41. Forty-One
Iblink several times, forcing the flashes of my haunting nightmares to flee my mind. My throat tightens and my heart constricts, but when I open my eyes, I realize that this isn”t one of my nightmares.
”Shaye!” Relief floods Bastian”s face as he lunges toward me, but before he can embrace me, I throw a golden barrier between us, halting his advance. In awe, his gaze glides across the shield until he meets my line of sight through the translucent golden wall.
”Vesper told me you had the magic of the Celestials, but I had no idea how powerful you were.” He rests his hand against my shield and attempts to push through it and is oddly excited that he can”t. ”Very impressive, my love,” he praises sweetly. ”Why don”t you lower it, so I can – ”
”Take me back to Midori?” I interrupt viciously and shake my head, refortifying the shield. ”Take your demons and leave.”
”Leave?” Confusion overshadows his face. He glances back at the Frost King before refocusing on me. ”I”m here to rescue you from these Tronovians.” He attempts to push through the barrier again, this time with more force.
”I don”t want to hurt you, Bas.” Even though I know he”s not who I thought he was, a part of me still cares for him, and it pains me to threaten him.
”You won”t harm me, Shaye, just like I won”t harm you.”
”You might not wish to hurt me” – I motion behind him at Vesper – ”but I know a few of your companions who might.”
”No one will lay one finger on you.” He says it with such bravado, I”m convinced he means it, but I know his demons won”t agree.
”I grow bored,” Armas fusses. ”Take her and the Tronovian and leave.”
”Shaye,” Bastian pleads, aware of what is about to happen next, if I refuse.
”Last chance, Bas.” My voice shakes, but I stand firm. ”Please don”t make me hurt you.”
”I told you she wouldn”t come willingly,” Vesper hisses, drawing two black hilted daggers. She drags them across her tongue and a green substance bubbles against the steel. ”Let me have the pleasure of fetching her.”
”How”s the arm, Vesper?” I narrow my eyes and smirk when she snarls at me.
”Enough!” Bastian shouts, pounding violently against the barrier between us. ”Ilaria, it”s time to return home. Now come.”
”We”ve tried it your way” – Vesper growls, pushing soldiers out of her way to grab Atlas – ”it”s time to do things my way.”
Atlas struggles against her, and even though my mother tries to help him, there”s nothing she can do. Without their magic and weapons, and with their arms and mouths bound, they”re no match for Vesper.
”Let him go!” I scream when she slides her fingers through his hair and jerks his head back, exposing his neck.
She places the knife to his throat. ”Lower the shield and come with us, or I”ll slit his throat and let you watch your lover die.”
”Lover?” The color fades from Bastian”s face.
Despite Atlas” muffled protests and the anger flaring in his eyes, before I can agree and give into their demands, Armas Basilius screams, ”Just kill the Trinkiti and be done with it!”
My eyes dart up from a completely subdued Atlas to Thrane, who glances at the two sets of doors beside him and behind me. A sigh escapes his lips, as if whatever he was looking for failed to manifest itself. With a swiftness unlike anything I”ve ever seen before, Thrane whips his left arm toward Armas and ice solidifies around his arm. The tip is sharp and slices through Armas” neck, decapitating him. The Frost King”s Elite standing on either side of the dais turn to attack, but with the flick of Thrane”s right hand, icicles soar and plunge into their necks, killing them. Collectively, everyone in the room watches in silent horror as the Frost King”s head bounces down the steps and lands at Bastian”s feet.
A stunned Vesper momentarily loosens her grip on Atlas, allowing me to take advantage of the situation. ”Proclivi!” I shout the Tronovian command, and Atlas drops to the floor. I blast my shield across the room, knocking Bastian and his Soul-Eaters on their asses.
Thrane doesn”t waste any time, sprinting down the dais steps, using his iced hand to slice through Atlas and Sylvane”s bindings and tossing them the swords that belonged to the dead soldiers. He makes his way to my side and takes up his fighting stance.
”It took you long enough to join,” I say, but the teasing in my tone causes the corner of his mouth to tick upward.
”I know better than to interrupt a woman on a rampage.”
Bastian rises to his feet, stupefied by either my power or Thrane”s actions.
”What do you think you”re doing!?” Vesper hisses, hopping to her feet, her knuckles white with how tightly she holds her weapons. ”We had a deal!”
”Correction,” Thrane says lazily. ”You had a deal with Armas, who is fortunately no longer with us.”
