Chapter 25
The lanterns overhead flicker in gold and violet, strung haphazardly between the warped wooden buildings. Laughter spills into the night. Bodies twirl with reckless joy.
And yet, beneath it all, my world teeters on the edge of a cliff, moments from plummeting into the dark abyss at the bottom of the Astlorian Sea.
“What did you just say?” My voice sounds like it’s underwater.
Lev’s expression is taut, strained.
He swallows and draws us to a stop at the border of the makeshift dancing area. “I overheard my father and his captains briefing the Elders about what’s coming yesterday morning.”
Blood pounds between my ears.
“And what?” I press, thankful the crowd is so loud with celebration.
Otherwise, my frantic words would surely garner too much attention.
“They think humans are going to turn on each other? That we will kill each other? For what? Trade? No. We would never. You can’t seriously believe there will be war just because your father says so. ”
“It’s not just what they said,” he replies, his throat bobbing with effort. “I’ve also spoken with the prisoner.”
I freeze. “The Fae’s prisoner?”
He nods once.
The crowd erupts in laughter nearby, and I lean closer. “What about him?”
“He confirmed he’s part of the rebellion.”
My gasp is swallowed up by the music as it crashes into a soaring crescendo. “Why would he admit that?”
“Because the rebellion isn’t only trying to protect us from the Fae,” Lev says, voice low. “It’s trying to keep the human kingdom intact.”
“There is no human kingdom,” I snap. “There hasn’t been one in nearly fifty years.”
Our continent is a patchwork of regions, with towns and one lone capital. We have no unified authority. None but the Fae.
“And yet,” he says, eyes flashing, “we celebrate our late king’s birthday tonight.”
“So?”
“So? The human kingdom lives through us, Elara!” His words are fevered, passionate. “Our legacy continues on through those of us who remain. But that ends the moment we turn on each other. And that’s what the rebellion is trying to prevent.”
Pretty words, yet they’re poison at the core.
“How can the rebellion prevent a war?”
“By giving us a common enemy,” he says, eyes glowing. “With their guidance, we will rise against the Fae. We will open trade between all regions, even those across the sea, and we will stop supplying astlerium to Fae and use it for ourselves.”
A scoff tears from my throat. “No amount of weapons will save us from the Fae’s wrath. You’re inviting chaos into lives that are already fragile.”
I step back, but the hand on my waist holds firm.
“Which is why I considered asking you to marry me.”
I balk. “What does war have to do with marrying you?”
“Because war means life is going to get harder than it already is. As a soldier’s wife”—his fingers flex—“as an Ironheart’s wife, you’d be safe. Hell, you’d thrive. Verdanthia’s army is the strongest in the region.”
“You speak as if this is guaranteed to happen.” I scowl. “You have no idea what’s going on in the other regions other than what a rebel traitor tells you.”
The images of the monsters who crept out of the Forbidden Forest rise in my mind. Claws. Gnashing teeth. Unstoppable fire. No human army could stop such beasts. Add the Fae as our enemies, and our race won’t survive.
“Humans will stick together,” he says. “I’m sure of it.”
I shake my head slowly. “The rebellion’s plan is going to get people killed, Lev. Our population is already struggling. This is a mistake. The rebellion is not honorable.”
He looks away, jaw tight, shoulders rising with tension.
Silence stretches.
A thought hits me, cold and certain, and my breath hitches. I know the truth before I even speak.
“Please,” I whisper. “Tell me you’re not already involved.”
He meets my gaze. No remorse. No apology. “I am.”
The words hit like a stone to my chest.
“You—” My voice catches. “You’re with them?”
“I didn’t want you to find out like this—”
“You’re working with the rebellion?” My voice rises, sharp enough to draw glances from the crowd. I lower it again, shaking with rage. “Gods curse you, Lev.”
“Elara, listen—”
“I swore to the Fae.” I knock his arms off me and stumble back. “I gave my word that no one here was part of it. That we were safe. That they were safe!”
