Page 31 of Light Up the Night

“I want her and the Kingdom Isles,” I whispered next to his ear.

“The Kingdom Isles are a pile of rubbish surrounded by a cesspool… what do you want with that?”

Before I could answer him, he answered himself, “That’s where they ran off to, huh? Atticus and old Izzy.” He gave a content purr and nodded his head. “Fine. I shall deliver you the Kingdom Isles, along with everything she owns,” he vowed before glancing over his shoulder toward Azaria.

He started for Azaria, and Ryver raced to the other end of his cell.

“Wait,” the blond king called as Ender threw the door of Azaria’s cage open. “He means nothing to you, Azaria! Give them the fucking Heathen.”

Ender closed the door. He stood in front of it until the lock clicked and focused his attention on the more cooperative of the two. The door to the hallway flew open, and Bard scrambled inside,

“There is a negotiator at the gates,” he breathlessly huffed. “They sent a damn woman!”

Azaria and I both leveled a deadly stare at the Commander that left him shrinking away from us.

“Go see to it,” Ender encouraged Keif.

He started to go, but Messiah intervened. “You’ve more muscle, stay here and protect her.”

Of all the comical excuses.

“If she wishes to war, then we war,” Azaria said, tipping her head up a bit.

“Your people will die. My Queen Chalice holds great magik,” Keif warned, only to be met with a scoff.

“Your queen makes it snow ashes.” Azaria shrugged. “I control the Oceans. I can boil them and kill us all without leaving this cage.”

“Enough!” King Ryver called.

“Chalice,” Messiah called long before he appeared at the door. “Chalice… you… you just have to see this.”

“I’m busy.”

“Chalice, you have to.” Something in his voice tore at me. Despite my frustration, I followed him upstairs and out the front of the Hall. He took me up a small tower that allowed us to see over the gate.

The morning light was still breaking, but even in the dark I would have recognized her. The long golden curls and bright-eyed smile. Happiness had always flowed from her, but she was practically glowing.

“Chali!” Reverie squealed; she threw her arms up as if she might leap into a hug, but of course I was two floors above her. Well, I was for… the span of a breath. I ran down stairs, colliding with a soldier in the tower stairwell. I didn’t think, I just ripped the doors open and lugged her inside with me. We danced in a circle and cried while Messiah smiled and watched on. He tried to act like it wasn’t that big of a deal, but I saw him wipe the corner of his eye now and again.

“Rev!” Ender called, snatching her away from me violently. He squeezed her until she yelped and swatted him away. “You were… Icarus said you leapt to your own death!”

“I tried…” she admitted. “I felt so discarded and used.

“That’s over now,” Messiah firmly assured.

“Where the fuck have you been, if you weren’t dead?” Ender asked in a voice choked with emotion.

“He said Lazarus’ people would probably enslave me, anyway. If I was already of a mind to end things, he knew it would only stain his house if he forced me to go, and I did it there.”

The excitement settled within me, and I wrapped my arms around myself to ward off the morning chill. “You said it was a negotiator…” I glared at Messiah.

“I am,” Reverie chirped. “I’m here to negotiate. You have my wife.”

Messiah and Ender exchanged a look that likely said more than words could have.

“You are a queen, then…” Pariah ventured, only to throw his hands up and step back when Ender rounded on him.

“You can have Lazarus back if you want him,” she said. “I only took him so he couldn’t hurt you.” She smiled and pulled me in for another tight hug. “Azaria gave him to me as a wedding gift. She gave me my sister’s safety.”

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