow with orange light. Their growls and shrieks sent chills down my spine and fear surging through my blood.

Perhaps as soon as Melaya’s powers failed and chaos broke out, the dragons would simply turn us all to ash before we dispatched a single Sun Realm soldier, let alone their king.

Nausea churned in my belly as I stood on a dais in the center of the Arena of Ashen Souls, praying that I kept my dinner down.

Nearly half an hour had passed since Estella’s maid appeared in the arena and informed Azarn the queen was ill and would be late to the wedding. Despite Bakhur begging the king to wait, he’d bullied his son into proceeding with the ceremony without his mother. Much to my disgust and horror.

Surrounded by the cold stares of the fire fae, who hadn’t warmed to me in the slightest over the past fortnight, I attempted to calm my shaking limbs, telling myself there was still time for Estella’s plan to work. Any moment, Melaya’s power block might release. And then Arrow would arrive.

I had finally accepted that as long as the Storm King was alive, he would come for me, no matter the danger. But as I listened to the Master of Matrimony drone on, a terrified part of me feared that Melaya had discovered Estella, and my love was already dead.

The court’s best singers distracted me with enchanted songs meant to kindle love between a soon-to-be-married couple. And they worked to a point, because desire and longing simmered inside me. But not for the prince who stood beside me, dressed in gold and currently scowling at the sword that hung from his lean hips.

After I’d torn off the mergelyn anklet, that sword would be my first quarry. I’d snatch Bakhur’s weapon and cut his pretty head from his shoulders. But wait… had Estella said she wanted him alive?

No.

Her exact words were: Kill my son if you must . Which, to me, sounded like permission to send him to the hell realms.

With subtle glances, I studied the ghastly scene around me. The king was perched stiff-backed on his black throne, Estella’s chair beside him empty, and Ari stood slightly behind him, like his very own personal slave. On the king’s other side, Melaya loomed like a pissed-off crow, seething at the sight of me.

Well, when his twin’s head got dunked shortly, I guessed that he’d be significantly more irritated.

Dressed in a black gown with a hood covering her golden hair, Ari melted into the background of dark stone, and Ruhh hovered above her left shoulder. I wondered how much the Sayeeda had told the ghost girl about tonight. Hopefully nothing. Ruhh was an unreliable ally, and when mayhem erupted, she could turn on us, or at the very least, get in our way.

With a sigh, I turned my focus toward the fae that I prayed would never ever be my husband. I gazed at him with fake affection, as if the song kindled attraction, playing a role. But he stared at his boots, or the swooping dragon shadows on the trees, the growling, snickering courtiers. Anywhere, but at me.

When he finally gazed my way, I blasted him with the sweetest smile I could muster, creating the illusion that all was well. Pretending I didn’t mind the too-heavy dress emblazoned with aggressive, shit-stirring symbols that scratched my skin. Or my hair coiled in braids so tight that the skin beneath my cheekbones looked gaunt, and the side I preferred shaved slick with perfumed oil.

I hated this fucking dress. Despised pretending to be a willing participant in the ceremony. Loathed waiting while I counted each ragged breath, measuring my fear by the irregular thuds of the aching pump in my chest.

Any moment, my dust-damned heart might explode.

Our plan was terrible, dangerous, and certain to fail. I couldn’t stand one more minute of not knowing what was happening underneath the moat. If Estella succeeded with Nukala, how would Arrow find me?

We weren’t even supposed to be in the fucking Fen Forest.

And time was running out.

Melaya remained in position on the king’s left side, his flaming eyes pinned on the Sayeeda. Marcella wafted through the crowd, surrounded by the fawning admirers she referred to as friends, but I called beautiful parasites with sharp teeth and talons.

Without any warning, sheet lightning flashed in the distance, near the sea cliffs. Three heartbeats later, thunder rumbled, and clouds raced past the moon, gathering in an angry cluster above the palace spires.

If Arrow’s returning magic had caused the brewing storm, then Estella had succeeded. A wave of euphoria rippled through me as I dropped my gaze, hiding my excitement from the prince.

“So this is it,” murmured Bakhur. “We will soon be forever bound through the trials of pain and fury, commonly referred to as the state of matrimony.”

