Chapter Twenty-Seven
Bellamy
“ I am nervous, Bellamy,” Mordicai said as we watched his soldiers train. The king of Heratt had sent me more than one missive stating as much, but to have him at my side and outwardly expressing that fear was something completely different.
We could not allow him to change his mind. Nicola had warned us, and I was ready.
“What do you think will happen if you back away now, Mordicai? Do you think your kingdom will be spared? Do you think you will be forgiven for your previous allegiances? What happened in Behman was awful, but no more so than what has been happening across my realm for months.” Pivoting, I looked the mortal king in the eye, wishing more than anything that I did not have to do this shit anymore. That I could rest. “Now, the kingdom of Heratt must choose what it wishes to risk its soil for, because no matter what, you will face death head-on.”
Mordicai remained silent as I patted his shoulder, walking away towards where I knew Anastasia waited. On my way up the longest set of stairs in Pike, I was met with not only Ray, but Lara too. The two had grown close, forming a sort of friendship as they gardened. Now they ate, walked, and trained together daily. Cyprus hated it.
“Sir, this could not be more perfect timing!” Ray said, beaming at me before she leaned down to sort through her absurdly large leather satchel. As she did so, Lara patiently and stoically remained at her side.
The whisp wore a vibrant shade of blue leathers that matched her small, haunting eyes and offset her cascading dark hair. Ray, on the other hand, wore a casual pair of brown trousers and a plain white blouse. Like usual, she had her mousy brown hair cut to her chin, displaying her sharp jaw.
“I have a letter for you from someone named Nyla Atrofious.” I snatched the paper just as Ray freed it from her bag.
“Thank you, Ray. As always, you prove just how excellent you are at your job. Take the rest of the day off. The two of you should consider expanding the garden.” Something to keep them busy. Away. Unaware.
If Ray or Lara suspected anything, they did not let on. And I was not keen on allowing them the time to address any concerns or theories. So I dashed away, the letter tight in my grip and my magic flaring.
I wanted to read it right away, but I needed privacy just in case this was not what I hoped—the queen promised by Nicola. While I was lost in thought, a voice cleared. Looking up, I found Noe smiling broadly my way as if she had been there awhile.
“I just heard from Henry, he and Genevieve will be ready whenever we need them. But, for now, they are safe.” Her relieved breaths and joyful crinkling eyes almost made me forget about the missive in my hand. About the war itself.
It was so nice seeing her happy.
“Good. I hate that they were made to split up,” I grumbled. There had been no stopping it. If Nicola told us to slit our throats we just might.
“So what is that?” She asked, pointing at the rolled-up paper. I handed it to her, watching her every reaction as she opened it and read.
Surprise. Curiosity. Was that anger? Yes, definitely a bit of fury. Then there, at the very end, relief.
I felt the same spread through my body, relaxing my muscles but fortifying my resolve. Taking it as she offered it back, I too read the missive from the queen of Yrassa.
Prince Bellamy Ayad,
How strange it is to write your name after so many years of the mere idea of The Elemental haunting my nightmares. I was told as a child that you were of the Underworld—a curse upon the gods that sought to wreak havoc in their holy lands. Even future queens were told bedtime stories made to encourage subservience. Truly, all of Yrassa was taught about you and the blood you could shed. Now though, I see you for what you truly are: scared. Perhaps even more than I was at merely ten years.
There is something so freeing knowing that even the immortal feel terror. However, I think it best we stifle such a thing as war looms. Genevieve Windsor swears that your side is the one to be on during this chaos, and I have the strangest urge to trust her. So, Yrassa’s military forces are yours with the condition that you not only begin trade with us if we survive this mess, but that you shelter my children. They are young and they deserve the chance to live. Keep them somewhere safe, somewhere full of that magic everyone tells stories about, and Yrassa is yours to command.
Sincerely,
Queen Nyla of Yrassa
“She wants us to take in her children as wards?” I asked, baffled. It was so strange that I could not fully wrap my head around it.
