Chapter Seventy-One
Castor Aegaeon
It only took seconds, yet the flashes felt like years.
One by one, all our memories returned.
Five centuries ago, Minaeve stole our mother’s memory stones and utilized them with the amplifying magic of the Heart of Valdor to conceal her identity and plant false memories.
The bitch would die for this.
All my forgotten thoughts clicked into place, connecting the missing pieces of the puzzle, with my mind becoming whole once more. Minaeve was human. A mage sent to infiltrate and exterminate our kind.
And all for what, power? Control?
“Fuck!” I cursed. I remembered everything.
During the initial bouts of the Great War, humans learned of the Heart of Valdor’s existence and stole it from the shifter guardians residing in the Inner Kingdom.
The shifters informed the High Fae of the travesty, desperate to stop the humans from leaving with the stone in their possession.
Utilizing the magic of the three High Fae rulers and the shifter’s alpha, they created the veil to keep the Heart safe and prevent humans from bringing it back to their territory and abusing its magic.
However, the origin of the wilt and Minaeve’s rise to power were still unknown to me.
I shook my head to try and regain my senses. Pushing up and rising to my feet, my limbs convulsed as I fought to contain my wrath at the truth finally rising to the surface.
“You… Y-you,” Seamus stuttered, unable to find the foul language worthy enough to spew at the false queen.
Gods above, Seamus.
His face paled as he clenched his fists, oblivious to the steady stream of blood staining his armor from the wound inflicted by my brother’s sword.
Minaeve smiled, tilting her head back and releasing a piercing laugh.
“You were such an entertaining toy to play with, Seamus,” Minaeve said, examining her nails, appearing indifferent to his outrage.
“Long before you welcomed us into your lands, we plotted the demise of your kind. We were simply biding our time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike at the heart of your world and conquer it for ourselves.”
It was before I was born, but I recalled learning about Seamus’s ascension to the throne. His father passed from an unknown illness during a visit to the human kingdom, granting Seamus reign over the largest population of High Fae at far too young an age.
“You bitch!” Seamus roared as he pounded his fist against the earth in disgust.
Memories of my youth sprang forth. I fondly remembered Daxton and Seamus sparring together in the training fields when he would visit our mother, who cared for and helped train Seamus as a child.
On my tenth birthday, just before the humans attacked, Seamus gifted me the very weapons I used to this day.
I looked down at my twin blades, the intricate carvings along the hilt mimicking the tattoos I had inked onto my skin.
“You twisted my mind!” Seamus screamed, his voice raw, eyes wide in a vacant horror.
“Planted false, spiteful memories and manipulated me.” A wave of nausea overtook Seamus, leaving him convulsing as he vomited onto the grass.
Gasping for breath, he struggled to steady himself, battling the suffocating guilt of the tormenting acts Minaeve had forced him to commit.
Before his corruption, Seamus had used his mind-reading ability to foresee his people’s needs and seek the truth. He was young and firm in his rule, but in his heart, he was fair.
Seamus was our ally, our friend.
“Your magic was entertaining to twist and bend to my will, Seamus. Just like your father’s.
” Minaeve straightened, pure enjoyment rolling over her features.
“Admittedly, I siphoned too much too quickly during his visit to the human kingdom across the sea. A mistake that ultimately led to his demise. But I learned how to gain access to your desires through his gifts and, in return, planted a false memory that kept you faithful, kept you ever so loyal.”
“You soulless witch!” Seamus snarled. “How dare you manipulate me like that!”
I had no idea what memory Minaeve was referring to, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
“You personally invited me into your court,” Minaeve said with a wicked laugh. “You allowed me to enter your world, High Prince Seamus. Don’t you remember sending the invitation?”
Seamus swallowed, unable to form a rebuttal, screaming in disgust and frustration at his actions.
Minaeve’s lips parted, her wicked smile growing. “And from then on, control over the Inner Kingdom was finally within our grasp.”
Our? What did she mean by this?
I stared in horror at the human mage who infiltrated our world and began destroying it from the inside out.
“The initial attack on Valdor was well underway before you granted me access to the Inner Kingdom, Seamus. It began before the first human inhabitants set foot onto Valdor’s shores,” Minaeve continued. “Don’t give yourself more credit than you deserve, High Prince of Aelius.”