”You will – ”
”Ah, ah, ah!” He points his iced hand at Vesper, cutting off her threats. ”I think it would be unwise to threaten me in my own home, especially seeing what I”ve done with my own flesh and blood. So, listen closely, because I do not like repeating myself. If you leave now, we won”t slaughter you all where you stand.”
”Not without the girl!” Vesper takes a step closer.
”Shaye,” Bastian pleads, meeting my line of sight. ”Please – ”
The side door smashes open and Nyx, Finn, Eris and Ronan barrel through, armed to the teeth, magic at the ready. Relief washes over me, but it”s short-lived. Instead of Bastian and his Soul Eaters standing down, or retreating, they launch an attack, rushing the newcomers. Eris unleashes two water-bears while Nyx sprints toward the demons with both swords in hand. Ronan ignites his flames, and they lick up his arms. Despite his arm still healing, he looks ready for a fight, all pain be damned. At first, I don”t think Finn is going to get involved, but he flips his dagger in hand and chases after Nyx. His eyes aren”t orange, so I know he”s refraining from using his magic, but I know he”ll use it if he must.
Thrane beams one of his frost bolts at Bastian, slicing his arm. My heart lurches seeing him howl in pain, but instead of rendering him useless, it sends him flying into an uncontrollable rage and I watch my childhood friend transform into a hideous beast. Thick fur covers his skin, and he contorts in unnatural angles as his body stretches upward. His fingers elongate into sharp claws and his face takes the form of half-bear, half-wolf. A long snout, fiery eyes and razor-sharp teeth. Though he stands upright like a man, he”s entirely beast and fear grips my heart. A roar bellows from his mouth and the man I once loved is no longer standing before me.
”Bas,” I whisper, and that”s enough for him to snap his gaze to meet mine. Pain, betrayal and undeniable anger fills those animalistic eyes.
”Is this what you wanted to see?” He growls and takes a heavy step forward. ”You wanted to see the beast? Well now, you”ve seen me for what I truly am, Shaye.”
”Bas – ”
”Kill the Trinkiti,” Bastian orders Vesper and she sprints toward Atlas, weapons drawn.
His back is turned to her, fighting off two Soul Eaters. There”s too much distance between us for me to stop her, so I throw a shield around him when she leaps in the air, daggers ready to strike. When her knives strike my barrier, she”s ricocheted back, and Atlas finishes off the two in front of him before swinging back around.
Bastian roars and charges Atlas, running him over, and drawing a pained groan from Atlas who hits the floor hard. Circling back around, Bastian stampedes toward Atlas a second time, but I scream and blast Bastian away from him. The thought of Atlas being killed in front of me shoots a surge of anger through me. The light of my glowing hands spreads over my entire body and I feel myself go into my Transcendent state. Lumos is angry and will protect Atlas at all costs.
”You will not touch him!” I scream with a chorus of voices, flinging my arms out wide. With my power extended, my light slams four Soul Eaters against the walls. They”re pinned, fighting to get free of my magical grasp, but to no avail.
Bastian struggles to his feet but doesn”t attempt to attack Atlas again. He straightens to his full height and stares at me, mesmerized by my power. Seeing her commander isn”t moving, Vesper throws a poison tipped dagger at me, but I throw my palm up and stop it mid-air with my magic. With a wicked smirk of my own, I twirl my hand, point the knife at Vesper and launch it back. Vesper narrowly dodges my returned attack but shows no sign of anger. She grins, as if my power excites her.
”Shaye,” Bastian says in reverential awe, drawing my gaze. ”I will call off my soldiers, but it”s time to come home – ”
”My name” – I levitate off the floor a couple feet and narrow my golden gaze at Bastian – ”is Aurelia Basilius-Sol, and I am not yours to command.” I snap the necks of the four soul eaters I”ve pinned to the wall. I know I only killed their host bodies, but the brutality makes Bastian flinch.
”Shaye – ”
”Goodbye, Bastian.” I slam my hands forward and blast Bastian, Vesper and what remains of their crew out the windows, shattering the glass with an explosion of light.
The sound of the skirmish finally alerts the guards down the hall of trouble, and they burst through both sets of doors, armed and ready to strike.
Thrane throws up a hand halting their advances as he rushes to the smashed windows and peers down. ”They landed on one of the rooftops of the castle and are making their escape.” He swivels and marches toward us, issuing orders to his soldiers, who are unabashedly staring at me in my Lumos form. ”The Soul Eaters who attacked us are headed east. Track them down. Make sure they leave our borders and if you can kill a few more of them, all the better.”
The soldiers snap from their stupor and don”t stand around to gawk or ask questions. They immediately sprint into action, leaving the throne room”s chaos for our group to sift through.
