Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Page Six. I was born with the knowledge of my fathers and their fathers. We know the deities are coming back, and we must fight for this world…
T he flight with Daegan feels much longer than eight hours—it feels like an eternity of icy wind and silence between us. I don’t say a word to him for the rest of it, and I’m still stuck in disbelief that he has saved me. Being honest with myself, I thought of our bond. This thing that lingers between us in the form of making us entwined mates was a curse and nothing more. I thought of him as nothing more than a monster, and as far as forgiveness goes, I know deep down I won’t be able to forgive him for what he did. But hate him? Hating Daegan at this moment leaves a funny feeling in my chest. It feels wrong.
We start climbing into snowy mountains right as the sun sets—or almost disappears. The light softly fades in brilliant shades of orange and red, as it dies down for the moon to have its chance to shine bright. We soar high, just before Daegan grips me tightly and Odemis dives. Wind whistles in my ears, and it doesn’t stop as we sink down in the clouds, straight into the top of what looks like a sunken mountain peak. Darkness is sharp against my eyes as everything loses light, and all I can smell on the wind is damp earth, a world that hasn’t been touched by fae or vampyre. Tunnels, and Odemis knows them well.
Daegan flies down the tunnels, both of us cloaked in pitch darkness that only reminds me of Ziven. I close my eyes, unable to open them against the force of the flight, and soon my ears pop, my skin bristles, and I pull the cloak tighter around me. The dive goes on—down, down—and all I can do is feel for Ziven. He still feels gone, like he’s not really here, like he’s dying. I can’t shake the horrible feeling in the pit of my chest, even as a familiar voice breaks through the darkness. A voice I am so relieved to hear. “You’re back. You’re coming to me. I am injured or I would have flown to you. My wing…I will fly, if in time. I’ll see you soon. I’m well.”
Maeve. My dragon. I knew she was alive, but now I can feel her in my heart and mind. She is here and alive. I know I’m crying, even as the wind blows the tears away. “No, you’re not well, Maeve. I can feel you.” I frown. “What happened?”
“My wing was torn in two places.” She huffs as worry floods through me to her. Her concerns come back in full force for me. “And you? He had you. The one you fear.” She pauses for a moment. “Worry not about me, Story Dehana. You are hurt and you must get to a healer,” she commands like a mother hen.
“First thing I’m going to do, I promise,” I vow to her. Daegan’s dragon moves into a glide. We get our first look at the hideout.
“I do not like you riding on another dragon.”
“Don’t worry, Maeve. I only want to be your rider too,” I whisper as I watch the hideout. It’s a town—a town buried inside a mountain. Somehow, it’s bright here, and I realise the cave walls are like mirrors, reflecting light from somewhere else. It almost looks like daylight constantly. If it is this bright even when the sun must have set by now, I wonder if it ever actually gets dark.
The town isn’t big, maybe no more than a hundred houses, and all of them have seen better days. Rows and rows of houses are built with the same mirror-like rock, but some don’t have roofs, and it looks like they have been abandoned. Is this all we have left to fight with? No wonder Daegan has half given up. Flames and smoke curl from some of the homes, and I straighten my shoulders. As long as we aren’t all dead, we can fight. We have to fight them, because it can’t be this easy for him to win. Outside the city lie fields upon fields of watery beds with plants growing within them, and strange buildings on the outskirts almost seem like towers. “They don’t have much food, and their education…is lacking. But it is home for now. Maybe forever.”
I look at him, my eyes sharp. “Forever? While the rest of our people are slaves? One city might be gone, but the rest of the world?—”
“He has an army of flying creatures and vampyres!” Daegan snaps at me. His shoulders drop. “I’m sorry, but it is true. We would need a miracle to save us now! We will make it work for the people here, and that includes you. For the last fifty years, the leaders have been bringing the fae in, trying to save who they could without revealing the location and to build their own ranks after an illness killed a bunch of them. Some fae apparently just find themselves here when they run away, but it’s still not many. It’s complicated magic and the last head count before we arrived was nine hundred.” I glance down at the cavern under the ledge the town is nestled on, sensing Maeve further down. “Are you feeling Maeve down there? I wasn’t sure if she’d returned with the others. That’s where the dragons go. They get called up, and we can fly off on them, but a lot of them are ignoring their riders. Odemis didn’t, but something’s wrong with them.”