“The wilt,” Daxton snarled, rising to his feet, Valencia once more clutched in his hand. “You’re responsible for the wilt? How?”
“Dark magic,” Minaeve answered, her shadows beginning to pool at her feet. “True power comes with a sacrifice sealed in blood, the magically gifted blood of my mother and father.”
“You murdered your parents to obtain dark blood-magic?” I asked, barely able to fathom the act.
“Yes,” Minaeve said. “Our mother, Serena, killed by my brother, was a human blessed with elemental magic, like many from our homeland. But our father, William, whose death came by my hand, bound not just one but two souls to our cause. You see, our father wasn’t only gifted with elemental magic.
He was also bonded to a guardian of earth and sky—a dragon. ”
Gods, no.
Dragons were virtuous, magical creatures of legend that once thrived in our lands. However, centuries ago, they vanished, migrating east over the vast open seas, never to be seen again. Sacrificing the life of a dragon was unfathomable, and the magic obtained from such a sacrifice was…
“Why?” I asked, unable to keep the question locked inside.
“Silver Prince,” Minaeve purred, her crimson painted lips parting in a wicked smile. “I’m disappointed I never got to experience that silver tongue for myself. Your brother’s, however, was ever so delightful.”
I snarled, baring my teeth as I raised my swords.
“You managed to steal the Heart, but our people locked you inside our lands with the veil,” Daxton said, his voice laced with icy fury.
“Even with most of the shifters fighting on the mainland, here, you were outnumbered without your allies across the sea and your other magic wielders to aid you in battle.”
I took in a sharp breath, remembering what happened. It was Daxton who rallied and united the three High Fae realms of the Inner Kingdom in one final effort against the humans. They were united under the leadership of the prince who was promised.
Daxton was, no, he is our High King.
“Yes, a tragic turn of events, but fortune smiled upon our cause. The knowledge about Arabella’s treasured memory stones was a well-guarded secret that a royal from the Aelius court willingly shared,” Minaeve said with a sickening grin.
“After I obtained the stones, it was easy to amplify their magic with the Heart of Valdor and steal the memories of who and what I was.”
“It’s… It’s all my fault.” Seamus fell forward, the weight of his actions threatening to tear him apart.
“She invaded my mind after she deceived me and siphoned my magic. I-I can’t believe I doomed us all.
” Seamus paused, disgust and guilt consuming him.
He swallowed a heavy breath and forced himself to turn and gaze at my brother. “I’m… I’m so sorry, my king.”
“Not quite, cousin,” Anjani sneered, appearing from her illusion as she walked to Minaeve’s side.
“Anjani!” Seamus rasped, the betrayal of his kin cutting him deeper than any blade across his skin. “You… You knew about this? Why?”
“Their power is irrefutable, cousin. Unmatched,” Anjani declared, her arrogance radiating like a badge of honor.
“I’ve stood by Minaeve’s side since she siphoned from your father, when she promised me dominion over the Inner Kingdom in exchange for my loyalty.
At last, I’ll claim what is rightfully mine,” she added, her smirk twisting my insides with its cold certainty.
“You started this war and created the wilt as a by-product of your dark magic that devoured our world!” Daxton roared, stepping to Seamus’s side. “For what? Power? Selfish greed?”
The other High Fae surrounding us began to right themselves. Shaw and Zola raced toward our position through the growing crowd, skidding to a halt on the outskirts of our standoff.
Minaeve’s glare darted to Shaw. “You… filthy shifters.”
Shaw refused to flinch as he met Minaeve’s daggered stare.
“Their alpha,” Daxton whispered, piecing the events together.
“Yes, their alpha,” Minaeve growled. “Everything was working flawlessly, but their alpha somehow surpassed the magic of the memory stone.”
“And stole back the Heart,” I muttered. “The alpha surrendered his life to protect the stone, and thus, the magic of his sacrifice bore life to the trials.” With perhaps a dash of divine intervention from the Mother and Father above.
“With only a shifter worthy enough to unlock its power,” Shaw said. “Our alpha.”