A gurgle sounds from one of the Soul Eaters lying in a pool of blood. Nyx stomps toward him lifting his sword to strike, but stops when Thrane shouts, ”Don”t kill him! He can be of use to us once we get him to a healer.”
Finn steps up. ”I can fix him up.”
”Then do it. We will question him when he”s well enough to speak.”
Finn gets to work to save the Soul Eater”s life, with Eris by his side to assist.
My knees buckle as I come out of my Transcendent state and just as he has done countless times during flight training, Thrane lunges to catch me when I fall. Exhausted from the energy exerted, he helps me sit down on the floor. There”s shattered glass and blood everywhere, but at least we”re all safe and in one piece. I glance at the four dead bodies I”m responsible for, and take a deep, steadying breath. Even though I know the Soul Eaters that were inhabiting those bodies are alive and seeking new hosts, part of me feels guilty for slaughtering innocents. I have to remind myself that once the Soul Eaters took residency in their bodies, their souls were destroyed, and they didn”t feel the pain I inflicted.
”You fought well, Aurelia,” Thrane says, drawing my attention. He smiles at me before rising from his crouched position, granting Atlas space to hold me.
”Are you alright?” He quickly scans my body for any physical injury. Beyond a few scrapes, cuts and bruises, I”m in perfect health.
I nod and smile weakly, ”I could use a nap.”
Atlas laughs, sliding hair from my sweaty face. ”I”m sure we could work something out.”
Sylvane drops to her knees in front of me, tears in her eyes, and a couple of scratches across her cheek. For a moment, we just stare at one another until a tear slips down her face and I lose my composure. I throw my arms around her, feeling the weight of her pain release. The betrayal she feels is something I know all too well, but the Frost King is gone, and he can”t hurt us anymore.
”And where were you?” Thrane points an accusatory finger at Ronan and narrows his grey eyes. ”Another couple of minutes and Aurelia and I would have been in serious trouble.”
”Someone didn”t mention the Frost King”s soldiers would be guarding the hallways,” the prince quips.
”I thought that was implied.” Thrane says nonchalantly, stepping over a dead body. ”What king doesn”t have protection?”
”A little warning would have been nice,” Ronan crosses his arms over his chest and huffs.
”Wait,” I say. ”What are you two talking about?” My eyes dart to Thrane. ”Did you know Bastian was going to be here?”
Thrane points at me and says, ”I did not know about that.”
”Then why warn Ronan?”
Ronan and Thrane exchange a look and I know they”ve kept me in the dark about something.
”Someone better say something and fast,” I growl.
Thrane plops down on the dais steps, not put off by the splatters of blood staining the floor. ”For years I have had my suspicions that Armas was involved in your disappearance. There were only a handful of people who knew of your birth, and they were kin or those who had died in the Great War. It narrowed our list of suspects down significantly, but I was a child, and no one listens to children”s thoughts on matters of great importance. So, I kept my thoughts to myself. Besides, who in their right mind would accuse not only their king but their grandfather of being responsible for a child”s disappearance?
”When you arrived, I watched as Armas” demeanor changed. He was on edge, and his need for privacy was at an all-time high. I decided it was time to find out if my suspicions of him were warranted. I took it upon myself to speak with Prince Ronan a couple of days after you arrived and wrangled him into my schemes. Bottom line was, you had to be protected, and he was fully on board with doing whatever needed to be done to keep you safe.”
I glance at Ronan, who is leaning against one of the chairs that wasn”t overturned in the skirmish. His eyes are heavy, and his shoulders are slouched. It is well known Ronan can”t keep secrets, but for my safety, he managed to remain silent. Perhaps, he is learning the way of kings faster than I thought he would.
”Last night,” Thrane continues, stretching his legs in front of him, ”when Armas announced you were going to be swearing fealty to him and offering your hand in matrimony, I knew something was amiss. Every time he spoke with me, he said he wanted you gone. That it wasn”t good for Sylvane”s mental and emotional health for you to be here, and we didn”t really know anything about you or your intentions. In the best interest of Elowen, he wanted you to go back to Tronovia. Then, all of a sudden, he was happy to have you stay and live amongst us. It didn”t make any sense.
”I did my due diligence in warning you tonight that you”d made an enemy of Armas. When the king demanded I meet with you both in his throne room immediately, I tried to find you, but ran into Ronan instead. I gave him instructions of where he should be and when, and despite his tardiness, he fulfilled his end.”
