Page 79 of Eluvonia
He pauses, letting the words settle before delivering the killing strike. “I wanted you tomurderthe Fae—to carve out half of your soul with your own hands. And when you did, I hoped the other half would be too weak to fight your shadowsanymore.” His tone dips, quieter, sharper.
“Then, at last, you would become the perfect warrior. Cold. Ruthless.Heartless.”
Kaida scoffs, his wings flaring at his side, “Iknewyou’d use myLíðrbond somehow,” he says, voice razor-sharp with disdain. “I figured you’d force me into a political match—something calculated, something strategic, like with Seraveille.” His jaw clenches, shadows lashing at the ground. “Butthis?” He exhales sharply, shaking his head. “Gods, Father. You’ve gonemad.”
The commander barely reacts, his expression carved from stone. Then, slowly, his gaze shifts to me, his lip curling as though the very sight of me offends him. He turns to the crowd, sweeping a hand toward me, his voice slicing through the air.
“Thisanomalyhas magic—anabominationcapable of tipping the scales of war.” He looks back to Kaida, eyes glinting with finality.
“She. Must.Die.”
The crowd erupts. A vicious chorus of jeers and taunts fills the square, their voices crashing over me like a wave. My breath catches, my body trembling as their words blur together—traitor, filth, monster.The weight of their venom presses against my chest, suffocating. My knees buckle, but the ropes binding me to the pole keep me upright, forcing me to endure.
“I will not let you kill her.”
Kaida’s voice cuts through the noise like a blade.
Before the commander can respond, another figure lands beside Kaida, golden wings folding against a broad back. Declan. His arrival sends a ripple through the crowd, whispersdarting like fireflies.
Declan’s voice is a low growl, steady and commanding. “I have to agree with Kaida. This is not the way to end the war. Release her.”
The commander’s lips curl into a sneer. “You cannot command me, boy. You and your father are nothing more than figureheads.”
Declan’s eyes blaze and his wings twitch behind him. “My father is your king. And I am the prince. You will obey.”
The commander scoffs, tilting his chin upward. “Your king is dead. Poisoned by a Fae spy last night.” He pulls out a parchment, the royal seal glinting in the sunlight. “With his last breath, he passed the crown to me, the regent.”
Declan freezes, his wings snapping open in shock. “You… you killed my father?”
The commander’s expression hardens. “Do not accuse me of such things, boy. He was poisoned—a tragedy, no doubt orchestrated by her kind.”
Kaida’s voice is razor-sharp. “You’ve gone too far.”
The guards around us fidget uneasily, their spears lowering slightly as the tension thickens. My vision swims, my body swaying as exhaustion threatens to pull me under. Kaida glances at me, his jaw tightening.
“She won’t last much longer,” he says to Declan.
Declan turns to me, kneeling by my side. His touch is gentle as he begins untying the ropes binding my wrists. “Hey, baby girl,” he murmurs, his voice softer now. “We’ve got you.”
I manage a weak smile, the corners of my mouth trembling. “You’re late.”
His laugh is quiet, but there’s an edge of guilt in his eyes. “Fashionably,” he quips, his fingers working quickly.
“Couldn’t let you have all the attention.”
The commander’s voice booms. “If you free her, you’ll be traitors to the throne. You’ll die alongside her!”
Kaida spits at his father’s feet. “I don’t recognize you as my king. Or my father.”
Declan lifts me into his arms, the movement sending a jolt of pain through my battered body. I hiss, biting down on a cry as his wings snap open. The crowd roars in fury as Declan leaps into the air, the wind from his wings scattering dust and debris.
“Stop them!” the commander yells, his voice raw with rage. Kaida remains grounded, a blur of movement amid the fury of battle. His wings beat with a deadly rhythm, sending gusts of wind that ripple through the guards. His claws cut through the air with silent promise, each strike too swift to be caught. A guard charges at him, spear raised high. Kaida’s shadow snaps forward like a whip, seizing the spear and wrenching it from the guard’s hands. In the same motion, the shadow flicks upward, sending the guard into the air. He spins helplessly before plummeting to the ground with a sickening thud. Another guard, half-shifted, looms large before him. His wings beat in a frenzy, the rush of air deafening as he dives toward Kaida. But Kaida is faster—his sword snatched from the ground in a fluid motion. With a savage roar, he leaps, his shadows streaking through the air.
He lands atop the Dragon guard, his sword driving deep into the guard’s neck, blade sinking effortlessly through scales and flesh. The guard crumbles beneath him, lifeblood spilling across the ground as Kaida rips his weapon free.
Above, Declan carries me higher into the sky. The world spins beneath us, a cacophony of clashing steel, roaringDragons, and the crack of wings. I glance down, my breath hitching at the scene unfolding.
I spot Kaida.Still grounded.
