Chapter 20
Petra
“You ready, Miles?” Cal called to where his brother stood preparing Gehenna for our flight to Araqina. I narrowed my eyes. Had Cal ever called him Miles before? It was always Tobyas.
“Just about,” he answered, bending down to tie his boots tighter.
Shaking the thought from my head, I double-checked the fastener keeping my bag in place on Adorex’s side.
It would take us about two hours to get to Araqina.
It felt like the blink of an eye, like I didn’t have enough time to prepare.
And yet it felt like a lifetime, too, when every moment was one closer to the unknown hour Malosym was sure to call.
“Maybe we should try to enter through the gates first,” I said, the words spilling out too quickly as I absentmindedly dug one foot into the sand. “We can try and request a meeting with the King and Queen. ”
Cal was strapping his bag to Obitus’ side and paused to look at me. “Why do you say that?”
Anxiety was a monster ripping through my insides, hooking its claws into every part of me. “I just…” My head dropped back. “What’s the point anymore? If he has the ability to create drivas…we’re fucked.”
“So you think the answer is to give up? Admit defeat before the battle even starts?” Cal asked, resuming his task. His voice wasn’t outraged or antagonistic. It was a genuine question.
“I’ve been fighting battles my entire life.
In Inkwell, every single day was a battle against hunger.
Then, after you…” I swallowed hard, squeezing my eyes shut as a phantom pain rang through my chest like the toll of a church bell.
“After I thought you died, I fought against my own thoughts. I clawed my way out, even though every single day I wanted to end it all. Then, after we moved into the castle, it was the Board of Blood. It was four months of preparation and then Initiation. And now… Now I’m the Daughter of Katia, and I’m… ”
“You’ve always been the Daughter of Katia. You’ve won every battle you’ve ever fought.”
I scoffed, turning away. “You call Eserene a victory?”
“You survived it, Petra. He wanted you dead, and you survived. You survived the Darkness Beyond and found your way back here. Maybe it’s not a victory, but it sure as hell isn’t a loss.”
“And after all that, I still have to beg other kingdoms to listen.”
He looked me square in the eyes. “Then don’t beg them. Make them.”
◆ ◆ ◆
Why did Araqina have to be located in the middle of the Saints damned desert? Why not closer to the shore, where it was cooler and green? Why not to the south, where Cal told me there were forests and rain?
The green shoreline gave way to arid mountains, which morphed to barren desert.
Araqina’s walls appeared to ripple and swim in the heat that radiated from the sunbaked ground.
They were so high, we could see them from miles away, even with the heat-distorted view.
The sun was unforgiving, and I clung even harder to Adorex for fear the sweat gathered on my palms would soak through my glove and I’d slide right off.
Though, I couldn’t blame the heat for all the sweat.
Half of it was nerves, and my stomach roiled the closer we got to Araqina.
Sending letters asking for aid felt safer than demanding it in person.
Hiding behind the pen and parchment made it easier to ignore my inadequacies, making them feel less prominent, less like a glaring, toothy monster that would eat me alive.
And even though I was the Daughter of Katia, those inadequacies were very, very real.
I didn’t know how to rule. I’d led an army into a losing battle.
I had three of Katia’s drivas here with me and two back in Taitha, all at my command, but I was scared.
I was so damn scared.
Adorex. Sunshine , I heard in my head.
“You like the sunshine here?” I asked her, raising a brow.
Yes. Good.
“Well, that makes one of us,” I sighed, daring to remove one sweat-slicked hand from its glove to drag it over my equally damp forehead. “Okay,” I murmured, pulling my glove back on and patting Adorex on the neck. “Let’s make them listen to us.”
A low rumble sounded from Adorex’s throat as her wings began to beat faster. Petra. Adorex. Power.
“Yeah,” I answered, forcing myself to smile in an attempt to soothe my nerves. “Let’s show them our power.”
The spires of Araqina’s castle peeked over the walls as we neared, my sights set on the tallest one. “Alright, Adorex. Just like we planned. ”
We soared over the wall, Cal and Miles close behind on Obitus and Gehenna.
The screams from below sounded immediately as people looked up to see three drivas flying over the city.
Adorex dropped, a rumble starting deep in her chest as her jaw opened and she coasted low over the buildings.
She let out a bellowing roar so loud, dust stirred from the ground and floated into the air.
