51. Raelle
Chapter fifty-one
My heart swells at the sight of each one of our family members coming into view as Dax and I glide in on the glimmering winter breeze. All of their eyes follow the path we take through the sky except one.
Alaric’s eyes are glued to the man who resembles an older version of himself. His dark emotions are radiating from him copiously, and my happiness is quickly transformed into worry for my friend.
“Maybe he just needs a moment alone with Declan,” Dax whispers for only me to hear as we land and I shake my head.
“No, I don’t think that’s what he needs at all, Dax. I think he needs to get away. He is overwhelmed and surrounded when he’s used to being alone.” My gaze locks with his, and the plea of help is clear in my mind, as though he shouted it within the very confines of just my brain alone.
“I’ll address the people.” Dax bends down, kissing me briefly on my forehead. “Don’t go far.” His understanding means more than anything else. Nodding my head, I smile up at him.
Crossing the space between me and Alaric, I step between him and his father. The bond mark on my arm tingles as I pull Alaric from his internal turmoil. His eyes sweep me, then swing to Dax and he drops his head in a slight bow. I’m realizing that so much has changed in the time I have been gone. Since all of us came together and lived through everything we have, I can see that there is a mutual respect that was not there before. Dax has also become more patient; whether or not he would admit it is yet to be seen, but this small gesture tells me enough to know they have accepted the respect they have for one another.
Declan drops into a low bow, creating a ripple effect. Everyone around us drops to one knee. A sea of Fae around us create a wave of bodies as they all follow suit until it is only the leaders and our select trusted few left standing.
“Thank you for pulling me out of my own head,” Alaric says quietly. He turns at my side, unsheathing the sword at his back and placing the sharp tip into the now snow-coated ground in front of him. “My Queen.” His voice carries on the wind as he keeps his eyes trained forward. He too pridefully takes a knee, then the others drop as well. Until the only two left standing are Dax and me. Our eyes meet before we both turn to face the people.
“The time has come to rise up! Too many Fae have suffered at the evil that is Soren Croix. The true queen is here, and together we will reign!” Dax roars to the crowd as they pound their weapons to the ground in succession, causing a violent rumble beneath our feet and straight through my spine. The feeling of power snaps the bones straight, and pride and resilience strengthen the very fiber of my core.
“I can’t promise all of Valeska will rally behind the Moon Raven Queen, but I can promise that those who believe in me will follow without restraint. When I am king, Aldramani will always be an ally.” Osiris says, placing his hand across his ribs on his chest, where I know our bond marks his skin. “Through fire, may the Moon Raven rise!” The roaring response from the clouds is deafening.
I give a bow of my head to the prince before placing my hand on first Alaric’s shoulder, then one after another I place my hands on those I have chosen as my family. Each one rising with the brush of my fingers. When I finish and we are all standing among those still kneeling, I lace my fingers through Dax’s.
“Someone once told me that s ometimes the darkest battles we face bring the brightest of days— keep that in mind as we fight for the kingdom of tomorrow.” My eyes drift to meet the prisoner I was caged with not long ago. Declan gives a bittersweet smile before once again tucking his head into a bow. Dax squeezes my hand, pulling my attention to him.
“Get rest while you can. We don’t have much time before we deliver the reckoning that Soren has called on.” Dax finishes. He turns, looking into the eyes of each of the Fae I have allowed to rise and nods. His hand slips behind my back, pulling me to him; his other hand wraps around the back of my neck, and he leans in, pressing his forehead to mine.
“This isn’t going to be easy. Osiris told me what you have planned. Are you ready?” He asks.
“I’ve been tortured with the pain of losing my first family before I even knew better. The family I was taught was mine was a beautiful lie that was ripped from me too, but through all of the darkness—finding my way—I have found all of you. Bonded through love, heartache, and pain. Forged by the heat of a hateful flame. My unkindness is not just a family of ravens but many Fae-kind, and through the strength of each of you, I have found my power. The magic of unity.” My words bring a sense of tingling to my skin, where each of my bonds marks my skin. The ease with which the words come from my heart causes warmth to spread over me.
“We do this together,” Dax whispers into my lips, and I push up onto my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his.
“Together.”
As daylight fades to night, my energy has only grown more frenzied. The need to keep going fuels me, but as I sit in my mate’s arms with the fire sending sparkling embers to meet the stars surrounded by those I love… I can’t help but feel my heart wanting to also slow down time.
Wanting nothing more than to enjoy the time we have together, because whether or not I want to admit it, I know it could be the last time we are all in each other’s company.
As though the dreary thought filters right through me to Dax, he nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck from where I sit in his lap. My eyes close as I lose myself in the feeling of him enveloping me.
“Just be here right now.” He whispers into my hair. I know he’s right, but with what happened in the cave before everyone arrived and all we still have to face, I can’t help but worry. I answer by releasing a deep breath in a long sigh and burrowing deeper into his arms. It’s an eerie feeling, an odd calm before the storm of what is to come hits us. As I look around at the faces with the glowing fire reflecting in their eyes, I see it. Each one shows a different level of peace, but the same edge of concern is there nonetheless.
“When this is over, we are having a bonding ceremony,” Trent announces, and Ambriel reddens as everyone’s eyes turn toward them. It’s sweet that they have bonded. Just like Dax and I, they are beautifully opposite, but it seems that’s the way fate likes bringing people together. At least with us, I guess.
