Page 96 of A Legacy of Wrath and Reckoning

Her brother spun her around in a bear hug like he had when they were children, his laughter bringing a lump to her throat. She hadn’t heard his laugh in too long. “I’m so happy for you,” he murmured into her hair, and for the first time, it sank in that she was going to watch him grow old, that she would have to say goodbye to him long before she was ready, that she would not be able to protect his human body from the effects of time.

Holt’s comfort twined with her sadness, and she willed the sad thoughts aside, returning her brother’s smile. Despite the shadows that remained in Zylah’s vision, she didn’t miss the dark smudges under her friends’ eyes, the signs of exhaustion in all of them.

“There are two more who’ll want to share this moment with you,” Nye told Zylah as she peeled Rin away from her third hug.

Piercing blue eyes met Zylah’s, the exact same colour as Raif’s. Rose, and at her side, Saphi. Saphi launched herself at Zylah, arms wrapping around her, the Fae’s vanilla scent reminding Zylah of days and nights spent at the safehouse back in Virian. But again, she shoved aside the dark thoughts, the feelings of regret. Everything had brought her to this moment, Holt slipping through the crowd to stand at her side and press a hand to her lower back, a kiss into her hair.

Saphi cupped Zylah’s face, breathed her name, tears overflowing from her amber eyes and rolling down her cheeks. It was the first time they’d seen her like this, the slight alterations in her appearance since the vanquicite had been removed, her damaged eyes. “More beautiful than ever,” her friend told her gently, running delicate russet fingers over the scar at Zylah’s temple.

“Congratulations, both of you,” Rose said at Saphi’s side, and there was no hint of malice in it, only true happiness.

Zylah bit back the retorts on the tip of her tongue, the questions, the disgust at what Rose had done. There would no doubt be time for it later. She took in the Fae’s long, dark hair, just like her brother’s used to be, stark against her pale skin, the way she held herself so similar to Aurelia, the way she’d lied to them both still fresh in Zylah’s mind.

“We all needed some good news,” Rose added, clearing her throat and taking a hesitant step back.

But Zylah wouldn’t ruin this moment. Not for Holt. Not for herself. Not for their friends. Because Rose was right, they all needed something to celebrate.

“We have so much to catch up on,” Saphi said, a half sob, half laugh escaping her. Wasn’t that the truth. It had been the best part of a year since Zylah had said goodbye to them, the day they’d all believed Raif had died. All she knew was that they hadn’t had much luck seeking allies in the Northern Territories.

“First things first,” Kej cut in, pulling a bottle from one of his layers of clothing. “We need to hear how this happened.” He tipped the bottle between Holt and Zylah. “My guess is Zy pulled some serious magical moves, and I want to hear every glorious detail.”

“Or,” Rin began, snatching the bottle from her brother’s hands before he could bring it to his lips, “they might want to keep the details to themselves.”

The siblings bickered, but Zylah tuned it out, her threads working overtime, passing through the camp and searching, checking, seeking something that wasn’t there.

Zylah?Holt asked in her thoughts.

The Yzdrit aren’t here.

“Storytime can wait,” Zylah said, patting Kej on the shoulder apologetically. “But we do have a lot to discuss.” She replayed Mae’s words over and over as they all made their way into one of the tents, the interior set up with a large table, wooden chairs assembled from soldiers’ supplies and stools made from tree stumps surrounding it. The Yzdrit were willing to work against Ranon, Mae had said. Onlywilling. Not that they would. Not that they had agreed to anything, offered anything.

“Your aunt’s people haven’t arrived?” Zylah asked Nye as they all took a seat, Holt’s chair creaking beside her as he sank into it. She already knew Nye’s answer; her threads hadn’t detected any of the Iyofari like Cirelle’s Rava amongst the camp, only humans and Fae, and the three exceptions Zylah already knew of.

“The harsh winter has affected the Iyofari’s nesting. They can’t be separated from their hatchlings too soon, and those that aren’t bearing any young usually help,” Nye explained.

Solid reasoning, but it didn’t help their situation, their inability to get them all close to the palace, Holt and Zylah the only ones with any kind of tolerance to the vanquicite.

Nye and Arlan updated them on the attacks that had been carried out in their absence, the information they’d gleaned about the numbers of vampires and thralls and their whereabouts. A far greater number than they’d first anticipated, but most of them remained in Virian, imprisoning Fae and humans there for feeding and charging Ranon’s orb.

Updating Holt, Zylah realised, because every one of them sat at that table together because of his vision, the version of Astaria he’d dreamed of for years. Pride swelled in her chest and down their bond, pride and humility that she got to sit beside him and witness it.

Rose and Saphi filled them in on the alliances they’d made on Holt’s behalf. No army was following them, but the promise of a future with members of the Northern Territories was a start. They’d arrived the day Holt and Zylah had left for Mae’s court, missing each other by just a few hours.

“There was an attack on the Aquaris Court,” Holt told Nye and her cousins. “All the creatures were dealt with; Malok asked after you all.”

“That wasn’t part of the plan,” Nye said, her eyes darting to Zylah’s and a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Because of course, the piece of that update she latched onto was the unscheduled nature of their visit. “You went to the library?”

“We didn’t find anything of use. The attack cut short our research, and we had a deadline for returning to Mae.” Zylah briefly explained the ultimatum she’d given the High Lady, skipping over all that had transpired between her and Holt at the Aquaris Court. That he’d all but died at the base of the cliffs. Another surge of comfort flared from him, his thigh pressing against hers as she fought to keep her features neutral, every too-raw emotion contained.

Kej leaned forwards, elbows pressed to the table. “You poisoned her, gave her underlings the antidote, but didn’t stick around to see if it worked?”

“That’s a fair assessment,” Zylah said, holding his enthused gaze.

Her friend whistled. “And I thought Holt was the unpredictable one. Remind me not to get on your bad side, Zy.”

“Maelissa won’t be missed,” Holt said, a dark edge to his tone and a crackle of magic in the air.

Kej shot an apologetic look at them both, Daizin glaring at him from one side and Rin from the other. But Zylah hadn’t taken offence.

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