Chapter 20
Zane
Not long after they sat down to breakfast in their room, Emmeric and Iyana joined them.
Iyana appeared to be in oddly high spirits, especially considering the news they had received the night before.
She had seemed extremely upset when Yrza told her she was the only one capable of banishing the stars.
“How’d you sleep?” Talon asked.
“Fantastic,” Iyana chirped. Emmeric blushed and remained silent.
Zane glanced sidelong at Talon, who only shrugged.
Something had happened between those two.
Maybe Iyana was finally being honest with herself about her feelings for Em.
But when they sat down, they seemed to be purposefully avoiding touching each other.
Kaz flounced into the room last, scooping up a pastry and biting off a sizable chunk. They all stared at her as she chewed her food.
“What?” she asked, her mouth still full.
“Oh, nothing,” Tal said. “Except for the fact that you’re, you know, a fucking goddess.”
“I always knew I was special.”
Zane could only gape at her. If the night before he had learned he was the reincarnation of one of the old gods, he’d have to be locked up in a padded room.
It was bad enough that Yrza had confirmed Uther was his biological father.
Part of him had been holding out hope that the man his mother had been with was his actual father, but now Zane had to live knowing a portion of that monster resided within him.
He had broken down to Talon about it the night before when they were alone in their room.
“You’re not your father,” Tal had told him. “You are so much better than he could have ever hoped to be, and he was not worthy to call you ‘son.’” Zane had cried for a long time while Talon held him.
Kaz’s voice jolted Zane out of the memory. “When do we leave for Istoria?” she asked.
“Are we all going?” Zane asked, looking between Kaz and Iyana.
“Of course we are!” the shifter said.
“Don’t you have obligations here?” Talon asked her.
Kaz waved him away. “Nah, I’m a goddess now, remember? I’m going to abdicate to Zahar and do my own thing.”
Zane could not understand the shifter. She was so unserious about her position within the kingdom.
Honestly, he was a little jealous she had someone she could unload the responsibilities on.
Especially since her brother actually wanted to rule Nyr.
Not for the first time, Zane wished he had a sibling to take some of the pressure off of himself.
Iyana’s good mood had melted off of her as they talked. She glanced at Emmeric. “We’re going. I’m not going to lie and say I’m excited to do this, and I honestly wish none of this had ever happened, but if Yrza is right and I’m the only one who can banish the stars…” She sighed. “I’ll help.”
Emmeric reached across the space between them to squeeze her knee. Iyana smiled sadly at him.
“When do we leave?” Emmeric asked, and they all looked to Zane for an answer. He wondered when he was elected as leader for their group. But this was what he’d been raised to do—he could lead them if that was what they needed.
“We’ll need a couple more days to prepare. Let’s plan for two days from now.”
Everyone voiced their agreement. Zane picked up a pastry and took a bite. The worst part about being on the road was the lack of good food, so he’d enjoy it while he could.
“We should go around Athusia,” Emmeric said, between bites of his own pastry. “That way, we can hopefully avoid the majority of the stars.”
“Oh,” Tal said. “I was going to ask if we could stop by really quickly on our way.”
Iyana’s eyes widened. “Why would we do that?”
Talon rubbed the back of his neck. “My parents are still there, Smalls,” he said softly. “I can’t leave them.”
“Gods, Talon, I didn’t even think—I’m so sorry. Yes, of course we can go to Athusia.”
Kaz pursed her lips. “That doesn’t really seem like the smart thing to do.”
“What if it were your parents?” Talon asked her, frowning.
The shifter shrugged. “My parents can take care of themselves.”
“Well, mine can’t,” he snapped. “They’re just regular people. My dad doesn’t even know how to swing a sword, for fuck’s sake!”
Zane could see both sides of the argument.
It was a risk when the stars knew who they were and would probably be searching for Iyana.
They didn’t know much about what was happening in Athusia—if the humans were safe, where the stars were stationed.
There were so many unknowns. But if it was his mother…
“We should help Tal’s parents,” Zane said, and he could see the immediate relief on Talon’s face. He mouthed the words thank you. Zane smiled. “We’ll have to be extra cautious, though. We survey the situation, and if it’s too risky, Tal, then we need to think of the bigger picture.”
“I understand,” he responded solemnly.
“The Lurra should stay here in Nyr, too. It will be safer behind the wards than if we took it with us.”
Kaz coughed and glanced away from them all. Zane’s stomach dropped. What had she done now?
“Kaz,” Iyana said, “you didn’t.”
The shifter shrugged. “None of you agreed with me about Khollo’s Downfall, so I decided to bring it with us. I promise it’ll be useful!”
All of Team Save Arinem—the sane members, at least—heaved a tired sigh. Zane pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Well, I guess that’s also staying.”
Throughout the rest of breakfast, they solidified their plans for getting to Athusia, evading the stars, evacuating Talon’s parents, and then making their way to Istoria. Zane didn’t want to dally for too long. The longer they let Rigil run unchecked, the harder it would be to unseat him.
Iyana
Two days later, Team Save Arinem walked through Nyr’s palace for the last time to bid farewell to the king and queen.
Just as they were when they had arrived in the kingdom, the monarchs sat atop their thrones with spears held in their hands.