“Doesn’t sound pleasant,” I admitted, hands flexing at my sides. “For both our sakes, we should at least work on becoming friends.”

He made a scoffing sound, and I dug my fingernails into the outside of my thigh to stop myself from attempting to activate my reaver cloak. I had to be patient. The bride couldn’t give away the game too early and disappear into thin air. Although, Bakhur would likely be pleased if I did. Initially, at least.

While I waited for the others to arrive, I needed to keep my almost-husband distracted.

“Don’t you think we could create a good marriage if we tried?” I asked with a teasing smile.

“Perhaps a tolerable one… if you’re obedient.”

The blue-skinned fae conducting the ceremony continued with the spoken rituals. His long white hair coiled around his wrinkled bare feet, and he looked as old as the moon, with twice as many craters on his face. His words were a meaningless drone.

I focused my energy on standing still, thinking only about Arrow and my friends, wondering if they were safe. I prayed to the all-seeing Zareen that they would find me fast after they realized Taln’s hall was dark and deserted.

I examined Melaya.

Right now, the crimson hair that normally undulated around his shoulders, as if affected by his magic, lay motionless down his back. Distracted by the Sayeeda, he hadn’t even noticed. Neither had he glanced at the clouds that were currently hurtling toward us, or reacted to the crackling charge in the air.

It had worked. Estella had fucking done it. She was a goddess. A supreme shining star.

The energy was intoxicating, and I swayed slightly on my boots that were hidden under the excessive fabric of my gown.

Ari stood next to Melaya, her face close to his as she whispered through a rare smile, deliberately charming the fire mage. Exploiting his fascination with the famous Sayeeda of Coridon—the beautiful, wise sister of the great Zareen.

I’d bet the Light Realm’s last kanara feather that Melaya was currently imagining the glorious power he and Ari could wield if only they joined forces.

But that would never happen.

Ari wanted peace, Melaya chaos.

Another blast of lightning turned the sky silver, the forest floor shuddering as thunder shook the arena.

Finally, Melaya looked up.

The Master of Matrimony closed his mouth and ceased reciting bad poetry.

Azarn shot to his feet as Arrow crashed through the treetops, his dark wings flared wide and veined with streaks of lightning.

Without delay, I whispered , “ auron khaban ana ,” focusing on each syllable.

The moment the reaver magic slid over my skin, I tore Bakhur’s sword from its belt, stepping back and swinging at his neck. He ducked, popped up again, and then ran, his legs wheeling fast. I gave chase, and with a second sweep of the blade, I hacked his head from his shoulders. It tumbled off the dais, chestnut curls framing the gaping grimace on his face as it bounced along the ground.

I ripped the mergelyn anklet from my leg as a wave of terror engulfed the crowd below. Shouts and screams tore through the air, and I squinted, seeking my next target.

I was thankful for two things: one, that no one could see me, and two, for the queen’s necklace and orchid petals that I’d tied to my leg in a cloth pouch when the chamber servants who’d dressed me tonight weren’t looking.

Melaya had disappeared from the dais, and if he was as clever as he fancied himself, he’d be searching for Nukala right now. Saving his brother and protecting his own power instead of Azarn’s life.

Ari was invisible, too, but the path she cut on the dais toward the Fire King was more than clear. As guards raced forward to surround and protect him, bloodied bodies with missing limbs fell one by one, as if struck by an invisible demon.

Zaret, Esen, and Raiden fought soldiers in the crowd below, only the human boy visible as screams of agony split soldiers’ pale lips and blood splattered courtiers’ fine clothes.

The Fire Court fought back, jagged balls of fire whizzing through the air and setting each other ablaze. A burst of confidence shuddered through me as I realized that fighting an invisible enemy was near impossible. Victory would surely be ours.

It had to be.

But where was Arrow? He’d crashed through the trees, and I hadn’t seen him since.

At this moment, I couldn’t worry about him. Ari needed my assistance. Because Azarn had to die.

Now .

