Chapter 57
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
Eira.
—From Lyvia’s list.
The brindle hounds bayed as Tiberius’s form cast a dark shadow over Cantor Manor on the edge of Aedrialis.
It’s strange to be back, Ti murmured as he banked and began a speedy descent into the courtyard that separated the stables and my old home. My stomach twisted in agreement, uncertain how I really felt about being here.
Do you think they remember you? I asked, eyeing the group of mares in the pasture lining up at the gate, ears forward and tails high as they watched us sore over their land.
They remember, he said.
But they know you’re different.
Though Ti didn’t respond, I knew his loneliness. The otherness of being the only one of his kind.
Ti’s hooves thundered down the lawn, still manicured despite the battle that raged through Aedrialis only two days ago. The bright green of summer had faded into brown as crisp winter winds whistled through the city.
Evony slid off Ti’s back. Her balance and skill at riding him had grown, but it was nothing compared to her love for flying.
She carried a wild, fierce sort of energy since taking down the shield.
Bear’s body had been removed from the wall, along with the hundreds of others.
We’d held a private funeral for him in the royal gardens.
Though no Bellator connection linked us, I swear I could feel Evony’s emotions simmering below the surface, fueling the energy buzzing off her skin. And though less obvious these days, I still sensed that otherness when she was near.
A pair of Rising guards stationed near the gated entry points nodded as I dismounted.
The hounds quieted as they peeked around the corner, cautiously taking in the new arrival.
I let out a soft whistle, and the bravest of the group approached, his thin tail tucked between his legs.
I knelt, extending a hand, the white star shining in the frigid morning light as he dared a sniff.
“It’s me, buddy,” I murmured, earning a slight tail wag as I scratched behind his ear. I stood, and he bounded off to join the rest of the small pack that patrolled our land.
The wide doors to the back of the manor swung open, and Aeriden stood between them, staring as if he didn’t know who I was. The small piece of my heart that had healed upon seeing him alive ripped open, the fresh scar unsealing.
I shoved that wound down as I looked up at the spitting image of my father, meeting him with my own unflinching gaze.
Aeriden was alive. I repeated the words again, forcing my mind to believe what my eyes saw. Dark King Daimos must have used the Transcindiel on the severed head to create something that looked close enough to my father…
Aeriden’s azure eyes slid from my own to Evony before landing on Tiberius. His mouth parted as he took in my caeluma’s massive form before he pursed them and stepped to the side, waiting for us to enter.
A strange sense of detachment numbed my limbs, and my body seemed to float into the brightly lit day room. I didn’t belong here. A lady’s maid I didn’t recognize brought a tray of tea to the small table in the corner as Aeriden pulled a chair out for Evony.
“Aeriden,” I began, my voice foreign and far away. “This is Evony Hunt from Rivaner. I knew her parents well, and I’d like to ask you—”
“That’s the first thing you’re going to say? It’s been two days, Lyvia. Two godsdamned days. I’ve been waiting for you to come here to see me for two fucking days. What in Tynan’s blistering hell of darkness has happened to you?”
Aeriden’s eyes swept over me as if searching for the living powers slithering beneath my skin.
I ground my teeth, irritation flaring at the judgment, at the disgust in the depths of his eyes. “Look, a lot has happened. Unfortunately, I really don’t have time to unpack every—”
“I came for you,” Aeriden snapped, looming over me.
Despite my height for a Sultiran woman, he was so much taller than me. My stomach twisted.
“I came to find you when Dad went missing, and then they started saying all those things about you. I was supposed to return to Aedrialis, but I knew something was wrong. They said you were sighted near the Lake of Light, so I headed there. But…”
I swallowed, knowing if I hadn’t left to return to Rivaner, I would have found him. And maybe we could have fought together, maybe he could have helped, and I wouldn’t have ended up in Nivis…
“She left to save Rivaner,” Evony hissed, her temper flaring at the accusation in Aeriden’s tone, “to save me. Save my family from being taken as Tribute. As slaves. The Tribute that was ordered by the king you so diligently served until the very end—”
“Evony,” I snapped, holding out a hand.
Aeriden’s eyes darted to the star gleaming on my palm, and I brought my hand down.
“I’m sorry, Aeriden. I was looking for you, but my circumstances changed and—”
“And you what? Figured out how to summon dark magic?”
“I didn’t ask for this!” I shouted, my temper boiling. I willed it to cool as the rising swell of emotions built in pressure, my powers creeping toward the surface.
Aeriden blinked as he studied my eyes before I tore them away, staring at the brightly tiled mosaic on the floor.
“I don’t have time to explain everything—”
“Then don’t explain it all,” Aeriden urged. “Just explain what Saros meant when he asked about Dad.”
Every thought eddied out of my mind at Aeriden’s question. A paralyzing stillness stole through my limbs as the words formed in my mind, locked behind my lips. A heartbeat passed. And then two.
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t answer this.
Tiberius’s massive form loomed in the doorway a moment later, his huge head snaking into the small parlor as he huffed. He bared his teeth at Aeriden, flattening his ears against his head, the message clear enough.
A flood of love and forgiveness poured from my caeluma, and I cut him a grateful glance. It was enough to patch up that crack in my heart for a few moments longer.
“I’m asking for a favor,” I finally said, changing the subject. “Evony and Ezrich Hunt… They need a place to stay while I’m gone—”
“And where are you going?”
“To Kayj, Aeriden, I’m going to an island of darkness where an evil elven king plans to take over the fucking world, annihilating or enslaving every human being in the process.”
Aeriden blinked and studied me, his eyes softening.