”There were elite soldiers – ”
Thrane waves Ronan”s complaints away. ”Yes, yes, we all know there were soldiers blocking your path.”
”So, you not only lied to me,” I hiss, ”you used me as bait?”
”And you played your role perfectly.”
I grit my teeth, angry beyond belief that Thrane and Ronan, knowing my history of being lied to, would knowingly keep me in the dark.
”I swore an oath to protect you years ago and failed,” Thrane”s voice softens. ”I had an opportunity to make things right. Keeping you ignorant of my plans was necessary for it to work. I”m sorry I wasn”t forthcoming, but if I had to do it all over again, I would make the same choices. Being an effective leader means keeping some things to yourself.”
He makes a valid point. It”s very apparent I”m a terrible liar, and if I had suspected the Frost King of being the one who had wronged me and my parents, I wouldn”t have been able to hide my hatred for him. I still don”t like being kept in the dark and part of me wants to throw up all the walls I”ve slowly torn down, but then I realize, in life and in war, sometimes in order to protect those we love, we have to keep things to ourselves. Doesn”t mean I have to like it, but I can accept they did what they thought was best.
Feeling his intense stare on me, I slowly glance up at Atlas, who looks like he”s about to combust if I don”t say something.
”So, you being ambushed and dragged to the throne room was planned?”
He rubs the back of his neck and grimaces. ”Actually, I didn”t know there was a plan, and being caught off guard certainly wasn”t part of it. When I left your room, I had every intention of finding my brothers so we could get you out of the city. Clearly, I was distracted, and the Frost King”s elite took advantage of it.” When my bottom lip trembles, he reaches to touch me, but stops short, as if giving me an opportunity to avoid him. When I don”t move, he cups his hand to my cheek. ”Are you alright?”
”They hurt you.” I glance from his bloody wounds to my mother. ”They hurt both of you, because of me.”
”Hey,” he swipes my tears with his thumb. ”Don”t do that. You cannot blame yourself for what happened to us tonight. You saved us– ”
”But your magic – ”
”Will come back,” Sylvane interrupts me. ”In twenty-four hours, we”ll be back to normal.”
When I don”t respond, Atlas twists his face to meet my downward gaze. ”What else is bothering you? Talk to me.”
”It”s just…” My lip quivers. I breathe in deeply, and say, ”It”s just now hitting me that everything you told me about Bas is true. He is a monster.”
Atlas wraps his arms around me and pulls me to his chest. ”I”m sorry you had to see him that way.”
”I”m not sorry,” I say, while listening to his heart pound against his chest – the chest Vesper scarred on Bastian”s orders. ”I”m glad I saw him for what he truly is. I”m only sorry I didn”t see it before.”
Thrane groans as he stands up but stills when he notices Eris crouched beside Finn. I suddenly realize she”s in her true form and my heart sinks. Recognition sparks in Thrane”s eyes and he grins widely, like a hunter who has just spotted his prey. ”So,” he coos as Eris rises, ”you”re the Hydran Princess with a generous bounty on her head?”
Finn stands and steps between them, and by the look on his face, he won”t hesitate to use his magic to protect Eris.
Thrane waves him down. ”At ease, watchdog, I mean her no harm. The price on her head doesn”t interest me.”
”What does interest you?” Eris asks, though there”s a slight tremor in her voice.
”At the moment” – he kicks Armas” headless body off the throne and plops down – ”a bath.”
”It seems you will have a coronation to plan,” I point at the ice throne with a smile, hoping to sway the conversation from Eris.
He glances at Armas” head at the bottom of the dais and smirks. ”King Thrane Basilius does have a delicious ring to it, doesn”t it?” He rolls his shoulders back and inhales deeply before gripping the armrests. ”It appears you Tronovians were correct about the Midorians. With Bastian”s beast form and Soul Eaters exposed and Aurelia”s magic no longer a secret, it would be safe to assume war won”t be too far behind.”
”What are we going to do about it?” Nyx finally chimes in, his blades firmly tucked in their sheaths on his back.
”First,” Thrane rises, ”we rest. Then, we plan.” He crosses toward me and extends his hand, helping me stand to my feet. ”Armas might have denied you as a Basilus, but let it be known here and now, that you are one of us. By order of King Thrane.”
”And will King Thrane be going to war with us?” I quirk an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth ticks upward.
”We do not beg, we never surrender.”
I nod, finally understanding the gravity of House Basilius” motto, and finish what my cousin started. ”We die as we live, free and feared.”
That”s when it hits me. Before this war is over, I will be forced to kill my childhood best friend.