Page 74 of Moon Raven Rising
“What are you going to do?” He asks, concerned.
“What needs to be done,” I say resolutely, tucking my wings and aiming my body toward the Colosseum, where I ascended. Using Ambriel’s air magic, I throw my hands out in a sweeping motion, revealing more of the buried palace and the gates that jut from the soil like a half-buried crown.
I land in front of the bronze twisting spires that are not much taller than me. They lack the shine that they deserve, buried with time and dulled with age, but as my feet touch the ground, I feel the magic within my soul stir. Just like the last time I was here… The land itself calls to me.
My fingers trail the intricate gates, and I come to a stop at their center. They no longer keep anyone in or out but only serve as a reminder of what once was, and it causes a deep V to build at the center of my forehead. I thought that the only thing I was supposed to do was stop Soren—kill him, and in doing so I would restore what once was. But as I stand here touching these gates that are calling to me, I realize that I’ve had all I needed to have the prophecy come true the whole time. I just had yet to realize the connection.
“If you do this… it won’t change anything.” I spin around to see the man the voice belongs to. My eyes clash with King Phyrrohs on the back of his deep red dragon as he lands, causing me to stumble back. Surprise bites at me as my eyes sweep out, and I don't see Soren anywhere to be found.
“You may be the moon raven, but this theory of peace… It is futile unless you have the power to control it.” He growls andthe dragon’s mouth opens slightly, revealing its sharp shards of teeth and the sulfuric acid building in its throat. The threat of roasting me does not go unnoticed, but I stand tall and lift my hand to my throat. His eyes track the motion with barely contained rage.
“It’s not peace that needs controlling, Phyrrohs.” I say as my fingers wrap around the necklace I was given for my bonding ceremony. A gift, a black diamond pendant set into an eight-pointed star. I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that eight children who grew up in Aldramani came together to fight off the evil that has run rampant in the kingdom our whole lives. That the man who stands before me had a deal with my birth parents and with Soren Croix, and a man who wants control above all else… trying to claim that the theory of peace is futile.
“It’s been you pulling the strings all along, hasn’t it?Youare the reason that what wassupposed to bemy home became ruins. The reason the family I loved perished when they were trying to uncover the secrets you've hidden! Every piece of chaos that has beenmylife is because ofyourcontrol. Isn’t it?!” I seethe, growling the words with the rage that has been growing with all the time I have spent searching for answers. Looking up at him, I take a step forward and disregard the warning growl his dragon makes.
“You were never supposed to live. It’s your fault I’ve had to go to the lengths I have. Without your existence, Aldramani would already be mine! BURN HER ALIVE!” He shouts, and as the dragon’s fire erupts in a billowing inferno, I drop to the ground, slamming the pendant to the dirt as I do. I shoot every ounce of magic I can think to call from my palm on top of it. The very foundation of the kingdom shakes and trembles with the magic I continually pulse into it. The fire never heating above a warmth over my skin.
From each point of the star, light explodes under my palm and shoots out across the soil. I scream, whipping my head back, my hair creating an arch in the fire that surrounds me. When I raise my eyes, they shine bright white, glowing with the power of the moon, and with my bonds, I bring my own fire to my hand, tilting my head. The dragon’s fire sputters out, and my lip curls back as I narrow my eyes on the coward on its back. It’s as if the ground around me is smoldering and I am left unscathed. I realize that just as I am, perhaps the dragons and their bonds are not what they seem, and I try something.
“He does not control you the way Osiris controls Bracarva. Does he?”Surprise shoots through the connection with the dragon.
“He holds our mates captive.”Her voice echoes through my mind, and I swallow, realizing that the dragons have more than just emotions they can share with me.“My fire does not harm you… How?”
“Dismount from the dragon, Phyrrohs. Your time here is up.” I growl, ignoring the dragon’s question. He laughs as he slides down the dragon’s front leg and steps forward. He is a very large man and towers over me, but he mistakes my taking a step back for fear and becomes cocky. Just as I knew he would.
