Chapter 33
Leaf
I flung myself into Ari’s arms, my mind and heart shattering into a thousand painful shards that tore through my trembling flesh as sobs wracked over me.
“No. I refuse to live without him. I don’t even want to. How can I keep going?”
Ari stroked my back. “You survived when you thought he had betrayed you, but at least now, Leaf, you’ll have the comfort of knowing that you were everything to him. That he sacrificed his life to protect you.”
My sobs turned into howls. “That’s so much worse. I can’t do this… please …” I let my words trail off as the wind picked up and lashed my hair, strands sticking to my wet face as I turned back to Arrow.
“Please, my love. Please come back. I’m so fucking mad at you. Don’t leave me alone. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for every horrible thing I ever said or did. Please… just don’t die.” I thumped his bare chest twice, tried to lift him by the shoulders, needing to shake the life back into him.
“Leaf, let him go. Look ,” Ari whispered urgently, grabbing my arm.
I stared at the limp shape of my lover. Skin pale. The iridescent color leeched from his wings, the feather tips fluttering at the mercy of the hot breeze that swept through the arena.
Then his eyelids flickered.
Barely. Hardly perceptible. But still…
Arrow wasn’t dead!
He.
Wasn’t.
Fucking dead .
Not yet.
But he was dying.
My heart flipped and stuttered, then resumed its grim thudding.
Since my arrest in the desert, I’d wished countless times that my hate-filled gaze would be the last thing Arrow saw. And now, if I could take back every tear shed in service of my mistaken loathing, I would happily choke and drown in them.
I pounced on Arrow, holding his cheeks between my palms, chanting his name as if it would save him from a fatal enchantment.
“Please, Leaf. Move aside,” said Ari, digging an elbow into my ribs. “I need room if I’m to help him.” I gave her space, and she tipped three drops of glittering liquid from a dark vial between his lips.
“Gold serum?” I asked.
“Yes. It’s a risk, but unfortunately our only hope. The right dose might just save him. Too much, and it will finish him off.”
I swallowed a lump of fear, praying Ari had administered the correct amount.
Please let him be okay. Let him live. Let him wake up and say something outrageous, make me laugh and cry again .
“Leaf, is he going to be all right?” asked a gruff voice.
I turned to Raiden, who stood behind me, and smiled through my tears at Esen and Zaret. “Not sure yet. I thought he was dead, but then he moved. Ari’s just given him gold serum.”
They crouched next to me, and we huddled around Arrow’s lifeless form, holding each other tightly, barely breathing as we waited for the Storm King to come back to us.
“Ari, it’s taking too long. It hasn’t worked. Should I massage his heart? Try to get it going?”
“No. Don’t touch him yet.” She drew another breath to continue, but Arrow coughed, interrupting her, and splattering another layer of blood over the battle filth on my neck and collarbone.
I’d never been so happy to be spat on.
“My love. My love,” I chanted, pressing gentle kisses on his brow, his cheeks. “You’re alive. I can’t believe you’re alive.”
“Not getting rid of me so easily,” he croaked through a lopsided grin.
Another bout of sobbing seized me—this time triggered by overwhelming joy.
“How do you feel?” Ari asked, her fingers pressing against the pulse at his neck, her golden eyes scanning his glyphs as they sparked back to life.
“Melaya? Where is he?” Arrow asked, pushing onto his elbows.
“Gone,” replied Esen. “Estella pulled him through a cosmic void, a massive black hole in the sky that I pray he can never return from. And Azarn and his horrible son are dead. So that’s something.”
“A lot more than something .” Slowly, Arrow looked at each of us, his eyes shining bright. “My Aldara, Ari, Raiden, Esen, and Zaret, you’re all safe. Every one of you. Which means, in answer to your question, Sayeeda, I feel fucking fantastic. Good as new.”
“What about me?” asked a breathy voice near my ear. “Are you pleased I’m still here?”
My hair fluttered over my face as the ghost girl appeared, bringing with her a gust of cooler air.
Squinting, Arrow frowned. “Oh, shit. Is that Ruhh?”
“It’s all right,” I soothed. “The little turncoat is on our side now.”
“Gold help us, then,” Arrow rumbled, lurching onto his feet in one ungraceful movement. He swayed, and I held my breath as Raiden moved to his side, ready to catch him if needed.
“Come,” Arrow said, offering me his hand. “Let’s survey the damage.”
Slowly, we weaved through piles of ash, countless spot fires, and the misshapen bodies of fallen soldiers. He led me up the dais stairs, and then onto Azarn’s throne, drawing me onto his lap.
Sweeping his palm across the scene before us, he said, “Not long ago the king of this land used you for his entertainment, and now, you’re the Queen of Fire and Flames.”
My gaze skimmed his strong jaw, the firelight glinting over the beginnings of stubble. Dark smudges rimmed his eyes like kohl. He looked exhausted. Relieved. Relaxed. Like a desert lion after a difficult but satisfying hunt.
A laugh burst out of me. “Taln already has a queen.”
