Page 101 of King of Fire and Flames

The blue-skinned fae conducting the ceremony continued with the spoken rituals. His long white hair coiled around his wrinkled bare feet, and he looked as old as the moon, with twice as many craters on his face. His words were a meaningless drone.

I focused my energy on standing still, thinking only about Arrow and my friends, wondering if they were safe. I prayed to the all-seeing Zareen that they would find me fast after they realized Taln’s hall was dark and deserted.

I examined Melaya.

Right now, the crimson hair that normally undulated around his shoulders, as if affected by his magic, lay motionless down his back. Distracted by the Sayeeda, he hadn’t even noticed. Neither had he glanced at the clouds that were currently hurtling toward us, or reacted to the crackling charge in the air.

It had worked. Estella had fucking done it. She was a goddess. A supreme shining star.

The energy was intoxicating, and I swayed slightly on my boots that were hidden under the excessive fabric of my gown.

Ari stood next to Melaya, her face close to his as she whispered through a rare smile, deliberately charming the fire mage. Exploiting his fascination with the famous Sayeeda of Coridon—the beautiful, wise sister of the great Zareen.

I’d bet the Light Realm’s last kanara feather that Melaya was currently imagining the glorious power he and Ari could wield if only they joined forces.

But that would never happen.

Ari wanted peace, Melaya chaos.

Another blast of lightning turned the sky silver, the forest floor shuddering as thunder shook the arena.

Finally, Melaya looked up.

The Master of Matrimony closed his mouth and ceased reciting bad poetry.

Azarn shot to his feet as Arrow crashed through the treetops, his dark wings flared wide and veined with streaks of lightning.

Without delay, I whispered, “auron khaban ana,” focusing on each syllable.

The moment the reaver magic slid over my skin, I tore Bakhur’s sword from its belt, stepping back and swinging at his neck. He ducked, popped up again, and then ran, his legs wheeling fast. I gave chase, and with a second sweep of the blade, I hacked his head from his shoulders. It tumbled off the dais, chestnut curls framing the gaping grimace on his face as it bounced along the ground.

I ripped the mergelyn anklet from my leg as a wave of terror engulfed the crowd below. Shouts and screams tore through the air, and I squinted, seeking my next target.

I was thankful for two things: one, that no one could see me, and two, for the queen’s necklace and orchid petals that I’d tied to my leg in a cloth pouch when the chamber servants who’d dressed me tonight weren’t looking.

Melaya had disappeared from the dais, and if he was as clever as he fancied himself, he’d be searching for Nukala right now. Saving his brother and protecting his own power instead of Azarn’s life.

Ari was invisible, too, but the path she cut on the dais toward the Fire King was more than clear. As guards raced forward to surround and protect him, bloodied bodies with missing limbs fell one by one, as if struck by an invisible demon.

Zaret, Esen, and Raiden fought soldiers in the crowd below, only the human boy visible as screams of agony split soldiers’ pale lips and blood splattered courtiers’ fine clothes.

The Fire Court fought back, jagged balls of fire whizzing through the air and setting each other ablaze. A burst of confidence shuddered through me as I realized that fighting an invisible enemy was near impossible. Victory would surely be ours.

It had to be.

But where was Arrow? He’d crashed through the trees, and I hadn’t seen him since.

At this moment, I couldn’t worry about him. Ari needed my assistance. Because Azarn had to die.

Now.

Lunging forward, I slashed a guard in front of me, and his steaming entrails spilled over the delicate patterns on the dais’s painted wooden floor. My sword raised again, I moved to step around his body, but a band of steel crossed my middle, pulling me against a wall of warm flesh.

Arrow stood behind me.

“Sh, little Leaf. Stay still. I must act quickly. Renew the bond,” he whispered against my neck before his fangs sank into my flesh.

I muffled a moan with my palm.

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