Zahar and Sekhan stood to the right of the king, and Kekari stood to the queen’s left.
Iyana frowned when Kaz’s sibling smirked at Emmeric and winked salaciously.
She frowned harder when he grinned back at them.
Emmeric leaned down to speak quietly into her ear. “Relax, Mouse. They’re only eighteen, practically still a child. No need to be jealous.”
Iyana glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “I’m not jealous.”
He chuckled softly. “Sure you aren’t.”
She was about to refute his claim again, but King Saram began speaking before she could.
“We wish you all the best of luck in your quest.” His attention switched to Kaz. “Daughter, are you sure you will not change your mind and stay in Nyr?”
“No, Father. My place is with my friends, ensuring Arinem and humanity is safe.” While Saram nodded his head in respect to his daughter’s wishes, Queen Nita frowned deeply.
“We thank you for your hospitality,” Zane said, bowing at the waist. “I hope to return with good news, that Istora will fight with us to rid Arinem of the threat of the stars.”
“Aztia,” Queen Nita said, her tone sharp enough to flay Iyana to the bone. “I hope you understand the price of failure.”
Her words snapped something inside of Iyana.
Who was this woman to talk down to her? Where was she when Iyana was shoving a dagger through an emperor’s chest?
Where was she when the man she loved had betrayed her?
Where was she when Talon, Geoff, and Gordon were killed? Anger bubbled within her chest.
She felt Emmeric reach towards her—both physically and through their bond—but she stepped forward out of his reach and stared down the Queen of Nyr.
“I think I understand better than you what happens when I fail. Or am I wrong, and you’ve also been to the Everlands to drag one of your best friends back from death?
” Talon drew in a sharp breath behind her, and Iyana was sorry for bringing it up in front of everyone.
But now rage flowed through her and she found it impossible to stop.
“You sit here, safe behind your wards, and dare to lecture me about the price of failure? You, who won’t even commit to fighting for our continent unless someone else joins the war first?
Your daughter is the one willing to put her own life at risk for the betterment of humanity.
She is so much braver than you could ever hope to be.
“So now if you’ll excuse me, Your Majesties”—Iyana sketched a mocking bow, still staring at Queen Nita—“I need to go save the fucking world.”
Iyana spun on her heel and marched out of the throne room.
She realized she wasn’t being diplomatic, and that this probably didn’t help their cause, but this was Zane’s world—not hers.
She hadn’t grown up in a castle or a palace learning the games of politics; she’d only ever known a small desert village until less than a year before.
Zane could smooth things over with the king and queen, but, honestly, Iyana couldn’t give two shits about what they thought of her.
When she had first arrived in Nyr, Iyana had been concerned about the monarchs—how they would perceive her and if they were similar to Uther.
Now, she realized her fears were unfounded.
Kaz’s parents were nothing but pampered nobles, too scared to leave the safety and comfort of their home.
And while she was scared of the road ahead also, at least she was doing something about it.
Without realizing it, Iyana had marched through the entire palace until she was at the edge where they would go down to the forest floor.
Their horses were being prepared for their journey in the lower stables.
She came to a halt near the ladder, but stopping her physical momentum meant her emotions were able to catch up to her.
A sob lodged in her throat. Nita had no concept of what Iyana had sacrificed.
She’d had her entire life mapped out—goals and ambitions.
Iyana touched the ouroboros tattoo circling her wrist. That was supposed to be her life.
Mixing poultices and tinctures, healing the sick.
Using only small amounts of magic to activate potions.
Not killing emperors. Not battling against stars hells-bent on making themselves into gods and enslaving humans.
Not bonded to a man she otherwise wouldn’t say two words to.
Imo should have still been alive. Geoff and Gordon too. Talon should have still been effervescent and jubilant. Emmeric should be courting a beautiful Athusan woman instead of pining after her.
Hot tears flowed freely down her face now, and Iyana dashed them away with her hands. Sometimes this all seemed like too much.
There was a light touch on her lower back, and she spun in place to see Emmeric behind her. Without stopping to think about it, Iyana buried her face in his chest and allowed herself to cry. He only held her close, stroking up and down her spine.
When her sobs finally slowed, Emmeric placed his hands on her face and drew her back until she was looking up at him. His thumbs swiped the drops of moisture away.
“That was incredible, Iyana.”
“Did I ruin our chances of them helping us?” she whispered.
Emmeric shook his head. “Zane will smooth things over. I think it’s something they needed to hear, though—especially Nita. Nothing you said was wrong.”
“I don’t know what came over me.”
“I thought you were amazing.” Emmeric placed a light kiss on Iyana’s forehead, then stepped back from her.
“I’m a guard. A soldier. And I’ve always thought that kings, queens, and emperors who sit idly by while others die for them are inherently untrustworthy.
A true leader is someone like Zane or Kaz, who is willing to put their own lives at risk for the betterment of their people.
You were right to call them out, Mouse.”
It had felt right and satisfying in the moment, but the more she thought about it, the more worried Iyana was that it would create a problem down the road.
But she couldn’t take the words back even if she wanted to.
They would just have to wait and see. Besides, the queen of Istora could also deny them aid, and it would all be for naught, anyway.