Chapter 41
Iyana
They rode through the night, stopping occasionally to rest the horses and themselves. But a sense of urgency continued to rise in Iyana. Altair told her it was all fine and reminded her they had only left the library the day before, and Emmeric could care for himself. She told him he was right, and in her mind she realized all of that, but something inside her said go, go, go. The stretching of the bond decreased the closer they got to the library, but just after dawn, it fell completely silent.
Iyana frowned. It had never been quiet in this manner before. She’d felt it calm when she and Emmeric were in close proximity, and not arguing with each other. But this was different. The sense of urgency spiked. Her heart raced.
“We have to go faster,” she mumbled.
“What?” Altair asked.
“We need to go faster.”
“My star, the horses are tired. As are you. Why don’t you rest? We’ll be back in a few hours.” Putting her trust in Altair to get them back safely, she leaned back against him and wrapped her cloak tight. Iyana thought for sure she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she saw Emmeric was alright with her own eyes.
Pain.Iyana woke with a gasp. It was everywhere. The pain. Her head, her face, her ribs. She curled into herself, bringing her hands to her head to make it stop. Altair was grasping her, asking what was wrong, but she couldn’t focus. The pain was all-encompassing.
“Emmeric,” she finally gritted out. The horse sped up to a gallop.
“Your magic, astalle. Create a barrier. Erect a wall between yourself and Emmeric.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head, then crying out as the pain intensified.
“It’s the only way. I understand you don’t want to block him out, but you have to if you want to help him. You’re no good to him like this.” Iyana only groaned and curled into herself tighter. “Iyana!”
The sound of her actual name on her love’s lips made her focus. She called to her magic, willing it to help her, to make the pain stop. A wall of fire, heat without the burn, scorched through her body and settled against her skin. Iyana took a deep breath. Echoes of pain were still present, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been a second before. Her spine cracked as she straightened out. Altair pulled her back into his chest, one hand keeping a galloping Pryn in check.
“Are you with me, my love?”
Iyana nodded, sighing. “I think so.”
“Never do that to me again.” His arm was tight around her waist.
Zane rode hard next to them, Ryunn and Pryn racing each other as only brothers could do. “You realize this might be a trap, right?” he called over the rushing wind. The storm which had been threatening all night rolled in, snow falling in earnest. Iyana’s barrier of fire kept her warm.
“Oh, it’s definitely a trap!” Kaz yelled from Talon’s horse behind them.
Iyana looked over her shoulder at Altair—his brow furrowed, a frown tight on his mouth. It must be a trap, then. Fantastic.
She nearly sobbed when she finally saw the tall tower of the library through the trees and clouds. The three horses slowed at the edge of the trees, eventually coming to a stop.
“Why did we stop? We need to go over there!” Panic bubbled up inside Iyana. She worried it would spill over. Calm. She needed calm. Altair’s hand wrapped gently around her throat, the only area of skin exposed, and pushed his calming magic through her. Iyana sighed with relief.
“We need a plan, astalle. There’s too much open ground surrounding the library, and if we charged in there now, we’d be at a disadvantage.” She briefly wondered what he’d done for work before going into the sky, because he seemed to know some military strategy. “What do you think, prince?”
Zane sat atop Ryunn, frowning. In that moment, Iyana thought he’d never appeared more like a crown prince, poised to take over an empire. “I think it’s likely my father and our luck has run out.”
“What’s the best approach?”
Zane thought for a moment. A pulse of pain struck her cheekbone, and she winced. She reinforced her barrier because Altair was right—she was no good to Emmeric if she was also in pain.
“We should approach on foot,” Zane said. “He’ll be less inclined to use arrows that way, and I’d rather my horse not die today. He wants you, Altair. Is a trade and escape an option?”
Altair shook his head. “I’m not entirely sure what the astmina is capable of, but if it was shielding us from viewing him, it most likely can bind me somehow.”
“Then we play it by ear. My father is very strategic and regimented. If we can surprise him, we have a chance. Everyone be on your guard, don’t let anybody get behind you. Uther isn’t opposed to literally stabbing people in the back.”
They tied their horses to a tree and gave them an apple as a preemptive apology. Iyana took a deep breath to try to steady her nerves. It didn’t help. Altair gave her hand a squeeze and a sad smile.
“It will be okay, astalle. We’ll get him back.” He pursed his lips together and glanced away.
“But?” Iyana asked, trying to draw out whatever it was he didn’t want to say. He sighed.
“Please promise me, should things get out of control and it’s clear we won’t win, you run.” She started to shake her head, but Altair gripped her shoulders roughly and leaned down to look her in the eye. “You run, Iyana. Please live.”
He rested his forehead on hers, his face the most open and vulnerable she’d him other than when he first professed his love. She could give him this. “Okay,” she whispered. “I love you.”
