Page 7 of A Petal in the Crown

“The universe gets no say in the matter,” Lea snapped, whipping her body around to face the voice. The fire making up her dress surged, thered and orange flickering inside it becoming more prominent as shadows slithered across the hill.

Lea narrowed her eyes and raised her chin, baring her teeth in a challenge. Gray followed Lea’s glare, his jaw dropping at the sight of the god of the sun and the goddess of the moon standing only feet away, their eyes locked on him and Lea with an intensity that made his dead, unbeating heart shudder.

Chapter 5

Gray

Gray watched with wide eyes, his heart pounding against his ribs, as the goddess drifted toward Lea. Every movement she made was like a whisper of the wind, her silver gown billowing around her like a cloud, its hem barely brushing the grass. The light from the moon seemed to bend toward her like a lover’s touch, wrapping her in a ghostly glow as if the earth itself longed to be closer to her. Her silver-blonde hair flowed freely, weightless and wild, framing her face in an ethereal halo as her hand stretched out, trembling slightly, as if it ached to cradle Lea’s cheek. Her eyes—the eyes that mirrored Lea’s so perfectly—glistened with sorrow. But beneath the sadness lay something harder, more immovable.

Gray’s breath hitched, and he took a hesitant step forward, instinctively positioning himself between Lea and the looming threat of the gods. How could he hope to protect her from the fury of gods so ancient and powerful? His fingers twitched, the urge to defend her warring with the knowledge of his own powerlessness.

"Do not coddle her," the sun god snapped, his voice like the crack of a whip. The harshness of it shattered the delicate moment, and the goddess flinched, pulling her hand back as if burned. Gray clenched his fists, his chest tightening as he watched the sun god’s golden eyes fix on Lea.

On instinct, Gray reached for his sword, but his hand came up empty. His weapon lay somewhere far behind him, abandoned on the blood-soaked battlefield in the land of the living. Helplessness surged through him like a flood.

"You behaved rashly," the sun god spat, his voice brimming with disdain. "Impulsively. Selfishly." Molten red hair that glowed with the heat of a dying star hung around his shoulders, crackling with the white-hot embers of his rage. Standing at least eight feet tall, his skin flickered as if made from the sun itself—so bright, Gray could only stand to look directly at him for a few seconds at a time before his eyes began to water and burn. “You’ve doomed our people to death. And for what?”

“For love, my dear,” the goddess of the moon said with the softness of a sweet dream. Her touch on the sun god’s arm was a caress, and with it, the fire in him dimmed slightly, though it still burned hot beneath the surface. "People do irrational things when they’re in love. It doesn’t make them selfish. In fact, to sacrifice your life for another is the most selfless act of all. Don't you think?" Her voice, though gentle, carried a strength that could shatter stone, but Gray could see the ghost of grief in her eyes.

Gray met her gaze, a silent acknowledgment of the strange bond they seemed to share in their protectiveness of Lea. He lowered his head in a gesture of respect, but before he could move, a shadow—cold and shimmering—grabbed him by the chin. It wasn’t violent, but firm, holding his head in place. His skin tingled beneath the shadow’s hold, and a strange peace settled over him.

“You’ve done well,” the goddess said, her smile kind and knowing. "You’ve protected her. Helped her find her power. You’ll be rewarded for that here."

“We’re not stayinghere.” Lea’s voice cut through the air like a blade, sharp and defiant. She grabbed Gray’s sleeve and ripped him back from the goddess’s shadows, and Gray’s stomach twisted, the feeling of peacefading immediately as adrenaline pumped through his system. Lea was arguing with thegods. Acting as if they were the enemy she wanted to destroy. But could they hurt her here beyond the veil? Was there a punishment worse than death?

“The sacrifice required was made. Willingly. He will not return.” The god of the sun’s deep, booming voice made Gray’s insides rumble. “The laws of the universe are no different here beyond the veil than they are on Earth. Balance is required. It is not he who must return. His sacrifice was made.Youmust sacrifice as well.”

Gray’s heart hammered in his chest. This was what he should want—for Lea to return and save their kingdom. She had to live, to lead, to fulfill her destiny. He would wait for her, no matter how long it took. But as he looked at her now, her hand gripping his arm as if desperate to tether herself to him, he realized he wasn’t sure he could survive it again—the pain of losing her, of watching her slip away from him.

“I won’t go back. Not if I have to leave him.” Lea’s nails dug into Gray’s forearm, and he pulled her closer, trying to reassure her. Of what, he wasn’t sure. But if Lea was going to go back, it had to be willingly. He wouldn’t allow them to rip her away if that wasn’t what she wanted of her own free will. Gray gathered his shadows in his chest, preparing for the worst and wondering how he could possibly defeat the gods, but knowing that he might have to, to keep Lea safe.

“But youmust.” The goddess moved forward, her steps so graceful it was as if she was hovering on top of the ground rather than treading on it. “Youmust be the one to sacrifice now. It was never you who was destined to die, my child. It was never your fate. The Prince of Fire lives. As long as he breathes, suffering will spread like a plague. He will destroy the world.”

Lea's flames roared higher, darker, consuming everything around her with the force of her fury. "I’ve sacrificed everything!" she screamed, her voice raw with pain. "What more could you possibly want from me?"

“You’ve lost no more than others.” The sun god threw out his own flames, attempting to smother Lea’s. “How many in your kingdom have lost mothers? Husbands? You think you’re special in your grief?”

Once again, the moon goddess laid her hand on the sun god’s arm. His flames dimmed, but the tension in the air seemed to thicken.

She turned back to Lea. “My daughter. We know it is unfair. But is anything in this world fair? Equality in suffering isn’t the goal. And your past trials do not change your fate.Youhave to defeat the Prince of Fire,” she urged gently. “To save your people. To saveourpeople. That’s why you were born—to fulfill the prophecy. It’s why we gifted you our magic. It is your duty. To us—to Desia.”

“I’m not going without Gray.” Lea raised her chin in defiance, her eyes narrowing.

“Only one may return. Even that is more than we should allow—even that will have repercussions.” The god’s booming voice caused the grass atop the hill to bend and bow.

“Repercussions?” Gray asked at the same time Lea said, “Fuck the repercussions.”

Gray turned to her, placing a tender hand on her cheek and forcing her to meet his stare. “I’ll wait here for as long as it takes. Wewillbe together again, Little Flower. Please. You have to go back.”

“I’m not their king. You are.” Lea’s jaw clenched. “Youare the one who has planned for this war for a hundred years.Youare the one who knows your brother better than anyone else, knows the castle and the land like the lines on your skin.Youknow your commanders and what they are capable of. I don’t know how to lead a war.” Lea turned and glared at the god of the sun. “Do you not understand? Together.Thatis how wedefeat Alaric. That is how we stop the death and destruction coursing through the kingdom.”

“It does no good to argue,” the goddess interrupted. “Your friend grows weak. Her connection to this realm is fading. If you want to return, itmustbe now. This very moment.”

Lea’s lip trembled as she turned toward Gray, clutching at his hands as if trying to meld her skin to his.

“You have to go back,” he urged, pulling their hands up and kissing her fingers. He pulled her into his arms, speaking into her hair. “I don’t have the power to defeat him, but you do.”

“I won’t,” she cried out. “I can’t.” Her voice broke.

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