When my foot falls, my hand slides to my waist, where Meraki is in its sheath, and as he lunges for me, I pull the blade and sink into his chest. Our eyes meet as he comes face-to-face with me and realizes his mistake. His blood coats my hand running up to the stone that sits nestled into the hilt of my dagger and coats it red. A sizzling crack sounds through the clouds, and as the King of Valeska falls, the earth and the very air around us quivers with energy.
Dirt and rock shake violently, and buildings that were once fallen and half buried shimmer like a mirage. The dragon takes to the sky and lets out a bone chilling cry, but I hear her thoughtsas she soars toward the cliffs. Calling to Bracarva—the dragon sobs in relief that the king is dead.
As the wind picks up and whips around me, each powerful gust reveals more and more of the palace that once was. Each piece that is revealed pulls more and more power from me. It bleeds from each of my fingers, my eyes, and my feet where they stand planted. Behind me I feel the Fae all around fall silent, or perhaps I just can’t hear it over the screams that rip from my throat as I releaseeverything. Darkness and light, air, fire, and let my mind become free.
When nothing else remains from the well of my power, I drop to my knees, panting and drenched in sweat. I let my head fall back, exhaustion and elation coming over me in a sagging relief, wanting nothing more than to be reunited with my mate.
When I open my eyes, it’s met by two glowing embers looking back at me. Dax reaches for me with the heat of all of his love displayed in his eyes, and the sight alone gives me the peace I was hoping for. Because at this moment, I know everything we have done to get where we are—all of it is worth every moment in his arms.
“You did it.” He purrs into my ear and guides my chin up with his thumb as he cradles my face. “Look at what you’ve done.” His eyes flick between mine, and though I am exhausted, I do what he requests. I look around and realize we are no longer outside of the gates but inside the throne room built up around me using the magic I poured back into the kingdom.
Two thrones sit with high backs at the center of the enormous room. Black leather cushions adorn the heavy, deeply stained wood, and steel frames a raven carved to the top of each. One black as night, the other bright white like the moon. Behind the thrones, a wall of stained glass paints the room in a rainbow of color. Magic is breathing here. It fills my lungs, swirls around mymind, and over my skin. A welcoming embrace from what was meant to be mine. Elation fills me.
I’m home.
A large steel door creaks open behind us, and still wrapped in Dax’s arms, he turns us to face Trent and Maki as they enter, blood-soaked and fierce. When Ambriel and Alaric step through next, the latter looking haunted but whole… I sag with relief, but still my gaze lingers at the door, waiting for the rest to walk though.
“Kait?” I ask when the door finally closes and no more people come into the throne room. Dax’s head falls, but he nods.
“She will be ok.” He responds in a whisper at my ear and everyone looks around.
“Cano?” I ask hesitantly. I know the answer as soon as the words leave my lips. The energy in the room shifts to something darker. Even with the magic that fills the air. Dax’s eyes meet mine with so much emotion, my heart seizes as tears roll freely down his cheeks and disappear into the scruff on his jaw. He shakes his head. I trap my trembling lip in my teeth, and as his gaze drops to the floor, I turn in his arms, pushing his chin up until his eyes once again meet mine. The pain I see there is more than heartbreaking. It’s devastation. It's remorse.
“He saved Trent. It would have been my brother. I couldn’t get to him in time, but Cano—he did.” No one smiles. There is no happiness in winning a war. Celebrating our winning is celebrating the deaths that should not have had to happen. This was a war of evil and the lives lost—a tragedy.
I take Dax by the hand and lead him to the thrones, where we sit side by side. Our broken, grief-stricken family here is mostly whole, and for that I am grateful. Dax and I will lead the kingdom now the way that it should be led, and the memory of the fallen warriors we lost along the way will be the only thing wecelebrate. Because without them, none of this would have been possible.
Dax- Six years later
The blistering heat frommy forge licks at my face as I pull the metal from the fire and lay it down on the anvil. In my other hand, I bring the hammer down on the glowing orange steel. With each hit, pieces of the cooling metal flake away, leaving behind the shape I wish to create.
Since the kingdom has been whole once more, the dragons returned to Valeska with Osiris, and there has been nothing to pull me away from myself, I find myself here often once again. Though it’s not like before.