“If you think about it, she has the right idea. After what happened in Behman, she is likely terrified. She knows that both sides put her at risk, but it says a lot that she feels her children are safer if she rallies behind us. Perhaps you should offer King Mordicai the same thing. Maybe it will make him feel less uneasy.” Noe shrugged, tapping my shoulder in solidarity before walking away. Seconds later, I heard her shout over her shoulder, “The not-goddess is looking for you, by the way!”
“Way to ruin the joy of the moment!” I shouted back, chuckling despite myself.
This though, was a vital moment. We were closer and closer to getting Asher back, I could feel it. Could sense it in my soul itself. Nicola’s plans were coming together in what felt like the perfect storm.
Not even Stassi could ruin that.
Surprisingly, she did not seem as though she wished to when I walked through what had once been the door to my room. Ever since she had commandeered it, I had been sleeping in Henry’s. Which was unfortunate, seeing as his smelled atrocious from the sweaty and dirt-ridden clothing he had carelessly strewn across the space.
“Excellent, you’re here,” she said, barely looking up at me. I shut the door, making my way to what was now her bed and looking at what she was reading. Asta’s journals, no surprise there. She had been obsessing over them every day since Noe brought them.
“Did you find something about Stella?” I asked, hoping that she would soon leave and rid me of her presence. For an all-powerful high demon, she sure was lazy and annoying.
Stassi did not move anything but her eyes, which were reading across the pages like it was a race. After a few torturous seconds of silence, she responded, “Yes.”
I waited for her to add more, but she went silent again, back to reading.
“Whatever game you are playing, please stop. I was tired of it before it even began.” She huffed at my insult, finally flicking her pink gaze up.
“Asta talks about a land that was special to her on more than one occasion. You assumed it was your Royal City, but I think it is somewhere else. There is an entry in the first journal that talks about how she warded an entire forest. She says that Padon sent creatures to her lands to slaughter her new subjects—to destroy the life she had built for herself even after her husband was dead.”
My mind conjured up an image of the Forest of Tragedies, the name itself seeming to pulse in time with my racing heart. Asta had warded it. Wrath had called her the fallen goddess, which now made far more sense. The holder of Souls, who had lost her place among the so-called gods for daring to love a simpler being.
“She forced all of the creatures into the forest with her magic, and then she placed a ward on the entire span of it. She claimed that her magic would siphon theirs, diluting their abilities over time. It’s quite impressive really, that she had the strength to not simply kill the beasts. I would have, though the stains from that nasty black blood would’ve been foul.”
“Does their blood kill high demons?” I asked, trying to understand the full picture of what she was attempting to explain.
“No, what was made from one cannot hurt another. Asta wouldn’t have been poisoned by their blood or really affected by their magic. There were some that were made in the hopes of ending her, I’m sure. Ones that her magic didn’t work on quite the same. But she was brilliant, and there was nothing that would’ve stopped her.” She waved a hand in dismissal before blowing a stray chunk of pink hair out of her face.
Well, that was optimistic. Reaching into the drawer of my bedside table, I quickly pulled out Asher’s dagger. As if sensing it, Stassi’s head whipped towards the blade.
“This is only a loan, Asher will want it back when she returns. For now though, I thought you might need this—want it.” Sliding my thumb down the runes on the hilt one last time, I offered the weapon to Stassi. She took it greedily, with far less reserve than she normally had for masking her emotions.
“Thank you,” she choked out, touching the runes with the same care I had. Clearing my throat, I nodded and moved on.
“Okay, so where is it that you think the Queen and the Empress sought refuge?” Despite asking, I thought that I likely knew the answer. Knew the lands themselves well. Had made a sort of sanctuary out of them.
“There’s a chunk of unoccupied land beyond that forest, the one she would later name after the tragic massacre that had occurred before she stopped the monsters. I think that Stella might be there, somewhere.” With that, she stood.
“I built a village there. It was recently destroyed by the fae royals, but I imagine if Stella had been there with dual-toned hair and an aura that radiated magic, I would have known.” I argued knowing that I was wrong, but still hoping that I had not missed such an important ally. Perhaps one that could have changed everything.
