Chapter Seventy
Castor Aegaeon
Turning to descend from the outcrop, I reached into my pocket and withdrew the Heart of Valdor, tucking it safely away within the crevasse between the rocks.
It will be safer here.
Reclaiming my blades, I was ready and determined to fight for the days ahead—a future gifted to me by my friend.
Her death would not be in vain. I would keep my promise and bring my brother back from this.
I would help carry the weight of his grief and ensure that he did not turn back from his promise to his mate.
To fight for Valdor. To free our people and provide aid to safeguard the shifters across the sea.
Steel clashed against steel before it cleaved flesh and bone. The familiar feel of my swords slicing through my foes called to a darkness within me that was only satisfied with blood and death.
It was time for my darkness to be unleashed.
I felt powerful. My blood sang with a new song of strength, my magic flowing effortlessly through my limbs as I charged headfirst into the fight. My blades were extensions of my will, cutting down my adversaries without hesitation as they tried but ultimately failed to take me down.
My gift of foresight answered my call, no longer a hindrance but an ally in battle.
Death bowed to my command as glimpses of my foes’ attacks flashed through my mind’s eye, mere breaths before they struck.
I felt unstoppable, predicting their movements before they even made them.
My twin blades dripped crimson; countless bodies left in their wake as I pressed forward to join my brother.
“Dax!” I called, guarding my high prince from any foolish enough to try and land a killing blow.
Daxton said nothing as he impaled a line of warriors with an ice spear. He teleported to my other side to cut down another charging in for an attack. “Leave her for me.”
I glanced ahead at the edge of the lake where Minaeve stood in wait.
“Where is—”
“Seems I’ve arrived just in time,” Seamus sneered as he attacked Daxton.
The two mighty foes clashed as their powers met with a thundering boom. Aelius was gifted with powers of the mind, but Seamus was a formidable warrior as a high prince of his realm.
Blades collided in a flurry of silver, and the two warriors appeared to be in a standoff. With Seamus catching Daxton off guard and seizing the upper hand, my brother had to summon every ounce of his skill and strength to overthrow the High Prince of Aelius.
“Gods-dammit, Anjani,” I cursed, knowing she wasn’t far.
Aelius’s second could not be underestimated. My head swiveled, searching through the crowds of battle to find the magic wielder lurking amongst the disorder. Minaeve approached the two high princes, her magic casting shadows and mists in her wake as her intentions focused on my brother.
“No!” I roared as I hurled a spear of ice in Minaeve’s direction.
The high queen easily deflected my attack, her shadows creating a shield. But killing her was not my endgame. My assault caused Minaeve to pause, and I grinned as her turquoise stare narrowed on me.
That’s it.
“You always did have an aptitude for stepping out of line and thinking you matter enough to make a difference,” Minaeve sneered.
“Can’t disagree. I’m never one to shy away,” I taunted, drawing her undivided attention.
Her shadows expanded, her mysterious magic granting her the power to command and wield them as lethal weapons. “How do you believe this ends, Prince Castor? You’re no match for my power, let alone my guards. What do you hope to achieve?”
I grinned as I planted my feet on the ground, preparing myself for an onslaught. “What makes you think this,” I said, gesturing between us, “is my goal?”
Minaeve looked me over, magic caressing my skin like a snake slithering amongst the rocks. It felt wrong, unnatural.
“I see,” she said. “No matter. This will all be over soon.”
An uneasy tremor crept up my spine.
“Enough! Stop!” Daxton’s commanding voice boomed across the battlefield, bringing us to a halt.
I turned, seeing Seamus on his knees with Valencia pressing against his throat. Blood trickled down the high king’s neck as his emerald-glowing eyes burned with a menacing vengeance. Seamus tried but failed to free himself. He was trapped, unable to regain control.
I couldn’t help but grin.
“Release me,” Seamus commanded inside my mind, causing me to jump back in surprise. “You’re not the only one who regained their true powers.” Seamus’s grin widened as he took in my state of shock.
Seamus attempted to latch onto my mind, but I managed to construct a barrier around my thoughts to protect myself from his magic and push him out.
What kind of powers were unleashed from the Heart of Valdor?