“Estella? She is now free to return to her lover in the Crystal Realm. I’d bet my life she’ll renounce the crown.”
“Please don’t make stupid wagers. You were so close to death, Arrow. And if not for Ari’s quick thinking and the gold serum she was smart enough to carry with her, you would have no life to bet with. Why would Estella hand her crown to me?”
He scratched his chin, stroking my hip with his other hand. “Think of Sun Realm succession like a pack of brutal werehogs fighting over a bone. As Azarn’s killer, I take his place at the head of the pack and can claim ownership of everything around me.”
“And that means?”
He waved his hand between us. “Behold, the new King of Fire and Flames and his lady wife, the queen.”
“ Wife ? Unless I slept through a ceremony, we’re not married.”
“Not yet. But we will fix that shortly. If you’ll have me, of course.” His smile turned into a smirk. “But then again, why would you not?” He sobered as he trailed a finger through the gore on my neck. “Is any of this blood yours?”
“Barely any. I feel wonderful, in fact. Tired, but so happy, Arrow. We did it. Azarn is dead and Melaya’s gone.”
Appearing fully recovered, Estella walked through the arena, mounted the stairs, and sat cross-legged on the dais beside Azarn’s throne. “Discussing your plans for this miserable realm?” she asked.
“Our only plan is to fulfill your wishes,” replied Arrow. “Whatever they may be.”
“I wish to return to the Crystal Realm. To my home.”
“I suspected you would. Will you stay for a while to help ease the court through the transition?” he said.
The queen hugged her knees to her chest and sighed. “Yes, of course.”
I leaned forward. “How will the kingdom survive without the twin mages?”
“Quite well. Melaya and Nukala wrote their own legends into our history books centuries ago and have played the rulers of Taln like puppets ever since. Veins of fire bubble beneath the kingdom’s soil, heating the water, fertilizing the plants and trees, and blessing the fire fae with magic. With Melaya gone, the people must build their natural power, the power that the mage’s magic curtailed. We must train their magical skills as we would strengthen soldiers’ muscles for battle.”
Estella stood up, rubbing her bruised arms. “I must return to the palace and see to the courtiers. And you two have somewhere else you wish to be, I think.”
“Yes,” said Arrow. “Coridon. As soon as possible. But we’ll return in a couple of days at the latest.”
I shot him a surprised look, then addressed Estella. “One day, I hope you’ll tell us the story of what happened in the bathroom with Nukala and Melaya.”
“Visit me in the city of my birth.” She rose and started down the stairs, but stopped three steps down, and said over her shoulder, “Only then, will I speak of it.”
Arrow’s hands wrapped around my waist, lifting me onto my feet, then he stood up and tugged me into his arms.
His breath warmed the top of my head. “Think back to who we were that day at the gilt market… A lost, fury-filled princess. A king burdened by prejudice and bitterness. And soon, together, we will rule three realms—the kingdoms of Earth, Light, and Sun.”
“Well…” I lifted my cheek from his chest and grinned up at him. “Only if I decide to name you my King of Dust and Stones.”
Arrow shrugged. “As long as you named no other, I would be satisfied. But know this, if you do name another male your king, this unfortunate being would not keep his title for long.”
“Hah! A threat. Ruthless even now.”
He laughed, entwining our fingers. “You’re as vicious as a storm, and I am your ruthless thunder.”
My grin widened. “I’m not sure what you mean by that.”
“Only that we were made for each other.” He squeezed my hand. “Let’s go. The others can take care of Taln while we fly back to Coridon. Estella will inform our friends.”
“You nearly died, Arrow. Shouldn’t you rest for an hour or two? Recharge your power?”
“My Sayeeda is not called the Mistress of Potions and Spices for nothing. The serum has renewed me.”
“If I’m not mistaken, her title is the Mistress of Slaves and Spices?”
“Not anymore. You’ll see when we return home.”
“ Your home. Mine is—”
His thumb pressed my lips together, then dipped between them and rubbed the gap in my teeth. “If you like, you may have a home in every city in the realms. But they will all be our homes. I’m never leaving you again. Look what happened the last time I left you to your own devices for a few weeks.”
“I’d love to come to Coridon with you.” I hesitated, shuffling my boots. “But I couldn’t possibly leave Luna behind.”
“Your horse? Yes, you can. She’ll be fine. I won’t keep you apart for long. I promise.”
“All right,” I said before giving him a sly smile. “But perhaps you should eat another persimmon before we leave. I can probably find one in the garden.”
“What a terrible suggestion.” He smacked my butt, wrapped his arms around me, then bent his knees as if ready to launch straight into the air.
“Wait! We could use the portal. It should be working again now that Melaya’s gone.”
“Good try, Leaf. But flying’s a lot more fun than stepping through a fucking portal.” He laughed, then exploded off the ground, shooting into the night sky.
My scream echoed across the Sun Realm and possibly all the way to Coridon.
Sighing, I wrapped my arms around Arrow’s neck, snuggling into his warmth. “Please don’t drop me.”
His deep voice rumbled against my ear. “I will never let you fall, my love. Ever.”