“Well, I doubt she would’ve made herself known to you or anyone else. Clearly, she has a reason to be hiding.” Stassi walked over to my—her—desk, grabbing a satchel she had stolen from my—her—wardrobe and pulling it over her head after tucking the dagger inside. It fell against her hip, the worn leather clashing with the vibrant pink leathers she wore. Had she also stolen from Lara?
“So, what, you will just search the lands and hope you stumble across her?” I asked, following her out the door. She practically jogged down the stairs, moving so quickly that I was surprised she did not fall. Residents of Pike watched in surprise as the blinding pink light that was Stassi barreled through them.
She did not respond to me until we were through the entry to Pike, her gaze set to the mountains beyond as she shouted a single word. “Torrel!”
“What?” I asked.
She scoffed, finally glancing back at me. “I have a sneaking suspicion she’s waiting for someone to find her.”
“And how will you get there? Do you expect me to portal you around?”
“Obviously not.” And then, as if the psychopath had planned it, something horrifically large crashed into the valley behind her.
Rock and dust flew everywhere, screams sounding from those who had been training outside. I covered my face with my arm, ducking slightly to protect myself from the onslaught of debris. When I finally felt it all settle around me, I was met with the sight of pink scales upon a foot twice my size. My body seized up, stilling in the fear of such a beast.
“Oh don’t be such a youngling. Torrel here wouldn’t so much as hurt a bunny.” Stassi’s words did little to calm me as she stepped up onto a fucking dragon tail and began walking up it like a staircase.
“Don’t believe her, I eat scrumptious things like you daily.” Asher had told me they could speak, but hearing that raspy echo of a voice chilled me to the bone.
“How did you call her here if you can’t use your magic without being found?” I croaked in question.
“Dragons bonding high demons is a big deal,” Stassi said as she settled into her spot. “It’s why Torrel’s scales went from black to pink. My magic runs through her veins. She is me and I am her. She can sense me from galaxies away. There’s no distance that can separate us. If she wills herself to me, no matter where I am, she can come.”
“It’s like coming home,” Torrel added. “Speaking of home, Milo wasn’t safe there, Stassi. Drisha doesn’t listen to Batheda any longer. With Stella gone, her dragon simply holds no sway against that of the holder of Death and Creation. I had to bring him.”
As if that were his cue, a dragon the size of Lian walked out from behind Torrel’s hind leg. Gods, she brought two.
My mind immediately went to strategizing. How could we use even one dragon in battle? I could ask Stassi to burn down The Capital. I could watch the gold melt and see the royals aflame. We could stop the war before it even began.
“Stassi—”
“No, my dragon isn’t your weapon to wield. She and I have an empress to find.”
“But—”
“No buts!” the high demon boomed, suddenly fierce. “Your world will be destroyed entirely if we don’t find Stella. My priorities are more important than yours.”
“Nothing is more important than Asher,” I hissed in response.
“It seems that’s what every male within five feet of her thinks. Aren’t you curious why?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, nothing. I’m sure it will come to you eventually. Anyways, I need you to keep Asta’s journals safe.” Her tone was mocking, as if she knew something I did not. “Also, if you somehow manage to pull off your little rescue mission, you should consider utilizing the golden king. He’s what I like to call a weak link.”
“You must care for my son, Milo, in our absence as well,” Torrel said, swinging her head around to face Stassi as she got situated. “He won’t harm him, right?”
“He thinks he’s a big bad demon, but he’s a softie inside. You should see him cry, he’s disgusting, pathetic, and hilarious all at once.” The high demon was using a spike upon the dragon’s back as a sort of backrest, like it was nothing that she sat atop a beast I had thought only existed in stories.
I guessed that to her it was as normal as eating and sleeping. Dragons seemed to have been a major part of her life. Apparently, Torrel thought they would be a big part of my life too, despite the fact I was being insulted in the process.
“Absolutely not. I am not some babysitter and I am already having three mortal children forced upon me like pets. Plus, Nicola could inform us that we are ready to move at any moment.”