Unfortunately, others nearby did not deflect his magic in time and began approaching Daxton with their weapons drawn. Daxton remained calm, creating an ice wall around them. Gods above, my brother didn’t even blink at the effort it took him to construct his barricade.
“Ahh, I see,” Seamus grunted as the blade at his throat pressed into his neck. “Your gifts advanced as well.”
“Daxton.” Minaeve spoke my brother’s name with a familiarity she didn’t deserve. “What is all this? Why are you fighting to—”
“I’ll kill him,” Daxton replied with a stone-cold edge. “And trust me, I’ll enjoy it.”
“Go ahead,” Minaeve said as she clicked her tongue in annoyance at my brother’s hesitation.
“What?” Seamus fought to gaze at his queen, to whom he dedicated the past five centuries of servitude and obedience.
Serves you right.
Minaeve dared to step closer, her guards materializing on all sides, unveiled by Anjani’s magic. “Despite everything I’ve granted you, Seamus, I find that you’re still insufficient to my cause.”
I almost, almost, felt sorry for the unfortunate soul.
“Kill him, Daxton,” Minaeve said.
The only reason my brother hesitated was because she was giving the command.
“Kill him!” Minaeve roared again, her shadows blasting outward into the night and latching onto Daxton’s blade, willing Valencia to make the final strike and end Seamus’s existence in this life.
“No!” I heard Rhett’s exclamation without ever seeing him.
From behind an illusion, Rhett lunged for Minaeve and tackled her to the ground. The tendrils of shadow dropped as Minaeve’s guards turned on Rhett in a flash. Anjani appeared behind them, her brows raised and eyes wide with panic.
Rhett was restrained and hauled to his feet. One of the guards gripped the back of Rhett’s hair, revealing a unique patch of freckles in the shape of a crescent moon at the nape of his neck I hadn’t noticed before.
Minaeve struggled to compose herself with Anjani’s aid. “Get off me!” Minaeve spat, swatting Anjani’s hand. “Go and find it!”
Anjani nodded before backing away and disappearing.
The queen’s hands glided across the skirt of her overly extravagant gown before racing up to tame her raven hair, when her fingers stopped at the crown of her head.
“My, my—” Minaeve’s eyes widened with terror as she spun toward Rhett. “No… You—”
Rhett only smiled as he freed his arm from a guard’s grasp, lifting Minaeve’s golden crown of three gems overhead before violently smashing it to pieces at his feet.
“No!” Minaeve roared as a blast of magic exploded across the Inner Kingdom.
A bright flash of white light illuminated the final moments of the darkened skies as my skull, my gods-damned skull, felt like it was splitting in two.
I cried out and buckled to my knees. My hands pressed against my temples to try and prevent my mind from tearing.
My vision became a blur as every living soul surrounding me also collapsed, the same tormenting headache assaulting their minds.
I fell to my side, groaning with a foreign pain.
Was this some kind of attack?
Prying my eyes open, I saw Dax and Seamus grasping their heads. Their screams joined the choruses of others ringing through the fragments of dawn, daring to peek over the eastern horizon.
“Gah!” I roared as my vision blurred once more. It felt like a premonition was absorbing me, but no, not a premonition of the future. These were visions of my past.
My… My memories.
They cascaded like an open waterfall, smashing onto the awaiting rocks below in a violent collision. The current of them whipped and overflowed in every facet of my mind. Reforging all that had been stolen, painting them into a new tapestry of a vibrant array of colors before my eyes.
“My Gods.” I could hardly breathe.
I trembled beneath the weight of the truth returned through my memories—our stolen memories. I braced myself to push onto my hands and knees. My eyes met my brother’s with a newfound breath of life.
“Minaeve,” I growled as every High Fae in the field turned their attention toward the false queen.
Minaeve stood her ground with her shoulders pulled back and the air of arrogance shining through her false sense of royalty. I beheld her with a new sense of loathing, finally witnessing the depths of her wicked nature.
Minaeve’s skin, which always held a golden magical hue, was dull and ordinary. Her raven hair contrasted against the glow of the approaching dawn as her haunting turquoise eyes remained hard as stone.
But her ears… Her curved ears, now bore the reality of her true heritage.
The world itself fell silent as we stared at the human female who, for five hundred years, had held our people captive.