He steps after me. “They’ll never know—”
“They’ll know, Lev. Do you think they don’t watch? That they don’t listen?” My voice cracks and builds, thick with betrayal. “You’re a soldier. You’re supposed to protect people, not gamble with their lives behind their backs.”
He grabs my wrist—not harshly, but enough to halt my retreat. “I am protecting them. I’m protecting you. You don’t understand the bigger picture—”
“No,” I cut in, yanking free. “What I understand is that you’re a stubborn, arrogant fool who refuses to believe he could be wrong. You’ve always said you care about my opinion, but you didn’t even talk to me about this. You just…you just want me to agree with you and fall in line.”
His face twists, wounded. “That’s not true—”
“Yes, it is.” I think of his Kinless comments.
The way he so rarely stood up to his father when he badmouthed me. How he looks the other way when innocent women are treated like dirt, even abused by their husbands.
My eyes burn. “You don’t respect me, Lev. You never have. Not really.”
He looks as if I’ve struck him.
My heart aches. Lev loves me, but he isn’t the man who will go against the status quo to do what’s right. And now, involving himself in the rebellion and supporting a decision that will put so many innocents in harm's way… It’s not something I can overlook.
All around me, the festival continues, unaware of how my world tilts on its axis.
“We’re drawing eyes,” Lev murmurs.
Moisture shimmers in his gaze.
“Do whatever you want, Lev. But leave me out of it. We’re done.”
I turn on my heel and push through the celebratory crowd. My lungs burn. My throat tightens. I need to be alone. I need quiet. I need to take a moment to process what the hells I just heard and figure out how to reassemble my heart that’s crumbling to pieces.
I slip between two vendor stalls, barely registering the delicious aroma of caramelized fruit floating in the air. I reach the market’s edge and veer left, determined to go home and wallow in my emotions.
The shadows around me pulse. Then a voice purrs behind me, rich and amused. Predatory.
“Well, that was quite a show.”
My skirt flares as I whirl around.
Rian stands there, half lit by torchlight, the rest of him swallowed in the darkness between two buildings. His silver eyes catch the glow, sharp as blades.
The shadows on my arms coil and slither in his presence.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” I ask, breathless. Then his words sink in, and my stomach plummets. “Wait…what did you—”
“I heard everything, Sunshine.” He steps closer, shadows unfurling like smoke around his boots.
His midnight-black tunic and trousers blend in with the night.
“Or rather…” His lips curve into a wicked smile. “My shadows heard everything.”
My breath catches.
The rebellion... The war... Rian heard it all.
“Please.” My voice shakes, but I force myself to meet his glowing stare. “Don’t hurt him. I’ll…I’ll do anything.”
I hate Lev’s choices. I despise them, but I still care. I can’t let the Fae rip him apart.
Rian’s expression darkens, shadows surging in response to his mood.
“You’d bargain for him?” His voice is low, dangerous, as if testing the weight of my desperation.
Of course I would. I’d bargain for almost anyone in my town. That’s who I am.
I clench my trembling hands. “Yes.”
A sneer distorts his handsome face, pure disgust twisting his features. The shadows pulse harder, restless, like hounds straining against a leash. I brace for him to lash out—for him to stride into the celebration and expose Lev and anyone else tangled in rebellion.
But he doesn’t.
Instead, Rian’s features shutter, composure sliding into place like a mask. The fury is gone, replaced by restraint.
The calm is almost worse. I don’t know what to make of it.
He studies me for a moment. Then— “There is something you can do to guarantee your lover’s safety.”
My pulse stutters, and dread settles deep within my gut. “What is it?”
He raises an arm. I flinch.
Disapproval flashes, but he doesn’t lower his hand. Smoke curls from his long, tan fingers, lazy tendrils winding like mist coiling over a grave.
His silver eyes glint, predatory amusement simmering beneath. “Dance with me.”