Altair kissed her hard and fast. “Gods help me, but I love you too, astalle.” Just like that, it was time to go face their enemy. Iyana sent a quick prayer to Thelena that they would be triumphant.
The situation was pretty fucking dire.
Emmeric was on his knees in front of Emperor Uther, the older man outfitted in his royal best—including his cape with the astmina clasp. Iyana shuddered at the sight of it. The colossal statues of Elena and Imera framed the emperor, with a retinue of at least twenty men standing between them and the library doors.
And, oh, Emmeric.
Her Kanaliza’s face was a map of bruises, his right eye swollen almost completely shut, and his upper lip split and oozing. Blood saturated his tunic, but only a small amount speckled the snow in front of him. Iyana knew he would collapse on the ground instead of kneeling if it weren’t for Uther gripping his hair, yanking his head back to expose his vulnerable neck. Iyana’s heart hurt for him. As much as her body and the bond was begging her to run to him, to heal his wounds, staying put and wearing her unaffected mask would be the best plan for all of them. But Iyana noted every cut, every bruise and silently vowed to inflict the same pain upon Uther.
When Emmeric first spotted her, his good eye flashed bright blue, and she saw him scanning the rest of their group. He relaxed only marginally when he saw Altair was with her. Their ragtag group, as Zane had so aptly put it, walked towards the emperor—Iyana at the front, Zane to her right, Altair to her left, and Talon and Kaz protecting the rear flanks. Uther appraised them all, the briefest flicker of surprise at Zane’s involvement, but it was there and gone so fast Iyana could have told herself she’d imagined it. She was sure Zane noticed it as well. The emperor was taking stock of them, noting Iyana, Altair, and Kaz all did not carry weapons. Zane and Talon were the only ones wearing a sword at their side. She was certain he knew they also carried multiple hidden knives, plus Zane had a bow and quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder.
“Iyana, my dear, how lovely to see you again,” Uther drawled in that haughty way of his. It made Iyana’s skin crawl.
“Uther,” she said, purposefully dropping his title, “I wish I could say the same.” She flashed him a saccharine smile.
“And my son,” he said, turning his attention to Zane. “Has Otho rained his favor upon you yet again, bringing the Aztia to me?”
The crown prince straightened his spine, hands clasped loosely behind his back. He was the picture of unaffected grace, but Iyana knew he had to be panicking inside. However, offering any sort of reassurance would show Uther a weakness.
“Father,” he said, “I challenge you for the empire.” Iyana had to tamp down her shock before Uther noticed. That was not part of the plan. She heard Talon whispering under his breath, what the fuck are you doing?
Uther laughed, the sound deep, loud, and forced. Iyana thought the man had probably never laughed a day in his life. “You want to challenge me? Well, I don’t think I’ll be accepting your challenge.”
“Are you a craven?”
Uther’s icy blue eyes glinted with anger. “I don’t need to prove myself to you, boy, nor anyone else. I hold this empire within my iron fist, and it does not require a reminder of my strength.” He cocked his head to the side. “In fact, not killing my traitorous son seems to be the stronger move here.”
“Then release this man, and I’ll willingly go back with you to Athusia, where you can tell the empire whatever you’d like about your ‘traitorous son.’”
Talon’s eyes went wide.
Uther’s grin widened. “This man? You mean this criminal? Like the two we found at the inn in the village?”
All of them stiffened, Emmeric included. Iyana, in all her petulance at the time, had forgotten they’d left Geoff and Gordon behind. They were supposed to be the early warning system, and she hadn’t even given a thought to their absence.
“What did you do?” Zane asked, voice low and dangerous. His hands behind his back had curled into fists. Talon was struggling to keep his composure. This poor man was not meant to endure hardship and loss.
“They were tried as traitors against the crown, found guilty, and subsequently executed for their crimes.”
“You’re lying.”
Uther snapped his fingers, and a man strolled forward, tossing a sack towards them. Two identical severed heads rolled out of the bag onto the snow.
Oh, gods.Iyana’s stomach began to revolt. She was going to be sick. While she hadn’t known the twins well, they had always been kind to her, and she did genuinely like them. Their loss…it would sit heavily upon her soul, especially with how rude she’d been to them before they parted. But she was still standing in front of a psychopathic murderer, so she shut down her roiling stomach and stood as she imagined a queen would. Zane was seconds away from exploding and doing something idiotic, and she needed to take control.
“What do you want?” she asked Uther.
A corner of his lip twitched up. “I think you know what I want, dear. Hand me the star and you can take your lover boy here back.”
“Don’t patronize me—it’s unbecoming.” Turning to her left, she raised an eyebrow at Altair. He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. “Also, no deal.” Before Uther could respond, she raised her hand to stop him from speaking. Shockingly, he closed his mouth, which brought her not an inconsiderable amount of joy and a sensation of power. “I’d like to propose a counteroffer.”
