5. King of Wraelira
King of Wraelira
KAEL
Ionce cherished the streets of Serevalen.
They carried stories of my childhood and the simplicities of life before my father befell psychosis.
Every alleyway was a patchwork of my memories, most of which had blurred with time, leaving behind the darkness that encased my soul.
And each chunk of cobblestone harbored years of my footfalls, clinging to portions of me that had long since died.
Hell, my soul had left this plane as soon as Percy took his last breath.
All that remained now was a hollow shell, but even amidst my lack of desire to continue, I could sense a dense weight clinging to the air.
The oxygen that incessantly filled my lungs carried a tang of something dark, something malicious, and I knew it was only the beginning of all that was to come.
Leilani’s timbre pulled me from my wallowing. “Do you follow?”
I blinked once, glancing in her direction. “I’m sorry. Can you repeat that?”
“From what I’ve gathered from my link with Parran, they were able to collect enough power to guide both crews and vessels through their Voidstep.
With the streets being mostly clear, our best bet is to head back toward the docks.
“ Hope beamed in her eyes, but the saddened smile she offered told me everything I needed to know.
“Keep your head up. Distracted minds can weave together fates that may otherwise be avoided.”
Stopping in my tracks, I shook my head. “What? You told me we would slaughter these motherfuckers, and now you want to toss me back onto that godsdamned boat just because—”
“Kael, you lost someone important to you. You deserve time to mourn.” With a lengthened inhale, she stepped toward me, settling her hand on my shoulder.
“My promise reigns true, and we’ve made our statement here about which side we are on, but I refuse to dive into the palace or anywhere near potential danger when you are not okay. ”
“I am perfectly—”
Leilani chuckled softly. “No. You’re not. Believe me, in being one of the only women within the Scarlet Tempest, I’ve become rather adept at reading men. And right now? You’re lying through your teeth.”
She wasn’t wrong. But how would my being upset change the trajectory of anything?
How would I ever avenge Percy when my mind, body, and soul would never be able to let him go?
If I couldn’t fight for him now… If I couldn’t fight for my people, then how the fuck could I ever claim that throne as a king?
How would those on the continent of Wraelira ever look at me as if I was something when I backed out once things got hard?
I was far too weak, far too pitiful, and my internal struggles only proved that.
Nipping the inside of my cheek and savoring the coppery taste that followed, I felt the tension clinging to me begin to dissipate.
Its flavor had always served as a grounding cord, calling to a portion of myself that remained buried.
A piece of me that sang with unfamiliarity, as if it existed in another realm, another timeline.
I took in a steadied, yet poisoned breath before responding, “You’re right. I’m likely far more of a liability than an asset at this point in time.”
She squeezed my shoulder as she shook her head.
“I couldn’t disagree with you more, Kael.
You’re far more than an asset. You’re the prince of the throne of Wraelira.
You’re the soon-to-be king of these lands.
That should never be written off, but an aching man can only protect once he has taken the time to heal.
You can only offer yourself and your care once you have given yourself the same.
A wounded soul can only last so long, and I refuse to watch you wilt away.
You are far too beautiful a flower to allow your petals to fall, and if you won’t take time to honor that for yourself, then I will force you to. ”
The ferocity in her eyes spoke loudly enough, and the sharpness with which she spoke further solidified it. After seeing the countless bodies she had slaughtered, I knew Leilani wasn’t one to test, and I was more than certain that carried into the relationships she held with those around her.
My mouth curled upward, though I knew the smile never reached my eyes. “I suppose I’ve never been the best at taking care of myself…” Stare hardening, I lifted my hands in surrender. “But I will do a better job at it. The last thing I want is you cleaving my head clean from my body.”
Leilani flattened her palm against her chest in feigned offense. “Oh, Kaelivan, I am far too womanly to ever commit such a heinous act.”
Attention sweeping down her frame, noting each freckle of blood dusting her honeyed skin and every arc of lineage that worked languidly to dry. “Right. You would never butcher a man with your bare hands.”
“I would,” the feminine voice called out from a few yards away.
Lifting my chin, Rohen came into view first. Her vibrant red strands were tousled as if someone had taken a wire brush to them, and my mind wandered to a variety of possibilities.
As she got closer, a smear of crimson became visible, spreading across her neck and through her hair with a stickiness and viscosity that blood could never mirror.
Accentuated by the deep scarlet dress she wore, I couldn’t help but grin.
With intention, I pulled my lips into a flat line, struggling to keep my laughter at bay. Emerald gaze drilling into me, her brows narrowed to hood her stare, a testing glare. “What the fuck is so funny?”
Stepping out from behind her, Syoran automatically drew my attention.
The depth of his triangular eyes was like a lure, commanding a sense of heedfulness.
Moonlight skin glinted beneath the setting sun; the dark strands of hair, nearly half of it woven into tight braids, contrasted with the very air he carried.
Yet even though his presence initiated an inescapable need to admire, I couldn’t help but fixate on the strip of fabric wrapped beneath his armpit, fitted tightly around his shoulder and chest.