“Another problem to deal with,” I murmur, my stomach twisting, and I hold my hand against it.
He frowns at me, touching my hand. “Are you okay?”
I don’t get to say another word before I pass out.
When I wake up, a warm fire flickers beside me, and I’m nestled in under thick fur blankets. It’s different from being so cold when I woke up like in the past, and I flinch, feeling pain in my stomach. I reach down, touching a bandage wrapped tight around my ribs and a stitched scar right under it. “Hey there, Trouble.”
My eyes shoot to the male voice, seeing Calix sitting in a rotting wooden chair by my bed. His black hair is tied back, and his eyes tell me how worried and exhausted he is, even before he smiles and tries to hide it. Calix touches my arm, leaning over me.
“Don’t you dare attempt to get up. I’ve just watched them cut you open, fix your internal bleeding and broken ribs, and then put you back together again. Thank fuck you’re awake. I didn’t want to explain to Ziven—when he gets back, that is—that you died on my watch.” He groans when I try to sit up, and he physically pushes my shoulder down. “Seriously, the healers we have left are struggling to use magic down here, and she warned me not to let you get up. You need to rest.” He meets my eyes. “Please.”
I rest back and nod, feeling too weak to attempt it, even if Calix hadn’t just said please. My voice is groggy. “What happened?”
He blows out a breath, sitting back. “Well, I was looking up at Odemis and fucking Daegan holding you, smiling at you because he’d done it, but then I saw you were passed out. He said you pretended to be fine and then you weren’t. I almost threw the pretty Sun king off the cliff edge to be dragon food.” I smile weakly at Calix. I feel exhausted and drained, otherwise I might have laughed at that. “I’ll let Ziven have the honour when he is back.”
I don’t have the heart to tell him what I’m feeling about Ziven. I can’t even admit it to myself. He has to come back. Calix and I share an unbroken stare, where we both can’t admit anything out loud about how worried we are for Ziven.
“She’s awake!”
I hear Hettie’s little squeal before I see her in the door and it shuts behind her. She’s all dressed in green, with a yellow pin clipped to the side of her hair, but she is moving towards me so quickly I barely get to see anything other than her light hair as she hugs my neck tight. I breathe her in, wanting to cry just from knowing she is okay.
“Careful,” Calix warns her, picking her up off me and moving her to the side to sit on the bed.
She wipes her tears and grins at me. “I was so worried when I sent you into that forest alone,” I tell her. “I prayed to the deities to keep you safe when I couldn’t. I failed and I’m sorry, but I won’t again. I promise to keep you safe, no matter what.”
“You were worried and you’re sorry?” Her words come bursting out. “What do you mean, you were worried? I just watched you go off with that vampyre prince to save me! I was worried! I was scared! You shouldn’t have done that, and you can’t say sorry for saving me!”
Her cheeks are so red as I take her hand. “Okay, but I don’t regret my choice. If anyone deserves to be free, it’s you. We are okay, and it’s all that matters.”
Calix softly watches me. “Our future queen always returns to us. So does the princess.” He grins. “I see that as a good sign our king will follow.” He bows his head. “It is an honour to serve your family and be your friend.”
“We are the lucky ones,” I whisper, crying again. I relax as Hettie tells me all about her new room, about the weird food and how the people here don’t know much about the outside world. “Uncle Daegan has been really nice to me. He told me the book made his mind go bad when he hurt me, and now he’s okay. Is that true?”
Calix touches her arm. “People lie, but for what it’s worth, your uncle did risk his life to save Story. I’m not sure it answers the unsaid question of whether we can trust him or not. At the moment, he has us surprised, as I didn’t expect a hero move from him.”
“Neither did I.”
Calix clears his throat. “He saved all of us and led our dragons here. Daegan brought in the fae and single-handedly fought off the Silkvir that tried to follow. Got them into the tunnels that led here, because he knew the way. He was on his feet for a good three days, never stopping, and then he flew to you.” He pulls out a note from his pocket. “Ziven gave me this in a hurry, and it’s apparently for you.”