It warms my heart to know that the mating bonds have returned to Aldramani. I’m not sure what triggered fate into seeing us worthy of their blessing again, but I hope that the gods continue to keep us in their favor. And with that, they also see us worthy of keeping the titles we now claim.
“I can’t wait for the day.” I smile, hoping the sadness of thinking of everything that happened at my own bonding ceremony doesn’t show. My eyes snag with Cano’s, and the remorse I see in his dark eyes catches me by surprise. As fast as our gazes met, he drops his eyes to his hands, where he runs his fingers over the darkened skin of his fingers. Kait sits opposite the fire, her eyes never leaving his hands either. It’s something else we need to figure out.
“We all know the plan for the morning?” Osiris asks as he crosses his arms over his chest and looks down from where he stands, watching the fire dance. We’ve gone over the details many times over now. What everyone will be doing while Dax, Osiris, Alaric, Ambriel, and I go into the caves looking for the red soul stones.
“Even though I don’t like it… I know the plan.” Trent says with his jaw ticking as he looks from Ambriel to his brother. A promise passing between them without words. But it’s pointless. The promise he wants is that Dax will protect her at all costs, but even though she is my war maiden, she is one of my best friends and now like a sister I have never had. I would protect her with my life.
Osiris doesn’t think that the danger will be on the inside of the caves, though. He seems to think the real concern is for the others who will be waiting topside. Though he promises that Bracarva will be ordered to help protect them, I can’t help but worry for her too.
Phyrrohs has his own dragon and at least one other that I saw, but Osiris seems to think that once we get into the chamber, the pull of the dragons will change.
I know the others think it’s a gamble to trust a man who was once the same who stole me from the cliffside—kept me, prisoner, for the man who threatens everything I stand for… but I don’t. Fate and my magic have led me on this path, and though I have had to choose which direction to take at every turn, I believe there is more; even he has yet to discover what this bond of ours means.
“Well, if you will excuse us… If we are going to war tomorrow, I'd rather spend the night doing other things than looking into the fire with a glum look on my face.” Ambriel says as she stands, suddenly turning and pulling Trent to stand with her. He laughs when she reaches out and pokes him in the ribs.
“I can think of a few things—” Trent’s breath wooshes out of him as he curls in on himself when Ambriel swings her elbow into his stomach. The jovial laugh that bellows after is contagious, and we all join at his expense, while Ambriel’s grin spreads to a full smile, and she shakes her head, leading him to the tent they will share tonight.
One by one, the Fae around us begin to disperse until it’s just Kait, Cano, Dax, and I. We sit there in silence for what seems like hours. The fire begins to fade, letting the cold settle further over the camp, but still, we sit there with each other and our silent thoughts.
“Before this is all over, I just want you all to know…” Cano sits with his hands palms up between his legs, his arms resting on his knees, and doesn't look up from the ink-dipped skin as he addresses us. He clears his throat, balling his hands into fists. The emotions I feel radiating from him have me holding my breath, waiting for what is to come.
Dax senses my rising emotions also and opens his mouth to talk, but I shake my head, halting his words because I can tell that Cano needs this. He needs to get whatever it is he needs to say out because he knows, just as we all do, this could very well be the end.
“The part I’ve played in this. What happened to Mel—” Cano’s voice cracks and Dax stills behind me.
“Cano,” I begin to say something to ease the emotions coming from him, but then the emotions of Kait and Dax hit me like a sword to the chest. I suck in a sharp breath, but it’s hidden by Kait getting to her feet with a scoff and storming away.
Cano watches forlornly as her silhouette shrinks away before he shakes his head and stands. After a moment of watching the fire, he brushes himself off.
“Just forget I said anything.” He says it so quietly that if I weren’t waiting for him to say something, I likely wouldn’t have heard at all.
“Something is off about him.” I say, turning in Dax’s arms so I can face him.
“There has been something off about him for years.” He responds, looking at the spot Cano just occupied. A moment of silence passes before he continues. “But I think you’re right. Something else is off…”
“The dark magic they used on me didn’t affect me, but what if that was because of my magic? The way that I can wield all of yours? I think Soren was using the same magic; he was smoking Millard leaves… I’m wondering if it was from the residual effects.” My eyes instinctively follow the path that Cano took when he left, even though I know he won’t be there.
“You think the way he is acting is because of the dark magic he was using? Do you think he is a danger to the others? To you?” The depth of his voice becoming more and more intense. His fingers find my chin, and he turns my head to face him.
“I didn’t say that.”
“I will kill him. If he is a threat to anyone I love anymore, I will end his miserable life.” His jaw ticks as he tries to contain the fury building in him, and I place my hand over the feathering muscle.
“I do believe that he has changed, Dax. I’m not worried that he will be a danger to anyone but himself.” My eyes flick between his, and I see that regardless of what he says, he still cares about Cano in some way. I have no doubt that he would kill him if he hurt anyone else, but he would also take great personal pain in doing so.
“Enough about Cano. We have one night to just be before we are thrust into the unknown. I plan to take full advantage of you.” His lips trail my neck, and he scoops me into his arms, standing abruptly and laughing when I yip in surprise. The sound so foreign that I have to do a double-take.
The sight of his smile, the deep rumble of his laugh. He is so beautiful when he is happy. I love every version of Dax, but his happiness is what I want most for him. So for now, I will take comfort in the fact of knowing that the family we have left is safe for the time being, and I will live in the moment with the one I love. At least for the night.