Chapter 50
Aurora
Once again, I wake up in Camryn’s bed, my hand gripping hers.
The room is bright, as much as it can be for a land cursed with constant overcast. My hand pulses, glowing dimly.
I focused my magic on keeping Camryn’s sleeping mind aglow so she could have a dreamless sleep.
My power is draining my energy and my stomach growls in protest.
“Always hungry.” Camryn’s hoarse voice breaks the silence. Her eyes are still closed, but there’s a smirk on her face.
“You know me,” I say, sitting up while I drag a hand down my face. I feel weak, and I know my depletion will trouble Soren.
As if he heard my stomach growl from downstairs, there’s a bold knock on the door before it swings open. Soren strides in with a tray overflowing with food.
My eyes light up at the sight of him, and my stomach growls louder at the smell of freshly cooked meats and the sweet aroma of bread.
“I know how Aurora is in the morning if she doesn’t eat, so I brought a little of everything,” Soren says.
He places the heaping tray on a small table beside the window.
He walks to the bed, his warm amber eyes greeting me before he brushes his lips against mine, whispering, “Good morning, My Flame.”
Camryn huffs beside me. “You know I think you two are cute as fuck, but you still make me want to barf sometimes.”
I chuckle as Soren flashes her a mock glare.
Camryn shuffles to the bathroom while Soren settles onto the edge of the bed, casting a wary gaze at me. “How are you feeling?” he asks.
I sigh, feeling the weight of my still-heavy lids. “I’m worried. But I have to believe that everything is going to be okay, right?” I lift my eyes to his.
“You’re allowed to feel what you feel. You’re allowed to be scared.
No one expects you to put a smile on your face like everything is fine.
We’re going into battle. A battle you couldn’t have expected.
” He leans forward, running his palm across my cheek until he lightly grips my chin.
“And I will do everything within my power to make sure you are okay.”
“But what if it’s not me who I’m worried about?” My voice is barely above a whisper.
His lips press into a hard line. “I love that heart of yours. How you care for others so fiercely. But you can’t control what happens and the actions of others. You can only light their path to do what is right. They have to have the courage to follow it.”
I give him a weak smile as Camryn returns to the bedroom. The three of us sit around a small table, eating in silence. The weight of what is coming thick in the air.
I pop a grape between my teeth when a sharp pulse cuts through the silence. Soren’s hand flies to his pocket, and his hand pulls out the communication mirror. He stands, flipping it open.
The distant sound of crashing waves and howling winds replaces the vibration of crackling magic.
“Thorn?” Soren breathes.
The polished fae’s voice comes through. “Soren, it’s time.
We’ve spotted King Caledor’s ship off the coast near Hollowbrook.
I have the front lines at the ready. I have placed pockets of rebels from here to the southern gate of the palace.
We will do our best to slow them down and weaken their army, but you best prepare now. ”
I push up from the table, suddenly nauseous. My hand rests on my chest above the thundering beat of my heart. “Soren,” I whisper.
He casts me a glance that would have gone undetected by anyone else. But I have learned the subtleties of his face. And the slight narrowness of his eyes and clench of his jaw means he is worried.
“Thorn, take care of yourself. Don’t worry about us. Just protect as much of the south as you can.”
I glance over Soren’s shoulder to see my silver-haired friend give Soren a curt nod. “We will stand together soon, my friend.” His stormy eyes flash to me. “Take care, Miss Aurora.”
Tears well in my eyes and my breath catches in my throat as I stare into the eyes of a male who has become a close friend over the past several months.
His studious and analytical nature has been a source of comfort.
But the dark clouds at his back and the sternness of his face make me shiver. “You as well, Thorn,” I croak out.
And then the mirror goes black.
Soren and I exchange glances.
Behind us, Camryn stands, strapping a dagger to the top of her thigh before tucking her tunic into her pants. “I guess it’s showtime.” She pulls her hair to the top of her head, twisting it and securing it in a bun.
I look at her as if it’s the first time seeing her.
Seeing the person she has become here. Somehow, she looks fae.
Beautiful and deadly. I have fire running through my veins, but she’s the fiery one.
The one who moves at her own will. Who roars to life and is difficult to predict which path she will scorch.
All I can do is light her way. She must decide whether to leave the darkness or be lost to it forever.
With all of us dressed for battle, Camryn, Soren, and I meet the others in the grand hall. Arc takes one look at our attire and grim faces and knows it’s time.
Caelum rushes to Camryn, cradling her face in his hands. “We have to go.”
