Page 193 of Once the Skies Fade

Phillip’s elbow nudged mine, and he offered me a warm smile. Though he’d been unconscious when the bond had formed between Calla and me, he’d quickly learned of it from the staff during his healing. While Calla had been okay with introducing me as her mate, Isa had insisted it better to focus on my winning the tournament.

“Congratulations,” Phillip whispered out of the corner of his mouth as he turned forward.

My heart hammered away behind my sternum. I’d faced evil forests and deadly monsters—I’d fought in battles and stood up to mobs—yet my nerves refused to calm until I caught Calla’s wry smile. With a steadying breath, I stepped forward. As I made my way around the throne, my footsteps echoed through the quiet room, as heavy and loud as my pulse in my ears. I stopped to face Isa and Calla, wondering what everyone must have been thinking.

Isa continued. “General Orelian, upon arrival, you swore an oath, pledging your loyalty to our kingdom and our queen. You have shown—throughout every trial, and beyond—that you should be the next king of Arenysen. Are you prepared to fulfill your oath and rule beside Her Majesty, Calla Vael?”

“I am,” I said, sending my voice echoing off the high ceilings. The crowd released a collective sigh, and a few individuals started to clap, but Isa quieted them with a placating wave of her hand.

“Queen Vael,” she said, turning to Calla, who stepped forward slightly. “You, too, swore an oath, pledging your loyalty to the victor of the tournament. Are you prepared to fulfill your oath and accept Matthias Orelian as your king?”

Calla hesitated, and those gathered leaned forward even more, a hush falling over them as they waited. Slowly her shadows slipped from her palms. Someone gasped, which nearly made me chuckle, but the dark tendrils floated to me, wrapping around my hands to lure me to her. Slipping her hands into mine, she pulled her shadows tightly around our entwined fingers and whispered, “I am.”

Applause swept through the crowd. Someone whistled.

Leaning toward Isa, I whispered, “Are we supposed to kiss or something?”

Isa shrugged. “You’re our future king. I’m pretty sure that means you get to do whatever you want.”

Calla clicked her tongue. “Nope. Only once he’s officially king. In the meantime,Iget to do whatever I want.”

I didn’t get a chance to utter my brilliant retort, because she was already yanking me to her and pressing her lips to mine in a respectable yet somehow still sensual kiss.

Chapter 98

Calla

Returning to my throne with Matthias standing to my right, I was so focused on the peace swimming in my veins—a peace I’d never thought possible again—I didn’t hear Isa name Phillip as Graham’s successor as royal advisor, and only mildly registered the light applause that followed. It wasn’t until a door slammed closed and a heavy silence fell over the room that I blinked out of my own thoughts and back to the present.

A guard approached the dais with Raven and Sera still bound in chains, and Isa and Phillip each slipped behind Matthias and me. When they stopped before me, I rose from my seat and dipped my chin to each of them in greeting. Raven donned a kind smile, and even Sera didn’t look like she hated me quite as much as she once did.

Peering over their heads, I first addressed the entire room. “Due to recent events, I have decided to renounce the law which exiled all humans from Arenysen.”

The silence seemed to intensify somehow, and wary stares greeted me. Panic struck, a heavy weight dropping into my empty stomach. My shadows, still relaxed by Jocelyn’s tonic but roused by the sudden anxiety, thankfully remained settled.Drawing in a slow breath, I shifted my gaze to the women before me.

I can do this.

I’m the queen. I can do anything.

“Raven Keen. Sera Hawthorne. With this change in the laws, I—with those gathered as my witnesses—pardon you both. All charges are dropped. You are free to go.”

Two guards stepped forward to remove their chains. While Raven approached and offered me her hand—which I gratefully accepted—Sera maintained her distance, remaining guarded, but at least she wasn’t glowering at me.

“Thank you,” Raven said before skirting off to greet Matthias with a hug.

Sera merely nodded in silent appreciation. When she didn’t move to leave, Matthias stepped past me and bounded down the steps to wrap his sister in a tight hug. He whispered something in her ear, and I could have sworn I detected tears in her resulting laughter. Holding her at arm’s length, he angled his head at her and said, “I will stop by to visit. Promise.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Isa asked, dropping her hand to my mount’s neck as she handed me my reins.

“Yes, Isa. We have so much to do here. I need you to help Phillip get settled so he can help coordinate the trials for the former Assembly members and the healer. Plus, I’m traveling with Emeryn’s own esteemed general?—”

“Former general,” Matthias clarified, bringing his horse up alongside mine and flashing his too-charming smile at both of us.

“They don’t know that yet, though,” I noted, but then a thought struck me, and I swung back to look at Isa. “Or do they? Did we send word to them about the tournament outcome?”

Isa nodded. “We did, along with our condolences for King Nevan.”

Matthias leaned over his horse’s neck to speak around me. “And did we happen to mention the bond or?—”

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