The streets were crowded, crawling with people scrambling for shelter. They had no idea the beasts that circled above them posed no threat, that the real threat was somewhere far away, growing strong enough to decimate the entire realm.
I looked back, seeing Obitus and Gehenna right where they should be, and I patted Adorex twice on the neck.
At my cue, a stream of fire flew from Adorex’s massive jaws, Obitus and Gehenna’s too.
The flames burned out in the air above the city, just as we’d planned.
And even though it touched nothing, even though nothing burned, it sent the already panicked citizens into an absolute frenzy.
Good. We needed as much panic as possible, because panic would catch the attention of the King and Queen.
Adorex banked right and headed straight for the castle. She circled the massive sandstone structure, and I scanned every terrace, balcony, and garden I could for any sign of Araqina’s rulers. Unsurprisingly, they hadn’t dared to come outside.
The top of the highest tower was lined with massive windows, and I could see figures moving behind them.
There they are. Who else would be hiding up there while their people were enduring chaos below?
Adorex landed on the terrace just outside the windows, and even though it was a massive expanse of space, it still couldn’t accommodate her size.
Bits of sandstone crumbled away beneath her weight as Obitus and Gehenna landed on two of the smaller spires, their great wings flapping as they balanced on their too-small perches.
Adorex’s stare was set on the figures frozen behind the windows, their faces contorted in horror. With a swing of her neck, she let out a deafening roar. The windows shook in their panes before they shattered completely, and the two figures inside hit the floor, their arms thrown over their heads.
Oops.
I had to hold in the chuckle that bubbled up my throat at Adorex as I dismounted. I could do this. I was powerful. No, I was power incarnate.
I cleared my throat. “King Laion and Queen Irli.” The figures stayed motionless on the terracotta floor, though I could see both of them quaking.
The interior looked to be a dining room, fruits and pastries strewn across the large tabletop as if they’d been eating when their city was invaded.
“My apologies for interrupting your breakfast.”
Slowly, the man — Laion — began to stir, an arm lowering from his head just enough that I could see one dark eye, wild with panic.
“I am Petra, Daughter of Katia,” I said, my voice strong, just as I’d rehearsed over and over again with Cal.
“The realm is in danger, and my request to Nesan for aid was denied. I’m here to demand you reconsider.
My drivas will not cause any harm to you or your people.
Unless,” I added, “you were to give them a reason to. Show yourselves so we may discuss the matter at hand.”
Damn, that all sounded a lot better than I thought it would.
Good , Adorex thought.
King Laion slowly lowered his arm the rest of the way, cautiously pushing against the floor to rise to his feet.
Queen Irli tried to peek out from where she was huddled on the ground beside him, but her husband threw a hand in her direction, halting her movements.
Though his eyes were still wild with fear, his features were hardened with fury.
“You come into my kingdom uninvited, cause complete and utter havoc, and demand my time?”
A puff of steam left Adorex’s nostrils. Man. Fool .
I took a step back to peer over the edge of the terrace to the city streets below.
With a palm in the air, I tapped into the storm brewing just below the surface of my skin.
“Yes, I am demanding your time,” I answered simply, and the sky began to darken.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, growing closer and louder as the clouds roiled more and more overhead.
Just like we planned , I reminded myself.
“How much rain does Araqina get in an average year, King Laion?”
The fury on his face morphed to confusion and then to panic as King Laion’s eyes raised to the sky then back to my hand. Black clouds loomed threateningly overhead, lightning flashing suddenly as thunder rattled the city, its boom almost as loud as the call of the drivas.
“Less than a quarter inch of rain every year, right?” I asked. “Your people are already panicked down there. Imagine the panic a torrential downpour would cause. Flooded streets, ruined homes…”
I summoned a few raindrops, watching them splatter against the sandstone. Come on, Laion. Don’t make me do this to your people. I really, really don’t want to do this to your people.
“Okay,” he finally said, his lip curling. Thank the fucking Saints. “Just call off the storm.”
Laion jolted as I let one more crack of thunder roar above the city before I willed the storm away. The clouds dissipated to reveal blue skies and sunshine once again. Adorex’s neck flexed, something I knew looked terrifying to the King and Queen, but she was just soaking in the sunshine.
Fuck, I felt powerful.
“Thank you,” I said, walking forward. My boots crunched over the broken glass as I entered the dining room and picked up a lone pastry that had somehow survived the commotion. “Was that really so fucking hard?”