39. Chapter 38
Chapter 38
T he ring of steel echoes like thunder as I descend the ramp, my heart lodged in my throat. I gaze up at the tumultuous sky, where the battle unfolds—so far out of my reach. The Blades clash with the warriors of Eyr’Drogul, swords sparking violently as they meet in midair.
Their cries form a haunting cacophony, thick with rage and desperation, striking each other down with brutal force. Bodies plummet from the sky, crashing into the courtyard below with sickening thuds.
I lock my eyes on Daed, fierce and unwavering as he navigates the chaos like a tempest, his wings slicing through the rain-soaked air. Each powerful strike sends foes sprawling, infused with the raw strength of the void. Beside him, Zyphoro moves with fluid grace, her smoke blades flickering like black flames in the night.
Yet above it all, Lanneth looms on the balcony, her gaze sharp and calculating. My jaw clenches, and my hands curl into tight fists at my sides. I wasn’t always this way—bent on vengeance and tainted by hate. The Fae have shaped me, I am certain of that. The darkness growing within me is a seed they planted, flourishing in Baev’kalath, as if returning here has made its roots stronger.
I hate her. I hate her for everything she’s put me through, for what she’s turned me into, and for the power she exerts over Daed, a power that threatens to tear us apart. He will never be truly mine as long as she controls him. As long as she lives.
Solena’s wings burst from her back, the sword gripped tightly in her hand. “Come, Amara. I’ll carry you,” she offers.
I shake my head, my gaze fixed on Lanneth, nails digging into my palm until I draw blood. “I will get there myself.”
Solena scans our surroundings, confusion flickering in her eyes, but she doesn’t need to understand.
“Come, Ashen,” I whisper, and he slinks from my hair, pattering along my shoulder before arching his back and stretching with a long yawn. I smile, scratching under his chin, and he responds with a soft purr. “Alright. Show me what you can do.”
As if he understands, Ashen leaps from my shoulder, landing deftly on the dock. His body jerks, shoulders and legs kicking out, fur rippling as he grows larger. A charcoal ruff flecked with silver frames his lion’s head, and four massive paws pound against the wood. Then, with a thunderous roar, wings etched with smoke burst from his back. He glances over his shoulder, flapping them as if figuring out how they work. But we will learn together.
I approach slowly, burying my hand in his smoky coat and scratching the top of his head. Ashen melts into my touch, his wispy whiskers twitching with each caress. Carefully, I circle around him and climb onto his back, mindful of where the wings sprout from his shoulders. He allows it, padding his feet on the dock, and I grip handfuls of his mane.
My heart thumps in my chest, my stomach twisted in knots. But I didn’t come this far to dwell on fear. I look at Solena, and I see the same doubts mirrored on her face.
“Unafraid,” I say firmly.
She nods, a determined glint in her eye. “Unafraid.”
With that, she pushes off into the air, crashing into the blur of wings and swords that engulfs the courtyard. I lean into Ashen’s ear, surprised when he takes to the sky without me uttering a word. He has become like the creatures of the forest, responding to my thoughts more than my words.
Ashen’s wings are magnificent, leaving trails of smoke in the air with each powerful stroke. The battle rages on, and amid the frenzy, it’s impossible to discern who holds the advantage. But while the pawns clash, I fixate on the queen.
I tug at Ashen’s mane, and he banks left, veering away from the fight and toward the balcony where Lanneth watches. Kaelus kneels at her side, his hand pressed to his neck where Zyphoro’s smoke arrow struck. But Lanneth appears unfazed, her focus locked on the turmoil unfolding below.
We charge forward, each beat of my heart punctuated by the loud pops of Mordorin void walking and the clang of their weapons. As we close in, I see Solena stumble on the courtyard, her sword clattering to the ground. A Blade stalks toward her, wings shaking rain loose from his feathers, his sword spinning in hand before he raises it above his head. I tug on Ashen’s mane, urging him to bank right, but quickly realize my aid is unnecessary.
As the Blade swings his sword down upon Solena, it is intercepted by another. The Blade looks up, confronted by a Reaper staring from the depths of his shroud helm. The Reaper disarms him, flinging his sword across the courtyard with a screech against the stone. He presses the tip of his sword to the Blade’s throat, forcing him to his knees, before delivering a sharp elbow to his nose.
The Blade reels back, collapsing with a hard thud while the Reaper removes his helm, tossing it aside as he lifts Solena into his arms. I watch as Orios holds her in a way that would make the stars themselves envy something so breathtakingly beautiful. Solena crumbles against him, and if the last thing I see is two people desperately in love, I feel grateful for the sight.