Syoran chuckled, seemingly unbothered by the lineage he had lost, which clung to his linen shirt in the form of a deep stain. “Oh, probably the fact that you’re covered with the hors d’oeuvres table. You know, the splash of color the jam is adding isn’t quite your—”
Fist colliding with his uninjured arm, Rohen growled, “Say another word, co-captain, and I’ll sink my fingers knuckle-deep in your wound.”
“Just as feisty as I remember,” I hummed, hoping to divert her attention. “That being said, you didn’t threaten Alastair into joining you?”
“Threaten?” Craning her head, Rohen looked between Leilani and me. “I didn’t think I’d have to. I thought he’d be with the two of you, considering—”
Leilani unsheathed her sword and pivoted on her heel. “Parran has rounded both ships and waits on the docks with our crews. I’m going to find him.”
Before she could take another step, Rohen was there, fingers curling around her arm and drawing her to a halt. “No. No, you’re not.”
Head snapping over her shoulder, mocha eyes darkened to a near pitch-black, unspeakable wrath rolling from Leilani. “Who the fuck are you to tell me I cannot go after my partner? As far as I’m concerned, I hold a hierarchy here.”
Rohen sighed, going to run her hand through her hair before remembering the minor action would be useless.
“I’m not… Fuck, Leilani. That’s exactly the point.
You’re needed on that ship because without you, there is no one to command its departure.
Believe me, I am not trying to cross a line here, but Serevalen…
Gods, the Others have already adjusted their focus to ritualistic practices, which I fully believe will open our realm to theirs.
” Her tongue darted out and rolled across her lips before she added.
“This is not me trying to place myself above you in the hierarchy, but to try and protect you after having interacted with one of those… creatures firsthand.”
Silence lingered as Leilani considered her words, the tautness in her shoulders ceasing with an influx of surprise at Rohen’s display of concern.
After a handful of seconds of contemplation, the co-captain of the Scarlet Tempest spoke, “I appreciate the warning, as well as the apprehension, but I refuse to just leave Alastair here. I-I… can’t lose him. ”
Rohen nipped at the bottom of her lip in a similar fashion to how I had with my cheek.
“You don’t have to lose him. Listen, Leilani, your crew needs you, and with how things are unfolding, that ship needs to be ready for departure.
No one is more equipped than you to command it.
You and I both know your men will not listen to Syoran, and no offense to Kael, but he certainly doesn’t know how the fuck to sail. ”
“Okay, uncalled for,” I piped in before mumbling, “but accurate.”
Leilani pinned her with a look of disbelief. “If I go back to that ship and order the men to raise the sails, that is me leaving Alastair here. I refuse—”
“I’ll go find him,” Rohen breathed, the vibrant sheen in her eyes seeming to glow with her utterance.
“I’m extremely equipped to scale the rooftops and prowl the alleyways of Serevalen.
By the gods, I did it frequently in the past when hunting down my targets.
I will find Alastair, and then we will join you on the ship. ”
Jaw feathering, the very air of uncertainty plumed from Leilani. “If you’re unable and come back to my ship empty-handed?”
“You can gut me.” The offer came without hesitation, the crimson-haired woman dipping her chin. “You can torture me, hang me from the sails, toss me overboard, or hand me off to the king. Hell, whatever you wish to do to get vengeance for your other half, I will allow.”
“You’re vowing your life?” Leilani questioned, but I didn’t miss the relief that sparked in her stare.
“Yes.” Rohen glanced over her shoulder at Syoran and me. “You take the two of them back to the ship, and I will hunt every crevice of Serevalen for Alastair. Leilani, I promise that I will find him, and I am a woman of my word.”
Leilani swallowed, but wasn’t the one who replied. Instead, Syoran added, “As much as Rohen is a cunt, she is fully capable of achieving such a task.”
“Fuck you too, Kao.”
My brows furrowed at his claim and her reply, so I joined in, “Rohen has been nothing but a nurturer. Well, to me, anyway. And I believe Syoran’s opinions derive from a place of misconception and a surface-level understanding of how someone would treat you if you forced them into confinement.”
Glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, Syoran mumbled something, but Leilani’s reply swallowed any chance I had at hearing it. “Okay,” she said. “Kael, Syoran, and I will head back to the docks while you hunt for Alastair. This is me putting my faith in you, Rohen. Please do not let me down.”
“I won’t,” Rohen hummed before turning to me with a genuine smile, “and thank you, Kael.”
My cheeks heated with her gratitude. “I-I… I… Um. You’re welcome.”
Without wasting another moment, she offered us a departing grin before vanishing into a nearby alleyway.
Her sudden absence earned a sigh from Leilani, and I understood it.
Her heart was out there, possibly injured or even dead, and stomaching that reality was one of the most painful things to experience in life.
The realization settled something within me. If I could withstand the guttural ache that came with loss, then there wasn’t anything that could incapacitate me. For I was the king of fucking Serevalen, and the entire continent of Wraelira was mine to command.