Her brows pull together. “What? I can’t leave.”
Caelum takes a deep breath. “I can fly you to Ni’haan. You’ll be safe there.”
She pulls his hands away from her face. “And then what? You’re just going to leave me there? No. I’m not hiding away while everyone I love fights for their lives.”
Caelum lowers his head, slowly shaking it back and forth. “No.” Camryn glares at him. He lifts his eyes to meet hers. “I will stay with you, in Ni’haan. If you let me take you away from here, I won’t leave. I won’t fight.”
My chest tightens. Perhaps our plan won’t be as hard to pull off as we thought.
“You’ll stay with me?” Camryn asks.
Caelum’s eyes flicker. “Yes. I will stay with you.”
Camryn turns to look at me. She gives me a soft smile and replies, “Okay.”
Caelum looks shocked. “Okay? You’ll come with me?”
She nods to him. “Yes. Just give me a moment, okay?”
He grips her face and kisses her before she turns and strides my way. Soren steps to my side and she gives him an even glance. “Take care of her for me, alright?”
A lump crawls up my throat as I look from my lover to my friend. “Of course,” Soren says.
She takes one look into my eyes, and I lose it. Sobs tear from my throat as I wrap my arms around my best friend. “Be safe,” she says into my wild hair.
I nod on her shoulder. “We’ve got this.”
She pulls back and wipes tears from her cheeks. “I’ll see you soon.”
Another sob chokes up my throat, so I can only muster a nod as Caelum scoops her into his arms. He gives Arc and Draven a solemn look before he strides out the garden doors.
I follow them, watching Caelum’s bright red wings stretch out wide as he leaps into the air. Camryn looks over his shoulder at me while she grows smaller and smaller in the sky.
And just like that, she’s gone.
I stand glued to my spot for a moment, reminding myself to stick to the plan.
When I stride back into the grand hall, silence fills the cavernous space. Soren pulls me to his chest, consoling me as I try to focus on the fact that an evil king is about to unleash his wrath on us.
Arc strides to his dais, casually crossing his ankle over his knee. His face is indifferent, but something flickers in his eyes.
Clicking footsteps on the polished floor pulls my attention to the entryway as Mei strides into the hall.
She slows as she takes in our expressions and the overwhelming tension that hangs in the air.
She’s dressed in battle leathers, like the rest of us.
Her hair is pulled back into a sleek ponytail.
I sniffle and wipe my face. “Where are Clara and Maeve?”
“Vespera took them to a safe room,” she replies, sliding a glance at Arc.
A sigh expels from my chest. “Good.” At least I don’t have to worry about the girl’s safety at the moment.
As I exhale, a thunderous boom shakes the floor. Suddenly, darkness consumes the palace, inking out every inch of light.
My heart sputters in my chest. “Soren?”
Another clap of thunder and his calloused hand grips mine. “I’m here. Can we get some light, My Flame?”
“Oh, right.” I shake my head, trying to focus. With a simple prod, my magic tingles down my fingers until the tips glow a soft white. I upturn my palm and an orb flickers to life in my hand.
The glow casts shadows across Soren’s clenched jaw and Mei’s wide eyes. I stretch out my arm, trying to extend the light to wherever Arc is. I catch his shadowy silhouette just as he walks across the threshold of the patio doors and into the darkness.
“Arc!” I hiss as I watch Draven’s lithe form slip from the wall to follow Arc outside.
Soren, Mei, and I huddle together around my ball of light, shuffling slowly toward the door.
Standing in the doorway, I glance out. The sky is stained black and grey, no evidence of a sun. Lightning crackles and thunder follows a breath later. A vicious breeze stirs, snuffing out the orb in my palm.
I glare at my hand, trying to coax my magic back to life. But every time a spark flickers, it extinguishes. Shit.
I look at Arc, who stands a few feet in front of us, his head tilted toward the sky.
My chin tips up, and I squint to locate what he’s staring at.
It’s difficult to see through the churning darkness of the stormy sky.
But there, moving steadily toward us, is the dark outline of a shape all too familiar—Isolde’s dragon form.
Soren shifts beside me, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword sheathed at his side. He takes a protective step in front of me.
As the dragon flies closer, a figure appears on her back. Isolde circles above us, her wings beating in sync with the thunder. Or maybe it’s the source of the sound.
Arc stands as still as a statue, his eyes never leaving the sky.
The dragon comes to a smooth landing just past the gardens. A male figure dismounts and the stark similarities to Arc are unmistakable.