I grip Ashen’s mane, steering him back toward Lanneth, his wings leaving a smoky trail behind us.
Faster.
He pins back his ears, his wings thrashing harder as we barrel toward the queen. A grin creeps to the corner of my mouth as we close the distance. Her back is turned to me. She won’t see me coming. I will have her on the ground in surrender before she can react. But then I recoil in horror as her head twists unnaturally, all the way around, her glamor flickering as our eyes meet.
Turn, Ashen!
My command comes too late. Lanneth extends her hand, and a rope of smoke hurtles toward me, lashing around my throat and yanking me from Ashen’s back. The constriction pulls me into the air, my fingers clawing desperately at it, but it tightens further.
Ashen roars, charging toward Lanneth, but she retaliates with a second rope of smoke that lashes out, striking him hard across the back. I watch in horror as he’s sent careening through the air until he collides violently with a tower, the impact echoing like thunder. He plummets to the ground, but I can’t scream, the rope constricting my throat stealing my breath.
“Enough, Amara!” Lanneth’s voice cuts through the chaos, her head twisting back around. “I do not want to hurt you.” She pauses, her gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that chills me. “Not until the baby is born. Don’t you see? That precious Fae in your belly is the very future of our house. It must be protected at all costs.”
Suddenly, a silver blade arcs through the night, slicing through the smoke and severing its hold on me. I begin to fall, the wind rushing from my lungs, but I come to a jarring stop as two strong arms scoop me from the air. I look up into Zyphoro’s gray eyes, my breaths coming in desperate rasps.
“Hello, dear,” she says, a grin splitting her face. She carries me back to the balcony, and I turn to see Daed facing off against Lanneth, Death Singer glinting ominously at his side.
“How could you?” Lanneth’s voice drips with venom as Zyphoro sets me down. “After everything The Father Below has given you. Everything I’ve done to secure your rule for a thousand years.”
She lifts her hand toward Daed’s brow, but he turns his head away from her, and I can almost see her heart shatter, confirming she actually has one.
“I loved you like you were my own,” she hisses. “And now you turn away from me? For what? A human? She was chosen because she was disposable, but she possessed enough Fae magic to strengthen your heir. Don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love with her, Daedalus.”
Daed dismisses Lanneth’s questions, which only seem to pain her more. He takes a step back, pointing the tip of Death Singer at Kaelus. “Step down, Father,” he states, his voice cold and steady as rain drips along the sharp contours of his face. “And you will be spared.”
“You want my crown?” Kaelus gasps, his voice rasping like dry leaves. “You’ll have to kill me for it, son.”
Daed’s shoulders rise and fall as he draws a deep breath. “If that’s what it comes to.”
“No!” Lanneth shrieks, her gaze turning to me, revealing her sharpened canine teeth. “He does this for you, but you can’t comprehend the monster he is. He knew his duty when you arrived in Baev’kalath. To bed you and put an heir in your human belly, and he succeeded. Now he has brought you home. Can’t you see everything is unfolding as planned ?”
A shiver runs through me, and I turn to Daed, desperation clawing at my chest, but he shakes his head defiantly.
“She’s lying, Amara. That’s what she does. She’s trying to turn you against me.” Daed’s voice cuts through the tension, but doubt clings to my thoughts like mist.
“I do not have to try!” Lanneth laughs, throwing her head back with abandon. “Even now, the girl doubts your loyalty. I can see it in her eyes. And you are right to—he is a beast of the void, and you are nothing but meat.”
My jaw clenches and I feel like she sees straight into my soul, all my fears and mistrusts laid bare before her to skewer on her fork and sink her teeth into like we’re at the table all over again.
“Do not listen, Amara!” Daed yells, desperation lacing his voice. “She is poison.”
Zyphoro raises her daggers, directing one toward Lanneth and the other toward Daed. “She is not the only one, brother,” she retorts, stepping in front of me as if to shield me from both of them. Her eyes narrow, filled with intensity. “You are no innocent in this. You killed our mother.”
“And I have lived with that my entire life,” Daed hisses through clenched teeth. “But that is not who I am. Not anymore. Now I am a husband.” His gaze locks onto mine, his resolve shining through. “Now I am a father, and I will protect those I love with my life.”
Lanneth throws her head back, laughing—hysterically, unsettlingly loud. When her laughter finally fades, I see her glamor flicker between two faces, her magic straining to maintain its mask.
“I gave you the chance to make the right decision of your own free will, Daedalus. But I see you need instruction.”
“No,” he murmurs, but the defiance in his voice feels frail.
Lanneth extends her hand toward him, her canines elongating as she grins. “You belong to the void, Daedalus. You always have. You always will.”