Lunging forward, I slashed a guard in front of me, and his steaming entrails spilled over the delicate patterns on the dais’s painted wooden floor. My sword raised again, I moved to step around his body, but a band of steel crossed my middle, pulling me against a wall of warm flesh.

Arrow stood behind me.

“Sh, little Leaf. Stay still. I must act quickly. Renew the bond,” he whispered against my neck before his fangs sank into my flesh.

I muffled a moan with my palm.

Three long pulls of my blood, while I swayed to the sounds of death throes and madness, a terrible bliss swelling in my chest. The air stank of fear and gore, yet I only felt peace in the Storm King’s arms, my back pressed against the warmth of his chest and stomach.

“ Go now, and please be safe ,” his voice echoed in my mind. “ Despite how much I wanted to hurt him , I let you take Bakhur. Excellent work by the way, my ferocious love. But Azarn… Azarn is mine. Help Raiden keep the way clear for me. ” Arrow searched blindly for my face, stroking my cheek. “ It breaks my heart not to see you. Kills me not to know if you are well .”

“I’m doing great. Make sure not being able to see me is the only thing that slays you tonight,” I said, pulling out of his arms. “Hurry. Time’s passing swiftly.”

Praying Ari had left the dais, I dropped a kiss on Arrow’s lips. Then I leaped into the crowd, shoving my way through the fae, and stopping where bolts of storm magic and the most soldiers were being flung through the air.

“Azarn,” boomed Arrow’s voice behind me. “You forgot to invite me to the ceremony.” He shot a silver beam of lightning from his palm and lifted the Fire King out from the dwindling circle of guards, raising him high above the dais. “I find myself quite offended by your oversight.”

Azarn kicked his legs like a child held aloft by an adult, and he screamed like one, too, throwing weak fire orbs carelessly and setting his own soldiers and random fae alight.

“ Melaya ,” he cried out. But the fire mage didn’t come.

He shouted for the greivon dragons and the guardians, but the grymarians didn’t show, and the dragons continued to fly in haphazard patterns above the forest and arena, as though Melaya’s obstructed magic affected their ability to navigate.

Out of nowhere, a guard landed a lucky strike, his blade slicing the back of my arm. The orc was tall and fast, spinning and slashing in a brutal onslaught that backed me toward a stone wall. I tried to duck left or right, to slip away, but fae were packed tight on both sides, and my reaver cloak flickered on and off, allowing the soldier to continue his attack.

I was out of practice and had forgotten how to split my focus between fighting and concentrating on holding the cloak in place. Tired, with my energy waning, visions of my gruesome death floated through my mind.

“ Move hard left .” Arrow’s voice cut into my thoughts, sharper than the blade I wielded. “ Now, Leaf .”

I obeyed, throwing myself into a gap between the fighting fae.

A fork of lightning struck the soldier, and he melted into a pile of sizzling flesh and bones. “ Thank you ,” I told Arrow through the bond.

Even at a distance, the stench of burning flesh hit me hard, and I retched before hurtling toward the last group of soldiers still fighting, loyal to Azarn until their last breaths.

Many courtiers fled the arena, and I did my best to avoid them, to keep them safe as horrific screeches rattled the air.

The dragons .

Near the cliffs, flames exploded, then a ball of whirling dragon limbs tumbled fast toward the sea, a loud hiss sounding as they landed in the water. The poor fucking things must have collided midair.

But better Azarn’s pets were dead than any of my friends. Or Arrow.

The Fire King dangled in a lattice of crisscrossing storm magic, cursing and sobbing, his crown of black flames inert, like charcoal husks twisted through his long brown hair. His short beard was on fire, and dark smudges streaked his face. Any moment, he’d probably beg for his life.

Arrow used to love that—having another being, fae or human, at his mercy. I thought he’d changed. But perhaps not entirely.

“ Kill him already ,” I said, deep laughter through the bond his only reply. “ Gloat too long ,” I warned, “ and you’ll regret it .”

“ That’s true ,” he said, amusement in his tone. “ You are wise, Aldara, and it pains me to admit, nearly always right .”

The sky flashed blinding white as an ear-splitting thunderclap shook the kingdom. When I opened my eyes, blinking away pain…

The Fire King was dead.

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