A grumble sounded from what must have been deep in Torrel’s throat, the dragon seemingly ready to argue. Or eat me alive. But Stassi smacked her hand on the dragon’s scales, catching the beast’s attention.
“Fine, Milo will come with us. But just know that you’re slowing us down. If you wanted our help, you’re surely not going to get it now.”
With that, Torrel glared at me before snatching her son in her claws. The smaller dragon immediately began biting at his mother’s foot like a possessed menace.
Oh yes, I dodged a sword with that one.
“By the way, I would keep an eye on that golden king if I were you. I know a weak link when I see one.” With that, Stassi leaned down and settled between the dragon’s shoulder blades. In response, Torrel shook out her wings.
Just before she took flight, Torrel leveled her head with me and let out a ferocious roar. Her breath was horrid smelling, like raw meat and blood. Spit flung towards my body, her pointed teeth the size of my arm mere inches from my face. As her wings beat, hot air being forced my way and drying her saliva onto my skin and clothes, I could only say one thing.
“Eternity—if you are there—help us all.”
***
Adbeel smelled of whisky and tears, a lethal combination, but far better than I did the other day even after I bathed. Foul dragon breath.
It seemed that ever since I got the truth of it off my chest, Adbeel had somehow taken my grief and absorbed it. Or maybe that was because I could sense how close I was to having Ash back in my arms.
Perhaps that scared him just as much as it pleased me.
I could not fathom meeting my long-lost granddaughter after two hundred years. Even worse was knowing what he took from her—what he once thought of her.
“Any day now,” I offered, trying to be positive. Adbeel did not seem placated by that. He nodded, taking a swig from his cup and leaning back in his chair.
“Will you tell me about her?” he asked, his eyes flicking down towards me as I sat. A huff of breath whooshed out of me. How could I describe her? She was perfect, immaculate, wonderful.
A part of me wanted her to stay mine and only mine. It was why I had stalled having her meet him. Why I did not want her to know that the evil creatures who raised her were actually my parents. Would she even want me anymore once she realized the truth I had been hiding?
But it had been wrong of me to make that decision for her, and I would not starve Adbeel of stories of his granddaughter when I had already kept him from her.
“Asher is fierce. She is stingy with her love but generous with her aid. I have never met anyone as self-sacrificing as she is. I think that is because she does not feel she is worthy of better. The royals shattered her so thoroughly that, for a while, I thought she would never be whole again. But she is strong—a force to be reckoned with. I do not think anything could truly break her, not fully. She is brave and funny and broody. She says the world is not made for dreamers, yet she seeks a future in which all are safe and equal. Asher is made for a crown and a throne.”
Quiet sobs alerted me to Adbeel’s grief, and as I looked up, I was met with a tear-stained face that showed all the pain that overtook him. I stood, making my way around the desk, and pulled him up. Strong arms wrapped around me, the shoulder of my top soaked within moments. King Adbeel Ayad was not a crier, nor was he a hugger. Yet there we stood, embracing as he bawled.
“She sounds just like Zaib—like Solei—like every queen before her. An Ayad female through and through.” His words were muffled by my leathers, but I still heard him. And deep in my chest, I felt the pang of loneliness. Of the parents I would never have. Ridiculous as it was, I was jealous of Asher in that moment.
Like always, Nicola both ruined a moment and saved the day.
A tug on something with my essence told me she was writing to me. The last time she sent a raven—creepy thing—it had waited for my response. Like she knew I would lace the paper and send it back. Now, as she dropped the paper, I found myself practically bouncing with nerves.
“Please be time.”
Please be time. Please be time. Please be time.
Backing away from Adbeel, I called to my shadows, watching as the paper appeared atop my hand.
Please, Nicola. Please.
You are so impatient.
Yes, it is time. Perdita Harligold will be at the coordinates below. The king and queen are ready for your attack.
Remember, all who die risk the future itself. If you do not care about their lives, at least care about Asher’s. Be as fast as you can.
Nicola
“Time to get our princess,” I whispered.