Her fist clenches, and when Daed’s eyes roll over into pitch black, my heart shatters. In an instant, he belongs to her again.
“A shame I am not so easily controlled,” Zyphoro snarls, her voice filled with ferocity.
“True. To have you both would lay the world at our feet, not just the Sundered Kingdoms. Had we known there were two, we would have fed your mother more of the void to ensure The Father Below took root in both of you.”
Zyphoro shivers, and for the first time, I see her strength falter. “What did you say?”
Lanneth’s smile widens, cruel and triumphant. “You two are arguing over who killed the beautiful and just Queen Veloria when neither of you deserves recognition. I did it . I killed the Queen. I cut open her belly and pulled Daed from her before using the same blade to slit her throat. The Father below feasted on what was left. If I hadn’t noticed you flailing around inside her, you might have been the second course. I suppose I saved your life. You’re welcome.”
No words escape Zyphoro’s lips. She stands frozen, her dagger hanging limply in her hands, rain streaming over her, masking the moisture pooling in her gray eyes.
“So be at peace with that, Zyphoro,” Lanneth taunts. “Before your brother kills you.”
Kaelus staggers to his feet, blood seeping between his fingers, his complexion fading like the light. “Lanneth. Enough. Don’t force them to kill each other. You can tether Daed, and Zyphoro can return to her cage. We have the girl now. It doesn’t need to go this far.”
“This is what you wanted, Kaelus!” Lanneth screams, her fury resonating in the air. “This is what you asked for. Power . Unlimited power. I warned you of the cost, and you paid the price willingly. You can’t go back now. The Father Below won’t allow it.”
“I am done with the Father Below,” I declare, stepping out from behind Zyphoro. “I’ve come for your crowns, and you will give them to me. If you do so willingly, I will show mercy.”
Lanneth sputters with laughter, the sound growing louder, echoing off the walls. “Silly girl. Don’t you see I control your husband? One word from my lips, and he’ll crush your windpipe and snap your spine in two.”
“No, he won’t,” I assert, the conviction in my voice stronger than the fear coiling in my gut.
“Really? Why not? Because you carry his child? There are countless ways to hurt you while keeping you both alive until you’re ripe,” Lanneth hisses.
“No. Because he loves me, and I love him.” I approach Daed slowly, willing him to see me through the murky void that surrounds him. I know he’s still there, trapped within this darkness. He just needs to hear my voice, and I will guide him back to me.
“Daed,” I say, my voice soft but steady. “Can you hear me?”
Zyphoro reaches for my hand to pull me back, but I brush her away. I know what I’m doing.
Standing before him, my heart pounds like a drum, each beat laced with dread. The man I love is trapped behind a veil of shadows, his once vibrant gray eyes now swallowed by the void. Lanneth’s sinister influence coils around him, pressing in on us and suffocating the bond we share.
“Daed,” I whisper, my voice trembling as I reach out, my fingers brushing against his cheek. “Please, come back to me.” But he remains unmoving, a statue of cold indifference, as if my very existence has slipped from his mind.
“Daed!” I plead again, my voice rising above Lanneth’s cruel laughter that rings out like a death knell.
“Restrain the princess!” she barks at him, her voice dripping with malice.
Before I can react, Daed’s hand moves with unnatural swiftness, seizing my wrist with a grip like iron. Pain shoots through me, and I gasp as fear floods my veins. “Daed, please!” I cry out, desperately trying to reach the man buried within. “It’s me! It’s Amara!”
His grip tightens, a vice that threatens to crush my bones. My nails dig into my palm, drawing blood, but I don’t care. “Husband,” I whisper, desperation threading through my words. “I love you.”
In that moment, something flickers in his eyes—gray battling against black, a spark of recognition fighting through the darkness. Lanneth’s shrieks grow louder, but Daed seems lost in a struggle of his own.
“Enough, Daedalus!” Lanneth commands, her voice a whip crack. “You will obey!”
Suddenly, he tenses, and I hold my breath as a tendril of smoke forms in his hand. He launches it at Lanneth, and the dark projectile slams into her, filling her mouth with a choking cloud.
Her eyes widen in shock, and horror washes over her face as she claws at her throat, gasping for breath. The grip she held over Daed slips, and I feel a rush of hope— could he truly be breaking free ?
“Daed!” I shout, feeling the swell of emotion rise in my chest. “Fight it! Come back to me!”
He stumbles, his body taut with struggle, and for a brief second, I see the flicker of his true self behind the shadows. Then he surges forward, collapsing into my arms.
I clutch him tightly, breathless with relief and fear, but the moment shatters as steel thuds onto the balcony. I glance over my shoulder to find a wall of Reapers with Orios at the forefront. Kaelus staggers to his feet.