“What was given before must be willingly given again,” Minaeve said.
“You knew she would die!” Daxton snarled. His brows pinched as his body shuddered, fighting to control his rage.
“The fact that she was your mate made this entire endeavor all the sweeter, High King.” Minaeve laughed as she extended her hand to Anjani. “Thank you for retrieving the Heart.”
My eyes widened as I shot up in a panic.
No, no, no. Fuck! How did Anjani find it?
My heart stilled as I frantically pivoted toward the outcrop where I’d hidden the Heart of Valdor.
Nyssa.
I reached through our bond to try and sense her, but nothing answered my call. There was no panic or pain, only silence—like she was hiding.
Nyssa, where are you?
“Return to me, Seamus,” Minaeve commanded, drawing my attention. “We have work to do.”
“What makes you think—” Daxton paused as he watched Seamus rise, his eyes widening in disbelief. “Seamus?”
“I-I have no choice,” he said through gritted teeth. Every muscle in his body convulsed in response as he tried but failed to resist Minaeve’s command.
The blood bond.
“Our marriage ceremony was so special, especially when it was sealed with High Prince Seamus’s magical vow of servitude.”
The veins in Seamus’s neck popped as he forced his feet to stop.
“Seamus,” Minaeve said in a warning tone. “Return to me.”
Seamus clenched his jaw so tight I thought his teeth would crack. His emerald-glowing eyes turned toward my brother. He grunted as he fought the pull of the blood oath. His footsteps halted through the sheer force of his will.
“I will not…” Seamus’s voice fell as his breath stilled, the power of the oath stealing the air from his lungs, demanding his obedience.
Suddenly, Seamus sprang forward and retrieved a dagger discarded from battle, angling the blade in a downward strike across his already bleeding throat.
“Stop!” Minaeve commanded, strengthened by the Heart of Valdor clutched in her grasp. “You will not kill yourself.”
Seamus groaned against the power of Minaeve’s command.
“Nor will you allow or command another to end your life for you. I forbid it.”
Seamus remained motionless, locked between Daxton and the false queen.
“Drop the blade.”
And Seamus was forced to obey.
“Call your warriors,” Minaeve said.
“Why do you think any of Aelius would willingly side with you?” Daxton yelled, his gaze darting between Seamus and Minaeve.
“Who said anything about willingly?” Minaeve’s wicked grin grew.
“Daxton, Castor.” Seamus’s voice echoed inside my mind. “Do what you must.”
I swallowed a heavy gulp of dread, understanding Seamus’s intentions for us to fulfill if he couldn’t perform the task himself. “I deserve far less than the kindness of a quick death. I’m sorry for everything.”
“Fall in line.” Seamus’s voice boomed over the clearing, and every High Fae warrior sworn to Aelius followed his command.
“Every citizen sworn to Aelius and High Prince Seamus’s army is bound to him,” Anjani said with a conniving look of glee. “The blood oath is an ancient tradition in the Aelius realm, of course, to ensure loyalty.”
Minaeve wielded her siphoned magic, with the Heart of Valdor amplifying her power, as a massive glowing portal of light appeared. Through it stepped a tall figure wearing a dark blue cloak with painted stars and a trail of hooded figures following his lead.
“Istar,” Minaeve said with a grin as the cloaked figure approached and openly embraced her. “Bless the dark.”
“Banish the light,” he replied as his hood fell back, revealing a mesh of black raven hair and hauntingly familiar turquoise eyes. “Finally, we have won.”
Their likeness was uncanny.
“Arm yourselves!” Daxton roared as he hoisted Valencia above his head.
Finn sprinted to his side with flames illuminating his hands and traveling down his sword. “Crimson City is with you, Daxton,” the young prince declared.
“Let’s have some fun.” Gunnar appeared at Daxton’s other shoulder, blood staining his silver-lined leathers as he gripped a battle axe in one hand and his shield in the other.
The early rays of dawn trickled across the horizon, the Mother awakening from her slumber to find death at her doorstep. I clutched my swords in my hands, readying myself to charge into the fight, willing to defy the odds and overturn the human mage responsible for the destruction of our world.
“Charge!” Daxton yelled as the fighting began.