12. Kian
KIAN
The bo staff slammed against my opponent’s in a blow that jarred my spine, but I was already spinning away. I couldn’t help the laugh that rumbled through my chest as my best friend’s bo hit empty air and then the mat.
“Have to be faster than that, Cal,” I chided as the handful of women at the edges of the practice ring giggled.
Calloway shot me a grin as he charged again. “It’s not exactly fair when you’ve got Nocturnae speed on your side, now is it?”
I raised my staff to stop his swift blow. “I let you take those herbs to even the playing field, don’t I?”
That was the thing about our sparring sessions. My natural speed and strength would always be greater than Calloway’s, but the Luminaries had far more magic on their side. And that was the great equalizer. How could it not be when they all but controlled the light?
“They taste like something from a rotten trash heap,” Calloway complained as he spun out of the way of my staff, his golden hair flying. It was fitting that the Luminaries’ Prince was what many called a golden god. Cal despised the term.
“Whatever it takes, Cally.” I jumped over the bo as he swept it low, sweat gathering on my bare chest.
He jabbed the staff forward, nearly impaling me on it. “You know I hate it when you call me that.”
My lips twitched. “Why do you think I do it?”
But there was a hint of sadness in my voice. It couldn’t be helped. Only one person ever got away with calling him that: Rae.
Calloway’s promised and my best friend.
Just thinking her name hurt, even after all this time. She was an open wound. Not just because my endless missions to the human realm had failed to find her but because everything had changed that day.
For as long as I could remember, there’d been tension between the Nocturnae and the Luminaries. How could there not be when our beginnings sprang from subjugation? But over time, there’d been a reluctant ceasefire—to varying degrees.
My people had made the most of it. My parents cemented closer relationships with the Luminaries, which meant good and prosperous things for the House of Starlight.
But the other three Nocturnae Houses—Blood Moon, Demilune, and Firelight—hadn’t been as willing to play ball. It meant the tensions remained.
But I’d never felt the strain of the Nocturnae and Luminary relations in my friendship with Calloway and Rae. We’d always had a bond where those tensions had no place.
But Rhys Lockhart had changed all of that. I knew the King of the House of Firelight hated the Luminaries. And I knew there had been a skirmish that had left his father and sister dead. So I didn’t begrudge him that hate. Still, I’d never thought him capable of harming a child. I’d been wrong.
And if I saw him now, I’d show him no mercy. Just like he’d done with Rae. I’d end him and make it hurt.
A staff slammed into my side, and I let out a pained grunt.
“Gods,” Calloway muttered, ceasing his sparring. “You didn’t even try to defend against that. Where’s your head?”
I rubbed my ribs where a red mark bloomed. He’d likely broken a rib or two, but it would heal in half an hour or so, especially if I drank.
“Elsewhere, clearly,” I muttered.
“Kian,” a young voice called.
I turned just in time to catch the water bottle Rae’s little sister, Kyrie, tossed my way. The thirteen-year-old was her sister’s opposite in so many ways, with dark hair and golden eyes, but her smile was all Rae. And it hit me right in the solar plexus.
I twisted the cap off and chugged. “Thanks, Troublemaker.”
She beamed at me—that same painful one. “Next time, maybe you’ll defend your flank.”
Calloway burst out laughing. “She’s harsh.”
“More like brutal.” I shook my head but grinned at the little mischief-maker.
“Don’t worry,” Calloway said, slapping my shoulder. “I’m sure Linia would be happy to kiss it better.”
I rolled my eyes. It was taboo—the occasional hookups between the Nocturnae and Luminaries. It happened more between my kingdom, the House of Starlight, and the Luminary Kingdom because we had turned the ceasefire into an allyship over the years.
But that alliance had its limits. We might have the occasional torrid affair, but it never went beyond that. And if a Luminary asked a Nocturnae to drink from them? If it was done? Then they were both cast out into the Dark Lands to become nothing but demon food.
Slender fingers adorned with countless gold rings and pale-colored gemstones curved around Calloway’s forearm. “I thought that was quite impressive.”
Isadora was never overt in her advances. She’d never deign to touch Cal’s bare chest or even his biceps. Even now, her fingers were there and then gone.
The older sister by only a year, she never missed a single opportunity to take Rae’s place. I despised her for it. To me, she paled in comparison in every way.
Too proper. Too contained. Too bland.
There was no fight or fire. No wildness like Rae had.
But I could read Cal like a book, and I knew he was starting to entertain the idea. I didn’t blame him exactly. He was getting pressure from his parents and the kingdom. The Luminaries wouldn’t let him ascend to the throne until he had a partner.
Only, it was supposed to be Rae.
Calloway let out a low chuckle. “I don’t know that Kian’s daydreaming makes my attempts impressive.”
Isadora smoothed her hands over the silver-embroidered skirts of her gown. Everything about her appearance and accessories was designed to remind people of the light, from the gemstones in her pale-blond hair to the shimmery dust on her eyelids.
She played the game well; I’d give her that.
“Maybe I’m just partial to one particular opponent,” she acquiesced.
Calloway shook his head. “I’m not sure that’s exactly a win for me either. You hate Kian with the passion of a thousand fiery suns.”
That had me chuckling and Isadora flushing.
But as soon as he spoke the words, Calloway frowned, then winced. He rubbed at a spot on his pec, then froze, going stiff as stone.
I was instantly at my friend’s side. “What? What’s wrong?”
His head turned, and his eyes went wide. “It’s Rae. She’s here. In Lumaria.”