“I’m listening…”
“You hand us him,” she said, gesturing to Emmeric, “and we walk away without killing you and all your men.”
“Let me get this straight…you really think the five of you—only two who are armed, by the way—can take on twenty of my best trained soldiers and myself? Me? I earned my reputation by bathing in the blood of my enemies on the battlefield.”
“You earned your reputation by murdering anyone who spoke against you,” Zane said. “Like my mother and your own father.” Iyana’s eyes widened; she hadn’t realized Uther had killed his own father for the throne.
“Figured that out, have you, boy? Well, let me tell you—”
“You two can finish your family squabble at a different time,” Iyana interrupted. “My offer remains unchanged.”
“Then I’m afraid I’ll need to decline.”
Iyana motioned Altair forward, and he dropped the glamours he was wearing. Uther’s mouth dropped at the sight of the tall, muscular, and glowing man. He truly was a sight to behold.
“You may want to reconsider the lady’s proposal,” Altair said, his deep voice reverberating through Iyana. “As you can see, our small group can be quite formidable.”
The Emperor of Athusa stared at Altair for far longer than Iyana was comfortable with. Calculations were happening behind that gaze, and she hated it. Unfortunately, she was at a disadvantage with no military training and no direct knowledge of the evil man in front of her. No experience playing the game of royal courts. Zane should be in charge here, but he was still seething at the loss of the twins. Altair was a natural-born leader, and she was happy he was at her side, but it wasn’t like they could have a quick strategy discussion. Oh, excuse me, Mr. Emperor, do you mind if we take a moment and we can reconvene when we’re more prepared? Something clicked behind those cold eyes.
“I would still have to decline.”
In one swift motion, he pulled his sword from its scabbard and arced it downwards toward Emmeric.
“No!” Iyana dove into her magic, tunneling to its very depths, drawing from Emmeric at the same time. Ignoring the rush of pleasure that always came with the connection, she redirected the snowy wind to wrap around Uther’s sword.
It stopped, mere inches from Emmeric’s exposed neck. A heartbeat more and his head would have been on the ground with Gordon and Geoff’s. Iyana stalked forward, her hand outstretched. Sweat beaded on her brow despite the frigid temperatures. Uther was fighting her. She felt the pressure he was exerting on her wind barrier, and it took all of her strength to keep it together. To protect Emmeric.
The emperor’s neck strained, his muscles more pronounced. A vein in his forehead pulsed erratically. Then she recognized the astmina and those tendrils of shadow reaching down into his sword, lending him strength. Iyana almost faltered. Almost allowed herself to go back to the day on Azazel’s table when she had felt those shadows pierce her heart. Maybe it wasn’t a byproduct of the drug at all. She wasn’t sure which option was worse—she wasn’t completely crazy, or those malevolent shadows actually existed.
That small amount of panic allowed her to thrust almost all of her power at the blade. Yelling until she thought she might tear her own throat out, she finally threw the sword from Uther’s hand with a mighty gust. Iyana dropped the wind immediately, rushing to Emmeric’s side where he had slumped into the snow. Bright red blood pooled around him, the amount becoming alarmingly larger. She tore into her thumb with her teeth, just as he had done that one day for her, and mingled their life force together to heal him of all his wounds. They were both weakened after, and Iyana almost missed Uther approaching her with a curved dagger and a crazed look on his face.
Then Zane was tackling his father to the ground. “Go!” he shouted to them.
Iyana picked Emmeric up as best she could. He scooped up his saddlebag, and they leaned on each other, lurching towards the tree line and the horses she knew waited there. She lost sight of Zane and Uther but saw Talon fighting with a sword in one hand and a knife in the other, felling his enemies as they came. No signs of vomiting; only a fierce determination on his face. Kaz was tearing and ripping with her fangs and claws. Altair fought off a hoard of soldiers with what appeared to be a sword of fire. If they survived this, she was definitely making him teach her that trick.
A shrill whistle pierced the air. Altair. It was the signal that Iyana and Emmeric were clear, and everyone else should retreat. Go back to the horses and run. It might not have been the bravest strategy, but they had all agreed it would be better to live to fight another day. Once they were able to think things through, develop a plan…then they would take the fight to Uther. If they decided this was their day to meet him head on, it would not end well for any of them.
Iyana and Emmeric stumbled to the horses, their strength slowly returning. She helped Emmeric onto Talon’s chestnut horse. Ciri would unfortunately be left behind, and it killed Iyana that they couldn’t save the beautiful palomino, but this way was safer. Zane and Talon would ride on Ryunn, and Kaz would ride with Emmeric or run in her leopard form. By the time Emmeric had situated himself in the saddle, back bowed, the others were returning. In a flurry of movement, the horses were untied, Altair practically threw Iyana onto Pryn, and they were readying to leave.
Until Talon asked, “Where is Zane?”