“Reapers,” he commands, “secure the prince and princess. Now.”
Orios looks over at Daed, propped against me, and releases a heavy breath.
“Reapers,” he says, “the king and queen are not themselves. Restrain them and await further orders… from Commander Rook.”
The Reapers bow their heads, storming toward King Kaelus and hooking him under the arms.
“This is treason!” he booms. “Release me!”
They drag him from the balcony while the others move toward Lanneth, who still tears at her neck to free herself from the smoke clogging her throat. I watch as her glamor flickers, struggling to maintain her mask until it falls away completely, revealing her true face.
“This isn’t over,” she gasps, smoke oozing from the corners of her mouth. “Baev’kalath will be your tomb.”
Daed pulled himself back from the void, but Lanneth is lost to it, her soul forever entwined with the abyss. I understand now more than ever that she will never stop and it would be so easy to watch her choke to death right in front of me, but I can’t. I thought I could. When I made the choice to come to Baev’kalath, I had even entertained the idea of killing her myself. But as I look down on this evil, hideous beast of the void, I feel only pity for her and a part of me is relieved that I have not let these Fae take my humanity on top of everything else.
“Daed. Release her.”
“No!” Zyphoro yells, fury etched on her face. “Kill her! Let this end!”
I shake my head, resolute. “She will be spared to live out her eternal life in the dungeon she kept you in.”
Zyphoro clenches her jaw, then spins on her heels, taking to the sky in a flurry of ire.
“Are you sure?” Daed murmurs weakly, doubt flickering in his eyes.
“Yes,” I say.
With a flick of his wrist, the smoke dissipates from Lanneth's mouth. She drops to her knees, gasping and spewing tendrils of darkness onto the stone. Just when I think it’s over, she wipes her mouth and glares at me.
“Stupid girl,” she snarls.
A lash of shadow shoots from her hand. Instinctively, I extend my own hand, halting the onslaught with a pulsing green light emanating from my palm.
“What is that?” Lanneth’s expression shifts from rage to confusion. She pours more of her power into her attack, but the light holds strong.
She channels her malice and venom, sweat beads forming on my forehead as my teeth grit in response. Our powers collide, a fierce beam of light morphing from green to black, ignited by a blinding white flare that forces everyone nearby to shield their eyes from the brilliance.
I can feel her energy pushing me backward, but I plant my feet, resolute as an ancient tree. I dig deep within myself, feeling the rune on my neck burn and pulse like a living thing.
As Lanneth pushes to her limits, the inverted crescent on her forehead smokes and sears into her skin. But as I push back, I sense a heat building in the same spot on my forehead. When Lanneth’s eyes turn black, I see the symbol of a tree, burnt white into my skin, reflecting at me.
I don’t understand how I’m holding her off. Her power dwarfs mine; she walks with the void. I may have some scrapes, but I feel nowhere near the pain needed to summon this kind of magic.
Then I realize where it comes from.
More magic wells up within me, blossoming from deep inside. The rain no longer drips on my skin; it’s absorbed. The lightning and thunder? I take that too, for they are all part of nature.
I am nature’s fury, and I don’t need to bleed to hurt her. I carry my pain with me always.
A hard bolt of luminous green light explodes from me, shattering Lanneth’s smoke and slamming into her with the force of a hurricane. She is knocked off her feet, screaming as she’s flung across the balcony and into the wall.
The light fades to nothing, and I collapse to my knees, gasping for breath. Daed crawls to me, wrapping his arms around me as we lay exhausted in each other’s embrace, our heavy breaths mingling in the stillness. Suddenly, the rain stops. The relentless crashing of the ocean and the rumble of thunder fade into silence, and the silver clouds masking the moon dissipate, bathing Baev’kalath in its pale glow.
Cautiously, I trace my fingers over my forehead, relief flooding through me as I find the mark has vanished. But as I lower my hand, I catch sight of faint tendrils of smoke weaving between my fingers before they disappear. I gasp and twist my hand, searching for evidence, but there’s nothing. Exhaustion weighs me down. Perhaps it was just my imagination. But with a child of smoke and vine growing inside me, who knows what secrets the void holds or how deeply Gygarth’s teeth sink into my family.
With Kaelus and Lanneth defeated, Daed and I stand atop the ruins of House Mordorin, armed with a force strong enough to rival the Legion of Saints. The Golden Son’s reckoning is inevitable, justice awaiting him as surely as it did the fallen king and queen.
But for now, all I want is to lie in my husband’s arms and dare, just once, to dream of a world without pain—a world where battles end, ghosts fade, and we can find peace in each other’s embrace, if only for a moment.