I take it and see my name in Kyrell’s handwriting on the folded letter. I can’t explain it all to Calix, not what Ziven did, not to him. I nod, tucking the letter into my blanket like a treasured prize. If only his redemption were that easy. “What about Luna?”
I smile as she steps in through the wooden door, closing it softly behind her. “I’m okay. I flew with Cal. Glad to see you awake, friend.” She tucks her hair behind her ears. “I prayed every second that you were gone for your return once I heard from Hettie what happened.”
“He’s looking for you,” I warn her. “The king.”
Calix tenses, but Avaluna doesn’t seem bothered at all. “I know. I knew he would. It’s been so many years since anyone has betrayed him. He’s as delusional as his son.”
“It must run in the family,” I joke, and she smiles softly. “I won’t let him have you back. I won’t go either. We are no longer blood slaves, we are free fae.”
“Now and until our deaths.” She nods in agreement. She sighs, then adds, “We need to talk. At some point. About the books. Okay?”
I nod. I know I’m not strong enough to talk about the books right now. “Okay, but what I know won’t…well, it isn’t nice.” I catch the first flicker of concern in her eyes, and I don’t have it in me to reassure her. These books, this journey, all of it—it’s led to this. They’ve been manipulating us from the start. “For now,” I say softly, “I think I need to rest. I don’t think I can even get out of this bed.”
“Good.” Calix is still as tense as before. “The healer said you shouldn’t be getting out of bed for at least twenty-four hours. Hettie and I are going to buy you some food. Fair warning, the food’s not great here, but it’ll keep you alive. That’s about all I can say for it.” He looks at Avaluna and whispers something I can’t hear.
Hettie wrinkles her nose at me, sticking a finger in her mouth and making a gagging noise. “The food is awful. No wonder they don’t smile here. If I could find chocolate frosting, I bet I could make everyone happy.”
Oh, the innocence of her mind. “Hettie,” Calix scolds, but she grins. “I warned you not to insult their food. They are hosting us.”
“What?” She blinks innocently at him. “I’m only repeating what you said.” Calix groans.
I look at her, my chest tightening with gratitude. “I’m really, really glad to be back here with you all.”
She grins even wider. I grab her hand and hold it tight for a moment.
“Do you need anything else?” Calix questions, stepping closer.
“Maybe another blanket?” I mutter. “It’s cold here.”
He nods, finding a blanket for me as Avaluna and Hettie talk at the door. “Thank you. What’s with the green clothes?” I ask, noticing their outfits.
“No idea, but I think it’s a dye they found. They have seaweed-like food here. They use it for food and also weave it into clothing. It’s smart how they’ve managed to do that over the years, but…” He pauses, glancing at me. “It does smell bad in the farms. Hettie isn’t wrong about the quality of things here.”
I chuckle, and he winks. My smile drops. “How many of the Moon Dynasty do you have here?” Who survived? I don’t dare ask.
“A few. Fifteen, I think. We lost some. They could still be out there, but it’s unlikely.” He admits. “Or they might be with Ziven. Ruelle included.”
My heart freezes. “Let’s pray.”
Calix leads Hettie out, and Avaluna comes to sit on the edge of the bed, smiling at me. “Daegan seems…different. I wouldn’t believe in this rapid change if I hadn’t seen the way he fought to save us and then how he got you back.”
“What do you think about that?” I ask. She has experience with the books too.
She crosses her arms. “I should be asking you that.”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I trusted him once, and he literally shot a beam of light through me and nearly killed me. But he says he was being manipulated by the books. He saved Hettie, made sure she was safe. He came after me, knowing full well it could’ve ended badly. He must’ve been out there all night, waiting for the sunrise just to give me enough time to get back here. If anyone had found him, they could’ve killed him. So, knowing the risk he took, I’m inclined to believe this place is safe. At least for now.” I touch my ribs. “But trusting him? I honestly don’t think I ever can.”
“Do you know where Ziven is?”
