Chapter 40 #2
Zander’s gaze was unflinching. He gave a single, deliberate nod. “You have lost the respect of the nobility in Warriath. Would you like the chance to run a kingdom again?”
For a heartbeat, Theron faltered, then his expression lit with hunger, his spine straightening. “Yes, of course.”
Zander didn’t smile. His voice was iron. “Remy has agreed to bring Amdar in line. If you agree to report to him and do the same for Caston, you will be given the chance to prove your loyalty.”
Theron froze, the blood draining from his face. “But Caston is…” His voice cracked, dread leaking through the cracks of his pride.
Zander stepped forward, his words cutting like a blade.
“This is your last chance, Theron. You could be hanged for your involvement in the war. Remy will be your superior, but you have the opportunity to rebuild Caston. To use your intelligence to aid the less fortunate in Caston. It has all but been destroyed. It is not an easy task.”
Theron’s mask slipped entirely. His jaw clenched, and he jerked his head in a quick, desperate nod. “Yes. I’ll do it.”
Zander turned then, his gaze sweeping over the gathered riders. “New assignments will be distributed soon. As will new living arrangements. Riders will have no more than two to a room, and I will be inviting a few members of Thrall Squad to move into the castle. I prefer riders to guards.”
His voice carried to every corner of the grounds, the command absolute. “You are dismissed.”
The crowd bowed as one, a ripple of obedience and respect rolling across the field before breaking apart into motion, riders scattering with murmurs of relief and speculation.
I wove through the dispersing crowd until I found Remy lingering at the edge of the grounds. Zander had paused to speak with Major Kaler, leaving me a moment.
“Amdar?” I asked, my voice low.
Remy shrugged, his expression unreadable, though there was a heaviness in his shoulders I hadn’t seen before.
“I need a change. And Cyran is still displeased with me. The leader of the Order in Amdar died, but his daughter has taken over. I think I can work with her to restore order and bring about change.”
I studied him, my chest tight. “I hope you find… whatever it is you’re looking for.”
His eyes softened, shadows and regret flickering there. “You were what I was looking for,” he admitted quietly. “But I fucked it up. I accept my mistakes.” His gaze dipped briefly to the ground before meeting mine again. “You were always meant to be a queen.”
“I agree,” Zander’s voice cut in, smooth and certain.
I turned, startled, to find him standing just behind me. His Dark Fire gaze was locked on Remy, the air between them as taut as a bowstring.
Remy didn’t flinch. He met Zander’s eyes squarely. “I still think she’s too good for you.”
“I know,” Zander said simply.
Remy’s mouth tightened, but he gave a single nod and turned, striding away across the grounds.
I exhaled, my thoughts churning. “How will Katama do with Remy gone?”
“Katama is going with him,” Zander answered, his gaze following Remy’s retreating form.
“Dragons are not meant to be cooped up in one place. It was my father who had reined them in these last few years. Those who have mated with young will need to remain near the isle, but those without mates are content to travel in small flights.”
“Who is going with Remy?” I asked.
“A few members from Warborn,” Zander replied, his hand brushing mine briefly.
Before I could answer, a familiar voice carried across the grounds, calling my name. I turned quickly, my heart leaping into my throat.
Solei’s voice rang clear, and before I even thought, I was moving toward her. She was dressed in a guard’s uniform, her sandy hair tied back, and for once she looked like she belonged among the soldiers of Warriath.
I threw my arms around her. The hug startled her—I felt the stiffness in her frame, the hesitation, but then she returned it, awkward but real.
“You killed the Blood King and saved the dragons,” she said, pulling back just enough to meet my gaze. “Not bad for a future queen.”
“You were spying again,” I accused, my lips twitching.
Her smirk was wicked. “I am always spying. But not on your wedding night. I’ll take that night off.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “I appreciate that.”
“How quickly was the war over?” I asked, sobering.
“As soon as the fae abandoned the army, the dragons decimated what was left.” Her tone was casual, almost amused. “The dragons from the lost continent assisted them. There were so many, the army all but scattered in under an hour. It was pathetic.”
My eyebrows shot up. “That fast?”