“Well, if that’s true, then I’m coming with you,” he said, his tone shifting into the familiar protectiveness of a brother, and for a moment, that was who he was.
I opened my mouth to respond when a knock rapped at the glass doors to the dining room.
“Milady, milord,” the lady’s maid said to the two of us, nodding her greeting. “Lord Kellan Astraeus of the Marisarma fleet.”
An irritated groan escaped my lips as heavy booted steps thumped in the marbled foyer and Astraeus swaggered into the sitting room.
A wide grin stretched across his freshly manicured face.
His dark beard was cropped short, and his usual unruly, braided pirate hair was washed, half of it pulled tightly back.
“Morning, Bonscaíh,” he murmured as he gave me a wink and stepped toward our small table. “éitilte,” he said, flashing a handsome grin at Evony.
She blushed, rolling her eyes at the sea lord, but offered a small smile. Despite what she said, she loved his nickname for her: éitilte, Little Flier, in Old Votruvian.
“Lord Cantor,” he finally said, offering a small bow to Aeriden, who eyed the pirate with equal annoyance.
“What do you want, Astraeus?” I asked.
“Touchy, this morning,” he said before reaching out to tug on my braid.
I batted his hand away as his dark brows pinched downward.
“I came to offer Lord Cantor a place on my ship should he desire to accompany us to Kayj.”
I blinked.
“You can’t,” I stammered. “Aeriden is still being tried in Sultiran court. He’ll probably be pardoned, based on the lies Saros told him, but he needs to be here for that.”
“Not if he’s a member of my crew.” Astraeus shrugged. “The Hydra and Marisarma crewmates aren’t beholden to Sultiran courts. Not if the Lord of Marisarma takes them on as wards.”
I scoffed, crossing my arms. “If he were to do that, then he’d forfeit his title as Lord Cantor, Sultira’s horse lord.”
Aeriden eyed the sea lord as he stood.
“Of course I’ll come,” he said, clapping hands with Astraeus, satisfaction stretching across his face. “And I’ll face judgment when we return. I’m not giving up my title. I’ll speak to the High Steward about it.”
“Already done.” Astraeus’s smile widened as Aeriden seemed to relax.
I ground my teeth and shook my head at the men who simply made up their own godsdamned rules.
“You can’t leave,” I cut in. “Someone needs to watch over Evony and the herd while we’re gone.”
“Hello? I’m standing right in front of you. Please stop acting like I’m a child.”
I blinked at the teenager, whose flushed face was inches from mine.
I opened my mouth as Astraeus held his hand up to Evony. “Drystan has offered to stay to care for the herd.”
“H-he…” I stammered, realizing Drystan was likely the best person to watch over the herd after having grown up with it.
Drystan wanted to stay. He loved Sultira.
He missed the Temple of the Sky, the Order of the Death Scholars.
And it was safest for him here while he figured out how to harness the Advetis Bone.
He wasn’t ready yet. He’d said as much the night before, and I wouldn’t push him. I could almost feel his fear.
My brain raced as I searched to find some way to keep my brother in Sultira. Keep him as far away as possible from Dark King Daimos.
“He’ll be here in half an hour,” Astraeus continued, turning to Aeriden and Evony. “If you would be so kind as to allow Evony and Drystan to watch over your home, I would be forever in your debt.”
My eyes shot to the ceiling before I shook my head at the gentlemanly nature he’d adopted.
“You should pack your things,” he said to Aeriden. “And perhaps, the lovely miss will show Evony to her new quarters.”
The maid’s cheeks flushed as she hid her smile and adjusted her skirts where she stood by the door. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Aeriden gave him a swift nod before motioning Evony to follow him into the house.
Alone with Astraeus, he turned to me.
“My answer is still no,” he murmured. “But we’ll be right behind you.”
“Olienna is the most powerful mystic alive,” I groaned, my words dripping in irritation. “A Bellator. We would be stupid not to use her abilities.”
“I said I won’t do it,” he replied. “I don’t trust her. I will not allow her in my mind simply to get my ships airborne. We’ll be right behind you, on the water.”
My eyes dropped to my hands. Could I really blame Astraeus for being cautious? Memories surged forward, and my stomach twisted at Isla’s haunted face. The Stone Witch, or rather, Olienna, reached into her mind to fly the Evecta to Kayj to rescue me last spring.
And now I was returning to Kayj. Willingly.
Nightmares hovered like wraiths as images from my time on the island crouched in dark memory. The crescent scar on my breast prickled, my hair standing on end as Cyril’s tongue flicked over his lips… phantom, predatory hands ripping into my hair, beneath my dress…
Breaths escaped my lips in quick huff as my vision tunneled. I swallowed, a growing sense of ruin and impending doom twisting in my chest as my fear of returning to the haunted island intruded on my vengeful purpose. Astraeus’s eyes softened as they scanned mine.
“You’re scared,” he said quietly, closing the distance between us and lifting a hand, pausing as my eyes flitted to it.
Astraeus’s leather and cedar scent washed over me, his presence scattering the air around us.
I shook my head, tearing my gaze away from his outstretched hand as blood rushed to my cheeks, irritation surging at my weakness.
Astraeus’s brows tilted as he leaned forward. “It’s okay to be scared,” he murmured.
His face was inches from mine, and his scent enveloped me like a cloud.
“I’m not—”
“You are not alone, Lyvia. I’ll stay close,” he said, eyes sliding to my lips as his throat bobbed. “We’ll be right behind you. On the water.”
I gritted my teeth, annoyed with my lapse in control, and took a step back, needing to distance myself from the pirate lord. “Fine.”
“Fine.”