I shake my head as her question makes me want to panic. I need to get out of this bed and find him. “No. But I have this.” I hold up a note. “Calix said Ziven gave it to him. It was from Kyrell.” My voice falters. “He killed him. Ziven…he killed him.”
“What?” Luna’s confused eyes meet mine. “Why would he do that? Ziven isn’t evil…”
“I think…the way it seemed, it was like Kyrell wanted a mercy killing. I think Ziven did it because he was asked. I don’t…” My voice shakes. “I don’t know what’s real or what’s not when it comes to that situation now. But he was my best friend, and he’s gone.”
She squeezes my hand. “I think he was always gone,” she says gently. “That life of his…You know his story. He was gone long before this death. I think it was probably a blessing for him. If I were like that, I’d want someone to kill me and to make it quick, too.”
I nod, though the weight in my chest remains.
“Get some rest,” Luna gently coaxes. “I’m sure they’ll be back with food and non-stop chatter soon enough. Sorry about the seaweed wrap you’re about to try to ingest.” She flashes me a faint smile. “I’m heading off to training. They do that a lot here. It’s actually really good and you must come when you’ve recovered.”
“I will,” I promise. “About Calix…are you and him?”
She blushes and shakes her head. “He has an entwined mate, so it doesn’t matter how I feel, right?” She heads out before I can tell her that it does matter how we feel, even if the deities have sent us on another path. I lean back into the warmth of the blankets. My fingers tremble as I unfold the note, knowing my heart will shatter no matter what’s written inside. It takes me several moments, a few long breaths, and whispered prayers before I can read the words on the page.
Story Dehana, the bravest woman I was honoured to meet,
“If you’re reading this, Story, I know it’s because I made sure this note would find its way to you and no one else. There are a thousand moments I could start with, but for now, I want you to know a single thing. My body might be gone from you, but my soul is not. I will watch over you, be your friend, even in death. When I came back as a vampyre, I was horrified by my existence. After years of hating the vampyres and wanting their downfall, I was now a broken vampyre myself. The only thought that ever crossed my mind was that this life wasn’t what I wanted.
I wanted death.
I made sure I’d find someone who could give me that release from this world, and I chose the male who loved you so deeply, so intensely, that there wasn’t a line he wouldn’t cross to make sure you were happy and safe. King Ziven…he didn’t have to make that deal, and yet, he did. He made it for you, not for me. He knew I was a liability, and he knew you wouldn’t be able to stand seeing me in pain.
Do not blame him and ruin your chance at a happy life because of me. Do not let that man go, or I will haunt you.
All I ever wanted, from the moment I met you, was to make your life better. You deserved that, and I was determined to give you that life. But when the love of my life made his sacrifice, my purpose shifted.
After that, my only mission was to secure your future.
Now, I’m giving you my blessing—as your family. Marry King Ziven and be a queen. Adopt cute babies and you’d better give one of them my name, at least as a middle name if you can. I want you to have a future—a brilliant, hopeful future.
Please, don’t let me come between you two. Some people are just meant for each other. You and the king are made of the same fire, the same defiance, and the same hope. Together, you’ll make the world better than it’s been in a long time.
Love each other. Live for me. Give me something to smile down on, wherever I am.
I love you.
Kyrell, your brother in every way that mattered.
The tears come in a flood, spilling down my face as I clutch the note to my chest. It feels like my heart is being ripped apart, as this is all I have now. “Bye, Kyrell,” I whisper softly, tilting my head as if my voice could carry to wherever he is now. “I hope you hear me, in your last moments, or wherever you are.” Exhaustion weighs me down, and I cry myself into sleep—or perhaps I pass out again. I’m not sure which. In the haze of dreams, I see Ziven. He’s floating in shadows, his form flickering and fading like a dying ember. He looks as though he’s slipping away. I reach for him, desperate, but I can’t touch him. My hands grasp at nothing.
Suddenly, his eyes snap open, those beautiful silver eyes that burn like dragon fire.
“I’m coming for you.”
He’s there—alive, somewhere. My lips curve into a smile, my heart clinging to the possibility.
I don’t want to be saved by the sun. I want the moon.