Solei’s grin widened, cruel in its delight. “I did enjoy watching the gray dragons eat the slower members of the retreating army though.”
“They ate them?” My stomach twisted.
“Apparently, that’s how it is on the lost continent. Betray your own, and you end up as dragon kibble.” She said it with a shrug, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I’m sorry I missed it,” I admitted.
Solei’s eyes glittered. “Me too. I have to report back to Cyran. He is going to lose his mind when he finds out you’re his future queen. I don’t want to miss that tantrum.”
I laughed outright at that, as she ducked away, her shoulders shaking in silent mirth. I could almost hear the swear words he would invent, and the thought only made me laugh harder.
Cordelle’s voice carried over the thinning crowd. “Your Highness, may I have a quick word?”
Zander inclined his head, glancing at me once before stepping aside with him. I watched them retreat toward the edge of the grounds, their voices lost in the wind, and then I reached inward for Kaelith.
Hey, I murmured through our bond. How is Loretha?
She sleeps, Kaelith replied, her mental voice low and tender. She is weaker than the others, but she will grow stronger in time.
I am glad she has you… and Hein, I said.
Warmth filled my chest. As am I, she whispered. A pause stretched between us before Kaelith’s voice came quieter, edged with something she rarely let slip. Siergen said something to you.
I stiffened. You knew?
I felt his words echo in you. She was silent for a long moment. He told you about my vision.
“No,” I said aloud without meaning to. He said the reason you didn’t want me was different than I thought.
That is true.
Will you tell me? I asked softly.
Kaelith’s presence curled tighter around my mind, reluctant and fierce all at once. I had a vision before I met you. I saw your face… and glimpses of our life together. If I chose you, and if you succeeded in stopping the Blood King, then we would grow closer than any dragon and rider before us.
A shiver ran through me. And that scared you?
No, Ashlyn, she said, and her voice broke like thunder, soft and raw.
I also saw your death. It is not for a very long time—after your mate is gone, and your grandchildren are nearly grown.
But in that moment… you ask me to break our bond, when you realize I am sustaining your life force.
You will not allow me to extend your natural span.
I feel the instant you die. I take you on one last ride before I release you.
My cry echoes from here to the Fae Isle.
All mourn your loss… but none more than I.
My eyes burned, a tear sliding free before I could stop it. I’m sorry, Kaelith.
Don’t be. Not having you as my rider would have been the real tragedy.
I swallowed hard. Thank you, Kaelith.
Her presence shifted, gentler. Loretha is waking.
And then she slipped away, leaving me wiping at my cheek, the tear hot against my skin.
Zander returned a moment later, his eyes searching mine. “Are you all right?”
I smiled through the ache in my chest, my voice steadier than I felt. “Yes. Never better.”
Zander didn’t hesitate—he reached for me and pulled me flush against him, his arms firm around my waist, his breath warm against my temple.
His voice was low, fierce with conviction.
“You have no idea how much I love you. I know a throne is the last thing you wanted, but we will have those we trust beside us, to guide us and to restore peace.”
I tilted my head back, meeting his storm-dark eyes, and my chest ached with the truth of it. “I believe in you.”
His thumb brushed along my jaw, gentle where his power was anything but. “I believe in us.”
My throat tightened, and I kissed him, pouring every promise, every desperate joy, into the press of my lips against his. “I love you more than I can express,” I whispered when we broke apart, “but… I should warn you that Kaelith has visions.”
One of his eyebrows arched, a flicker of amusement cutting through the solemnity. “Visions?”
“Yes,” I said, heat blooming across my cheeks. “And she let it slip that we’ll have grandchildren. Maybe… a lot of them.”
Zander’s eyes flared, Dark Fire flickering like a secret flame. Without a word, he caught my hand, gripping it tight. “Then we should go to the castle immediately.”
My eyes widened. “Why?”
His mouth curved into the kind of grin that made my knees weak. “Because, those babies won’t make themselves.”
I laughed, the sound breaking loose from my chest, as he tugged me along. We walked side by side, hand in hand, toward the looming walls of the castle. Toward a future neither of us had expected, but both of us had chosen.
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